SEN & Vulnerable Students

A student is seen to have SEN if they require support that goes beyond what is typically required by students to access the curriculum. Most students will have their needs met through Quality First Teaching. Teachers at the College are expected to use differentiated resources to challenge and meet the needs of students. All staff (as demonstrated in the Teacher Portfolio) have an excellent understanding of the needs of all of their students. Challenging targets are set throughout the year and students, through resources and teaching, will have their needs met and be suitably challenged.

We believe that Every student, regardless of background, should have access to an exciting curriculum offer and the opportunity to make outstanding progress from their starting points. It is our vision that we strive to enrich the lives of young people in order to help them grow into confident, well-rounded citizens who play an active part in school life and the wider community. Through the 4Rs we want to develop active and independent learners who can take ownership of their educational journey as well as feel ready to one day enter the wider-world.
The College definition for SEN and for disability comes from the SEND Code of Practice (2014). This states that a child or young person has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. A learning difficulty or disability is a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age. Special educational provision means educational or training provision that is additional to, or different from, that made generally for others of the same age in a mainstream setting in England.
The best available evidence indicates that great teaching is the most important lever schools have to improve student progress and attainment. Ensuring every teacher is supported in delivering high-quality teaching is essential to achieving the best outcomes for all students, particularly the most disadvantaged among them. Robust high expectations with effective scaffolding, cognitive and metacognitive approaches to learning in all classrooms is the core of the school offer.
But occasionally a little more support is required and starts within the classroom setting. Well designed and data driven in lesson intervention that uses on-going assessment including retrieval practice is the next stage of support. Interventions are SMART and reviewed regularly. Strategies like flexible groupings, allocated seating, instant feedback and live marking have shown positive impact on progress within our classrooms. Our nurture provision in maths and English allows for lower teacher: pupil ratios and a higher level of immediate feedback and adaptive teaching for students who need it the most. An experienced Teaching Assistant team provide in class support for students who are most vulnerable and work collaboratively with teachers to support students to make progress in their learning.
As a College we collaboratively with Special Educational Needs authorities at Leicester County Council and Leicester City Council as well as a wide range of specialist services so that students who have been formally diagnosed with medical or SEN needs receive the support, they need from professional bodies in order to flourish.

 

SEND Coordinator:
Ms Ismahane Messahel

Governor with SEN Responsibilities:
Nigel Swan

Document
SEND Information Report