Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
Parenting in general is a rewarding and difficult job. Supporting children with SEND can be particularly challenging - meeting their needs alongside the needs of other children and other commitments, navigating complex SEND processes and accessing support when needed can feel insurmountable at times.
At Broadlands we are committed to setting high expectations for all of our students, and ensuring that students with SEND or neuro-diverse profiles are able to achieve their full potential, by removing or mitigating the barriers that could put a ceiling on their achievements. We are also aware that neuro-diversity is a crucial aspect of human life and we recognise the strengths, skills and personal qualities that all of our students bring to the school community.
Please use this part of the school website to explore your understanding of different needs, learn about the provision that we make for your children in school, and discover events, opportunities and support networks in your local community.
SEND Provision and Support at Broadlands Academy
What are Special Educational Needs and Disabilities?
How is SEND information about my child shared in school?
At Broadlands Academy we use software called Provision Map and Class Charts to ensure that every student with SEND has a Broadlands Support Plan which is shared with their teachers and families. These plans are created with the student’s needs and voice at the centre of the process and are regularly reviewed to ensure that needs are understood and met in the classroom and throughout the student’s time in school. Class Charts is used to monitor the engagement and behaviour of all students at Broadlands Academy and parents/carers can access this live information using an app.
You can find out more about this software here:
https://www.provisionmap.co.uk/
We are working on sharing live Broadlands Support Plans with all parents/carers - please contact us if you haven’t seen a copy of your child’s Support Plan or if you need help with accessing behaviour updates using Class Charts.
As an inclusion team, we work hard to ensure that all colleagues have access to accurate and updated SEND information about our students. We regularly meet with key colleagues such as Heads of Year and the Attendance and Safeguarding Leads to ensure that we are collectively doing everything we can to support positive engagement in school life and excellent academic and pastoral outcomes for all students.
What interventions are in place for Broadlands Academy students?
Inclusion Mentoring - students are matched with a member of staff from the Inclusion Team who meets with them once a week to focus on tackling barriers to learning - this could be emotional difficulties, organisation, learning barriers or attendance. During mentoring the student has the opportunity to identify particular problem areas, set targets and celebrate success. Some students have a full lesson every week, others benefit from a brief check-in every morning. We are considering introducing Peer Mentoring next term - whereby mature students in Year 10 are supported to mentor students in Year 7 during afternoon tutor times.
Zones of Regulation - this is a useful programme for students who need help identifying, expressing and managing their feelings. https://www.zonesofregulation.com/index.html
Social Stories - an approach pioneered by Carol Gray in 1991 and aimed at autistic young people, but useful for any students who need to unpick and understand complex social situations. We use these and resources from the Autism Education Trust to support students with social communication difficulties. https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/communication/communication-tools/social-stories-and-comic-strip-coversations
Lexia - a structured, focused literacy programme to help students improve their reading and writing skills, their understanding of texts and their confidence as learners. https://www.lexialearning.com/why-lexia/
Toe by Toe - a 121 phonics programme, which involves working through a small workbook and gives quick and accessible feedback to students who need help with word reading. https://toe-by-toe.co.uk/
Power of 2 (coming on board soon) - a 121 numeracy programme. https://www.123learning.co.uk/power-of-2-book
Outside Agencies - We invite in groups of professionals to run sessions for our students - this includes our Speech and Language Therapist, the Specialist Autism Support Service, the Bath Area Play Project, Off the Record and our School Health Nurse.
What is happening in the local area?
Check here for support and activities in the Bath & North East Somerset area:
https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/get-help-children-or-young-people-additional-needs-send
In Bristol:
https://www.bristolparentcarers.org.uk/2021/05/24/flora-bristols-send-local-offer/
And in South Glos: https://sgpc.org.uk/the-local-offer-2
This service provides support for parents and carers of young people with SEND - they can help families to navigate the often complex world of SEND provision and legislation and can signpost parents to further support in the area:
This is the Bath area organisation: https://sendiasbathnes.org.uk/
For Bristol residents: https://www.sendandyou.org.uk/
For South Glos residents: https://www.sendandyou.org.uk/how-we-help/areas-covered/south-gloucestershire-services/
How can I get support with parenting?
Please speak to your child’s tutor or Head of Year in the first instance. It may be helpful to arrange a face to face meeting, and you may decide between you, that a referral for Early Help would be appropriate. The following links might also be useful:
https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/get-early-help
https://find-information-for-adults-children-families.southglos.gov.uk
If you have a specific concern about your child, you may want to approach a support group that has experts in that area. Here are a few local examples:
https://www.fflag.org.uk/portfolio-item/trans-support/ - of course, being transgender is not a disability, however young trans people can experience difficulties with their emotional wellbeing and mental health and therefore some young trans people will be added to our inclusion register due to Social Emotional and Mental Health needs.