SEND

By the time students start at St Clement Danes, the school already knows a great deal about them from contact with their primary school.

Over the last few weeks, the Head of Year 7 and other key staff have been in contact with the majority of primary schools to receive information about individual children. Mrs Baker, the SENCo (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) has also spoken to some schools specifically to discuss students with special educational needs. Information regarding previous tests and SAT predictions is also obtained. 

During the Autumn Term this information will be supplemented by data from primary schools, Cognitive Ability Tests (CATs) and various internal assessments, including reading. Any students highlighted by these baseline tests will be monitored carefully by the Learning Support Team. Students may be invited to take part in an intervention to support their learning, as evidence both by assessments and classroom observations.

We will use every opportunity to identify students’ needs from their first contact with the school. Students with additional needs will have these recorded on an ‘SEN monitoring sheet’ or ‘Learning Plan’ depending on their level of need and the support in place. Strategies to address barriers to learning will be shared with teachers.

Access arrangements reflect the support that is usually given to the student in the classroom, internal exams and mock examinations. This is commonly referred to as the 'normal way of working' and begins on a trial basis in Key Stage 3. Students are assessed at the end of Year 7 for these arrangements and are identified based on previous SEND history and teacher referrals. The decision to apply to the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) for access arrangements in Key Stage 4 is the school’s decision. This is based on evidence of a history of need, history of provision and diagnostic assessment undertaken by the SENCo as the School’s Specialist Assessor. The SENCo is required to gather qualitative evidence that the access arrangements reflect the candidate’s needs and their normal way of working within school.

Privately commissioned assessments confirming diagnosis are not necessary. The school will exercise its judgement regarding a student’s eligibility for access arrangements in line with guidance from JCQ.

The majority of students will have their Special Educational Needs met in mainstream classes through high quality, adaptive teaching. As part of the graduated approach to special educational needs provision in line with the SEN Code of  Practice (2015), the cycle of ‘assess, plan, do and review’ helps teachers identify student needs and target appropriate intervention. Parents will be contacted prior to any intervention taking place.

A small number of students receive additional English and Maths support as well as support for study skills, instead of studying French. There is a strong emphasis on keeping a broad and accessible curriculum for all students with additional needs.

A small number of teaching groups receive additional support from Learning Support Practitioners (LSPs) in Core Subjects (English, Maths and Science). The emphasis for in-class support is on helping the student to access the work and developing students’ skills as independent learners.

The school works with a number of external agencies and through referral provides support to students and guidance to teachers. Key partners include: The Educational Psychology Service, Speech and Language Teachers, Communication, Interaction and Autism Team and Chessbrook Education Support Centre.

The SENCo and Learning Support Team work closely with the Pastoral Team to support students’ social, emotional and mental health and well-being. Students can be referred for additional support including assessment, intervention and referral to external agencies.

Please refer to the SEN Information Report available on the school website for additional information regarding Special Educational Needs.

Please  complete the Google form below that will allow you to share your child’s additional needs. Please do ensure to provide as much information as possible, to help with a smooth transition. If you would like to contact a member of Learning Support, you can do this at sendscd@scd.herts.sch.uk

We are looking forward to meeting your child and supporting them in their learning.