THRYBERGH ACADEMY SEND NEWSLETTER

Summer 2026

Welcome

Welcome to the very first issue of Thrybergh Academy's SEND Newsletter. We’re excited to share the fantastic work happening across our school to support students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Each term, this newsletter will highlight the inclusive activities, achievements and initiatives taking place, celebrating our students’ successes, showcasing the support available and keeping families informed about how we continue to create a learning environment where every young person can thrive.

If you want to find out more about SEND support at Thrybergh Academy, click here to visit our website.

Maths

The Maths team would like to celebrate the progress of one of our students who does not always find maths easy, Lacey in Y7. Her maths teacher states: 'I was really impressed with Lacey this week; her concentration didn't falter, even when another student was being disruptive. She even volunteered to challenge herself and independently answered a long division question (something she had really struggled with last week). She got the answer correct without any help from me!'

Well done, Lacey!

IT

Mr Khan has been very impressed with how well our SEND students have done in IT this term - They have covered a number of topic areas and more recently students have been doing Game design using a software called Kodu. Students have learnt to create their own world and characters as well programming their game and enhancing it with their newly found gaming/programming skills to produce an array of challenging and fun games independently.

Engineering

Our Y9 student, Kyle, has completed his Engineering Door hook. Throughout this year Kyle has grown in confidence within the workshop and has produced some excellent work, he has a fantastic work ethic and a “can do” attitude. His teacher has genuinely enjoyed working along side Kyle in technology, adapting resources with him to see him achieve his full potential. Well done, Kyle!

Life Skills

In June our Year 10 students completed one week of work experience. Year 10 work experience is far more than just a week away from the classroom—it is a vital stepping stone into adulthood. For many students, this placement offers their very first taste of the professional world, helping them develop essential "soft skills" like teamwork, time management, and workplace communication that simply cannot be taught in a textbook. By stepping into a real working environment, students gain a clearer understanding of their own strengths and interests, helping them make more informed, confident decisions about their upcoming GCSEs, A-Levels, or vocational paths. It builds independence, boosts self-confidence, and provides a standout addition to early CVs and college applications. Ultimately, it demystifies the world of work, transforming abstract future goals into tangible, achievable aspirations. Well done to all our Y10s who completed this vital part of their education.

Trips/External Visitors/Workshops

At half term students attended a four day trip to Madrid in Spain as part of a whole school cultural experince trip. Students visited the beautiful Retiro Park, Palacio Real, Las Ventas Bullring, Roman Aqueduct and Balcazar, Valle de los Caidos and the Bernabeu Stadium where Real Madrid play. They also went to the Apetitoh for a Paella cookery class which was a delicious experience! These were fantastic eye opening experiences for all the students. They also visited a Spanish school, met and did group activities with the Spanish school students, planning an imaginary new country. Along with this they played football and volleyball with them and made real friends. It was a successful new experience for all the students.

On Tuesday June 16th, Year 7 students enjoyed a Careers Day at Gulliver's Valley. They showed off their brilliant team work in a variety of team building activities and were particularly inspired by the airport simulation area where they learned about different career opportunties offered by an airport, and role played being a flight attendant.

As part of our commitment to helping students with SEND achieve their full potential now and in the future, on Wednesday 1st July, we hosted a pilot program called 'A Day in the Life of,' that aims to empower SEND students about their future careers. This involved twenty students from Years 9 and 10 participating in a careers workshop.

Interventions

As part of our commitment to ensuring every child leaves school able and qualified with a strong academic foundation, many of our SEND students have been included in a foundational knowledge literacy and numeracy intervention. The targeted programs are designed to meet students exactly where they are, helping to bridge learning gaps and build deep, lasting confidence in literacy and numeracy.

Rapid Plus is a specialised, evidence-based reading intervention designed to accelerate literacy skills for students who need an extra boost.The program utilises finely-levelled, engaging fiction and non-fiction books that feature mature, age-appropriate themes but are written at an accessible reading level.

Freckle is an interactive, highly personalised learning platform that focuses on core mathematical concepts. How it works: The platform starts with a brief placement assessment to pinpoint the student’s exact strengths and areas for growth. It then creates a personalised pathway of questions that continuously adapts in real-time based on their answers - offering a challenge that is "just right" without being overwhelming.

In addition to this, our Read Write Inc phonics intervention has continued to support students with their phonics knowledge, ELSA interventions support our students' emotional literacy and the All about Me intervention has enabled students to develop their self-esteem and social skills.

Celebrations

We would like to celebrate the progress of our students involved in the Read Write Inc phonics intervention this term. Seventeen students have made excellent progress through the modules and of these, eleven students have now completed the programme altogether.

A special mention goes to Layton in Y7, who has made the most overall progress across three interventions: Read Write Inc, Freckle and Rapid Plus. Well done, Layton!

Transition

We are looking forward to our new Year 7 intake joining us in September.

On 29th and 30th June, and 1st July, we welcomed our new SEND cohort into school for the morning, to get to know them in a quieter environment and ease any worries they might have before their main transition days in July. They got to meet the SEND team, have a tour of the school, learn what support is on offer in Curriculum Support and have a taster of our delicious school lunches!

Staff Training

This term, our SEND team have had regular training and coaching in the delivery of Read Write Inc phonics and how to deliver Rapid Plus, Freckle and sensory circuits interventions.

Mrs Spendler, our Head of Maths, delivered training on trust-wide methods of calculation, so the SEND team can ensure we are supporting our students consistently, in line with recommendations of best practice, in maths lessons and interventions.

We were also pleased to welcome into school a member of the Aspire outreach support team, who delivered staff training on de-escalation techniques. We continue our commitment to a trauma informed way of working with students and we have had further training on this from our school safeguarding/mental health team.

Page updated

Report abuse