Special Educational Needs
Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well catered for. Pupils who need extra help with their reading get specialist support. This is effective. Leaders monitor who attends clubs to ensure that all pupils, especially pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with SEND, benefit from them. (Ofsted, February 2020)
LEARNING SUPPORT DEPARTMENT
SENDCo - Miss L Bendel
SEND Manager - Miss H Weir
Learning Support - Administrator - Mrs K Lansdown
Parents are encouraged to contact the SENCo by email initially if they have any queries or questions - lbendel@johncolet.co.uk
John Colet actively promotes and offers an inclusive education for all students in line with the SEND Code of Practice (DfE, 2015). All staff have appropriate high expectations for all students, and the Learning Support Department ensures that a network of support is available for students to be able to reach their full potential.
Key Documents
Annual SEND Information Report 2023-24
Education Endowment Foundation
John Colet follows the ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ cycle outlined in the SEND Code of Practice. Teaching staff carefully monitor their classes and adapt class materials to ensure they are accessible to all. Below is the process we follow at John Colet:
At John Colet we follow five recommendations from the Education Endowment Foundation’s guidance report on ‘Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools’ (EEF, 2020)
Some of the ways John Colet is creating a supportive environment for all students:
- An inclusive curriculum with many pathway choices ensures high expectations for all.
- Students are recognised for their efforts in being Ready, Respectful and Responsible in their attitude and approach to learning through our 3Rs system of behaviour and rewards.
- All students are allocated to a Tutor Group from Year 7 to Year 13. Each Tutor Group is allocated a Form Tutor.
- Each Year Group has a supportive Head of Year and SLT link who deliver weekly assemblies on topics such as personal development and citizenship. Each Head of Year works hard to ensure that their Year Group strives to be the best that they can be.
- A programme of extra-curricular activities is available to all.
- Students are actively encouraged to attend trips to enhance curriculum study or interpersonal and social skills.
- The Inclusion and Behaviour Unit provide behavioural support for students both in and out of the classroom. They encourage students to be the best they can be.
Some of the ways John Colet is building an ongoing, holistic understanding of our students and their needs:
- We work with lots of outside agencies to ensure that students’ individual needs are met. Some of the outside agencies we work with are:
- The OWL Centre for Speech and Language Therapy
- Educational Psychologists from the Local Authority
- Children’s Sensory Team
- The Centre for ADHD and Autism
- Everlief Psychology Services
- Occupational Therapy
- SENARS
- CAMHS
- Aspire
- Animal Antiks
- SENDIAS
- Family Support Services
- Shout Out for SEND
- Wendover Youth Centre
- Autism Teaching Company
- Aylesbury Vale Youth Motor Project
- Bright Young Things Tutoring Service
- Specialist Teachers - Hearing Support
- NHS School Nurses
- The British Dyslexia Association
- Specialist Teachers - Downs Syndrome Support
- Students have a lead role to play in meetings about their progress. Each student on the Concern list and SEND Register has an individualised SEN Support Pupil Profile that is shared with teaching and support staff to ensure they have the support that is right for them.
Some of the ways John Colet is ensuring all students have access to high quality teaching:
- All teachers take responsibility for ensuring the progress of students with SEND in their classes.
- All students are encouraged to access the full curriculum whenever possible.
- Staff receive ongoing professional development regarding best teaching practice and how to support students with SEN.
- Any interventions that students attend are designed to have minimal impact on their other classes. We plan interventions to have a positive impact on a student’s overall progress.
Some of the ways John Colet is complementing high quality teaching with carefully selected small-group and one-to-one interventions:
- Additional interventions have been carefully chosen based on progress seen in John Colet or other schools. Below are some of the interventions that are used at John Colet:
- ASD Specialist Teacher
- Functional Skills option
- Homework and Study Club
- 1:1 Mentoring
- Reading groups
- 'Catch Up' Literacy Reading Programme
- 1:1 academic support for those with an EHCP
- Additional After School Small Group English
- Aspire Outreach
- In-house Counselling
- Aspire Home Tutoring
- Frequent Professional Development is provided for Learning Support Assistants and Key Workers leading interventions to ensure they are delivering high quality support.
- Interventions are linked back to the main curriculum areas to ensure students continue developing their skills.
Some of the ways John Colet is ensuring best practice between teachers and Learning Support Assistants:
- Learning Support Assistants have been trained to support students to become independent learners. Instead of providing answers, they use questions and high quality interaction.
- Learning Support Assistants have a timetable which is in flux. This means that students get a range of different adult interventions helping to avoid dependence on a single adult.
- Teachers and Learning Support Assistants collaborate in planning for core curriculum areas. There are co-planning meetings involving liaison between LSAs and Teaching staff with a focus on specific students and/or need(s).
Stay Ok is an easy read website for people with learning disabilities and autism living in the Thames Valley. It is designed to provide information and guidance on staying safe whilst at home, and out and about in the community covering a range of topics such as healthy relationships, exploitation and grooming, online safety and hate crime. There are also quizzes, videos and games all designed to keep people safe. The website is split into two sections, one which is completely easy read and the other is a resources toolkit for parents, carers and professionals.
The website was designed by Buckinghamshire Council in partnership with Talkback.
An easy read guide can be accessed here.