SEND

The Learning Support Team at Christ the King aims to help students to access all opportunities so that they can learn, grow and achieve their potential in a supportive, caring environment.

The team consists of the following key staff: Mrs M Young: Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCO) – who oversees the management of the department,

Mrs A Hamilton: Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) – who oversees the day to day running of the department,

The team also consists of 5 classroom support assistants, many of whom have specialisms and interests in areas including literacy, visual impairments, EAL and autism. Administration support for statemented students and departmental support for exam access arrangements, timetabling, pupil testing and setting is also in place. The department facilities include the Learning Support Centre and Harbour Room  all of which are housed close together in a prominent ground floor area, which is located in a very accessible part of school.

The environment is bright, welcoming, friendly and highly supportive. All students on our SEN register are encouraged to access the facility during break, lunch and after school in order to provide them with a safe and caring environment at all times.

Links with Parents

Communication with parents is at the forefront of the department’s work. We pride ourselves on the close links we have developed in order to ensure the student’s needs are met and families are confident in the knowledge that their children are happy and safe. This close communication helps students to overcome barriers, reach their academic potential and develop social skills and confidence in order to succeed when leaving school.

Opportunities for parents to meet with support staff on an informal basis are also available, with termly ‘Drop-In Evenings’ recently introduced.

How do we support our Students?

Many interventions are in place in order to ensure additional support is available for all our students on the SEN register. One of our key focus areas is raising literacy levels, which is also a whole school priority.

Interventions include:

In-class support from classroom support assistants (group and 1:1),

1:1 support in the Learning Support Centre with specialist support staff – This includes, amongst others, support for students with Visual Impairments, Autism, Social, Emotional and Behavioural needs,

Intervention at Registration on a daily basis in the Learning Support Centre – focusing on reading, comprehension, spelling, handwriting, basic numeracy and social skills.

Year 11 Reading Buddies during morning registration (daily) to assist Year 7 students with low Reading Ages.

Additional support where required including careers advice, exam access arrangements, access to the Learning Support Centre, mentors, external support from the Inclusion Disability Support Service.

In addition to this the Learning Support Department is also responsible for supporting students with English as an additional language. For further information regarding this, please refer to the EEAL/EAL Policy which can be found on the school website, or contact school for further information.

Whole School Approach

We pride ourselves in having a whole school approach to supporting our SEN students. The Learning Support Department works very closely with the pastoral team and subject teachers to ensure students are monitored and supported in terms of academic progress, medical, social, emotional, and behavioural needs.

We are a small school which enables us to provide a unique system for supporting students and offer a family approach where students feel valued, and staff are fully aware of individual needs. We ensure our teaching and non-teaching staff have access to additional training in order to help them provide an effective learning environment. This has included additional training in: autism, dyslexia, literacy, speech and language, braille, plus training from the school nurse for medical issues including epilepsy, diabetes, asthma, nut allergies.

For additional information on our SEN provision, a copy of the school SEN Policy can be found here.  Alternatively, we welcome parents to contact school directly and speak to Mrs Young or Mrs Hamilton.

SEND stands for "Special Educational Needs and Disabilities" and refers to children and young people who require extra help to learn because they have a learning difficulty or disability.

This support is necessary because their needs are different from or additional to those of other learners in a mainstream setting. SEND can impact a child's ability to learn, socialize, communicate, or their physical and sensory development.

What SEND means

· Learning difficulty:

A child has a learning difficulty if they find it significantly harder to learn than most children of the same age.

· Disability:

A child has a disability if it hinders their ability to use the educational facilities generally provided to other children of the same age.

· Need for special provision:

The key indicator is that the child needs special educational provision, which can be a temporary or long-term requirement.

Examples of what SEND can affect

· Cognition and learning: Difficulty understanding information, retaining knowledge, or developing skills like reading and writing.

· Communication and interaction: Challenges with speaking, understanding others, or interacting with peers.

· Physical and sensory development: Issues with mobility, hearing, or vision.

· Social, emotional, and mental health: Problems with behaviour or making friends.

At Christ the King High School we employ a proactive and thorough approach to identify students who may require additional support for Special Educational Needs. Our process includes:

Transition from Primary School:

· Our SENDCO liaises closely with Year 6 teachers and SENDCOs from feeder primary schools to gather detailed information about students' needs and support strategies already in place.

· We review primary school records, including SEND Support Plans and any existing EHCPs.

· Targeted transition visits and additional familiarisation opportunities are arranged for vulnerable students.

Upon Entry to Christ the King:

· All Year 7 students complete baseline assessments (e.g., standardised reading and spelling tests) to help identify literacy and numeracy strengths and areas for development.

· Information from these assessments is reviewed alongside primary school data and teacher observations.

 

Ongoing Monitoring & Assessment within School:

· Teacher Referrals: Class teachers are constantly observing and assessing students' progress. If a student is making less than expected progress despite Quality First Teaching, a concern form is raised with the SENDCO.

· Progress Data Analysis: We regularly track student progress across all subjects. Significant concerns are highlighted and investigated by the SENDCO.

· Pastoral Team Liaison: Our dedicated pastoral team plays a key role in identifying students who may be experiencing social, emotional, or behavioural difficulties impacting their learning.

· Student and Parent Voice: We encourage students and parents to share any concerns about learning or well-being with their form tutor, Learning Manager, or the SENDCO.

Once a potential need is identified, the SENDCO will discuss concerns with parents/carers and the student, and determine if further assessment or support is required.

All of this forms part of the Assess, Plan Do, Review Cycle or Graduated Approach.

In line with the Disability Discrimination Act, we recognise a broad definition of disability covering a wide range of physical and mental impairments. 

Our pupils’ Special Educational Needs include, but are not limited to: 

• Speech and Language Difficulties (SLCN) 

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) 

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) 

• Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD) 

• Pathological Demand Disorder (PDD) 

• Sensory Disorders (SD) 

• Elective Mutism (EM) 

• Cerebral Palsy 

• Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscraphia (SpLD) 

• Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD) 

• Tourette’s Syndrome 

• Hearing and Visual Impairments (Physical Disabilities- PD) 

• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs 

• Medical needs such as severe allergies, diabetes, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, and Neurofibromatosis, hypermobility 

At CTK, we provide a graduated approach to SEND support, ensuring that all students receive the right level of intervention at the right time. Our provision is structured into three "Waves": 

 

Wave 1: Quality First Teaching (Universal Provision) 

• Description: This is the high-quality teaching that every student receives in the classroom. All teachers are teachers of SEND and are trained to differentiate their lessons to meet the diverse needs of all learners. 

Examples: 

• Differentiated Instruction: Adapting tasks, resources, and questioning techniques to suit different learning styles and abilities. 

• Accessible Resources: Providing visual aids, simplified language, knowledge organisers, and alternative formats for materials. 

• Clear Instructions: Breaking down complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps. 

• Strategic Seating: Planning classroom layouts to support engagement and minimise distractions. 

• Formative Assessment: Regularly checking understanding to identify and address misconceptions immediately. 

• Reading Curriculum: Our strengthened reading curriculum ensures a clear emphasis on developing pupils' reading and vocabulary knowledge. This is delivered through a new intervention programme called, ‘Reading Quest’.  Already, this intervention is showing significant impact on reading progression in school. 

Wave 2: Targeted Support (Small Group/Individual Interventions) 

• Description: For students who require additional support beyond Wave 1, we provide targeted interventions, usually delivered by Learning Support staff or specialist staff, either in small groups or individually. 

Examples: 

• Literacy Boosters: Focused reading and spelling programs (Thinking Reading, paired reading, IDL, precision teaching, phonics-based interventions). 

• Numeracy Support: Small group sessions to reinforce foundational mathematical concepts. 

• Social Skills Groups: Sessions to develop communication, emotional regulation, and peer interaction skills. 

• Nurture Provision: A dedicated space and support for students who require additional social, emotional, and behavioural support to access learning effectively. 

• Dedicated Clubs: The Learning Support Centre facilitates various clubs designed to offer targeted support in a relaxed environment, such as our daily Homework Club, our popular Lunchtime Games Club, and various extra-curricular sports sessions. These provide additional opportunities for students to develop essential skills and receive personalised guidance. 

 Wave 3: Specialist Provision (Individualised & External Support) 

• Description: For students with more significant and complex needs, often identified through formal assessment, we provide highly individualised support, frequently involving external specialist services. This level of support may lead to or be part of an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). 

Examples: 

• Individualised Timetables: Adapted timetables to accommodate specialist provisions or therapies. 

• One-to-One Support: Dedicated learning support assistant support for specific learning tasks or during transitions. 

• Therapeutic Interventions: Signposting to external services like CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services). 

• Direct External Specialist Involvement: Regular sessions with professionals such as Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists, with their recommendations integrated into the student's provision. When a student's needs are more complex and require in-depth understanding, we may refer to an Educational Psychologist for specialist assessment and advice. Their evaluations help us to better understand individual learning profiles and guide the development of highly targeted, bespoke interventions to support the student's progress. 

• EHCP Reviews: Annual reviews for students with EHCPs, involving parents, student, school staff, and external agencies to review progress and plan next steps.