SEND Information and Report
Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Information Report
Our Commitment
Education is clearly a shared responsibility and we aim to work in partnership with parents and other relevant professionals.
We will assess your child on admission and put in extra help if this is merited within the limits of our resources. We train our staff to be alert to signs that a pupil is struggling and this may subsequently lead to a referral to the SENCO.
We use the school’s mainstream funding and top-up SEN funding to furnish this support.
Admissions
Once a child has been admitted to Bishop Douglass School, those with the most severe/complex needs will be prioritised for support, and parents of those who fall within this category, will be invited to bespoke consultation, planning and review meetings. Support is tailored to match the profile of four broad areas or needs as defined in the SEN Code of Practice 2014: Communication and interaction, Cognition and learning, Social, emotional and mental health and Sensory and/or physical needs. The wishes of the child will, of course, be taken into consideration at all times. We endeavour to visit feeder primary schools to facilitate transition. The SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator); a specialist teacher, can be contacted for assistance and there are a number of staff who support those identified as having special needs or disabilities (we do occasionally use the part-time services of an educational psychologist).
How we support Special Education Needs
All teaching staff have received basic training in special educational needs. SEN pupils tend to be supported in class, however, occasionally pupils are withdrawn from the mainstream. There is a special needs’ homework club every day to support pupils.
Our policy is to facilitate full access to the curriculum and meta-curriculum, where feasible, for SEN and disabled pupils so that they do not feel they are treated less favourably than other pupils. As well as considering academic progress, we have regard to social and emotional development needs. The school is a modern building and although there is a lift, parts of the school might be difficult to access. The school has a strong and effective anti-bullying policy.
Pupils are placed in ability streams and setting is used to enable teachers to teach to the appropriate level. We assess the success that those with special needs achieve by benchmarking against expected progress from prior attainment levels at Key Stage 2. We build in regular consultation with parents to garner their views. At the beginning of each term, parents will receive a curriculum booklet giving an outline scheme of work and indicating how parents can support their child. Every term we will send progress grades but if parents have any concerns they can contact the Head of Year or SENCO to arrange a meeting.
We work in a partnership with a range of external agencies to provide effective support based on the needs of the students including CAMHS (Children & Adolescent Mental Health Service), social care and various charities. We have a SEN Governor who oversees this area of policy. We look to train a number of staff each year to develop our SEND expertise.
We liaise with local support services before the end of Year 11, so that a smooth and successful transition is made to post-16 education.
Our SENCO is Mrs Isabelle Goursaud (contactable through the school on 020 8444 5211 or by email schooladmin@bishopdouglass.barnet.sch.uk). Complaints about Special Needs will be dealt with as indicated in the Governors’ Complaints Policy. The local authority contact for advice and support is Robin Deavin, SEN Casework Manager, SEN Referral and Assessment Team. Details of The Local Offer can be found by clicking here.
Details of the accessibility plan can be found by clicking here.