SEND

Here at AHS we have an experienced team to support all students. We believe it is a strength to ask for help.

We are available before school from 8:15am for daily check-ins.
Additional 1:1 support in specific subjects is provided in exceptional cases.
1:1 sessions and dyslexia support sessions are carried out by our Learning Practitioner, Mrs Fox
Social skills intervention is provided for students who need more targeted support.
Small group resilience training is offered by the Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead
Access arrangements are made for exams where a specialist’s report identifies a need and evidence of need has been compiled. Types of provision may include the use of a laptop, additional time or rest breaks. Where there is an identified medical need further arrangements may have to be made.
We have a dedicated classroom in L2 for our SEND students who need extra support throughout the day. The room comes with resources and the support of an LSA.
Our Sixth form SEND Ambassadors work with individual students and groups.

Where a student needs more specialised support, external agencies and other professionals may become involved. Find out more about our partners below.

The SEND Team

Mrs Crafts is our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCo) here at AHS, meaning she oversees and manages the provision of help for all of our students with SEND. She also teaches English too!

Mrs Fox is our Learning Practitioner with a specialist qualification in diagnosing Dyslexia. She conducts screenings for students who may have dyslexia and provides continuous support to students who do.

Mrs Ali is another of our Learning Assistants and lead for Pupil Premium, meaning she oversees the allocation of funding to students to ensure they all have access to the same opportunities as everyone else! She is also lead for EAL meaning she can provide extra support to students for whom English is an additional language.

Mrs Khalid is our learning assistant who has a special interest in autism. She carries out interventions with students and also oversees our SEND classroom.

Miss Blakeman is also a learning assistant. She mainly works with KS3 students and also works in our SEND classroom.

How we can help

At Aylesbury High School we strive to support all students to enable them to achieve their potential at school. Quality teaching is vital: however for some students there are occasions during their school life when additional support may be needed to help them to achieve their targets. We follow the Assess, Plan, Do and Review cycle:

Assess

Students are identified as needing extra support from information such as:

Concerns raised by parents/carers or the young person.
Information from feeder schools is passed on prior to transfer into Year 7.
Reading and spelling tests carried out on entry.
Baseline assessment carried out in the first term of Year 7.
Assessment data is analysed to identify students who are not meeting their targets.
Subject staff, form tutors and Heads of Year identify students who are not meeting targets or whose progress is slower than expected.
Assessments are carried out by a qualified specialist teacher on identification of students with suspected dyslexia or similar difficulties. If other specific learning difficulties are suspected then other external agencies may be involved.

Plan

In consultation with the student and parent/carer, a one page profile is written by the SEND team; these are reviewed regularly. They are accessible by all teachers and updates are notified to all personnel involved with the student.
If relevant information suggests that a student has Dyslexia, they will be provided with the opportunity to undertake a screening via Lucid Exact.
If further support is deemed necessary, the SENDCo will work with the student and their parents to discuss further provision. In some cases this will take the form of requesting an EHCP.

Do

Our SEND team provide bespoke interventions, tailored to the needs of individual students.
Please see here for more information.

Review

We promote inclusion to include children/young people with special educational needs or disability (SEND) both inside the classroom and during co-curricular activities and trips.
Risk assessments are carried out and procedures are put in place to enable all students to participate as far as possible.
Termly data and information from subject teachers, parents and most importantly, the student is all used to assess the effectiveness of the provision and the progress of students with SEND.
Teaching staff are given training on strategies to use in the classroom with students who have specific needs.
The SEND provision at Aylesbury High School is on an individual needs basis. In line with national guidance provision is graduated into three types of response:
- First Referral interventions are those put in place by the class teacher as part of good teaching practice. This may include the student’s seating position, groupings, giving scaffolding to help with particular work, certain types of questioning, adjustments to homework, adjusting the task, environment or level of support to meet the student’s needs.
- Second Referral interventions are those offered at subject department level e.g. attendance at a maths lounge, a subject buddy.
- Third Referral interventions include input from the Additional Needs Coordinator (SENDCo), Student Welfare Coordinator and/or external agencies such as the Educational Psychology Service, Specialist Teaching Service etc. At this stage students would be placed on the SEND list. Parents are contacted and kept informed of all support at the third referral.

How are Staff Trained?

INSET on SEND and differentiation are regularly included in our staff training schedule.

Individual staff have had further, or more specific training on how to support students with individual needs from specialists or through external training courses.
SENDCo attends teaching and learning meetings to ensure that the provision of SEND is always discussed.

How are mental health needs supported?

Emotional and social development is supported through various avenues including the form tutor and HOY, subject teachers, the SENDCo and Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead.
The school has a number of specially trained peer listeners to support other students and a buddying system for new Year 7 students.
We have access to a school counsellors when appropriate.
The Bounce Forward resilience programme is part of the Learning for Life (L4L) curriculum.
Some students require more targeted support which is offered through our social skills group, FACT or through the support of external agencies such as MIND, BEAT, CAMHS, R U Safe or Switch.

How are the school’s facilities equipped for those with disabilities?

The school’s main buildings have been retrofitted where possible to meet DDA compliance, but not all classrooms are accessible by wheelchair.

The main buildings are accessible on the ground floor for wheelchair users and there are lifts available in the sports hall and sixth form block to access History and Politics classrooms on higher floors. There is also a chairlift in the main foyer which enables access to the classrooms on the first floor of the languages and tower blocks and one of the science labs. Lessons are timetabled on the ground floor/lift accessible rooms for students who are wheelchair users. Ramps are in place to allow access to areas where there would have been a raised curb or steps.

Each building has a toilet adapted for disabled users.

Disabled parking bays are nearest to the student reception to provide easier access for students and parents/carers.

In order to make the school site more accessible for students who are visually impaired, yellow lines have been painted on areas that have been identified during a risk assessment that was carried out by a specialist teacher.

IT suites incorporate at least one larger screen and signage has been produced so that it can be read by students with visual impairment.

Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPS) are made for every student with a physical disability for whom this is relevant to identify exit routes from every classroom they access, in the event of a fire.

How does the school communicate with parents about SEND?

If parents have a concern about a specific subject they should contact the Subject Team Leader in the first instance. If the concern is pastoral then the Head of Year should be contacted. Specific concerns which relate to the students special need or disability should be raised with the SENDCo.
Each student who has been identified as having special needs will have a one page profile that is written in conjunction with them and shared with parents.
Assessment data is sent out on a termly basis and will inform parents/carers of their daughter’s progress.
Parent Consultation evenings are held once a year when parents/carers can meet with subject teachers. The SENDCo is also available to see parents on these occasions.
Students are asked to set personal targets in discussion with their form tutors each term and these are written into their planner.
Students with EHC plans meet with the SENDCo to set targets.

What are the arrangements for students leaving the school?

Year 6 to 7
Prior to children leaving their primary school information is gathered from the class teacher/ as to the type of support they will need. The Head of Year 7 or other staff member visits each feeder school and meets with the class teacher and the children. In some instances it may be felt that the child would benefit from extra transition support.

Post 16
Connexions would provide individual advice to support the student with careers advice.
If the student is leaving to attend a new school or college they are supported during the transition on an individual basis and the SENDCo would liaise with the new setting.

What partnerships are there to help the school meet the needs of SEND students?

The school’s governing body involve other bodies (including health, social care, Bucks. CC support services) to meet the needs of students with SEND and their families by using the following outside agencies:

Specialist Teaching service to support students with Autism, Visual impairment, Hearing impairment and Physical Disabilities, Speech and Language needs
Education Safeguarding Team
CAMHs (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)
School Nurse Team
Community Paediatrics
Social Care
Family resilience
Occupational Therapy
Physiotherapy
Speech and Language Therapy
Counsellors
Pupil Referral Unit
County SEN Team
Aspire