Inclusion (SEND)

SEN Support at Woodbridge High School

Mission Statement

Through collaboration with teachers, parents and all professionals we aim to maintain pupils with special educational needs in the mainstream classroom. By supporting both pupils and teachers, such pupils will have access to the national curriculum and make progress in areas specific to his or her education needs.

Contact Us

Please telephone the school office: 0208 504 9618 where you will be transferred to the SEN office. Alternatively you can ring us directly by dialling: 020 8506 5583.

By email:

Head of Inclusion (Department lead and oversight of SEN in years 10 & 11)
Mrs Boaten-Rolfe aboaten-rolfe@woodbridgehigh.co.uk

Deputy Head of Inclusion (and oversight of SEN in years 7, 8 & 9)
Ms Katy Thompson kthompson@woodbridgehigh.co.uk

Identification of SEN:

Screening

All students are assessed for reading and spelling attainment on entry to Woodbridge. This gives us an initial indication of which students may be in need of additional reading and spelling support. We then follow up the initial assessment with a subsequent, more diagnostic assessment. This gives us supplementary information about where the student’s specific needs lie. These results, plus KS2 SATS results and other information, are used by the SENCO to identify students who may have particular learning difficulties.

The decision to put a pupil on the SEN register is made as a result of consultation with as many teachers, professionals and parents as possible.

Initially a child will be placed on the SEN register at the level of SEN Support. This is in response to concerns raised about a student’s level of progress despite the application of a variety of teaching strategies that have been put in place. It may also involve the support of outside agencies in a consultancy capacity and triggers the need for an intervention. If insufficient progress continues to be an issue and the student demonstrates highly significant levels of need, then an Education Health Care (EHC) Plan may be sought. (EHC plans are now in place of Statements of Educational Need)

Each pupil with identified special educational needs has a designated Key Support Teacher who will act as the member of staff to whom other teachers may approach with issues relating to the student’s SEN. This process will also be overseen by the SENCOs.

Types of Additional Support:

In class support
Literacy intervention
Mentoring/Counselling
Speech & Language Support
Home Learning Club
Intervention Hub (Key Stage 3)

Besides the support strategies listed above, we are able to support students in the following ways:

Development of Links with Primary School

In the summer term of each year, the department visits primary schools to liaise with SENCOs about new year 7 entrants. Existing IEPs and primary school SEN Registers are used to help identify pupils with additional needs and to prepare for a smooth transition to Woodbridge.

We liaise with the year co-ordinator of the new year 7 in order to place the students into form groups that are socially and academically diverse. This is done in order to promote an environment for the new students that is both happy and secure, while fostering a positive learning environment at the same time.

External Agencies

Regular liaison is maintained with the following external agencies for some pupils at ‘SEN support’ and pupils with EHC plans (as applicable):

SEN Support Services in the London Borough of Redbridge (LBR)
Educational Psychology Service
Behaviour Support Service- New Rush Hall (NRH)
Little Heath Outreach Service (language and communication needs)
Social Care
The Hearing Support Service
The Visually Impaired Service (Joseph Clarke)
Education Welfare Service
Connexions
Education Out of School
Child Adolescent Mental Health Service

In addition to the above provisions we have a robust assessment and provision system in place for supporting students as per established practise during their GCSE and other examinations. This system is operated by the SENCO in close collaboration with the examination officer and teaching staff.

Examination Access Arrangements

In year 10 some students on the Learning Support Register are formally assessed by a Specialist Teacher or Educational Psychologist in order to determine their eligibility for access arrangements for GCSE examinations. Students may need to be tested again in Year 12 to determine whether or not they still qualify for access arrangements for AS and A2 examinations. The criteria for these arrangements are set out clearly in the Joint Council for Qualifications booklet which is published and updated every year. The school is subsequently inspected and required to present evidence in order to confirm our adherence to the regulations. These arrangements may include any or all of the following: up to 25% extra time, a reader, a scribe, the use of a laptop or rest breaks. Access arrangements for Years 7-8 will be determined by our initial testing of students on entry to the school in Year 7 (please see Screening above). At this stage, however, access arrangements are put in place in a less formal capacity. Despite access arrangements being put in place in key stage 3, there is no guarantee that this will lead on to access arrangements in key stage 4.

Further Information

Further information may be obtained from the following sources:

Dyslexia Action (formerly the Dyslexia Institute): www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk
The British Dyslexia Association: www.bdadyslexia.org.uk
Dyscalculia information: www.dyscaculia.me.uk
Dyspraxia Foundation: www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk
National Autistic Society: www.actionasd.org.uk
Speech and Language: www.afasicengland.org.uk
ADHD: www.addiss.co.uk
Redbridge Local SEND Offer: click HERE