SEND Information Report 2017-2018

These pages set out information about our provision for children and young people with special educational needs (SEND). They are updated annually.

About the UTC Oxfordshire

UTC Oxfordshire provides for students with a wide range of special educational needs including those with:

  • Communication and interaction needs:
    • this includes children who have speech language and communication difficulties including autistic spectrum conditions.
  • Cognition and Learning needs:
    • this includes children who have learning difficulties and specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia.
  • Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs
  • Sensory and/or Physical needs:
    • this includes children who have visual or hearing needs, or a physical disability that affects their learning.

Our Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) is Iris Ferrier

Iris can be contacted on: iris.ferrier@utcoxfordshire.org.uk or 01235 391587

Our SEN Governor is Zoe Pooley

Zoe can be contacted on: zoe.pooley@googlemail.com

A copy of the UTC Oxfordshire SEN policy is available online or can be requested from the UTC.

How do we identify and give extra help to students with SEN?

The UTC Oxfordshire uses Oxfordshire County Council’s guidance “Identifying and supporting Special Educational Needs in Oxfordshire schools and settings”.

The guidance sets out:

  • How we identify if a student has a special educational need.
  • How we assess students and plan for their special educational needs, and how we adapt our teaching.
  • Ways in which we can adapt our school environment to meet each student’s needs
  • How we review progress and agree outcomes and involve you and your child in this.

How do we work with parents and students?

We will always contact parents if we have a concern that a student may have a special educational need.

We work closely with students with SEND and their parents to agree targets and how we will all work towards these.

The UTC Oxfordshire works in partnership with parents to meet every student’s needs. Therefore, parents are equal partners in decisions about their child’s education. Progress will be monitored by students, teaching and support staff, parents and external agencies, where appropriate. Students, teaching and support staff, parents and external agencies are involved in regular review and feedback consultations and meetings.

Adapting the curriculum

We offer a broad and balanced curriculum for all students including those with SEND. Details are published on the UTC Oxfordshire’s website. The way we adapt this for students with SEND and is set out in the Disability Access Policy and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy (SEND).

What is offered to students at the UTC Oxfordshire?

The UTC offers the following according to students’ special educational needs, in addition to Quality First Teaching:

  • A curriculum to match needs
  • Enhanced access to ICT or specialist equipment and aids
  • In-class support from learning assistants
  • Additional programmes in literacy and numeracy delivered in a small group or on a one-to-one basis
  • One-to-one or small group work with a learning mentor
  • Independent study support
  • Student counselling
  • Access to a “key worker”
  • Assessment and exam concessions
  • Support from the Local Offer

What expertise can we offer?

  • The SENCo is working towards to the NASENCO qualification and has specialist training in literacy development, functional grammar and bilingual dyslexia.
  • The Student Support Coordinator is working towards the Accredited Level 3 Diploma in Adolescent and Child Counselling.
  • All staff have training in safeguarding.
  • All teaching staff have received training in the adoption of the new SEND Code of Practice.
  • Learning assistants are trained to support the particular needs of the students they work with.
  • We also have access to a range of specialist support services including Educational Psychology.
  • We also work with other services and organisations that are involved with a family, with the family’s permission.
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
  • Oxfordshire School Inclusion Team
  • Children’s Social Care
  • We always discuss the involvement of specialist SEND services with parents first.
  • We also work with other services and organisations that are involved with a family, with the family’s permission.

Information about these services and what they offer can be found on the Oxfordshire County Council SEND web pages.

How do we know if SEN provision is effective?

The progress of all students is tracked throughout with regular data reports, updated profiles and provision mapping.

In addition, for students with SEND we regularly review progress towards agreed outcomes assessing whether the support that has been in place has made a difference and what we need to do next. We evaluate this progress against age related expectations.

When we run special intervention programmes for groups of students we assess how successful they have been and use that information to decide on how best to run them in the future.

Information about how the governing body evaluates the success of the education that is provided for pupils with SEND is contained within the annual report to the Teaching and Learning committee of the Governors.

How are students with SEN helped to access activities outside of the classroom?

All students are included in activities and trips following risk assessments where needed and in accordance with duties under the Equalities Act 2010. We talk to parents and young people when planning trips so that everyone is clear about what will happen.

There is information about activities and events for disabled students and those with SEN in Oxfordshire in the Family Information Directory. You can also download Oxfordshire County Council’s Schools Accessibility Strategy.

What do we do to support the wellbeing of students with SEN?

All students have the opportunity to share their views through their representatives in the student council.

We listen to the views of students with SEND by providing a robust pastoral support system which includes tutors and mentors who liaise with the Learning Support team, teachers and the Senior Leadership Team.

We take bullying very seriously. We help to prevent bullying of all students including those with SEND by the application of the Behaviour for Learning Policy and the Anti Bullying Policy.

Joining the school and moving on

We encourage all new children to visit the school before starting. For young people with SEND we offer 1:1 meetings and liaison.

Who to contact

If you are concerned about your child, please contact the UTC Oxfordshire’s SENCo Iris Ferrier via email: iris.ferrier@utcoxfordshire.org.uk or phone: 01235 391587.

Please get in touch if you’d like to give feedback, including compliments and complaints about SEN provision. We aim to respond to any complaints within 48 hours.

If you’d like impartial advice from Oxfordshire’s Parent Partnership Service please contact them directly.

If you’d like to know more about opportunities for children and young people with SEN and their families, support groups or information about SEN these are listed in the Family Information Directory.

Oxfordshire’s Local Offer contains lots of information for parents.

Our school has contributed to the county’s Local Offer through attendance at a training workshop and through trialling of new guidance and systems.