Our SENDCo is Mrs S Trevethick
Our Designated Teacher for LAC is Mr Worton
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Ridgeway Secondary School believes that all students have the right to a broad and balanced curriculum and all students are encouraged to take a full part in every aspect of the life of the school. A wide variety of support is provided by the Special Needs Department to enable SEND students at Ridgeway to achieve to their full potential.
What are ‘Special Educational Needs?
The 1993 Education Act states that a child has ‘special educational needs’ if he or she has a learning problem which calls for special educational provision to be made. It goes on to explain that if a student has greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of his/her age, then this special provision is to be made for him/her. Many students experience problems with learning at some stage in their school life. This may be very short term or it can be a long-term difficulty.
How does the school gather information on the special needs of students?
At Ridgeway, we aim to find out as soon as possible the learning needs of all our students. When a student comes to Ridgeway, we gather information from:
- National test results (SATs)
- Verbal and non-verbal reasoning tests
- Primary school records
- Classroom observation
- Teachers and Support Staff
- Any outside agencies involved
Furthermore, we particularly value information from:
- You, the parents
- The students themselves
What extra provision is then made for students with special educational needs?
We follow the guidelines as set out in the 2014 Special Education Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice. This requires students who need support that is different from and in addition to their peers to be placed on SEN support. Most students will have their needs met with quality first teaching using relevant strategies and supported by the SEND team through additional training.
In exceptional circumstances the Local Authority will suggest that a students has an Educational Healthcare Plan, which combines the expertise of professionals from Education, health and Social Care when appropriate. students at SEN Support have a Learning Map to Success that identifies their strengths and, areas of difficulty and strategies teachers can use to support students with their learning, students and parents contribute significantly to this.
We work with small groups of students to give extra help with reading. This is for those whose reading age falls below nine years of age. Some students will work in small groups on spelling/handwriting. We run small groups for students with language processing problems, students with fine and gross motor skills difficulties and students who generally find it difficult to integrate in our community. We let parents know what support we have arranged for their child, the intended outcomes of the intervention, and how they can support their child.
We try to provide support that best meets the individual needs of students. We value and rely upon the support of parents. We know that to make a difference, parents and teachers need to work together to identify and address the needs of our students.
We try our best to make the class work suit the ability of the student. Learning assistants give help in the classroom. Additional help is given by external agencies where a particular need entitles a student to receive it.
At all stages, you, as parents, are consulted and the views of your son/daughter are sought. Progress made is reviewed regularly and we look forward to meeting with you on these occasions. It is a partnership.
Ridgeway Secondary School SEND Approach
LINKS
Worcestershire SEND Local Offer
For any more information please contact our SENDCo
Please see the SEN Policy here.
