Based in a dedicated facility on the school site, which acts a multi-agency hub, the team offers holistic support, guidance and advice to young people and families through experienced professionals and access to specialist staff drawn from a variety of backgrounds and partner agencies such as Autism support, early Help, Counselling, Hearing & Visual Impairment Specialist teachers and Cognition and Learning support. Staff work intensively with feeder primary schools and families at the ‘transition’ stage in Year 6 to ensure the move to Settle College is seamless, successful, and planned and that the individual needs of each student are identified and met. The aim is to establish a platform for the most successful, rewarding, and enjoyable experience possible throughout the time spent at Settle College. Structured and ongoing communication across school with Heads of Years, Senior Leadership and Pastoral and team, underpins what is an ongoing pro-active approach to removing difficulties and barriers to education.
The SEND team works to the highest possible professional and ethical standards, placing continued emphasis upon working in partnership, forging and maintaining strong links between school and home and developing open and honest dialogue In ‘The Hub’, students can be supported in a dedicated, inclusive, alternative learning facility that is an extension of the mainstream school setting and that links into ongoing classroom teaching and learning making sure that educational progress is maintained. Students will make use of ‘The Hub’ in a variety of circumstances, for example on a phased integration or re-integration program or when medical issues may arise restricting mobility.
Staff in the SEND department are passionate about supporting students to ‘be the best that you can be’.
My Child has difficulties with –
Reading and spelling
Learning new information and concepts
Working with numbers
Working memory
Concentration
Organisation
Students may have conditions such as Specific Learning Difficulties, dyslexia, general learning difficulties.
Students may present with difficulties that do not have a specific title
What does Settle College Offer –
High quality teaching with appropriate differentiation (including best SEN practice).
Visual aids to support key vocabulary, concepts and themes.
Access to homework club at lunch and after school.
Access to screening for identification of significant needs.
Dedicated and caring staff who value all students regardless of ability
Individualised plans and support
Support for targeted groups may include –
Blocks of 1:1 small group lessons that focus on a range of needs such as literacy, comprehension and spelling in the Assisted Support for Learning Base.
Where needed, help from an external agency (e.g. Educational Psychologist).
Teaching Assistant support in some lessons.
Lunch time clubs for vulnerable students
This section is for children who have difficulty with
Vision
Hearing
Gross motor co-ordination
Fine motor co-ordination
Self-organisation for daily living
It includes conditions such as cerebral palsy, physical injury, dyspraxia
All students can access
High Quality teaching with appropriate differentiation (including best SEN practice)
Visual aids to support key vocabulary, concepts and themes.
School adheres to guidelines on physical access, including lifts and accessible classrooms
Access to homework club at lunch and after school.
Access to screening for identification of significant needs.
Dedicated and caring staff who value all students regardless of ability.
Support for targeted groups may include
Medical Care Plans.
Handwriting /fine motor/keyboard skills training.
Group discussions and information giving from our qualified school nurse.
Access to teaching assistant support
Access to Specialist external Specialists for environmental assessment
How will the school know that my child needs extra help?
If your child is transferring to Settle College and already has special educational needs, your primary school/secondary school will inform the
Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. These children form the majority of SEND students at the school.
There is planning between the schools and with parents/carers in Year 6 to support the student’s move from primary to secondary school.
On entry to the school, all students undertake CAT tests and screened within certain core academic skills. This system can pick up potential difficulties at the earliest stage.
Some children do well at primary school but find the transition to secondary education more difficult. The teachers are highly alert so that such areas of need are spotted early and classroom interventions put in place to support at the onset.
The school listens to parents. Sometimes, the first signs of difficulty are picked up through conversation at home so parents are always welcome to contact the school to talk about concerns.
What do I do if I think my child has a need or disability?
If you are concerned about your child’s abilities, the school will listen to your concerns, discuss them with you and agree on a plan that might only need light monitoring or might require assessment by specialist staff or external agencies.
You can contact the school by phone, letter, e-mail or fax (please see contact details on the home page of the school website).
It will be OK to contact the school through a family friend or professional translator if you feel more comfortable using a language other than English
If your child is still at primary school, talk to your child’s teacher there who can help you look at any issues and make links with Settle College to help prepare for the next year.
What is an EHCP?
An EHCP is a legal document that identifies a child’s SEN needs and focuses on the support required to meet agreed outcomes. The key difference between a statement of SEN and EHCPs is that, as well as the educational elements covered in statements, EHCPs also outline the child’s health and social care needs, outcomes and support
