SEN & Disabilities

At Harris Academy Sutton, we have the highest of expectations for all our students, and every member of staff plays their part in ensuring that the needs of all students are met.

We take students’ individual educational needs very seriously. We understand that each young person is unique, and that for some additional support is needed to access all that a mainstream education has to offer. We implement an inclusive curriculum underpinned by high quality inclusive teaching, and we ensure that each learner receives the support and encouragement they need, in an environment in which they feel safe, nurtured and valued, to access that curriculum.

At HASU, we do not narrow the curriculum for students with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND). We cater for a wide range of students, including those with physical disabilities, and our curriculum offer is designed so as to maximise the opportunities for all students to access it fully, no matter their individual barriers.

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Who are the SEND Team?

Our SEND leadership team are:

SENDCo	Ms Conteh
Associate SENDCo	Ms Morgan
Overseeing member of the Academy leadership Group (ALG)	Ms Lawley

The SEND team can be contacted by emailing: sen@harrissutton.org.uk

If you have a concern about SEND provision in the Academy, we encourage you to contact the SENDCo in the first instance. Should you wish to speak to someone else, please contact Assistant Principal, Ms Lawley.

Sutton’s Local Offer

As a School in the London Borough of Sutton, we work closely with the borough and Cognus, the organisation commissioned by the borough to provide education services to mainstream schools and specialist education providers in Sutton. The Local Offer provides a range of resources and information about what you can access in the local area for children and young people with SEND in Sutton. . Visit the Sutton Information Hub to explore the Local Offer: https://suttoninformationhub.org.uk/pages/send-local-offer

 

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How can parents and carers communicate with the SEND team?

As outlined above, the team can be contacted by emailing sen@harrissutton.org.uk

There are a wide range of opportunities for parents to liaise and consult with the team throughout the year. These include:

• EHCP annual reviews
• SEND Consultation evenings
• The SEND desk at all Parents and Carer's evenings
• Pupil Passport review meetings

Our SENDCo holds a weekly clinic on Wednesdays, where parents are able to book an appointment to meet and discuss any queries or concerns they might have.

An overview of the provision above is outlined below in our SEND Home-School Communication Calendar for 2023-24

Term	Date	What’s happening?
Autumn 2	w/c 11/09/23	ISP/ Pupil Passport review opportunity Intervention Updates
Spring 1	w/b 8/01/24	Year 11 Parents and Carers evening
	w/b 22/01/24	Year 12 Parents and Carers evening
	w/b 05/02/24	Year 10 Parents and Carers evening
Spring 2	w/b 19/02/24	Year 9 Parents and Carers evening
	w/b 04/03/24 w/b 11/3/24	Year 7 Parents and Carers evening Year 8 Parents and Carers evening
Summer 1	w/b 13/05/24	SEND consultation evening
Summer 2	w/b 03/06/24	KS3/KS4 ISP/Pupil Passport review

 

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What is our plan for SEND provision at HASU?

For many students with SEND, their needs can be met within the classroom through high quality inclusive teaching (sometimes called ‘quality first teaching’) and appropriate differentiation by class teachers. For those that require additional support, specific therapies or other kinds of specialist provision, the Academy provides a range of interventions and support mechanisms. Alongside this, we work closely with outside agencies such as Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Educational Psychologists where appropriate.

The core of our provision is underpinned by the best available evidence about what schools can do to provide an excellent education for students with SEND in a mainstream setting such as ours. The Education Endowment Foundation published their ‘SEN Needs in Mainstream Schools’ guidance report in 2020, the recommendations of which we have worked hard to embed in the way we do things at HASU.

EEF Recommendation	An overview of what we do in HASU
Create a positive and supportive environment for all pupils without exception	The academy maintains a fantastic, nurturing environment where lessons are rarely if ever disrupted by poor behaviour and where students can feel safe and comfortable in their learning. A positive, proactive and warm-strict approach to behaviour is embedded in the school, and reasonable adjustments are made for students with SEND in line with advice from specialist staff.
Build an ongoing, holistic understanding of your pupils and their needs	All students with SEND’s needs are reviewed regularly, in correspondence with parents' and carers' input. The SEND team continually gather information from staff which is used to review and update our understanding of students’ needs. Teachers are provided with rich Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for students with SEND, that support them in identifying the best possible teaching strategies that they can implement to support their students. Teachers receive detailed, regular training on the needs of the students they teach, through a variety of mechanisms including in depth bi-weekly ‘team around the student’ meetings that focus on an individual student’s needs in depth.
Ensure all pupils have access to high quality teaching	The Academy prioritises ‘Inclusive Teaching’ in all that we do. This includes an explicit instruction centric approach, carefully designed and curated resources, scaffolding and modelling, and embedded cognitive strategies proven to support students’ learning. All teachers receive extensive and regular training on great teaching, an in particular on making their teaching inclusive. Inclusive teaching is specifically monitored by the Academy’s leaders as part of ongoing monitoring of teaching and learning.
Complement high quality teaching with carefully selected small-group and one-to-one interventions	A carefully selected range of small group and one-to-one interventions are in place. Interventions increase with need, and are implemented in line with student’s EHCPs and the ongoing assessment of students’ needs. Students are only withdrawn from any of their regular timetabled lessons as a last resort, and effective steps are taken to ensure that the curriculum remains as broad and balanced for these students as possible.
Work effectively with teaching assistants	The Academy’s Teaching Assistants (TAs) are trained carefully to deliver both high quality in-class support and excellent specialist interventions. Specialist TAs are deployed with students with the greatest needs, and the quality of this provision in carefully monitored and reviewed by the SEND leadership team. TAs are seen as valued, skilled practitioners in the classroom, and work collaboratively with teachers in pursuit of the best outcomes for all students. TAs access a progamme of training underpinned by evidence including the EEF’s ‘Making Best Use of Teaching Assistants’ guidance report.

 

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About Special Educational Needs & Disabilities

SEND needs are categorised into four broad areas:

• Cognition and Learning - This includes specific learning difficulties.
• Communication and Interaction - This includes speech, language and communication needs and Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
• Social, emotional and mental health
• Sensory & physical needs - this includes visual and hearing impairments, as well as mobility impairments.

The SEN Code of Practice (found here) outlines the statutory guidance for organisations which work with and support children and young people who have special educational needs or disabilities.

The SEN Code of Practice key changes

The Code of Practice (2015) covers the 0-25 age range and includes guidance relating to disabled children and young people as well as those with SEN

• There is a clearer focus on the participation of children and young people and parents in decision-making at individual and strategic levels
• There is a stronger focus on high aspirations and on improving outcomes for children and young people
• It includes guidance on the joint planning and commissioning of services to ensure close co-operation between education, health and social care
• It includes guidance on publishing a Local Offer of support for children and young people with SEN or disabilities
•  For children and young people with more complex needs a co-ordinated assessment process and the new 0-25 Education, Health and Care plan (EHC plan) replace statements and Learning Difficulty Assessments (LDAs)
• There is a greater focus on support that enables those with SEN to succeed in their education and make a successful transition to adulthood