Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)

Our Strategic Leads for SEND/SENDCo within Hamstead Hall Academy Trust are George Hetherington and Tom Holder.

If you would like to discuss any matters concerning your child please come into school or telephone the school office on 0121 675 6787

Grestone Academy is a fully inclusive mainstream primary school whose aim is to meet the learning and developmental needs of all children, including our SEND learners. We make every effort to make sure our school community live in harmony and take PRIDE in helping our children to be the best that they can be through:

Perseverance in all we do, Respect for others and our environment,

Developing Independence as we grow. Celebrating Diversity together, Achieving Excellence!

We are determined to make sure that our SEND children feel fully included in school life, regardless of their specific needs, so that they make the best possible progress in school. Our curriculum model ensures that learning is accessible for those with disabilities or special educational needs. Within the wider curriculum, rationale and planning documentation includes focused direction on how lessons can be personalised to meet differing needs. Core lessons are made accessible to all through teacher's understanding of individual need and skillful delivery to ensure children's learning needs are met, in line with our duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014.

The Learning Lodge

The intent behind our Learning Lodge provision is to provide our children with the highest levels of Special Education Needs (SEN) with an individual curriculum and provision that is separate, but equal to in ambition, to the mainstream school curriculum. We achieve this by providing teaching practice and provision led by the pedagogy employed in Special Needs settings and backed up by evidence-based practice. Pupils will have a blended offer of specialist provision in a dedicated space, The Learning Lodge, alongside access to mainstream class teaching appropriate to their needs.

When making the decision to provide a place within The Learning Lodge, the school will discuss and include parents and the young person themselves. The student must be supported at the Specialist Tier of SEN support with external agency involvement. As a school we aim to only have children in The Learning Lodge who have had the opportunity to experience the full Key Stage 1 offer within the mainstream setting, following best practice. In certain cases, such as new admissions, this may not always be possible. The provision is aimed at those pupils who would benefit from an individualised curriculum, can work at an individual workstation and will have small steps of development that cannot be supported in the mainstream classroom.

The curriculum offer will broad and ambitious, in line with the expectations of the mainstream school’s curriculum. We ensure this by offering the same subjects as the mainstream school differentiated down to each individual’s ability. If a subject is not offered, there will be clear reasoning for this centred on the pupils and their needs. An example of this would be not offering French as our Modern Foreign Language to a pupil who is pre-verbal. Children may miss certain non-core subjects in order to access specialist provision more imperative for their development and wellbeing. In these instances, steps will be taken to try and rotate the lessons missed and parents will be informed. The specialist provision that pupils may be able to access includes:

Speech and Language Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Intensive Interaction
TalkAbout Autism Intervention
Pastoral Support
Other academic, social or communication interventions.

To ensure full coverage, a long-term plan matched against the mainstream school’s topic and themes has been mapped out – this ensures a child who attends Grestone Academy for the full 7 years will access the same opportunities as their mainstream peers. Additionally, to this, where opportunities arise to access trips, visitors and other experiences outside of their year group, typically more in line with the child’s likes, interests or developmental level, the school will provide these on an individual basis.

Within a typical day, The Learning Lodge will draw on specialist teaching practices such as:

Sensory Circuits
Modified Attention Autism
Task Baskets
And any others

The teaching day in planned for by the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCo) who is also involved in the delivery, alongside a team of trained staff. The task baskets ensure children access individual targets covering Reading, Writing and Maths underpinned by a high-quality Core Text that provides the provocation and ensures interest for the pupils. Group projects matched against the themes of the mainstream school meets pupils Science, History and Geography coverage. The expectation is for all pupils to return to their mainstream class for Music, Art, D&T, P.S.H.E and R.E. All of this is delivered in a modified, specialist teaching approach.

Local Offer Birmingham | SEND Advice and Information

Advice and information about the services available for your child or young person with a Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND)

www.localofferbirmingham.co.uk

Who should parents/carers raise a concern or complaint with?

In the first instance, please discuss any concerns or complaints you may have regarding your child with:

Mr George Hetherington or Mr Tom Holder SENDCos.

If you wish to discuss the matter further then please contact:

Mrs Deborah Steen: Headteacher