Schools Extended Local Offer Response

How does the setting/school/college know if children/young people need extra help and what should I do if I think my child/young person may have special educational needs?

• Speech and Language Therapy
• Educational Psychology
• Medical Advice
• Inclusion Support Services
• Sensory Needs: Hearing Impairment and Visual Impairment
• Physical Needs
• Language Support Service

How will early years setting/school/college staff support my child/young person?

All staff including Support Staff regularly attend training provided. In addition to this support staff have specialist training provided by the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator on a fortnightly basis. The SENCO also organises training by the Inclusion Support Services: Radio aid training has been provided to all staff and Deaf Awareness training is scheduled to take place next term.

Support staff also attend external  training and this year a member of the team has been on a two day Deaf Awareness training. Two members of the support staff attend Blackburn College for accredited training.

How will the curriculum be matched to my child's/young person's needs?

NTA: Highlight how parents/carers and pupils are involved in identifying needs in this section.

All of our students’ progress and learning is monitored half termly. Report cards are sent home and if a student is achieving below their end of year target, a Performance Review meeting is held with parents and the student and a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Supportive targets are set following discussion of needs.

Vulnerable learners are supported by the Heads of Year through the pastoral support system and by the Teaching Assistants and Learning Support Assistants in class.

How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support my child's/young person's learning?

Parents and teachers can forward concerns about students to the Special Educational Needs Coordinator.

All concerns are taken seriously and an initial meeting with the Special Educational Needs Coordinator is held to discuss the needs of the students and next steps. Assessments and involvement of external agencies can be arranged following parental consent.

What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall well being?

Teaching staff will support students in their class by ensuring their needs are met through differentiated work and additional resources to enable students to achieve at their level whilst being challenged and extended in their learning.

Support Staff will work with target students individually or in small groups ensuring they understand the tasks set, remain focussed and make progress in each lesson. 

What specialist services and expertise are avaliable at or accessed by the setting/school/college?

Students are placed in sets and the lessons are planned to allow all students in every class to reach the objectives of the lesson. Pace and challenge are used to extend learning and support is provided to students who need reassurance and closer guidance.

What training have the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had? Are any being trained currently?

A range of teaching approaches are used within lessons. Teachers use the interactive whiteboards as the main resource which can be used to model exemplar work and to show video clips linked to learning. Mini whiteboards are used to encourage all students to respond at their level.

How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?

Report cards are sent home following half termly assessments and meetings arranged if needed.  Students’ targets and levels of working are monitored through a robust colour coded tracking system. Students in danger of falling below their end of year targets attend additional intervention classes to allow them to get back on track.

How accessible is the setting/school/college enviroment?

Individual Educational Plans and targets are shared with students and sent home to parents termly. Advice is available for parents through the formal Parents Evenings and during target setting following issue of report cards. Additional meetings can be arranged to discuss areas of concern. These can be initiated by students, parents, teachers, Heads of Year or the SENCO.

How will the setting/school/college prepare and support my child/young person to join the setting/school/college or the next stage of education and life?

An excellent pastoral system is in place with Heads of Year as the first port of call managed by the Pastoral Senior Leader. Attendance, punctuality and behaviour are monitored closely on a daily basis and parents are contacted via telephone or mobile if there are concerns. Meetings can be arranged to resolve issues around the pastoral needs of students. The student Shura or council representatives voice student concerns at the whole school Shura meetings. Anti-bullying week activities ensure students are aware of what constitutes bullying and the consequences of this for those concerned. Students are monitored during breaks and lunchtimes with staff on duty around the school.

How are the setting's/school's/college's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?

TIBHS is a Sports Specialist Academy and provides multiple opportunities for Sports enrichment. Inter school competitions take place regularly and football is offered at lunchtime as a recreational activity.

Enrichment activities take place after school and at weekends where all students are encouraged to participate in at least one per week. These have included swimming, indoor rock climbing, boxing, cricket, football and hockey.

Other enrichment activities include, Engineering Club, Arabic Drama, Art, Debating Club, School Magazine.

How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?

Additional transition visits to the school are arranged for Y6 students well before the authorities Induction Day. This is to ensure the students are familiar with and confident about their move to secondary school. These additional visits usually take place during the summer term in liaison with the parents and SENCo from the primary school.

How are parents involved in the setting/school/college? How can I be involved?

Advice is sought from the advisory teachers who are able to recommend appropriate resources and equipment. We also have Service Level Agreements with the Sensory Impairment Team who come in regularly to check equipment, e.g. the functionality of hearing aids and radio aid equipment used by the students. Advisory teachers also check and guide with regards to appropriate strategies within the classroom.