SEND Policy

iBOS SEND POLICY The aims of our school are:

• A school where teachers, staff, and students are expected to support and extend the atmosphere of respect, courtesy, the love of learning and the value of friendship that is held dear at iBOS.
• iBOS aims to develop students to become well-rounded individuals. We aim to empower our students with the best tools and resources, making them capable in following and achieving their dreams, to become valued members of our global societies, and to allow them to make a positive difference to the world, wherever they choose to progress to.
• Students leave iBOS prepared for university. They are confident, contributing, and caring members of the global community and they have embraced the challenge of our specialized education. They will have gained the values that equip them to make a positive contribution.

Responsibility of: The Principal

Date Ratified: 03 July 2025

Review Date: 03 July 2026

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At iBOS we promote excellent practice for teaching and learning for all children, aiming for them to reach their full potential. As a SEND-Friendly School, we aim to abide by the principle that, 'If a pupil can't learn by the way we teach, then we must teach them in the way they learn best.'

AIMS OF THIS SEND POLICY

The aims of the special educational need and disability policy and practice at iBOS are:

• To meet the requirements as set out in the SEND Code of Practice, the Equality Act 2010 and Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014;
• To make reasonable adjustments for those with a disability by taking action to increase access to the curriculum, the environment and printed information for all;
• To ensure that all children with SEN engage in the activities of the school alongside pupils who do not have SEND;
• To have high expectations of all our children and reduce barriers to progress;
• To ensure that the special educational needs of children are identified, assessed and provided for;
• To work in cooperative partnership with the Local Authorities and other outside agencies and to make clear the expectations of all partners in the process of meeting the needs of all vulnerable learners;
• To identify the roles and responsibilities of staff in providing for children's special educational needs, in acknowledgement that all teachers are teachers of special educational needs. It is the class teacher’s responsibility to ensure that class teaching has taken into consideration the needs of all pupils;
• To enable all children to have full access to all elements of the school curriculum;
• To ensure that parents can play their part in supporting their child's education;
• To ensure that our children have a voice in this process.

STATUTORY GUIDANCE

Since 1 September 2014, the provisions in the Children and Families Act, its associated regulations and the SEND Code of Practice have been in force.

DDO 2006

(a) makes it unlawful for education providers to discriminate against pupils and adult learners with disabilities (b) makes sure people with disabilities are not disadvantaged in comparison to people with no disabilities

DEFINITION OF SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND DISABILITIES (SEND)

The legislative framework for the SEND system is underpinned by the principles set out in Clause 19 of the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Equality Act 2010: 2

(1.8) 'A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them’. A child or a young person has difficulty learning if they: (a) have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or (b) have a disability that prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools. A child or a young person has special educational needs if they fall within the definition of (a) or (b), Clause 20, Children and Families Act 2014. A pupil must satisfy the definition of disability, as described in Part 6 of that Act. In an educational setting, impairment may have a substantial or long-term adverse effect on ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

SEND CODE OF PRACTICE

The SEND Code of Practice defines the four broad areas of special educational need as: (a) Communication and interaction (6.28) (b) Cognition and learning (6.30) (c) Social, mental and emotional health (6.32) (d) Sensory and/or physical (6.34) The SEND Code of Practice refers to meeting the needs of physically disabled children within reference to the Equality Act 2010, whereby schools, ‘must make reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services, to ensure that disabled children and young people are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers. This duty is anticipatory – it requires thought to be given in advance to what disabled children and young people might require and what adjustments might need to be made to prevent that disadvantage.’ SEND Code of Practice 2015, xix. The School is committed to supporting pupils with physical disabilities, and we work closely with parents, and external healthcare agencies to fully meet their needs.

LEARNING SUPPORT STATEMENT OF INTENT

Our commitment to the School, pupils and parents: We offer support and expertise to help resolve difficulties and promote positive solutions for pupils experiencing barriers to learning within the whole school. We employ a range of strategies to achieve this including: (a) Identification and assessment of individual needs (b) Designing individual learning programmes (c) Advising and working with colleagues (d) Liaising with external agencies (e) Communicating with parents (f) Providing accessibility through a range of resources (See School Accessibility Plan Policy) (g) Attending to the welfare and pastoral care of the pupils 3

SEND PROVISION - A GRADUATED RESPONSE

The Children Act 2004 and the SEND Code of Practice promote multi-agency cooperation, amongst Education, Health and Social care. A more integrated approach, to include more input from parents and educational settings, has led to a reform of the SEND Code of Practice, outlining how schools must meet their pupils’ SEND. All teaching staff must implement Quality First Teaching (QFT) that is adapted to the needs of individual learners. Teachers remain responsible for progress and development of all pupils in their class. Support is graduated and tailored to need, following a cycle of:

Assess → Plan → Do → Review

SEND support is not a substitute for high-quality teaching and must be embedded in whole-school curriculum delivery.

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND CARE (EHC) PLANS

The model of the EHC Plan is to enable a joint strategic needs assessment; with Education linking with Health and Social Care. The identification of SEND should be built into the overall approach to monitoring the progress and tracking the development of all pupils. The school ensures that Annual Reviews of EHC plans are conducted in collaboration with families, relevant professionals, and the Local Authority. The pupil’s views must be recorded and central to the planning process.

ADDITIONAL NEEDS

INITIAL REFERRAL

When pupils experience suspected learning difficulties, or display social, mental and emotional health issues, Pastoral Care, Form Tutors and the SENCO liaise, and a record is made of the nature of the concern. Action can take can take the form of gathering information, observation, further screening, temporary differentiation, collaborative meetings to identify reasonable adjustments, a formal assessment and continued monitoring.

MONITORING/INTERVENTION

Following intervention or assessment screening, we may choose to closely monitor a pupil with mild SEND, who does not require specific targets but whose profile is made available to all of the pupil’s subject teachers. The SENCO will the track their progress in Assessment meetings, and their teachers may provide additional intervention.

SEND AWARENESS

The key test for action is evidence that current rates of progress are inadequate in relation to the pupil’s underlying ability and a formal assessment will be needed. A pupil with a formal diagnosis is placed on the SEND Register. The Pupil Profile, which displays specific targets, is a working document and shared on the staff database. This provides guidance for teachers, and has copies of any reports available, which is shared with parents. All subject teachers are responsible for meeting the needs of pupils with learning difficulties, and for providing differentiation in the classroom as appropriate. Extra support may take the form of advice provided by the Learning Support team or withdrawal from lessons for targeted intervention. Regular contact is made with parents through e- mail, meetings and phone calls in addition to the normal reporting procedures. 4

SEND SUPPORT

Pupils who have a greater need at any particular stage of their School career will have a personalized Pupil Profile which is securely stored; this provides strategies and suggestions for specific interventions. Again, support may take the form of tailored intervention. Support services from outside agencies may be employed if this is deemed necessary. In deciding whether to make special educational provision, the teacher and SENCO should consider all of the information gathered from within the School about the pupil’s progress, alongside national data and expectations of progress. This should include high quality and accurate formative assessment, using effective tools and early assessment materials (Special educational provision in schools, SEND Code of Practice, 6.38). Educational settings under the Equality Act 2010 will make reasonable adjustments for disabled children and young people to help alleviate any substantial disadvantage they experience because of their disability, and will not discriminate against or harass them. We involve the pupil and their parents as fully as possible in the decisions that affect them.

EDUCATION, HEALTH AND CARE PLANS (EHC PLANS)

We welcome pupils with EHC Plans. On very rare occasions, where a pupil has a significant, severe and sustained need, it may be necessary to enter a multi- disciplinary assessment process with Health and Social Care in order to consider the need for an EHC Plan. The SENCO would do this in consultation with parents, before making a request to the Local Authority for an EHC Plan.

IDENTIFICATION, ASSESSMENT AND PROVISION FOR SEND PUPILS

Identification includes the use of high-quality formative assessments, as well as effective screenings with teacher and pupil feedback to make early assessments. A pupil's needs may become apparent through:

• the iBOS admissions procedures;
• an expression of concern by teaching staff;
• inconsistencies between baseline assessment and current attainment;
• through the expression of parental concerns;
• an additional specialist assessment of the pupil undertaken by an external Teacher Assessor.

SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT FOR SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

Whole-school baseline tests are used to measure cognitive ability. Attainment test results in reading comprehension, spelling and writing speed are compared to the ability test results; if discrepancies are found these pupils are recommended for further assessment by the SENCO. In addition, new pupils across the year groups are also screened for specific learning difficulties and/ or underlying additional needs. 5

IDENTIFICATION OF LEARNING DIFFICULTIES AND CLASSROOM STRATEGIES

All subject teachers have access to information and any recommended strategies for dealing with individual pupils in the classroom. Pupil Profiles inform subject teachers of specific strategies and access arrangements. In addition, members of staff have access to INSET provided by the SENCO and external CPD related to SEND; the SENCO is always available to offer advice on appropriate classroom strategies and differentiation.

MONITORING PROGRESS

As well as the normal measurements of progress within the whole-school context, our overall provision is frequently monitored and pupils’ progress is regularly reviewed according to the stage of intervention. Yearly attainment tests for pupils on the SEN register are administered by the SENCO for targeted groups within each Key Stage in order to monitor progress in reading, spelling and free writing. Heads of Department, and teachers refer pupils who are not making adequate progress, and after an initial conversation with the pupil, more information may need to be gathered for an internal assessment and/or tailored intervention within the Learning Support Department.

TEACHING STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES

All members of staff have a responsibility to ensure that each pupil is given as many opportunities as possible to fulfil their potential within the classroom environment. Subject teachers are expected to be aware of the learning support needs of the pupils whom they teach and to use the guidelines provided. They are expected to address the learning support needs of the pupils in their lessons, and to recognize when a greater degree of intervention is appropriate to enable pupils to learn effectively. Subject Staff and Form Tutors are also required to monitor and review the progress of pupils towards their individual targets. The curriculum is adapted to be more accessible for pupils with SEND and reasonable adjustments are subsequently made. All teachers must maintain high expectations for pupils with SEND, adapt teaching materials appropriately, and use adaptive strategies in line with the child’s Pupil Profile. They must also attend regular CPD on inclusion and use assistive technology or alternative methods where beneficial.

PASTORAL CARE

The SENCO is committed to contributing to the overall well-being of the pupils and liaises with the School’s pastoral staff where there is an area of concern. A wide range and degree of mental health problems might require special provision. These could manifest into problems of mood (anxiety or depression), problems of conduct, self-harming, substance abuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Some children and young people may have other recognized disorders such as: attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), attachment disorder, autism or pervasive developmental disorder, anxiety disorder, a disruptive disorder, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. The School identifies clear processes to consider how it will support such pupils and manage the 6

effect of any disruptive behavior so it does not adversely affect other pupils. We offer pastoral support, which includes access to counselling sessions, to help our pupils with social, mental and emotional health difficulties. Staff should be aware of overlapping needs and dual-diagnosis, where a pupil may have autism, ADHD, trauma or other neurodevelopmental or emotional disorders. The school will refer to CAMHS, Educational Psychology or Early Help where appropriate.

LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE

The Principal and Governing Body have statutory responsibility for ensuring inclusive practice, quality of provision, and academic outcomes for pupils with SEND. They will:

• Review SEND pupil progress termly
• Monitor SENCO deployment and provision
• Allocate sufficient budget for training and resources The SENCO must hold or be working toward the National Award for SEN Coordination, and is responsible for maintaining the SEND register, ensuring compliance, and leading whole-school SEND strategy.

OUTSIDE AGENCIES

The School works closely with external Educational Psychologists and Clinical Psychologists to whom parents may refer their child for assessments. Relationships have been established with Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language and Occupational Therapists.

PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS

Parents have a vital role in the identification of and support for SEND pupils. Efforts are made to work in partnership with parents throughout the screening process, formal assessment, and during the subsequent target-setting, measurements of progress and reviews. The SENCO attends parents’ evenings and discusses issues and/or concerns relating to SEND provision throughout the year.

MORE ABLE PUPILS

The School recognizes that SEND pupils may also be gifted and talented (i.e. they have dual- exceptionality). Therefore, pupils with SEND are also equally included in all aspects of school life at iBOS. 7