St Gregory's Catholic High School

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?

Initially, this is through our Transition Programme with Primary Schools providing detailed information to our Transition Manager on all young people, including those with SEND. All SEND information is passed to the SENCo who coordinates the provision for these young people. The SENCo is involved with Transition Primary School young people annual reviews which inform planning for provision and support during their secondary phase of education. Information on children who transfer to our School at other times of the year, is provided by their previous school and support plans disseminated to relevant staff.  Monitoring of all young people is an on-going process which enables identification of young people who require additional support or different provision. Pupils’ Progress Managers from the Pastoral Team and curriculum staff make referrals to the Intervention and Support team through assessment information and at pupil data collection points also at these times.

All Year 7 pupils take Literacy Screening tests which inform the SENCo of young people whom may need additional diagnostic testing.

Within St Gregory’s High School, we have a team of ASD specialist staff. Young peoples’ progress is monitored closely to ensure the needs of each individual young person is met. If staff, parents/carers or any other professionals have concerns regarding educational progress, staff are able to review the provision package of that pupil to ensure continued support to narrow the gap.

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

Contact the school immediately to raise your concerns-this will enable a team of staff, led by our SENCo, to review progress and collate individual subject and pastoral information; findings will be shared with you and actions discussed.  There are also specific times when issues can be raised including Parents’ Evenings and Pupil Progress Days when subject staff and members of the Pastoral Team are available to discuss your concerns.

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

All plans are coordinated by the SENCo and Assistant SENCo based on an: Assess; Plan; Do; Review approach.

Every member of staff is aware of a young person who requires additional support; their learning plans clearly identify the strategies they will use to help your young person fulfill their true potential and to overcome barriers to their learning. Strategies used are specific to a young person’s learning needs, and are provided by the Deputy SENCo and distributed to all subject staff by the SENCo; these strategies can be advised from working in collaboration with external agencies such as Speech and Language Team, Educational Psychologist and CAMHS. Updated young person information and strategies are provided when necessary, including at weekly staff briefings. Teaching assistants are allocated according to need and provide in class targeted support. Seating plans highlight key information to direct support strategies and to maximize potential. Teaching staff are also aware of emotional support which may be needed as are all members of the Pastoral Team allowing us to react swiftly and effectively when issues arise. The school holds half termly learning and teaching meetings which have an allocation for SEND information; this is an opportunity for staff to share good practice of strategies that are successful with SEND young people and an opportunity for updates on external agencies.

In addition: 

• The SENCo is a member of the schools safeguarding team
• Reviews of young people on an individual basis will take place and plans put in to action by relevant staff. Specialist staff will conduct these including the SENCo and Assistant SENCo
• Specific programmes are delivered for identified young people according to their needs. These include: peer support interventions such as Paired Maths and Paired Reading, Literacy Progress Units, Handwriting sessions all delivered by trained support staff
• Additional support before and after school provides homework assistance and practical lesson preparation support (eg equipment)
• Subject department groupings of young people takes in to account additional needs information in order to target support and ensure strategies are tailored to needs
• Named staff are allocated to young people with specific medical needs in relation to location for distribution of medication. Disabled accessibility and support is through a designated teaching assistant allocated by our SENCo
• Governors are involved in developing, monitoring and reviewing our SEND policy which is available on our website. They are kept up to date and knowledgeable about provision, deployment of funding, equipment and personnel resources.

For young people who are offered a place in our designated ASD provision, their educational programme will be overseen by our ASD specialist teacher.  A programme of inclusion will be designed to cater for each young people’s specific needs. Staff will be in close contact with parents and carers to discuss these and agree these plans. We pride ourselves on our relationships and close daily liaison with our young people’s parents; a dictaphone system is in operation.

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?

The SENCo is responsible for ensuring the curriculum on offer matches the needs and is tailored according to need as detailed on Individual Education Plans (IED); these are disseminated to all teaching staff. Before a review, subject staff complete pro formas detailing successes, progress, concerns and celebrations which are shared with parents/carers at the review meeting. To ensure that the young person is accessing the curriculum monitoring is ongoing through informative and summative assessment data, allowing for early identification of any young people who are not meeting their targets; these can be appropriately referred to the Learning Support Team. A review can be called at any point during the academic year when progress is not deemed to be adequate. 

Key strategies include:

• Individualised learning plans devised by subject staff for personalisation and defined SEND differentiation strategies
• Literacy and Numeracy difficulties are clearly identified for all staff to take into account when planning lessons
• Allocation of teaching assistants to subject areas for in class support
• Additional liaison with parents/carers during key decision making processes such Option Choices and Pathways in Year 9 for effective key stage transition
• Alternative provision may be considered at Key stage 4
• Subject grouping allocation takes into account all relevant information provided by the Learning Support team

The designated ASD provision has the ability to educate the young people that we support with personalised programmes. This ensures that the young people access a broad and balanced curriculum which in turn enables them to make progress.

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

School takes measures to ensure that parents/carers know how their young person is doing and how they can support them, through the following ways:

• Learning Organiser which facilitates daily communication between school and home where you can view homework set, read Form Tutor comments, be aware of equipment needed and track reasons for credit loss. It also contains information to support learning and homework
• VLE – via our school website, you will have access to specific subject information and resources
• Pupil Progress Days – individual parent/carer and young person meetings and discussion with an allocated member of staff with a focus on attitudes to learning and appropriate targets
• Parents’ Evenings which provide parents/carers with the opportunity to meet and discuss progress with all subject teachers
• Through our tracking process and data collection, information will be sent to you as a report; dates for these are published in our calendar and on our website
• Individualised Review times and dates for pupils with identified needs take place with our SENCo and relevant staff and agencies

Staff have daily contact with parents and carers to ensure that any issues regarding social or educational development are spotted quickly.  If concerns are highlighted parent, carers and staff can meet to resolve these.

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

This is a highly developed and enhanced provision at St Gregory’s built on our motto ‘SEAL it with respect (Social and Emotional aspects of learning).  The SEAL principles are the guiding aims for our PSD Programmes of Study for all young people. A team of staff exist to ensure our Mission Statement opening strive to work in partnership to create a living and vibrant community in which each member is valued is lived out each day; the team consists of: Pastoral Team Deputy Head Teacher, Assistant Head Teacher, Pupil Progress Managers, (one per year group) Pastoral Support Managers (non teaching) who are available from 8am to 4.15 pm / Form Tutors/ Attendance Officer/ Columba Room Manager. A Chaplain; a Safeguarding Team made up of Senior Pastoral teaching and non teaching staff; Augustine Suite Personnel (our inclusion facility) including SENCo, Assistant SENCo, Inclusion/Off Site Provision Liaison Manager, Mentors (adult and peer/ internal and external) as part of the Warrington Wide Mentoring Programme, Teaching Assistants. School also have anti-bullying ambassadors (60 trained young people).

Such an extensive team, with a range of expertise, means we are able to recognise where support may be needed and target accordingly with the most appropriate personnel.  Programmes such as Miss Dorothy and Circle Time are in operation. We also enlist the support of appropriate outside agencies to advise our young people.

Emotional health and wellbeing is a high priority for us as we know it is for you. Our team of ASD specialist staff put this at the forefront of the work that we do. An emotionally secure young person is a young person that can progress academically. Our staff build good relationships of trust with our young people.  We listen and spend time to resolve problems as they arise. Also, through our programmes of Emotional Literacy, speech and language lessons and Autism friendly personal and social development we educate our children with the tools they require to better prepare them for the social situations they may face.

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

The following specialist services and expertise are available in school:

• SENCo
• Deputy SENCo with dyslexia training
• Chaplain with a background in mental health
• Teaching assistants including Higher Level (HLTA) and Level 3
• Speech and Language expertise
• Anger Management Provision
• Vulnerable Pupils’ Unit – Horizons
• Relationships Centre
• Family Support Meetings
• PC Jeff – our school liaison officer
• CAMHS
• St Joseph’s Centre
• Local Authority Safeguarding Team advice
• Educational Psychologist
• Social Services
• Offsite Provision co-ordinated by Wendy Dolphin a member of our Augustine Suite
• Warrington Wide Mentoring Programme involvement
• Full time teaching assistant based in our Augustine Suite
• Inclusion Team – such provision can be for emotional, academic and medical problems which have led to a pupil being fully or partly educated off site.

ASD, PSD Speech and Language lessons, access to advice from an ASD specialist nurse, CAMHS, the LA Inclusion team and Occupational Therapy.

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

Staff at St Gregory's have training to support young people with SEND, including:

• SENCo Team – Diploma in Special Educational Needs, Post Graduate Certificate SENCo, ATS for Specific Learning Difficulties, Access arrangements training and diagnostic training, team teach trained
• On going training and attendance at external Code of Practice meetings by SENCo and Assistant SENCo
• Positive Handling
• Speech and Language
• Teaching Assistant Team – annual training for readers, scribes, invigilators and other adult helpers for examinations

Our ASD Specialist staff have been employed due to their experience and skills linked to working with Autistic Children. Staff also look to keep up with all the current issues through training in Speech and Language, specific programmes of studies for ASD young people, social stories training along with other specific training that aids the support of our young people

How accessible is the setting/school/college environment?

We do our best to ensure all activities are offered to all of our young people through our support team network. Teaching assistants do assist in this capacity. Our Learning Resource Centre (library/computers) is available before and after school as are our IT rooms. Risk assessments and individual care plans support the participation in school trips. Financial assistance may be available if required (on request).

Parents/carers will receive invitations to our Family SEAL evenings which take place each term. Their main aims are to build relationships, bring families and school together, promote a community ethos, provide support and, most importantly, to have fun and enjoy being together. These have proved very popular and most successful over the last five years (“yet another fantastic evening! Each event is unique, inspiring, friendly and a wonderful celebration.  We feel proud, honored and blessed to be a part of it.” Parent).

We strive to fully include our young people in all the mainstream school has to offer. When events arise we will liaise with parents or carers as well as the young people involved to ensure this runs as smoothly as is possible.

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?

Rooming of our timetabled curriculum is considered in light of young peoples’ individual needs; ramps are in place for access into the main building and into our Canterbury Suite and music rooms so there is full accessibility.

School has disabled toilets, lifts to first floor, and an EAL Specialist Teaching Assistant is employed to ensure effective channels of communication with parents as well as providing one to one tuition and in class support.

The designated provision provides an ASD friendly environment which helps our pupils to access a broad and balanced curriculum. The Iona Room located next to the Augustine Suite, consists of two main rooms and a quiet/reflective area; kitchen facilities are available and there is access to a patio area. Toilet and changing facilities are available.

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

Year 6 and Year 7 is via our Transition Manager through liaison with primary school transfer staff so we are fully aware of all needs. Our Chaplains and members of the Pastoral Team organise transition days which are held at The Foundary in Widnes. We hold a Vulnerable young people and Parents’ visit which is for half a day during school time to discuss concerns, exchange information and allows time for young people to experience our building prior to attending for the full New Pupils’ Day and the New Parent’ Evening. The Inclusion and Pastoral teams are present on each occasion to answer questions and ensure a smooth transition experience.

Subject staff will also visit primary school to deliver a taster of our curriculum experience and young people are invited in to take sample activities such as during Open Evening and watch productions.

The SENCo is invited to all Year 6 Annual Reviews.

In KS4 and KS5 we have highly developed partnerships with local colleges who come in to school to deliver information on academic and vocational courses.  Young people are invited to colleges; some of these we facilitate during the school day, others are through invitation and our Inclusion Team will provide support when needed. Opportunities’ Evenings take place in school for both parents/carers and young people and we use our Engage Evenings for colleges to provide information. Our calendar details specific dates and times.

The transfer to designated provision is personalised to each young person’s needs. Once we have been notified by the local authority that your young person has a place, our HLTA will be in touch to discuss the integration package with you.  This will include a bespoke programme of visits before and after school, staff visits to the current school and ‘dip in’ sessions at the provision.  Young people and parents/carers can access all college experiences provided within and beyond the school.

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

The Governing Body is responsible for the school budget and allocation of funding; our Finance and Resource Director, in liaison with our SENCo, ensures the funding is appropriately deployed and matched to need in terms of staffing, equipment and resources.

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

The SENCo has ultimate responsibility for this, taking into account all of the information, reports, liaison with parents, carers and relevant agencies. The support to be provided will be detailed in terms of staffing, subjects, timings, additional out of class support, agency liaison and resources. Progress will be monitored by the SENCo in liaison with subject staff, Heads of Department, Pupil Progress Managers and the designated Senior Leadership Team personnel using review information and assessment data. Parents/carers will be kept informed at each stage of the process including in school meetings.

The decision to offer a place at the designated provision is made by the Local Authority. Once we have been notified that a place has been offered, meetings will be held to discuss the support and educational programme that will be in place initially for your young person. This will then be reviewed at regular intervals to encourage further inclusion and progress.