At Shavington Academy, we recognise students as having Special Educational Needs if they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age or a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools.

 We work closely with our primary school colleagues to ensure that all relevant SEN information is passed across and adapted for our setting. This is then shared with all staff members involved in your child’s school experience. We also attend review meetings for Y6 EHCP students. Please don’t hesitate to contact the school if you would like to make us aware of any additional needs separately.

 All members of staff will be informed of your child’s needs, and the strategies that are to be used to support them, both inside and out of the classroom. This will be reviewed regularly and staff will be informed of any updates.

We are able to screen pupils for both dyslexia and dyscalculia. This is not a formal diagnosis, but will inform on whether pupils show traits of either learning need, and to what extent. Teachers will be informed of these results, so that support can be put in place. If the learning need impacts on a pupil’s ability to perform in exams, they will be assessed for access arrangements (such as a reader, or extra time) in Year 10. Literacy and Numeracy form time intervention groups are in place for Year 7 students requiring extra support.

There is a dedicated pastoral team at Shavington, who have experience of working with pupils with a range of SEN. Each pupil will have a form tutor and assistant pastoral leader who will support them. Your child’s form tutor should be the first port of call for any concerns, and they will then liaise with appropriate staff to ensure support is put in place. However, pupils can also choose to speak to any member of staff with whom they feel comfortable.

We ask that pupils complete their first informal assessment without access arrangements, in order to provide evidence of the need for this by the time of their end of year exams. All teachers will be consulted over which pupils may require access arrangements half way through the school year, so that this can then be implemented for all main assessments.

Pupils have to be assessed externally in Year 10 in order to qualify for access arrangements for their GCSEs.

All staff attend regular training led by the school SENCo, as well as external experts. These sessions focus on strategies to use to best support pupils with a range of SEN. Staff also make use of Cheshire East’s SEN toolkit, a comprehensive guide of strategies recommended by the authority. Finally, individual pupils will have strategies specific to their own need listed on their profile for staff to make use of. This will be reviewed and updated regularly.

We offer a homework club after school in the library from 3:30-4:00, staffed by members of the pastoral team who will be there to support pupils with their homework. MU1 is also open before school for pupils to complete work. Both rooms have printing facilities.

The best way to support your child is through offering encouragement. Keep in regular contact with the school via your child’s form tutor, and the SENCo, as appropriate. For more specific needs, see the resources section here (link to resources) where there are a number of ideas to support a range of SEN from home.

Cheshire East Information, Advice and Support (CEIAS) are a local support network who offer free confidential support and information to children and young people with SEND, their parents and or their carers. See more details on their website at: http://www.ceias.cheshireeast.gov.uk/home.aspx

We welcome your views on your child’s learning, so please contact us if you are worried about your child’s learning or wellbeing. For specific complaints regarding your child’s special needs provisions, please contact our SENCO, Miss Robinson through reception 01270 685111.

The school’s complaints policy can be found here