SEND: What we offer
Initially you should speak to your child’s tutor team and explain your concerns. They will be able to advise you of your child’s current progress and whether there is an issue that needs to be dealt with by the SENDCo.
We will listen to your concerns and discuss the situation. If a longer meeting is needed, this will be arranged. Your concerns will be looked into over an agreed length of time, with the sharing of information between school and home. A follow-up meeting will then be arranged to discuss the next steps.
The decision will be made by the class teachers and/or the SENDCo based on evidence of your child’s academic and personal progress. You and your child will be involved in deciding the next steps, and in setting targets to support your child.
We will agree on specific targets for your child to work towards. These will be discussed at a formal meeting between the SENDCo and the parents/carers. Additional support, if required, will be organised by the SENDCo. This could be individual work, small group work or the use of specific resources. Any additional support will be recorded on the school provision map, showing support provided across the school. A review cycle will then be followed and reviewed a minimum of once a term.
Your child will continue to be supported through the pastoral system within the school. The tutor team will continue to have regular meetings with the student to discuss progress and set targets for the coming term. The SENDCo will offer additional support as needed. Teaching Assistants may be used in lessons to support your child.
Where appropriate, outside agencies will be asked to support your child and the staff who work with them. These include:
- Educational Psychologist
- CAMHS
- Autism Outreach Team
- Occupational Therapist
- Speech and Language Therapist
- School Nurse
- Specialist Learning Team
- Youth Directions
Your child will be asked to contribute to the cycle of ‘assess, plan, do, review’ at all stages. His/her views will be taken into account at all review meetings. This will be through a variety of ways, depending on the age, abilities and needs of your child. These could include: discussion with a teacher or the SENDCo, completing student views questionnaires as well as feeding back directly in the review meetings.
Students with additional needs will be offered an alternative curriculum if needed. Some students will take fewer subjects at Key Stage 4 and spend more time doing Maths and English lessons.
We track all student’s progress closely over the year. We measure the amount of progress made in every subject termly. Staff record in a central area each student’s current working level, attitude to learning and whether they are on, above or below target. We assess children using Key Assessments and Assessment for Learning throughout the school year. All of these are used to provide a clear and detailed picture of your child’s progress and attainment. All children have individual targets to support them in their next steps of learning in every subject area. Students who are having particular difficulties will be tested by the SENDCo using a range of Standardised Cognitive Tests.
During the year you will be invited to attend Academic parent evenings. You and your child will be asked to make an appointment with the class teacher to discuss progress made to date.
All students are welcome to attend outside activities and we will endeavour to provide additional support if required to enable all students to attend. We have a regular programme of school trips, including trips related to current topics and other curriculum areas. Again, all students are encouraged to take part in trips and additional support will be included as needed.
At Bishopton we have a robust transition programme in place to support students moving into Further Education or into the Workplace. All pupils have a one-to-one meeting with a representative from Youth Directions in which they are encouraged to think about their future ambitions. During this meeting options for post 16 will be discussed. In Years 10 and 11 students take part in a number of activities to help them decide on what to do after leaving Bishopton. These include:
- Support and guidance provided from Youth Directions
- Support and guidance provided by in house careers team
- Visits to local 6th Form Colleges
- Discussions with Apprenticeship providers
- Help with College applications
- Support writing a CV
- Mock Interviews with local employers/colleges
You can support your child by:
- Attending Parents’ Evenings
- Encouraging your child to to keep up to date with online learning
- Ensuring your child attends school regularly and is on time
- Keeping school informed of any change of circumstances that may impact on your child’s wellbeing.
If you feel you need extra support, please contact Mrs Claire Thompson on 01642 566369 who will be able to advise you.