Pupils with Particular Needs
The Special Educational Needs co-ordinator (SENDCo) for Fulwood Academy is Mrs Heather Clipston. Mrs Clipston can be contacted by e-mail: h.clipston@fulwoodacademy.co.uk or alternatively by telephone on 01772 719060
Fulwood is committed to inclusion. We believe that all pupils, including those identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities have an entitlement to a broad and balanced academic and social curriculum, which is accessible to them. We support all of our pupils to be fully included in all aspects of school life. We take a personalised approach, with each pupil at the centre of their pupil learning plan, known in school as the Pupil Passport. This helps us to ensure that the needs of pupils and potential barriers are fully met.
Special Educational Needs Curriculum
Fulwood Academy uses Quality First Teaching to meet the needs of all pupils. Subject teachers adapt their teaching to support those with additional needs and they may be further supported in class by Teaching Assistants or out of class with evidence-based intervention work. Our aim is for all pupils to be supported to access the same curriculum offer as their peers. In rare cases, students who are working significantly below age related expectations and are struggling with the traditional curriculum may follow an adapted curriculum with alternative qualifications.
Our teachers plan and deliver quality lessons that are well differentiated, so the needs of all pupils are catered for and all pupils can benefit fully from them. Sometimes, however, a pupil’s personalised assessment shows that they would benefit from additional one-to-one tuition or to work as part of a small group. If this is needed, then it is carefully planned by skilled teachers, and delivered with support from teaching assistants.
The SEND Team
Mrs Clipston, our fully qualified Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) and a Governor who takes lead responsibility for special educational needs on the Governing Body. The SENCO leads a specialist team of Teaching Assistants who support our pupils with SEND.
For a very small number of pupils with more complex and specialist needs, we may also call on the expertise and experience of specialists from outside the School. These may be people who work for the SEN specialist teams in the Local Authority or specialists in children’s issues in the Health Service. For pupils who need this extra and more specialist input, we work in close partnership with these external partners as part of an “Education, Health and Care Plan”.
We work closely with other teams in the school to support pupils these include:
- The Pupil Support Centre Focus and Phoenix who give additional support for pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs
- Pupil mental health and wellbeing lead.
- The Pastoral Team: tutors, Heads of Years and Pupil Welfare Officer.
English as an Additional Language (EAL)
For pupils who are new to English, we provide a personalised package of support that identifies their particular needs and details the additional support they will receive to help them improve their English and make progress in their studies. It highlights the key strategies that the School will use to help the pupil to learn, any additional activities (and programmes) the pupil should engage in at home and the way their progress will be monitored.
Our staff receive training on the best approaches to support pupils with EAL and incorporate this learning into their lessons. Some pupils with EAL benefit from one to one tuition or small group work to help them to make more rapid progress in their English language development. If this is needed, we consult with the pupil and parents to make sure it is well planned with clear objectives and timescales. The partnership with the pupil and parents is essential in helping pupils with EAL make the progress we want them to make so that, like all our pupils, they achieve their full potential.
Transition
Making sure our pupils are supported in the transition process is an integral part of our provision for all pupils, especially those with SEND. In the Summer term of year 6, Mrs Clipston and her team will visit our feeder primary schools to get as much information as possible about our new pupils. For those pupils with SEND this will mean we can build up a package of support to ensure they feel comfortable and well supported in their transition to High school. As part of this process Mrs Clipston will contact parents and carers of those pupils who have been identified as having SEND needs to look at the planned support needed, we can also offer additional visits to the Academy in order to support the transition process.
Key Information
See our Policies page to access our SEND policy and SEND information report.
See updates from the Lancashire Send Partnership >
