Kibblesworth Academy

SEN & Disability

Our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator is Mrs Victoria Longhurst (victorialonghurst@kibblesworthacademy.org.uk)

All children, regardless of their strengths and areas of need, are valued members of our school. They should feel secure and supported, have opportunities to experience success and know that expectations of them are high.

All children are entitled to a broad and balanced curriculum which stimulates their interest in a wide range of cultural, aesthetic, physical and environmental issues.

Effective assessment and provision with the greatest degree of partnership between children, parents, school, the LA and other agencies will enable the child’s needs to be met with success. We share a whole school responsibility to ensure all children are given the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

The school has close links with external agencies such as speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and support from the school’s educational psychologist. We work alongside these agencies to provide the very best support for all of our children.

All children regardless of their strengths and weaknesses are valued members of our school. They should feel secure and supported, have opportunities to experience success and know that expectations of them are high.

All children are entitled to a broad and balanced curriculum which stimulates their interest in a wide range of cultural, aesthetic, physical and environmental issues.

Effective assessment and provision with the greatest degree of partnership between children, parents, school, the LA and other agencies will enable the child’s needs to be met with success. We share a whole school responsibility to ensure all children are given the opportunity to achieve their full potential.
 
 
 
 
 
Contact details for raising concerns:

Mr C Steel
Kibblesworth Academy
West View
Gateshead
NE11 0XP
 
Gateshead SENDiass 

 

Gateshead SENDiass offer free impartial, confidential information and advice for children and young people aged 0-25 and their parents and carers where a child or young person has or may have special educational needs or disability.

 

They are open Monday - Thursday, 09:00-17:00 and Friday, 09:00-16:30.

Phone: 0191 478 4667

Email: daiss@barnardos.org.uk

 

Our approach to the admission of children with SEND
 
We are an inclusive school and committed to the admission of pupils of all backgrounds, needs and abilities. We follow Gateshead Council's admissions code, details of which can be found on the following website. 
 
 
 
Our approach to teaching pupils with SEND

Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of all the pupils in their class.

Quality First teaching is our first step in responding to pupils who have SEND. This will be scaffolded and, where needed, differentiated for individual pupils.
 
Children will be placed within 3 bands depending on the support that they require:
  • wave 1 – Quality First teaching
  • wave 2 – specific, focused intervention
  • wave 3 – referral to outside agencies for further advice, assessment and support.
Gateshead SEND Thresholds
 
In January 2024, Gateshead local authority introduced SEND thresholds. These thresholds are a guide for what should and could be used to support a child with SEND. All children with SEND in Kibblesworth are identified within the threshold document and this is reviewed using the assess-plan-do-review cycle each term. The thresholds are also clearly stated on the child's learning plan. 
 


We will also provide the following interventions:
  • Meemo
  • Nessy
  • Numicon-Big ideas
  • Rapid maths
  • Read, Write, Inc (phonics)
  • ‘Good to be me’ nurture programme
  • ELSA
  • Clicker 8
  • First Class @ Number
 
Working with other agencies

The school recognises the important contribution that external support services make in assisting to identify, assess and provide support for pupils with SEND.

When it is considered necessary, colleagues from the following support services will be involved with pupils with SEND:
  • Behaviour support
  • HINT/LINT
  • Speech and Language team
  • Occupational Therapy
  • CYPS
  • Emotional Wellbeing
  • CAMHs
  • Educational Psychologist
  • Early Years Assessment and intervention Team (EYAIT)
Complaints about SEND provision

Complaints about SEND provision in our school should be made to the SENDCO/ Head in the first instance. They will then be referred to the school’s complaints policy.

The parents of pupils with disabilities have the right to make disability discrimination claims to the first-tier SEND tribunal if they believe that our school has discriminated against their children. They can make a claim about alleged discrimination regarding:
  • Exclusions
  • Provision of education and associated services
  • Making reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services
Contact details of support services for parents of pupils with SEND:
 
SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) DAISS@barnardos.org.uk
0191 4784667



Gateshead Local Offer
 
 
 
Adaptations to the curriculum and learning environment

We make the following adaptations to ensure all pupils’ needs are met:
  •  Differentiating our curriculum to ensure all pupils are able to access it, for example, by grouping, 1:1 work, teaching style, content of the lesson, etc.
  • Adapting our resources and staffing
  • Using recommended aids, such as laptops, coloured overlays, visual timetables, larger font, now and next boards, task management boards etc.
  • Differentiating our teaching, for example, giving longer processing times, pre-teaching of key vocabulary, reading instructions aloud, etc.
  • Reducing cognitive load by ensuring resources are purposeful and not cluttered.
  • Ensuring longer tasks are broken down into smaller steps.


Additional support for learning

We have 3 teaching assistants who are trained to deliver interventions such as Nessy, Meemo, Rapid etc.

Teaching assistants will support pupils on a 1:1 basis when the child is unable to work in a small group/ class situation due to behaviour or a task that requires that child to have 1:1 support.

Teaching assistants will support pupils in small groups when there has been a group recognised as having similar needs and can benefit from the same intervention or support.

We work with the following agencies to provide support for pupils with SEND:
  • Behaviour support
  • HINT/LINT
  • Speech and Language team
  • Occupational Therapy
  • CYPS
  • Emotional Wellbeing
  • CAMHs
  • Educational Psychologist
  • Early Years Assessment and intervention Team (EYAIT)

Expertise and training of staff

Our SENDCO has been in role since September 2017.

We have a team of 3 teaching assistants, including 1 higher level teaching assistants (HLTAs)

In the last academic year, staff have been trained in the teaching of phonics, First Class at Number, strategies to support children with poor phonological awareness, supporting children with ASD, and positive handling techniques..
 
 
Our school currently provides additional and/or different provision for a range of needs, including:
  • Communication and interaction, for example, autistic spectrum disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, speech and language difficulties
  • Cognition and learning, for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia,
  • Social, emotional and mental health difficulties, for example, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • Sensory and/or physical needs, for example, visual impairments, hearing impairments, processing difficulties, epilepsy
 
Securing equipment and facilities

In Kibblesworth Academy we have stair lifts to ensure children with mobility problems can have easy access to all areas of the school. A disabled toilet is located in nursery. Handrails are installed on every set of steps both inside and outside the building.

Yellow lines have been painted to assist VI children with stairs and uneven surfaces. A hearing aid is available for a HI child and is used in class and assemblies at all times.

Evaluating the effectiveness of SEND provision

We evaluate the effectiveness of provision for pupils with SEND by:
  • Reviewing pupils’ individual progress towards their goals each term
  • Reviewing the impact of interventions
  • Using pupil questionnaires
  • Monitoring by the SENDCO
  • Using provision maps to measure progress
  • Holding annual reviews for pupils with statements of SEND or EHC plans
Enabling pupils with SEND to engage in activities available to those in the school who do not have SEND
  • All of our extra-curricular activities and school visits are available to all our pupils, including our before-and after-school clubs.
  • All pupils are encouraged to go on our residential trip(s)
  • All pupils are encouraged to take part in sports day/school plays/shine, etc.
No pupil is ever excluded from taking part in these activities because of their SEND or disability.


Support for improving emotional and social development

We provide support for pupils to improve their emotional and social development in the following ways:
  • Pupils with SEMH are involved in a nurture group at the beginning of each day to look at the daily timetable and discuss any problems.
  • Pupils with SEMH are given a ‘key worker’ that checks in with them throughout the day to ensure they are settled and focused in class.
We have a zero tolerance approach to bullying.
 
 
Supporting pupils moving between phases and preparing for adulthood

At Kibblesworth Academy we will share information with the school, or other setting the pupil is moving to. We will agree with parents and pupils which information will be shared as part of this.

We will arrange a meeting with the school’s SENDCO to share information that will support the pupil’s transition. Additional visits will be arranged to support transition where appropriate.
 
 
Assessing and reviewing pupils’ progress towards outcomes

At Kibblesworth Academy we will follow the graduated approach and the four-part cycle of assess, plan, do, review.

The class or subject teacher will work with the SENDCO to carry out a clear analysis of the pupil’s needs. This will draw on:
  • The teacher’s assessment and experience of the pupil
  • Their previous progress and attainment and behaviour
  • Other teachers’ assessments, where relevant
  • The individual’s development in comparison to their peers and national data
  • The views and experience of parents
  • The pupil’s own views
  • Advice from external support services, if relevant
The assessment will be reviewed regularly.

All teachers and support staff who work with the pupil will be made aware of their needs, the outcomes sought, the support provided, and any teaching strategies or approaches that are required. We will regularly review the effectiveness of the support and interventions and their impact on the pupil’s progress. This will be recorded on each child’s individual learning plans and updated at each review.
 
 
Consulting and involving pupils and parents

Kibblesworth Academy firmly believes in developing a strong partnership with parents/carers and that this will help children and young people with SEND to achieve their potential. The school recognises that parents have a unique overview of a child’s needs and how best to support them and that this gives them a key role in the home/school partnership. The school will make available, to all parents of pupils with SEND, details of the Parent Partnership Service available through the LEA.

We will have an early discussion with parents (and pupil if appropriate) when identifying whether they need special educational provision. These conversations will make sure that:
  • Everyone develops a good understanding of the pupil’s areas of strength and difficulty
  • We take into account the parents’ concerns
  • Everyone understands the agreed outcomes sought for the child
  • Everyone is clear on what the next steps are
Notes of these early discussions will be added to the pupil’s record and given to their parents.

We will formally notify parents when it is decided that a pupil will receive SEND support.
 
 
Identifying pupils with SEND and assessing their needs

At Kibblesworth Academy we have adopted a whole school approach to SEND policy and practice. Pupils identified as having SEND are, as far as is practicable, fully included in mainstream classes. The school makes every effort to ensure pupils with SEND have full access to the National Curriculum and that they are actively involved in all aspects of school life.

The SEND Code of Practice makes it clear that all teachers are teachers of pupils with special education needs. At Kibblesworth Academy we recognise that all teachers are responsible for identifying pupils with SEND and, in collaboration with the SENDCO, for ensuring that those pupils requiring different or additional support are identified at an early stage.

We will assess each pupil’s current skills and levels of attainment on entry, which will build on previous settings and Key Stages, where appropriate. Class teachers will make regular assessments of progress for all pupils and identify those whose progress:
  • Is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline
  • Fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress
  • Fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers
  • Widens the attainment gap
This may include progress in areas other than attainment, for example, social needs.

Slow progress and low attainment will not automatically mean a pupil is recorded as having SEND.

When deciding whether special educational provision is required, we will start with the desired outcomes, including the expected progress and attainment, and the views and the wishes of the pupil and their parents. We will use this to determine the support that is needed and whether we can provide it by adapting our core offer, or whether something different or additional is needed.