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Additional Education Needs

The Learning Support Department

A key issue in the Revised Code of Practice for pupils with Additional Educational Needs is communication with parents.

Contact the Form Tutor, Pastoral Support Team or Learning Support Department if you have a concern about your son.
The Learning Support Department meets with pupils who have Additional Educational Needs on a regular basis to discuss progress and concerns. Any concerns are then discussed with parents/carers at parent consultation evenings.
Changes to level of need and extra support are discussed with parents prior to actions being taken.
Changes in legislation and other information are communicated to parents as necessary.
Your involvement in your son's progress is vital. The School, the pupil, the parents and any other extra support agencies work most effectively together as a team.

Additional Educational Needs (AEN) at Hayesbrook

'A child has additional educational needs if they have a learning difficulty which calls for specific and additional educational provision to be made for them.'

A child has a learning difficulty if they:

have a significant additional difficulty in learning in comparison with the majority of children of the same age;

or
have a disability which prevents or hinders the child from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for the children of the same age in schools within the area of the Local Education Authority.

This may occur at any time in any child's school career for a variety of reasons and may be temporary or persistent. For this reason pupils are not labelled AEN at The Hayesbrook School.

We attempt to provide whatever is needed to support personalised learning. This is why we name ourselves THE LEARNING SUPPORT DEPARTMENT.

Our resources are aimed principally at Key Stage 3. For example, we work intensively on reading and spelling in Years 7 and 8 where there is a priority need. In Maths we offer specialist small group support. The number of pupils needing extra support should be reduced as the years pass.

Role of the Support Staff at Hayesbrook

The Learning Support Department underpins the work of the whole school and is therefore the largest in the school, having 25 members, 15 full-time and the rest part-time.

Janet Kane (Assistant Headteacher - Inclusion & Access)
Liz Haselden (School Counsellor) is employed by the school for 3 mornings a week
Alicia Russell (Pupil Support Manager)
Linda Ireland (AEN Admin)
Jackie Smart (AEN Admin)

There are also 3 part-time specialist teachers and 17 Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) who provide support for all pupils on the Additional Educational Needs Register, largely in the mainstream classroom.

LSAs are a valuable resource in classrooms and liaise with staff concerning subject material and how they can best support pupils and staff.

ALL PARENTS ARE WELCOME TO WRITE, TELEPHONE OR ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE LEARNING SUPPORT DEPARTMENT TO DISCUSS THEIR SON'S NEEDS.

Information is available to all staff who teach pupils with Additional Educational Needs. We also work closely with all the departments in the school. Support is provided in a variety of ways:

Intervention programmes are set up as the need arises.
Withdrawal from a variety of subjects for specialist teaching provision, very often on a rolling timetable.
Support or team teaching within the classroom in different subject areas, dependent on need.
Information and advice to staff and liaison with them as necessary.
The majority of LSAs work in one or two departments. Some LSAs work with individuals and / or small groups of pupils to achieve specific targets.
LSAs work with small groups or individuals under the direction of subject staff or Learning Support Staff.
Support for pupils in Study Skills periods who have a reduced curriculum. This is to help with coursework and homework. We also continue to develop literacy and numeracy skills with these pupils.
The Vocational Foundation Scheme at Key Stage 4 enable some pupils to access a work-related curriculum with a reduced GCSE workload.
LSAs and support teachers meet with mainstream staff regularly to plan curriculum and modify learning resources.
Homework Club meets every lunchtime in AEN2. Individual support is always available. This can also be arranged before and after school.

Annual Timetable of Events

There are various dates on our calendar and procedures which may interest you.

Annual Reviews. Statemented pupils have their Statement of Need annually reviewed. This is a statutory meeting with anyone who is involved in their support. We chair these meetings and Form Tutors, Pastoral Staff, Subject Staff and outside agencies are invited as necessary.
Reviews - Pupils who are Statemented or at School Action Plus may have a Provision Map which is reviewed bi-annually. These are reviewed at the appropriate Parents' Consultation Evening, Parent/Tutor consultation afternoon, at the end of the academic year and on other occasions as necessary. At this time, pupils can change levels or move off the AEN Register.
Pupils may also have a Pastoral Support Plan which is reviewed as necessary throughout the year.
The Learning Support Department meets half termly to liaise with AEN Co-ordinators from each subject area to discuss procedures and strategies to support pupils with additional needs on an individual and whole school basis.
School Based Reviews are held regularly with school's pastoral staff. Here we discuss those pupils who are not making progress. Parents are informed when changes of level are proposed and are involved in consultation concerning this.
For any other concerns, teaching and support staff are asked to fill in concern forms for the attention of the Learning Support Department. We also meet regularly with subject department representatives to discuss specific concerns and strategies in the mainstream classroom.

Parents may lodge concerns regarding their son with the Learning Support Department at any time. This may be done by letter, telephone or appointment.

Level of Need

Any pupil identified as School Action or School Action Plus may have needs in one or more of the following areas:

Cognition and Learning.
Emotional, Behavioural and Social Difficulties.
Communication and Interaction Difficulties.
Sensory and Physical Difficulties.

School Action

This will involve our Department or the pastoral staff, Form Tutors, Year Co-ordinators and Key Stage Co-ordinators, giving advice to members of staff on meeting your son's needs in the classroom.

School Action Plus

This will involve support as at School Action and in addition more involvement from our Department or pastoral staff. However at this level other agencies such as Educational Psychology, Connexions (Careers) and English as an Additional Language for example, may be involved. We will draw up a Provision Map or Pastoral Support Plan with the information staff give to us and the knowledge we have of your son in consultation with you and him. This also will be reviewed twice a year. Some pupils at this stage are undergoing assessment for a Statement of Educational Need.

Statement

Pupils at this stage have a Statement of Educational Need which is a legal document, reviewed annually.