Special Educational Needs

The first point of contact for yourself or a teacher is your child’s form tutor. You can contact them:

• putting a note in your child’s planner asking for the tutor to contact you;
• phoning the school and leaving a message;
• writing a letter or an email (Staff forename.staff surname@caistorgrammar.com)

Your child’s form tutor will listen carefully to the reasons why you or the teacher feels your child may have special educational needs. Information from all of your child’s subject teachers will be collated and then considered by the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) in liaison with the tutor and Head of Section. The form tutor will let you know the outcome.

If your child is referred for assessment, you will be contacted by the SENCO either by phone, email or letter in order to find out more detailed, specific information regarding your child’s individual needs. The SENCO will meet with your child and arrange to carry out an individual assessment, which will include gaining your child’s views and experiences.

The SENCO will contact you to discuss the assessment. This may be via a phone call or email. If you feel that you would like a face-to-face discussion, a short meeting will be arranged in school as soon as possible. The SENCO, together with yourself and your child, will decide whether he/she needs extra support in school. Decisions will be made based on:

• Teachers’ observations
• Monitoring data (collected and analysed every term)
• Discussion with your child
• Discussions with you (as detailed above)
• SENCO /Specialist Teacher Assessment (external)
• Cognitive Abilities Test data

If your child needs additional support, his/her name will be placed on the school Support Register.

Students on the support register are allocated a ‘key worker’. This is likely to be the SENCO or another member of the Learning Support Team. The key worker, in liaison with you and your child, will write a ‘Student Passport’ which will describe your child’s needs. It will include advice for teachers on how they can support your child in class and will be distributed to your child’s teachers, tutor and head of section. A plan will be drawn up as to how your child will be best supported in school. We will have a flexible approach based on the needs and views of your child.

In Key Stage 3, your child may access additional support such as:

• Targeted support depending on individual needs (with learning support advisor/keyworker)
• Homework club
• Access arrangements (e.g. extra time) for examinations

In Key Stage 4 additional support may include:

• Mentoring by peers and teaching staff
• Targeted support depending on individual needs (with learning support advisor/key worker)
• Small group programmes working on study skills and time management
• Catch-up clubs
• Additional revision sessions
• Access arrangements for examinations

In Key Stage 5 additional support may include:

• Study support sessions
• Targeted support depending on individual needs (with learning support advisor/key worker)
• Access arrangements for A Level examinations

Your child’s progress will be monitored by their key worker and the support they access will be regularly reviewed, in agreement with you and your child. If outside agencies are involved, we will work closely with them to ensure the best outcome for your child.

Every member of staff in school has a responsibility to support all students effectively. Your child’s tutor and Head of Section will provide pastoral support. In addition, your child may receive support from members of the Learning Support Team and/or, if appropriate, a school counsellor. The SENCO works closely with two learning support advisors. In addition, the school employs two part-time qualified school counsellors to support students with emotional needs. If appropriate, your child may also be supported by another student in the school such as:

Trained sixth-form counsellors
Sixth-form mentors

If your child requires more specialist support, other people may be asked to help us to support your child in school. This may be:

• Educational Psychologist (EP)
• Speech and Language Therapist (SALT)
• GP for referral to Child and Adult Mental Health Service (CAMHS) or Consultant Paediatrician
• Social Communication (Including Autism) Outreach
• Physiotherapist
• Occupational Therapist (OT)

The views of our young people are very important to us. Your child may be involved in setting their own targets and monitoring their own performance along with subject staff, key worker and parents. There are a number of other ways in which your child will be able to give their views:

• Talking to school council reps
• Tutor interviews
• During meetings with key workers
• Annual whole school student questionnaire
• Completing our annual SEN student questionnaire
• In SEN review meetings

Subject teachers use a variety of inclusive strategies in the classroom such as:

• Differentiated work and homework
• Planned seating
• Clear, structured classroom routines
• Alternative ways of recording (e.g. laptop, mind-mapping etc)
• Pair work and group work enabling peer support

Teachers will also take account of the strategies suggested on your child’s Student Passport and cater for individual needs as appropriate. For students with recognised writing difficulties, word processors are available in the English, History, RE and Geography Departments and facilities for printing off work are available in school.

Word processors can also be ‘booked out’ from the Learning Support Team on request and where appropriate.

You will be informed of your child’s progress, along with all students in school, in the following ways:

• Termly assessments/reports for each subject
• Standards(Key stage 3)
• Progress towards target grades (Key stages 4 and 5)
• Annual parents’ evenings
• Information regarding exam results
• A note in your child’s planner where concerns exist (KS3)

In addition to the above, your child’s key worker may wish to contact you about your child’s progress. You may also be invited in to school for SEN review meetings, where your child’s overall progress and specific targets will be discussed.

We will monitor your child’s progress in some or all of the following ways:

• By key workers analysing your child’s termly assessments and reports (your child will be involved in this process)
• By checking progress against specific targets
• Through internal and external tracking data
• By carrying out standardised testing (e.g. spelling tests ) where appropriate

All activities and school trips are inclusive in nature; if your child wishes to attend a school trip, they may need some additional support with this.

Comprehensive risk assessments are carried out prior to a trip and an appropriate staff ratio is allocated. Thorough ‘trip packs’ are issued for staff involved. This will include information regarding your child’s SEN. For residential trips, parents’ meetings will be held before the trip to give you an opportunity to discuss any concerns or ask specific questions.

You may also contact your child’s key worker or trip organiser should you have additional concerns. You may be asked if you would like to support a school trip involving your child.

Although the position of the school and age of some of the buildings makes access and inclusion particularly difficult to some areas of the site, every reasonable step is taken to make provision for students with physical difficulties. The advice of professionals is sought and followed as required.

Before your child comes to the school the following process will occur

• Information from primary schools about your child will be collated
• You and your child will be invited to an information evening early in the summer term of Year 6.
• Your child will have the opportunity to meet a member of staff from CGS in their own primary school environment and ask questions, prior to an Induction Day in July.
• If you and/or your child would like to make additional visits to the school, this can be arranged.
• SEN staff will try to attend primary review meetings where requested.

Transition within school:

• At the beginning of each academic year, information about your child’s SEN is given to all of his/her new teachers, tutor and head of section to allow a smooth transition into the new year group.
• Your child will take part in all the transition arrangements for Year 9 students (eg options assembly and Yr 9 parents evening)
• Your child’s option choices can also be discussed with him/her and yourself in the Year 9 SEN review meeting.
• Students with SEN may be offered an ‘early’ interview with an independent Careers Advisor if felt appropriate by yourself, your child, their tutor or the key worker.

Transition from school:

• Your child will take part in all the transition arrangements provided for all students such as Careers Evenings, support in writing a CV/personal statement and individual interview with the Headteacher regarding the next step in their education.
• Students are also actively encouraged to look at what other alternatives are on offer to meet their specific requirements.
• In addition to the above, the school may give your child additional support with the transition to college or university, based on their individual needs.

We highly value the support that you can offer in helping your child with their education. We would like to encourage you to:

• Check your child’s planner regularly and use it to liaise with their tutor and subject teachers as necessary.
• Attend all parents’ evening and SEN review meetings
• Support your child with homework if needed.
• Inform us of any changes regarding your child’s family or personal circumstances.
• Communicate any concerns you may have to your child’s form tutor or key worker.
• Offer other support relating to your child’s targets as part of the review process
• Become involved in the wider life of the school e.g. support school trips, join Friends of the School

See Lincolnshire Local Authority Family Services Directory online

Lincolnshire’s Parent Carer Forum

We can direct parents to appropriate support groups and agencies if necessary

The Lincolnshire Local Offer