Providing Learning Support

All students at Dene benefit from high quality teaching, which includes an appropriate curriculum adapted to meet the needs of all learners, including those who need support or extension.

At Dene, we adopt a graduated response to meeting the needs of our students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.  We assess using a graduated approach, which has four stages: plan, do, review. This method to ensure that:

• we are aware of the needs our pupils
• we plan how to support them
• we implement support
• we review the process.

All students at Dene benefit from high quality teaching and learning, which includes an appropriately adapted curriculum to meet the needs of all learners.  To do this, we adopt a graduated approach to meeting the needs of our students with SEND using a three-stage model.

QFT-Quality First Teaching

This involves:

• Ensuring that the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all students in their class.
• Ensuring that all teaching is based on building on what your child already knows, can do and understands.
• Putting in place different ways of teaching so that your child is fully involved in learning in class.
• Putting in place specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SENCO or external staff) to support your child to learn.

Small Group intervention.

If your child is struggling with aspects of literacy, numeracy, speech and language or motor skills they will be given the opportunity to access additional small group intervention.

Specialist TAs will work with your child on an appropriate programme to boost their skills to ensure that they have the skills to access the school curriculum.

Individualised 1:1 support

Children who are working significantly below national and age related expectations may benefit from targeted intervention. This type of intervention would involve a highly structured 1:1 support programme which would be delivered by a specialist HLTA or in some cases a teacher, depending on the area of need.

Securing and deploying expertise

At Dene, we provide and attend regular Continuous Professional Development (CPD) opportunities for staff, in order for them develop their specialism. We work with external agencies to provide specialist advice and staff CPD is linked to understanding the specialist guidance, from the Education Endowment Foundation, LA or other appropriate sources.

Equipment and Facilities

The Nable area is a quieter area in the school where the majority of SEND interventions happen. This is an area where identified students can have lunch, away from the crowds. There are a couple of rooms that hold a range of occupational therapy, maths and English equipment that is used to support with interventions. There is also a small sensory room that students use.  Our school counsellor is also located in the same part of the school.

The SEND team is used to deliver some classroom support to student with High Needs Funding (Top Up Funding or EHCPs). This support is linked to their EHCPs or TUF plan.

The staff team also support staff outside of lessons, in small group, targeted intervention. There are a number of interventions that students may take part in, depending on their needs:

• Read, Write, Inc, Fresh Start
• The Power of 2
• Anxiety Gremlin
• Talk About Teenagers
• Behaviour Mapping
• Five Against the Law
• Lego Therapy
• Colourful Semantics
• Occupational Therapy

Students are identified for these programmes based on testing, staff or parental referral.