Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

All staff at Oasis Academy Aspinal are committed to providing the best learning opportunities for all children. We are an inclusive school, working with parents/carers and a range of professionals to ensure the best education for all.

Who do I speak to if I am worried?

1.     Speak to your child’s class teacher.

2.     If you are still concerned, you can make an appointment to meet with the Special Educational Needs Coordinator also known as the SENCo to discuss your concerns further. They work with class teachers to ensure that children’s needs are quickly identified and that the right provision is in place to help every pupil make good progress.

Additional support in school is known as provision.

All children’s progress at the Academy is closely monitored. If assessments highlight a need, then this will be flagged but the Class Teacher, SENCo and Principal at half termly pupil progress meetings (PPMs).

All children receive Quality First Teaching (SEN wave 1); which means your child’s needs can be met in standard classroom provision by making reasonable adjustments that ensure the progress of leaners in the classroom. At wave 1, needs can be met through differentiated lessons, pencil grips, seating position in class, fiddle toy, enlarged font, speaker/microphone system and so on.

If your child requires further intervention, this is classed as SEN wave 2 support. This means that your child will receive small group intervention or individual intervention (such as 1:1 reading). At wave 2, your child will be taken out of class in the school day and work with an adult alone or in a small group on intervention set by the class teacher. If your child does not make sufficient progress at wave 2, then after discussions with the class teacher, SENCo and parents/carers, the Academy may escalate the intervention to wave 3 and involve external agencies and specialists and/or provide specific provision for your child, where possible.

Wave 1: Quality first teaching
Wave 2: Small Group or individual intervention
Wave 3: Specific provision identified / External agencies involved
 

We believe that all children should be given the opportunity to reach their potential, no matter their starting point or background and if we can accommodate the need of your child we will do so to ensure the best provision for your child.

If we feel that we cannot meet your child’s needs here at the Academy, then the SENCo and Principal will discuss this with parents/carers and external professionals and spcialists to find a placement that matches your child’s needs and allows them to thrive.

There are parent’s evenings twice each year and reports are written in the Summer term. In addition to this, children in receipt of High Needs Funding or who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) will have an Annual Review meeting to inform and plan for next steps. Additional meetings are also held for parents/carers whose children are on the school’s SEN List. These meetings are offered twice each year; parents/carers identify the staff they would like to attend and set the agenda for the meeting.

The school works with a number of specialist agencies to seek advice and support to ensure that the needs of all children are fully understood and met.  Support differs from authorities in Manchester, Tameside and Stockport. Please Speak to the SENCo or Pastoral Team if you need any guidance. These include: 

• Behaviour Support
• CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) 
• Children’s Centres 
• Community Paediatrician 
• Education Welfare Service 
• Educational Psychologist 
• Family Resilience Service 
• Hearing Impairment Service 
• Occupational Therapy 
• Parent Partnership 
• School Nurse 
• Social Care 
• Special School Outreach Support 
• Speech and Language Therapy 
• Virtual School for Children who are Looked After 
• Visual Impairment Service 

In addition to support received for academic subjects, there is a range of pastoral support available, including a Nurture Group held in The Oasis. We also have a Family Support Worker, Pauline Murphy, who can work with children and families. Specific plans and support will put into place for children experiencing difficulties with behaviour and those needing medical support or intimate care.

As a fully inclusive school, Oasis Academy Aspinal has several features to allow disabled access to our site:

• Wide doors at the main entrance, located in the middle of our building in order to shorten journeys to classes or meeting rooms
• Ramp access into and out of Nursery & Reception classes 
• Ramp access into and out of the Hall for our celebration assemblies
• Ramp access in the playground to an area that we are potentially developing into a sensory garden
• Ramp access into and out of the top end of the building, near Year 4
• Our separate building, which includes breakfast club, after school club and canteen is a step free zone with all facilities at ground level

All children have the right to access off site educational visits where it is safe for them to do so. For those with additional needs, alternative provision can be made, for example, additional adult support, alternative transport arrangements or alternative arrangements for the administration of medicines.

Additional equipment and communication aids are used where they support access for particular pupils.

Some children with SEN can become particularly anxious about transition.  As a school we try to make this as stress free as possible for both you and your child. 

When moving between classes a transition meeting will take place between the current teacher and the new teacher.  If appropriate there will be opportunities for your child to visit the new class and meet key staff.  A transition photo book can be used to assist with this change. 

When moving to secondary school the SENCo will liaise with all of the receiving schools, regarding any child with additional needs.  Successful arrangements and interventions currently used to support your child can be shared with the receiving school and additional visits to the new setting may be planned to help your child become familiar with the setting and to reduce any anxieties.