What Royal Liberty Offers

Introduction

Welcome to the Royal Liberty School's Local Offer. The school has an enthusiastic Inclusion faculty, who effectively support students with Special Educational Needs. Liaison with students, parents, primary schools and other outside agencies as well as regular assessment of students within the school enables students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to be quickly identified so that the appropriate support strategies are implemented. Students' progress is continuously monitored at the Royal Liberty School to ensure that they continue to progress in their education.


Curriculum


The curriculum at the Royal Liberty School allows all students to achieve their potential. Quality first teaching means that lessons are differentiated to allow all students to receive a suitably challenging educational experience. When necessary students are offered extra interventions to support an identified learning need, such as Lexia, which is offered to students who have been recognised to have a below average reading ability. In Key Stage Four students are offered the chance to take Key Skills as an option choice. The flexible curriculum offered by Key Skills focuses on literacy, numeracy and life skills. In addition the Royal Liberty School also offers in class support from a Learning Support Assistant, where appropriate.


At Royal Liberty School we have high expectations for all of our students regardless of their ability and needs and we encourage all of our students to develop a growth mindset and skills that will allow them to flourish in their future endeavours. We work closely with prospects to ensure that our SEND students have tailored advice to help them decide on their next steps once they leave Royal Liberty.


Monitoring


The progress of all our students is monitored through half termly data drops. This allows the school to not only identify students who may have SEND needs, but also to assess how well those who have been identified with SEND are progressing. Added to this we take into account the views of the students and their parents/carers on how well they are progressing. Reading tests are also completed with year 7 to 8 twice a year to identify those with a below average reading age and to assess the progress and success of reading interventions.


Parents/Carers


Parents and/or carers of the students with an identified SEND need are kept apprised of their son’s progress through data drops each half term and the opportunity to meet their son’s teachers at parents’ evening. In addition they are also invited to have a meeting with a member of the SEND team once per term to discuss progress and to complete a Pupil Passport. A Pupil Passport is a document that is given to all of the student’s teachers and gives information on their specific SEND need, strategies for differentiation and student/parent views.


Transitions


From Primary to Year 7

This can be a particularly difficult time for SEND students. In recognition of this primary schools invite secondary schools to a person centered review to give the student, parents and professionals a chance to discuss the needs of the student before they start at their new school. The Royal Liberty School also offers the opportunity for vulnerable students to come in for extra school tours or induction sessions to allow them the chance to become familiar with the school.


GCSE Options

SEND students are offered a more flexible choice of options. They are also given the opportunity to choose Key Skills as an option.


Post 16

SEND students have access to Prospects to discuss career and further education options.


How is support organized for pupils with identified special educational needs?

  • In class learning support provided by LSAs (Learning Support Assistants are primarily allocated to students with Education Health Care Plans. However, their role is to provide support for all students regardless of need)
  • Differentiated teaching and learning
  • Literacy interventions (Lexia)
  • After school interventions such as Homework Club
  • EAL support
  • Mentoring
  • Tailored interventions delivered by Inclusion staff (such as Lego Therapy)
  • Personalised timetables (for example, pupils may be withdrawn from options subjects)
  • Implementing recommendations from external agencies/specialists
  • Touch typing


Lexia

Lexia reading enables students of all ages and abilities to master essential reading skills. Students are identified through their bi-annual reading age assessments.

At the student interface, Lexia Reading delivers a highly personalised learning experience where exercises adapt automatically, according to individual need. As students work independently on the software, Lexia's browser based r system instantly provides teachers/Learning Facilitators with up to the minute data to inform planning and differentiated instruction. Lexia reports identifies at-risk students and provides printable resources if additional support is required by Learning Facilitators.

It is recommended that students using Lexia should do so for approximately 15-20 minute 3-5 times per week, which the school provides as an intervention during registration time within the Inclusion department. The programme is also accessible from home promoting parental involvement.

Lexia can be used as a component of any literacy intervention, and meet the needs of both Primary and Secondary schools. Lexla consistently provides personalised explicit practice, reducing the need for teacher led support. Easily accessed reports inform planning and evidence progression, therefore reducing the dependency on paper based tests.


Numeracy

Maths Whizz

Maths Whizz supports student’s progress with exciting, interactive online maths lessons matched to their unique strengths and areas for improvement. It helps to build confidence and engage every child with personalised maths learning.


Support Beyond the Curriculum

Lunchtime Buddies Club (Monday to Friday)

Identified students are invited and encouraged to attend this structured club which is led by either the learning mentor or a learning support assistant.

Homework Club (Monday to Friday 3-4pm)

A teacher supervises the home learning club everyday after school in order to give support to students who attend.


School Trips

Students with SEND are able to access all school activities and school trips as far as practically possible. When necessary, parents will be consulted so that the correct support or alternative options can be put into place.

Staff will supervise students for any activities both inside and outside of school based on the school's inclusive ethos. However, if a student has a particular need where additional support is needed this will be provided by Leaming Support Assistants. A meeting is established in the early planning stages to assess the feasibility of the trip for identified students. This includes the student, parent/carer, trip leader, Learning Support Assistant and SENCO


Behaviour Support

The vast majority of behaviour is addressed by staff following the school's behaviour policy and protocol, therefore any incidents are typically dealt with by school staff and in certain circumstances by the pastoral team. However, Time out cards are issued to identified student enabling them to access members of the Pastoral team if required during lesson time. Home school Support workers are also available during the school day to talk to students and the team also offer one-to-one and small group sessions regarding anger management to identified students. If and when these strategies are deemed to be ineffective, the school could decide to put a student on a Pastoral Support Plan whereby the student's behaviour is monitored on a daily basis by an identified member of the pastoral team.


Emotional/ Mental Health Support

A Counsellor is available in school for identified students. Students are referred by the Pastoral team


Home School Support Workers and Learning Mentors

There is one Home School Support Worker and one Learning Mentor based within the school providing support to students typically with emotional and mental health needs, as well as their families. Support for students is typically one-to-one, however small group work is also delivered, Sex and health education is addressed alongside life skills, boosting self-confidence and anger management. The team also chair various team around the Child meetings and can represent the school at other mulți agency meetings. Referrals are made via the Pastoral team.


Support for children with social care needs

Students who come under the Child Looked After category are entitled and receive the same interventions that are available to all students within the school and decisions are based on the school's rigorous scrutiny of data in all subjects, as well as by analysing reading and spelling age data, therefore they do not necessarily receive support from the SEND faculty. Any possible interventions, as well as any possible resources which will enhance their education are discussed at their statutory Pupil Education Plan reviews and the school endeavours to ensure that these are put into place. Heads of Year represent the school at these reviews and collate information from all staff who have contact with the identified student prior to their review and this is then shared with the relevant parties, l.e. social care, carers, parents where applicable.

Students who are on Child Protection Plans or Child in Need plans receive the same support as any other student as outline in the Child Looked After section above. They also receive a one-to-one session with a Home school support worker to monitor their wellbeing in school.

The school has regular contact with Children's service with the member of the Pastoral Team who has the best knowledge of the student being the initial mode of contact under the guidance of the Child Protection Officers.


Contact with the Learning Support Faculty can be made as follows:

Ms Katherine Larner (SENCO)

klarner@royalliberty.co.uk

Telephone 01708 730141 Ext 242