Creation Date: April 2024
Implementation Date: May 2024
Review Frequency: Annually
Last Review Date: July 2025
DFE Status: Statutory
This policy complies with the statutory requirement laid out in the SEND Code of Practice 0 – 25.
At Lansdown Park Academy, we use the definition for Special Educational needs and Disability (SEND) from the SEND Code of Practice (2014). This states: SEN: A child or young person has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. A learning difficulty or disability is a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age. Special educational provision means educational or training provision that is additional to, or different from, that made generally for others of the same age in a mainstream setting in England.
Disability: Many children and young people who have SEN may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 – that is ‘…a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.’
Lansdown Park Setting
Lansdown Park is an Early Intervention Base and Pupil Referral Unit offering a learning provision to support students who are finding mainstream provision challenging and have been permanently excluded or are at risk of exclusion. We also deliver an extensive range of preventative work both within mainstream schools and onsite. We are commissioned by the Local Authority (LA) and work with pupils across both Bristol and BANES.
Ethos
Lansdown Park provides a learning environment in which belonging is a focus of what we do, and the expertise of staff ensure that student’s needs are identified and met through a range of interventions alongside a curriculum to support reintegration back into mainstream. We aim to achieve inclusion of all children, whilst meeting their individual needs. In order for us to achieve this, it is essential for us to build trusting relationships with all pupils, enabling them to feel safe and secure. Only then will our pupils be able to learn and develop effectively, accepting challenge and support. Lansdown Park is welcoming and calm. We focus on individual progress as the main indicator of success.
Equalities Impact Screening
The policy aims to have a positive impact on students with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND)
History of Policy Changes
| Date | Page | Change | Reason for change |
| April 2024 | Whole document | Creation of policy | In line with CLF format |
| July 2025 | Whole document | Review | Encompass further information |
Aims and Objectives
This is the title of the person responsible for the strategic overview and day-to-day coordination of SEND provision for the students at Lansdown Park Academy.
Our SENCO is: Esther Stephens
Our Assistant SENCO is Jordan Anstey
The SENCO works closely with the principal to coordinate the provision at LPA and promote inclusive practice. The SENCO works collaboratively with parents/carers, mainstream schools and other agencies to ensure the SEND code of practice is effectively embedded.
Students with special educational needs have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than most children of the same age.
The Code of Practice refers to four broad areas of need:
Communication and Interaction – these children have difficulty communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being Page 4 of 9 said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of communication. For example, children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), including Asperger syndrome, are likely to have difficulties with social interaction. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication and imagination, which can impact on how they relate to others.
Cognition and Learning – children with learning difficulties learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of needs from moderate learning difficulties (MLD) to children with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD). Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), affect one or more specific aspects of learning, such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health – children may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviors. These behaviors may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) or attachment disorder.
Sensory and/or Physical Needs – some children require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. Many children with vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and /or equipment to access their learning.
All of our pupils have been permanently excluded from their mainstream setting, or are at risk of exclusion, or ‘hard to place’ due to the nature of their needs. Thus, all our pupils have SEN in the category of social, emotional and/or mental health needs (SEMH). Many of our pupils have additional SEN within other categories. We regard all our pupils holistically and ensure the provision we offer addresses all aspects of SEN and meets the needs of the ‘whole’ child.
Special educational needs can affect a child or young person’s ability to learn. They can affect their:
Students who attend Lansdown Park will be coded on our SEN register and through induction and ongoing observations and assessment, their specific needs will be identified.
Early Intervention Base (EIB)
For students attending Lansdown Park on dual registration with their mainstream school, SENCO will work with agencies to pursue the process of gaining an EHCP to identify needs and provision for this student to go on to experience success. The mainstream school will apply for the ECHNA as soon as possible following a commissioned place.
Pupil Referral Unit (PRU)
For students attending Lansdown Park following an exclusion, Lansdown Park will assess and observe their needs and
pursue getting an (EHCP) Education, Health Care Plan in place for each individual student needing it.
Inclusion is the responsibility of all staff and the principal and SENCO ensures that this is monitored and that the training and support needs of staff are in place.
Lansdown Park follows the 2014 Code of Practice, the Equal Rights Act (2010) and the Children and Families Bill (2013) when carrying out its duties towards all students with SEND.
Students attending Lansdown Park will go on to the SEN register. Lansdown Park will ensure that parents/carers are aware of the SEN provision being made available for their child.
LPA will ensure that the necessary provision is made for each student and that their needs are made known to all staff who are likely to teach them. Lansdown Park teachers can provide excellent support for students with a range of SEND needs as they have regular and relevant training.
Places for students at Lansdown Park are commissioned by two local authorities: Bristol and BANES. Students will be referred by mainstream schools for intervention placements or be allocated a place with us following a permanent exclusion.
A student on an intervention placement will be on dual registration with their mainstream school. A student who has been issued with a PEX (permanent exclusion) will be solely registered with Lansdown Park Academy.
The SLT will collaborate with stakeholders to ensure that any already identified areas of need (from previous seeing) are provided for. Lansdown Park will continue to collaborate with agencies and stakeholders to help screen for undiagnosed needs (e.g. speech and language, educational psychologists, autism support team, etc.)
When a student goes on roll, Lansdown Park will open a pupil passport for each student. This will be a working document, regularly reviewed by all staff working with the students, to ensure that needs are quickly identified, and strategies and the right support are in place. Student and parent/carer voice plays a key role in identifying students’ needs. The identification of SEN is embedded in the whole school process of monitoring the progress and development of all students. It is important to identify the full range of needs, not simply the primary need for an individual pupil.
The SEN code of practice approaches identifying SEND through a needs assessment. Mainstream school or Lansdown Park will apply for a needs assessment where they have identified that the need is beyond the ordinary available provision. This process will then confirm whether we gather evidence to gain an Education, Health Care Plan (EHCP) for the student.
On entry to Lansdown Park, we use the following to help us assess and identify needs:
Each student is given a bespoke timetable to support their identified needs. This can change over time as we monitor their progress and needs.
Assessment and identification of student’s needs is an on-going process. Any member of staff may make a request to the SLT for additional support for a student as the result of:
|
Observations |
Pupil Voice | Information from parents | Lansdown Park
assessments |
| Progress against National Curriculum (phonics, reading, writing, math) | Information from dual registered school | Information from other agencies who have observed or engaged with
the student |
Every student has a timetable designed to meet their needs. This is reviewed regularly and aims to support the student to engage with and access learning as well as increase attendance. For dual registration cases, mainstream schools are kept informed of their timetables.
If during their placement at Lansdown Park, it is identified that their needs would be better met with a different provision, Lansdown Park will discuss with commissioners to find the best solution for each student. On some occasions, students will have a combination of provision on site and off site.
Through the appraisal process, the leaders ensure that staff are equipped with what they need to support students and offer an exceptional provision. Staff has a range of expertise, and this is shared with other staff through training. Lansdown Park also ensures that the whole staff team receive regular training to improve their knowledge and understanding in supporting social, emotional and mental health needs.
Specialist staff training includes:
| Neurosequential model of education training (NME)
provided by Sussex psychology. |
Mental Health First Aid |
| Drawing and Talking | Thrive practitioners |
| ELSA (Emotional learning support assistant) | Lego Therapy |
| Zones of Regulation | Atachment aware and trauma informed practice |
Lansdown Park will ensure that all learners have the best opportunity to achieve their potential through our inclusive, trauma informed and attachment aware practice throughout the school. We will endeavor to ensure all learner needs are met and will engage with additional specialist expertise where necessary.
We will continue to observe and review pupil passports to support the student to make progress socially, emotionally, and academically.
The four-part cycle:
Assess: On entry to Lansdown Park Academy, the pupil will complete baseline assessments in English, Math and a progression tool for Speech and Language and a sensory profile. Weekly targets are set via tutor time. Each permanently excluded or longer-term child has an Individual Pupil Passport where we include assessment data, reports from external agencies and strategies to support the pupil both academically and socially and emotionally. We will ensure that we regularly assess all pupils’ needs so that each child’s progress and development is carefully tracked compared to their peers and national expectations. We will listen to the views and experience of parents/carers and the pupils. In some cases, we will draw on assessments and guidance from other education professionals e.g. Educational Psychologist, health professionals and Children’s Services.
Plan: The teacher and SENCO will put together a plan, outlining the adjustments, interventions and support which will be put in place for the pupil as well as the expected impact on progress and outcomes, including a date when this will be reviewed. Staff from mainstream schools join a mid- and end-point review to ensure information is shared with everyone. Targets for the pupil will be shared with her/him using child friendly language and with parents/carers. All staff who work with the pupils, as well as the wider Team Around the Child (TAC), will be made aware of the plan.
Do: The class teacher is responsible for working with the pupil daily. She/he will also liaise closely with Teaching Assistants (TAs) or specialists who provide support set out in the plan and monitor the progress being made. The SENCO and headteacher will provide support, guidance, and advice for the teacher.
Review: The Pupil Passport, including the impact of the support and interventions, will be reviewed by the teacher, SENCO, parent/carer and the pupil regularly additionally to the reintegration meeting and End of Placement Report. Reviewing the impact of the Pupil Passport is done through regular meetings with the SENCo and class teacher and discussion (often by phone) with parents. For some pupils with complex needs, the review may take the form of a multi-agency meeting. The review will inform the planning of next steps for a further period. On exit from Lansdown Park Academy, each pupil’s learning levels are reassessed along with behavior. This information is reported to the school receiving information.
An intervention is a bespoke session for a student, which may be delivered at 1:1 or in small groups. These are in response to identifying student needs and putting in additional provision outside of the ordinary available class provision at Lansdown Park. These sessions are planned in collaboration with the SENCO and are added to the Pupil’s Passport.
Early Intervention
Lansdown Park supports the transition from their school to begin their intervention placement through induction visits and a graduate start. Lansdown Park liaises with mainstream and parents/carers to plan a transition timetable to meet the needs of the student.
On return to Mainstream, Lansdown Park provides advice and support through end point review meetings, end point reports and pupil passports. Lansdown Park also offer outreach to support the reintegration. The SENCo from Lansdown Park offers support the SENCo from their mainstream school to plan a timetable to help meet the student’s needs on their return.
Pupil Referral
Lansdown Park supports each student to start successfully through an initial visit and induction sessions before their
timetable in class begins.
Lansdown Park ensures that pupil and parent/carer voice is taken into account throughout the whole process of a pupil’s time with us.
Criteria for removing pupils from the SEN Register
It may be felt that a pupil has made such significant progress that the level of need in a single category may no longer reach the threshold for SEN support. Through consultation with the class teacher, head teacher, Senco, parents/carers, pupils and any other involved professionals, it may be agreed to remove that category for a pupil as being named as an SEN. It should be noted that all our pupils have SEMH as a primary category of SEN. This category will remain as an SEN throughout the Lansdown Park provision. When a successful reintegration to a mainstream setting is achieved, the mainstream school will consider the appropriateness of removing SEMH as an area of need within their setting.
As well as the Principal and SENCo regularly reviewing the SEND provision at Lansdown Park, the effectiveness of our SEND provision is reviewed regularly by different bodies:
-BANES commissioners
-Evaluate My School (self-evaluation)
Lansdown Park works with stakeholders and external services to ensure the best outcomes for our students. These include:
Partnership plays a key role in enabling students to access the right provision for them and achieve their potential. Student and parent voice is paramount in ensuring that teaching and learning strategies are identified that work for them. These views will be considered in day-to-day provision as well as the longer-term outcomes for each student.
Lansdown Park encourages parents/carers to give any help they can at home and provides support and guidance through phone calls, coffee mornings, parent drop ins and signposting. Staff make themselves available to discuss any concerns that parents might have, and offer advice on what might help their children.
Lansdown Park endeavors to work in partnership with our parents and carers, reaching out to all our families, aiming to provide them with, and signpost to, the necessary support and care. We aim to develop partnership working by:
Lansdown Park Academy uses and stores data related to the student’s SEND needs. All data use is in line with CLF Data Protection Policy. All reports created by outside agencies are sent and received via a secure link and are password protected.
Complaints
Complaints about SEND provision in our school should be made initially to the person responsible.
For example, the class teacher, tutor, or SENDCO in the first instance.
If you are not satisfied that your concerns have been addressed informally, please refer to the Complaints Policy. The Lansdown Park Academy Complaints Co-Ordinator Hannah Scott can be contacted directly.
The parents of students with disabilities have the right to make disability discrimination claims to the first tier SEND tribunal if they believe that our school has discriminated against their children. They can make a claim about alleged discrimination regarding:
