Pupils with Special Educational Needs
Brookmead School is fully committed to supporting the needs of all our children. We are proud to be a genuinely inclusive school that aims to offer the highest quality provision for all. This includes those children who have been identified as requiring additional support and have been added to the Special Educational Needs register. We encourage children of all backgrounds and needs to come together to appreciate and celebrate each other's differences and cultivate empathy and respect. By fostering an environment where diversity is celebrated, children grow up understanding that they are not all the same, learn to respect one another's differences and understand the importance of caring for each other. Our aim is to create a nurturing environment where every child feels safe, welcome and valued.
At Brookmead School the level of support that children receive is broadly broken down into four categories. Most children’s needs are met by the ordinarily available provision. About 25-30% of children are on the SEND register at ‘K’ level and require some form of additional support that is above and beyond that which is ordinarily available. These children have a Learning Support Plan or Provision Map which sets out targets for them to support their cognition and learning, communication and interaction, social, emotional and mental health, and physical and sensory needs. All support programmes that are implemented are evaluated for their impact on children’s progress. Targets and support programmes/interventions are assessed termly and parents are invited to meet with class teachers to discuss the review and new plan that is consequently put in place. Sometimes children in this group also require a positive behaviour support plan, which details additional support that is put in place to assist them in feeling safe and secure at school to enable them to make the best possible choices.
A very small number of children on the SEND register have an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP). This plan is written by Bucks after a rigorous application and referral process which takes 20 weeks to complete and includes input from an Educational Psychologist and other professionals. To apply for an EHCP the school must demonstrate that at least two cycles (terms) of support have been put in place and reviewed and that the child is already receiving significantly above 15 hours of support to access the curriculum. The child may also be working significantly below their age related expectation. Once an EHCP is in place it is reviewed annually and will remain in place until the child is 25 years old or has left further education. These children have their EHCP broken down into smaller targets via their learning support plan.
A few children on the SEND register have Higher Needs Block Funding (HNBF). This is funding that the school can apply for when a child needs a significant level of support and intervention to access the curriculum. Typically a child will already be receiving adult led support that exceeds 15 hours. If school and parents agree that a child would benefit from HNBF we must refer and apply to Bucks, much in the same way that an EHCNA is applied for. If the application is successful the funding is distributed by Bucks for up to 2 years to provide additional support for the child. This may be in terms of adult support, sometimes on a 1:1 basis, or can be for equipment, training etc. These children also have a learning support plan which is reviewed in the same way. In addition to a behaviour plan they may also be on a pastoral support plan.
Brookmead School Special Educational Needs Policy can be found in our policies section.
Waves:
Another way that we explain the way provisions and interventions are structured for children at Brookmead is with the use of waves. This is detailed below:
