SEND
We are very proud of our Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) provision and student outcomes remain consistently above national averages for SEND students through targeted support, strong guidance, curriculum adaptations and expectations which are just as high as they are for any other student.
Indeed, our school mission statement reflects our expectation that every child should achievement well and maximise their abilities, whether it be in the exam hall, on the stage, on the astroturf or in a debating chamber: “High achievement through challenge and support for every learner.”
Quite simply, we are very much a school that gives our all to ensure that no child is left behind.
SEND Team
Our SEND Team is led by Lottie Hearn (Deputy Headteacher / SENCO-trained) and Lucy Eagland (SENCO). Both are experts in their field and are specialists in ensuring SEND child prosper in a mainstream setting.
Alongside our SEND leaders are a high-quality team of Teaching Assistants who are well matched to the children they support.
Additionally, all teaching staff receive regular SEND training, plan bespoke provision for each individual child in their lessons, and are regularly updated on needs, strategies and contexts.
SEND Provision
We are a mainstream school and our SEND support is very much based in that type of provision. The main SEND support is Quality First Teaching in mainstream lessons.
Consequently, our SEND provision is largely in-class support and the adaptive delivery of the teacher. We are a highly inclusive school and take the approach that mainstream children work best in a mainstream setting.
There are withdrawal activities – such as for reading, small group intervention, etc – but the main experience of every SEND child in our school is the same as every student albeit with targeted support to assist in their learning within that context.
SEND Context
Our school draws students with a range of SEND needs though we tend to have greater number of autistic and dyslexic children and are usually above national averages in these needs.
We are also a Pathways School and cater for children with physical disabilities and our site has been designed to better support these children in terms of access and mobility.
SEND Outcomes
Our SEND children thrive and we place a great emphasis in them enjoying school, building strong peer relationships and amidst the academic rigour and challenge still achieve personal success.
Our Summer 2023 exam results reflect this climate and ethos with our SEND cohort (18 students / 9.2 of total cohort) gaining positive progress scores in all key DfE indicators:
- All = +0.94
- English = +0.57
- Maths = +0.40
- E-Bacc = +0.77
- Open = +1.71
- Science = +0.765
- MFL – French – +1.54
- Humanities = +0.864
We are assured that these academic outcomes stand out nationally, although we are just as proud of a SEND student taking part in a school show, tackling in a football team, leading a charity fund-raiser, or simply laughing and enjoying school with their friends.
SEND Support
Our SEND cohort benefit from a specialist facility (W8) that is welcoming and purpose-based for mainstream SEND needs. The facility is used for withdrawal, break / lunch group sessions, and after-school Homework Club.
We also operate with a physio room for children with mobility issues and have specially trained staff on hand to cater for needs in this area.
We also run comprehensive testing programmes to diagnose needs and to determine individual best fit interventions.
Further Information
Our SEND Policy & SEND Offer can be found on our Polices webpage under the School Info tab.
For more information about SEND, please contact Lucy Eagland, SENCO, via office@friaryschool.co.uk.
