SEND

At Graham School we believe:

All children and young people are entitled to an education that enables them to make progress so that they:

Achieve their best

Become confident individuals living fulfilling lives, and

Make a successful transition into adulthood, whether into employment, further or higher education or training.

SEND Code of Practice 2015, page 92.

At Graham School the great majority of students will learn and progress well within the mainstream curriculum. Those who do not may have special or additional educational needs that need to be addressed.

There are four broad areas of SEN need as outlined in the SEND Code of Practice 2015, these include: Communication and Interaction, Cognition and Learning, Social, Emotional and Mental Health and Sensory and/ or Physical.

Our SEND Policy is available on our Policies page

You can read our SEND Information Report here.

Mr D Brown, SENDCO and Miss L Umpleby, Assistant SENCO, work closely with feeder primary schools. This ensures that we are aware of the special needs of all our students before they come to us, and that they are entered onto the appropriate stage of the SEND register, following inter-school liaison.

For students who have special needs, most of their learning will take place in the mainstream classroom with a subject teacher, who will provide work at the student’s level. Teaching Assistants are also available to support the learning of students based on individual needs. Sometimes a small group will be withdrawn from a lesson for specialist intervention.

We have a dedicated team of staff across both sites to support a range of vulnerable students.

For additional information please see the documents: SEND Code of Practice, Graham School SEND Policy and Graham School SEN Information Report.

You may also wish to speak to the following staff who will be happy to answer any questions you might have regarding SEN:

The Special Educational needs Co-ordinator (SENDCO) is Mr D Brown, SENCO

The SEND Governor is Alan Richards.

Disability Access Policy

Our Accessibility Policy Plan is available on our Policies page

We recognise that many of our students, visitors and staff, whether disabled or otherwise, have individual needs when seeking to make use of the school and its facilities. However, we also recognise the fact that, for some users, the nature of their disabilities may mean that some may experience specific difficulties related to accessing education at the school and the physical environment.

As part of its ongoing commitment to Equal Opportunities and the delivery of an inclusive educational service we will endeavour to ensure that disabled people receive the same standards of service as everyone else. In order to ensure that the services it provides effectively meet the needs of disabled customers, we have made reasonable adjustments to enable disabled people to use our services.

Complaints Procedure for SEND

Any complaints should in the first instance be directed to the Form Tutor, the child’s Head of Year, SENCO or Assistant Vice Principal, Inclusion, Mr G Peattie.
Sometimes parents/ carers may wish to speak directly to The Principal.
Should parents/ carers feel that their complaint has not been dealt with satisfactorily they have the right to refer to the SEND Governor.

Admissions for Students with SEND

Graham School is a fully inclusive school and welcomes all students, including those with special educational needs and disability, in accordance with the LA Admissions Policy.

Where a child has an EHCP (Educational Health Care Plan, the LA will direct the mainstream school to provide a place unless this is incompatible with the efficient education of other students and there are no reasonable adjustments that can be made to prevent incompatibility.

Where a child does not have an EHCP (Educational Health Care Plan) the usual admission arrangements will apply in accordance with the LA Admissions Policy.