Our Approach

Inclusive education means supporting all pupils to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of school life alongside their peers. Our curriculum includes not only the formal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum / National Curriculum, but also a range of additional opportunities to enrich the experiences of all pupils.

The Curriculum also includes the social aspects that are essential for lifelong learning, personal growth and development of independence.

Brandon Primary Academy prides itself in being inclusive and will endeavour to support every child regardless of their level of need. All pupils follow the EYFS (in Nursery and Reception classes) and National Curriculum (in Key Stages 1 and 2) at a level and a pace that is appropriate to their abilities. At times and when it is felt appropriate, modifications to the curriculum may be implemented.

To successfully match pupil ability to the curriculum there are some actions we may take to achieve this:

• Modify the curriculum to meet individual needs.
• Provide suitable provision for children with SEND to fully develop their abilities, interests and aptitudes and gain maximum access to the curriculum.
• Adjust learning environments to support children’s needs.
• Support all pupils achieve to the best of their abilities, despite any difficulty or disability they may have.
• Ensure teaching staff are aware of and sensitive to the needs of all pupils, teaching pupils in a way that is more appropriate to their needs.
• Provide opportunities for pupils to gain in confidence and improve their self-esteem.
• Work in partnership with parents/ carers, pupils and relevant external agencies in order to provide for children’s special educational needs and disabilities.
• Identify at the earliest opportunity, all children that need special consideration to support their needs (whether these are educational, social, physical or emotional)
• Ensure that all children with SEND are fully included in all activities of the school in order to promote the highest levels of achievement.
• Promote self-worth and enthusiasm by encouraging independence at all age and ability levels.
• Give every child the entitlement to a sense of achievement.
• Regularly review the policy, procedures and practice in order to achieve best practice.

Most children and young people in mainstream schools will have their special educational needs met through good classroom practice. This is called Quality First Teaching.

For your child this would mean:

• That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class.
• That all teaching is based on building on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.
• Different ways of teaching are in place so that your child is fully involved in learning in class. This could involve things like using more practical learning.
• Specific strategies are in place to support your child to learn.
• If your child’s teacher has decided that your child has gaps in their understanding/learning after carefully checking on your child’s progress they could receive some extra support to help them make the best possible progress.
• All pupils in school should be getting this as a part of excellent classroom practice when needed but other types of support are available for pupils with SEND:

Specific work with a small group of children

This type of support is available for any child who has specific gaps in their understanding of a subject/area of learning and will be put in place if the class teacher or SENDCo think that they need extra support in school. The group, sometimes called Intervention groups by schools, are:

• Run in the classroom or outside.
• Planned and overseen by a teacher but they are often run by a Teaching Assistant who has been trained to run the groups.

Specialist groups run by outside agencies

This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and intervention groups and means they have been assessed as needing some extra specialist support in school. This may be from:

• Local Authority services such as an Educational Psychologist or the Behaviour Support Panel.
• Outside agencies such as the Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) Service, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy.

For your child this would mean:

• They will have been identified by the class teacher as needing more specialist input instead of or in addition to Quality First Teaching and intervention groups.
• You will be asked to come to a meeting to discuss your child’s progress and help plan possible ways forward.
• You may be asked for permission for the school to refer your child to a specialist professional e.g. a Speech and Language Therapist or Educational Psychologist. This will help the school and yourself understand your child’s needs better and be able to support them better in school.
• The specialist professional will work with your child to understand their needs and make recommendations, which may include:
  • Making changes to the way your child is supported in class e.g. some individual support or changing some aspects of teaching to support them better.
  • Support to set targets which will include their specific expertise.
  • A group run by school staff under the guidance of the outside professional e.g. a social skills group.
  • A group or individual work with outside professional.
• The school may give your child some individual support in school. They will tell you how the support will be used and what strategies will be put in place.

Individual Support

This is usually provided through an Education, Health and Care Plan. This means your child will have been identified by a specialist professional, such as an Educational Psychologist, as needing a higher level of support than the school can provide from their SEND budget. This is a legal process, which is carried out by the Local Authority (LA), which sets out the amount of support that will be provided for your child. School will discuss with you if they think that this is required.

As well as providing academic support, school can also provide emotional and social support for students. This can include:

• Peer mentoring systems involving mental health ambassadors (older pupils).
• Social skills/nurture group interventions – provided by both internal staff and external agencies.
• Emotional support and interventions from staff and outside agencies.
• PSHCE Lessons
• Counselling support from outside agencies
• Administration of medicines where necessary

We are in the process of training a member of staff in the role of a Senior Mental Health Lead (Mrs Lynn Bell) who will oversee Emotional and Social provision.