SEND

Miss A Cruddace

SENDCo

Miss O Sanders

Assistant SENDCo

Mrs P Claxton

Director of Social and Cultural Cohesion

At The Ruth Gorse Academy we are committed to the inclusion of all students. Every individual is valued and their achievement celebrated. We support the entitlement of all students to a broad and balanced curriculum. Each student is helped to achieve their maximum potential by identifying and meeting their needs and by overcoming potential barriers to learning.

The Ruth Gorse Academy recognises as stated in the Special Educational Needs (SEND) 0-25 Code of Practice that:

A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.

A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:

has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.

Supporting Special Educational Needs and Disability Leaflet

Children and young people with SEND all have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children and young people of the same age. These children and young people may need extra or different help from that given to others.

Many children and young people will have Special Educational Needs or Disability of some kind at some time during their education. The Ruth Gorse Academy can help to support students to succeed, in communication and working alongside parents/carers. This support can include learning mentor intervention, short withdrawal and Higher Level Teaching Assistant support, small group work, intervention in literacy and numeracy Children and young people with SEND may need extra help because of a range of needs. Paragraphs 6.27 – 6.35 of the 0-25 SEND Code of Practice outlines four areas of SEND need:

Communicating and interaction

Communication and interaction may mean that children and young people have speech, language and communication difficulties which make it difficult for them to make sense of language or to understand how to communicate with others, this can also include Autistic Spectrum Conditions.

Cognition and learning

Children and young people with cognition and learning difficulties may have barriers to learning which impact on their understanding of the curriculum, this can also lead to difficulties with organisation and memory skills, or have a specific difficulty affecting one particular part of their learning, such as in difficulties with literacy, numeracy and motor skills.

Social, emotional, and mental health difficulties

This may lead children and young people to having difficulty in managing their relationships with other people, may cause difficulty with regulating emotions and lead to lack of motivation, focus and challenging behaviour. Children and young people with this difficulty may become withdrawn or isolated and it can affect their health and wellbeing.

Sensory and/or physical needs

Children and young people with visual and/or hearing impairments, or a physical need may need ongoing support and additional resources or equipment. Some children and young people may have needs in more than one of these areas.

Disabilities

Many children and young people who have SEND may also have a disability. A disability is described in law (the Equality Act 2010) as ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term (a year or more) and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.’ This includes, for example, sensory impairments such as those that affect sight and hearing, and long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes or epilepsy.
The Equality Act requires schools:

must not directly or indirectly discriminate against, harass or victimise disabled children and young people
must make reasonable adjustments

At The Ruth Gorse Academy our SEND support will ensure that:

The needs of students are identified early to ensure that they get the very best start in life and education.
Every student is enabled to make progress so that they can achieve their best and become confident individuals leading fulfilling lives.
Parents/carers and students are involved in the planning, reviewing and decision making about their individual support and local provision.
Parents/carers and students are given advice and support to enable them to take part in discussions and decision making and are involved in regular review of progress towards outcomes, evaluation of support and planned next steps.
Students and parents/carers have individual and personalised support to remove barriers to learning.

If we do identify that your child has SEND we will contact you to discuss and plan the support we can offer as part of a regular review process.

Leeds Local Offer

Every Local Authority across England must publish a local offer which outlines the support that is available for local children and young people with SEND, and their families. This information is held in a central place and provides information about the guidance and advice available across education, health and social care in the local area for children and young people with SEND. The local offer will include up -to -date information about the available services and how to access them. The local offer ensures families can access clear information about all services for those aged 0-25 with SEN and disabilities and explains what families are entitled to and can expect from services.

Click on the button link below to visit the Leeds City Council website where you will find further information.

Click here to see the Leeds Local Offer

Download the SEND School Information Report

Download the School Accessibility Plan

Download the Academy SEND Policy

Download the SENDIASS Drop in Session Flyer