Special Education Needs and Disability

At Cambourne Village College we aim to work with all pupils in ways that enhance self-esteem and confidence and encourage them to take responsibility for themselves and their learning.

It is our objective to identify pupils who may have special educational needs (SEN) as swiftly as possible, to assess these needs and to work from the pupil’s strengths in order to meet identified needs and address weaknesses.  We accept that children have SEN if they have significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of their peers, or they have a disability that prevents them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided for pupils their age in the college.  We recognise that pupils with SEN do not form a fixed group and that the SEN of individual pupils may vary over time.

We hold that individual needs are best addressed by thinking about how we present the curriculum.  We value differences between pupils and recognise that the school should employ a range of flexible responses to accommodate their diversity and to meet the many and various needs they present.  We recognise the potential of factors within the school environment to prevent or exacerbate problems and we are committed to maintaining an inclusive culture that does not discriminate against any pupil, regardless of disability or special educational need.  We are committed to taking all reasonable steps to ensure that the inclusion of a pupil with learning difficulties is not incompatible with the efficient education of other pupils. It is our objective to seek and take into account the views of the pupils during the process of identification and assessment of SEN, when designing individual educational plans and when drawing up individual programmes to address SEN.

Furthermore, we recognise the importance of genuine communication and partnership between school and parents, we respect the validity of differing perspectives and we acknowledge the importance of parental knowledge and expertise in relation to their own child.

We recognise that pupils with SEN may include a cohort of pupils described as Gifted and Talented.  The school has a separate policy in place governing its work with these pupils.  Please refer to that policy for more detailed information. 

Principles

Our SEN policy is founded on the following principles: 

• Worth: All pupils are of equal worth regardless of their ability, gender, race or background.
• Inclusion: Children have an entitlement to be educated alongside their peers in their local community. The school setting and facilities should assist access for disabled pupils.
• Opportunity: All pupils should have equal access to the resources and opportunities available in the school.
• Entitlement: All pupils should be offered high quality, well-planned and well-organised teaching that offers them access to a broad, balanced and relevant education. Every teacher is responsible for teaching each child within his/her class. All pupils should follow the National Curriculum wherever possible, with tasks and resources differentiated to match their individual ability. All pupils should be given opportunities to have their achievements accredited, and they should be encouraged to transfer to further education on leaving the College at the end of Key Stage 4.
• Growth: The education we provide should contribute to the individual’s emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual growth so that pupils can develop and test their personal values and attitudes.
• Progress: Where current rates of progress are inadequate, we should intervene to ensure that SEN are swiftly identified and assessed. We should adopt a graduated response to meeting individual SEN. Work for pupils should be selected and planned to ensure that their skills and understanding progress at an appropriate pace.
• Continuity: There should be continuity of learning for each individual. When pupils move on to new courses or change teachers, details of their previous work and development should inform the planning of their future programmes.
• Participation: Pupils should be given opportunities to develop their understanding of their own learning processes and be encouraged to develop problem-solving skills and explore ways to express themselves. They should be able to express their views and wishes about their individual educational needs. ‘The views of the child should be given due weight according to the age, maturity and capability of the child.’ (see Articles 12 and 13, The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child)
• Evaluation: Pupils’ SEN, the action taken to address these needs and the outcomes of any interventions should be recorded. This information should be shared with the child’s teachers and with his / her parents. Pupil progress should be monitored carefully and evaluated regularly. The evaluation process should be used to inform planning for individual pupils.

Objectives

Cambourne Village College aims to develop the full positive potential of every individual pupil in its care and it recognises that this means the full development of the different parts of individuals’ lives.  It is the duty of the College to provide opportunities, through its mainstream academic and pastoral organisation, that ensure that the skills and understanding of all pupils may progress at an appropriate pace, and we are committed to raising the achievement of all our pupils.  To this end, we have drawn up the following objectives that relate specifically to SEN: 

• to work within our own setting and with other professionals to ensure that SEN are identified early and assessed carefully.
• to provide opportunities for all pupils to take an active role in their own learning.
• to encourage an active partnership with parents in their children’s learning.
• to offer every pupil the special educational provision she/he requires, so that the continuum of need in the school is matched by a continuum of provision.
• to provide continuity of learning for every pupil and to use regular evaluation of pupil progress to inform future planning.
• to co-ordinate support for pupils with SEN across the College and to undertake regular monitoring and review of our allocation of resources, the provision made for individual pupils and the  progress of pupils with identified SEN.

Information About the School’s SEN Department 

The school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) is Lesley Harvey. The SENCo has responsibility for co-ordinating SEN provision across the school and for managing the SEN Department, known as ‘The Centre’.  Members of the Centre staff include teaching assistants (TAs), teacher-counsellors and administrative support staff.  It is the SENCo’s responsibility to manage the TAs, as part of the school’s Performance Management Programme.

The main SEN specialisms to be offered by the department are:

• teaching pupils with specific learning difficulties;
• developing fine and gross motor skills and appropriate social skills;
• developing communication / language  skills;
• supporting and counselling pupils with emotional, behavioural or other difficulties, including social difficulties.

Further information about our SEND Information Report can be found down the left hand panel and additional details of the LA local offer can be found at Cambridgeshire Local Authority - Local Offer

Contact us on: cam-centre@catrust.co.uk

Complaints

Any complaints about SEN provision should initially be addressed to the SENCo and thereafter to the Centre line manager.  Should the complaint not be resolved, parents should refer to the school Complaints Policy, available on the Policies page of the website.  

The parent of pupils with disabilities have the right to make complaints to the first-tier SEND tribunal if they believe that the school has discriminated against their child.  Claims can be made regarding:

• Exclusions
• Provision of education and associated services
• The making of reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services.