Special Educational Needs

What is SEND?

A child has a special educational need or disability (SEND) if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they:

  1. have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or
  2. have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.

The SEND Code of Practice 2014 (updated January 2015) sets out four broad areas of special educational need that include a range of difficulties and conditions:

Identification and Assessment of Children with SEND

As set out in the SEND Code of Practice, the school follows the Graduated Approach to Assessment, which follows the four stages of Assess, Plan, Do and Review. This allows for a more personalised approach to the identification, planning and assessment of SEND.

Where appropriate, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be created for students and shared with teaching and pastoral staff. An IEP will outline key information about the student’s needs, the recommended strategies and reasonable adjustments that will be made in class, as well as an outline of any additional, targeted interventions the student is in receipt of. IEPs are reviewed regularly and informed by teacher feedback and assessment as well as student and parent voice.

Academy SEND Intent Statement

We believe that all students, regardless of starting point or prior ability, should experience a high-quality curriculum and have access to the most highly trained and qualified staff. Our SENDCo will provide day to day support in addition to training to support all teachers in ensuring that no student gets left behind. We believe that real inclusion and effective differentiation is invisible to the eye, that teachers should have an in-depth knowledge of their students and can adapt and support fluidly and sensitively in the classroom. Wherever possible we seek to include and not exclude our most vulnerable learners from the experiences of their peer group.​

SEND Clinics

At Trinity Academy Leeds we place a great importance on ensuring all students are supported to achieve their full potential and receive the best education available.

A key part of this is ensuring that all students get the individual support they need to access both the learning and extracurricular activities on offer.

Where a student has an additional need which may require extra support or adaptation from the school, it is important that this is planned together with parents and carers to ensure all needs are accounted for and families are fully informed of the support their child receives. As a result, the school offers regular “SEN Clinics” during the academic year which provide an extra opportunity for parents and carers to discuss any concerns or queries they may have about their child’s needs and provision. The SEN clinics also provide an extra opportunity for parental input and review of IEPs.

Staff Training

All staff take part in regular in-house training looking at how to support our most vulnerable learners. All staff have completed an online training course through STARS (Specialist Training in Autism and Raising Standards) with a focus on supporting students with ASC.

 

Our SENDCo is Oliver Harrison.
Please email: oharrison@leeds.trinitymat.org

Oliver Harrison

SENDCO

Oliver Harrison, SENDCO, has over 15 years experience within the secondary school sector, including 10 years experience leading SEN provision within OFSTED rated Outstanding schools. Oliver has been SENDCO at TAL since it opened in 2021, keen to apply his wealth of knowledge and experience to unique opportunity afforded by the creation of a new school. During his career within SEND provision to date Oliver has gained extensive experience in supporting students with SEND to thrive, through the oversight and delivery of targeted interventions but more importantly ensuring that students receive a truly inclusive school experience every hour, every lesson, every day. Oliver also places great importance on ensuring that young people with SEND and their families have a voice and are empowered to advocate for themselves and gain independence as they go through their educational journeys. Oliver’s contributions to SEND extend beyond the classroom and through his passion to develop the knowledge of classroom practitioners has contributed a chapter to SEND: Huh. SEND: Huh is one of a series of books by John Tomsett and Mary Myatt which focus on how practitioners design the curriculum for the young people in their schools. In his chapter, Oliver discusses the inclusive practice within TAL and the philosophy which underpins it.

Hannah Worsley

Assistant SENDCo

Mollie Eccleston

Assistant SENDCo

Kelsey Gentles

Assistant SENDCo

Please view our Policy page to look at our SEND Policy, SEND Information Report and our Accessibility Statement.

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