SEND Support
SEND Information Report for Ormiston Victory Academy 2019-2020
Ormiston Victory Academy is an inclusive mainstream 11- 18 Academy. Welcome to our Special Educational Needs (SEN) Information Report which sets out our offer for learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and forms part of the Norfolk Local Offer. You can find out more about the ‘SEND Local Offer’ for Norfolk by viewing this on the Norfolk County Council website: https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/children-and-families/send-local-offer
At Ormiston Victory Academy we make do our utmost to meet the needs of all learners, including those with a special educational need or disability, valuing all learners as individuals with their own strengths and difficulties. This document sets out how we do this within the guidelines of the Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice and is updated annually.
At Victory we are committed to working together with all members of our school community. Parents, Carers, students and staff are invited to give feedback regarding this document to Miss Rose our SEND coordinator (SENDCo) via SENDCO@ormistonvictoryAcademy.co.uk to help develop and further refine this Information Report.
Legislation and Guidance
Our SEND Policy and Information Report is written with regard to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 and the following statutory guidance and legislation:
- SEND Code of Practice Jan 2015
- Children and Families Act 2014
- Equality Act 2010
Key Contacts for SEND at Ormiston Victory Academy
- Principal: Miss Naomi Palmer
- Vice Principal for Behaviour and Attitudes: Ms Le Fur
- Assistant Principal for Personal Development & Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): Dr Allen
- SENDCo: Miss Katharine Rose
- SEND Link Governor: Mrs Patricia Phillips
Contact us on: 01603 742310 or SENDCO@ormistonvictoryacademy.co.uk
How does Ormiston Victory Academy Identify SEND?
Many students will experience difficulties, for many reasons, at some point in their school life but with additional support from their teachers through “Quality First Teaching” will overcome these barriers to learning.
Teachers regularly assess and track learners’ skills, progress and levels of attainment throughout the school Year identifying those whose progress:
- is significantly slower than that of their peers, starting from the same baseline
- fails to match or better their own previous rate of progress
- fails to close the attainment gap between themselves and their peers, or
- widens the attainment gap
Slower progress and lower attainment will not automatically mean a pupil has SEND but will usually indicate a need for some extra help. Learners can experience setbacks for many reasons including emotional distress, worry, absence, inconsistent access to school and having English as an additional language (EAL). Teachers and pastoral staff will discuss any concerns with the learner and their parents to decide what help is required, taking into account their wishes and feelings.
For some learners, despite the extra help offered and adjustments made to learning activities or environments, difficulties may worsen or persist longer term. These learners will undergo further assessment to consider if a learning need or difficulty which requires special educational provision is the cause. These learners may agree to be identified as having SEND.
Assessment
Teachers will work with and support the SEND team to carry out a clear analysis of the learner’s needs using:
- Teacher assessment and observations
- Previous progress, reports, attainment and behaviour
- the learner’s development in comparison to their peers and national data
- the views and observations of the parents
- the learner’s views and experiences
- Advice from external support services where relevant
We will speak with learners and parents to identify whether they have a special educational need, what the barriers to learning are and if they need SEND provision as part of the Academy SEND Support.
Students with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)
“A pupil has SEND where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision. That is provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age.” (Special educational needs and disability (SEND Code of Practice, 2015).
Students with a disability
“Many children and young people who have SEND may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 – that is ‘…a physical or mental impairment which has a long term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. There is a significant overlap between disabled children and young people and those with SEND. Where a child or young person requires special educational provision over and above the adjustments, aids and services required by the Equality Act 2010 they will be additionally covered by the SEND definition.” (SEND Code of Practice, 2015)
How does Ormiston Victory Academy meet the needs of learners with SEND?
When a student is identified as having SEND, we will make provision that is ‘additional to or different from’ the normal differentiated curriculum and which is intended to overcome the barriers to their learning.
Once a learner’s SEND has been assessed, these will be detailed in an Individual Learning Plan (ILP). ILPs detail the learners’ strengths, difficulties, barriers to learning, strategies and adjustments, which may help them in the classroom, and the SEND provision offered which is additional to and different from that offered generally to all students. ILPs will be shared with all staff to inform teachers’ planning and the way which staff approach and respond to the learner.
Victory provides additional and/or different provision for a range of special educational needs. Some of the more commonly occurring difficulties at Victory include:
| Communication & Interaction | Cognition and Learning | Social, Emotional, Mental Health | Sensory and/or Physical |
| Austism Specturm Disorder (ASD)Speech & languageSocial interaction and communication | Mild or moderate learning difficultiesGlobal or generalised learning delaySpecific learning difficulties; dyslexia, dyscalculia, | Emotional regulation difficultiesAttachment disorderADHD | Visual impairmentHearing impairmentPhysical disabilityDyspraxiaSensory processing difficulties |
We provide a range of provision from which we select appropriately to meet learners’ individual needs. These include: small group teaching for Maths, English, small group and/or one to one reading, spelling, numeracy intervention, social interaction skills intervention and mentoring.
We make adaptations to ensure all students’ needs are met including the use of assistive technology, such as netbooks, exam reader pens in assessments, coloured overlays, personalised timetables and curriculum adaptations.
The impact of provision is measured by teachers and SEND staff. This is reviewed regularly in line with the Academy assessment calendar and ILP reviews. We evaluate the effectiveness of provision for students with SEND by:
- Reviewing students’ progress towards their goals each term
- Reviewing the impact of intervention after 6-12 weeks
- Carrying out classroom observations
- Monitoring behaviour and attainment tracking data
External Agency and Professional support
For some students it may become necessary to engage support from external agencies and professionals. The services of other professionals such as Educational and Clinical Psychologists may be sought to advise on barriers to learning and make recommendations for provision, for learners who continue to struggle to make progress despite the additional provision being offered at SEND Support.
In addition to the Norfolk Educational Psychology & Specialist Support (EPSS), Victory has access to a range of external agencies including: TITAN Road Safety, Access Through Technology (ATT) Service, Virtual School for Sensory Support and NHS-East Coast Community Health Care (Speech & Language Therapy service).
Education, Health and Care Plans
A small proportion of learners will have significant and long term special educational needs which may, in time, require provision that is not readily available in school. For these learners an application can be made for Norfolk County Council to carry out an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment. This is a multi-agency assessment coordinated by Norfolk County Council. If it is deemed that the student’s needs cannot be met under the local offer of SEND support, an Education , Health and Care needs plan (EHCP) may be issued. The EHCP clearly sets out the learner’s needs, barriers to learning and the provision required to meet those needs.
Students at Victory with an EHCP will have their needs and provision detailed in an enhanced Individual Learning Plan (ILP-E) which is shared with all staff. The EHCP is reviewed annually to ensure the learner’s needs continue to be met and a good rate of progress is maintained. Teachers and support staff provide feedback and assessment information to inform annual reviews.
For a very small proportion of learners it may become evident that despite the school’s best endeavours, the needs of the learner are no longer being met through the EHCP and alternative provision or a full re-assessment of need may be required. In these situations, a review meeting will be called to facilitate a discussion between school, learner, parents/carers and the local authority to consider the most appropriate next steps for the learner.
Exam Access Arrangements
Some students with substantial and long term learning difficulties or disability will meet the criteria for being entitled to access arrangements when undertaking examinations. These students will normally be identified from the significant level of support they require with their learning during Key Stage 3 as their normal way of working. Such students will be formally assessed by a qualified Exam Access Arrangements assessor using exam board approved psychometric tests to determine any special arrangements they may qualify for. This normally takes place when students are at the end of Year 9, to enable the appropriate arrangements to be put in place for internal assessments, mocks, and examinations conducted throughout Years 10 and 11.
Transition Arrangements to and from Ormiston Victory Academy
The SENDCo and Year 7 Pastoral Team liaise closely with SENCOs and Pastoral workers from primary and junior schools to obtain an overview of and, where possible, a detailed report of the difficulties and needs of individual SEND students who are due to transfer into Year 7 the following September. Information gathered from the primary and junior settings will also be used to:
- Produce Individual Learning Plans (ILPs)
- Inform teachers’ planning in September
- Decide if additional visits or arrangements are needed to facilitate a smoother transition
For those students who have an EHCP:
- The local authority will write to Victory to ask if the school to consider whether we can meet the learner’s needs.
- The SENDCo will normally attend the Year 6 Annual Review
As part of the transition process all students will spend a transition week at OVA at the end of the summer term, familiarising themselves with the school site, lessons and key teachers. Some students that have SEN may need additional visits ahead of this as part of the process.
When students with SEND transfer to another school or to Sixth Form/College the SEND team will ensure that SEND records, including examination access arrangements paperwork are passed on to the receiving institution and provide further detailed information as requested. Students transferring to post 16 settings are offered guidance and support from our independent advice and guidance officer who can be contacted via careersguidance@ormistonvictoryacademy.co.uk
SEND Profile for 2019-2020
The following information is correct at the time of publishing:
- Our number on role is 1198, 486 in KS3, 580 in KS4 and 132 in Sixth Form.
- Our current SEN profile shows that 150 (13%) of our learners are identified as having SEN; 130 at SEN Support and 20 have an EHCP.
Funding for SEND
OVA receives funding directly to the school from the Education Funding Agency (EFA) as part of the General Annual Grant to support the needs of learners with SEN. Further funding is allocated on the basis of learners with an EHCP and high level SEN Support needs.
Enrichment
All students have the same opportunity to access extra-curricular activities. At Victory in 2019-2020 we are offering a wide range of additional clubs and activities (see website for details). We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to ensure participation for all in activities, trips and visits, so please contact Mrs Webb via k.webb@ormistonvictoryacademy.co.uk if you would like to discuss any specific requirements.
Inclusion and Student Voice
All students are encouraged to participate in trips, special events and to apply for roles of responsibility with the school such as Sports Captains and Student Ambassadors. No student is excluded from these opportunities because of their SEND needs. We operate a zero tolerance approach to bullying.
Complaints
Any concerns or complaints about SEND provision should be made to the SENDCo in the first instance: SENDCo@ormistonvictoyacademy.co.uk
These will then be referred through the Academy’s usual complaints policy procedures.
Alternatively, complaints can be made direct to the Senior Leadership Team via email to Miss Nicole Hawes, PA to the Principal, using PA@ormistonvictoryAcademy.co.uk or in writing: PA to the Principal, Ormiston Victory Academy, Middleton Crescent, Norwich, NR5 0PX
Useful links
http://www.norfolkparentpartnership.org.uk
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/SEND-guide-for-parents-and-carers
