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SEND

Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND)

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Welcome to our dedicated ​page for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

At Risedale we have a dedicated team of professionals with varied skills who support our young people, staff and parents with everything they need to succeed both during their time with us at school and in preparation for their next steps in life whatever they may be.

Key Documents:

​Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

Our family ethos is at the centre of everything we do at Risedale and is also at the heart of the SEND department. Our core belief is in providing a broad and balanced curriculum that nurtures the potential of every child. We are dedicated to ensuring all pupils receive the support they need to thrive, recognising that some may require additional tailored assistance to reach their personal BEST. We aim to celebrate every interest and skill set despite any difficulties the child faces. We recognise in order to achieve this that some of our pupils do require a greater level of support to truly reach their full potential and we strive to ensure that every pupil is successful.

We have extensive experience and expertise in supporting a diverse range of SEND, including:

  • Speech, Language and Communication Needs, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
  • Cognition and Learning Needs, including Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD)
  • Sensory and/or Physical Needs
  • Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties

Our school is designed to be inclusive to everyone, featuring lifts and stairlifts throughout to ensure easy and independent movement for all pupils.

The school has a well-resourced SEND department consisting of a team of well-qualified and highly motivated Teaching Assistants led by SENCo, Stacey Burke and Assistant SENCo Dean Higham. We also have a SEND specialist teacher, Catherine Davies, who is a qualified primary school teacher to nurture our pupils within their transition into secondary school offering curriculum support where needed but also offering support with social emotional wellbeing and mental health. Our teaching assistants are also trained to offer alternative qualifications such as ASDAN and also in offering intervention support in all four areas of SEND including support for our learners with EAL.

We have dedicated spaces within school that offer an environment for alternative provision and a safe space for our pupils with SEND. The Risedale Centre offers a base for interventions such as numeracy and literacy but also the opportunity to partake in art therapy. In addition, the Risedale Centre also boasts a sensory style calming environment for pupils to use in moments of dysregulation and support offered for pupils should they need to. We are also proud of our dedicated space ‘The Hub’ which is used to help support primary school extended transition - where SEND and vulnerable pupils are offered an opportunity to experience secondary school early as well as a space for social skills interventions including work on anxiety, emotional regulation and friendship building.

Risedale SEND

Objectives of Risedale's SEND Provision

  • Ensuring equality of opportunity for all – pupils should be able to access as wide a range of learning opportunities as well as be fully integrated into school life socially;
  • Ensuring that the specific needs of individual pupils are identified and met, whether on a short or long-term basis and that all staff are involved in this process, as well as outside agencies, where necessary;
  • Providing appropriate support to allow all pupils to achieve the highest possible levels of performance, both academically (pupils with SEND should be making at least expected progress) but also in other areas of school life;
  • Raising the self-esteem and aspirations of pupils with SEND and developing their skills as independent learners;
  • Developing and maintaining communication and effective partnerships with parents;
  • Following the requirements and recommendations of the SEND Code of Practice 2014.

Pupils are supported for a range of needs, such as Moderate Learning Difficulties, Emotional and Social Difficulties, Specific Learning Difficulties, Physical Difficulties, Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Speech, Language and Communication Difficulties.

Support staff are deployed for both in-class support and to deliver interventions. In-class support is targeted to pupils with SEND or an Educational Health Care Plan. Interventions are based on individual needs, assessed by both support staff and teachers or parents raising concerns. The interventions, which we provide, cover a variety of needs, such as:

  • Reading intervention,
  • Numeracy,
  • Social Use of Language (confidence and social skill development),
  • Art Therapy,
  • THRIVE emotional support,
  • Touch typing / handwriting support,
  • Sensory circuits / support,
  • Life skills

Teaching staff deliver targeted lessons in Key Stage 3 that focus on the development of literacy and numeracy skills, and in Key Stage 4, we offer interventions specifically tailored to develop literacy skills to support answering exam questions.

Where the need for additional support is identified, this may come in a variety of forms, as appropriate to individual pupils (some of which are outlined below):

  • Specifically differentiated teaching;
  • Additional small group intervention work for Literacy and Maths using the IDL programme but also targeted reading comprehension and numeracy work;
  • In-class support from a Teaching Assistant alongside the classroom teacher
  • Occasionally one-to-one support from a Teaching Assistant outside of the classroom;
  • Sessions for some pupils, focusing on communication/social issues; including art therapy, emotional literacy support, social skills and friendship work, and life skills;
  • Small group interventions, e.g. for handwriting
  • Provision of access arrangements in assessments and exams;
  • Inclusion on the SEND register – regular review meetings to assess achievement and set targets - information is summarised in a student support plan. These will be completed alongside your child’s SEN Mentor and the pupil with support and advice offered by the SENCo when needed;
  • Involvement of external agencies (speech and language therapists, educational psychologists, parent support advisors, enhanced mainstream schools for specific learning difficulties, communication and interaction and behavioural and emotional difficulties, specialist teachers for hearing and visually impaired young people);
  • Health care plans and support provided, e.g. medication for pupils with specific medical needs.

Pupils with SEND are monitored via the SEND support plan review system. Detailed feedback on pupil progress is collected, shared with parents and the pupil, and used to agree on personal targets. Parents and pupils are fully involved in this process, which also takes into account pupils’ strengths, aspirations and interests. The effectiveness and impact of any intervention are reviewed regularly to ensure that the action taken is appropriate and is helping the pupil to progress.

Your knowledge and understanding of your child’s needs are essential to support Risedale in making the best provision for them. We welcome and value the involvement of parents and pupils in all aspects of the SEND provision at the school and we aim to keep parents fully informed about any involvement the Pupil Support and Development department has with pupils. SEND Mentors and Form Tutors will lead discussions with pupils regarding their SEND needs and attainment, as they have a good knowledge and understanding of the pupils. Parents are encouraged to contact their child’s SEND Mentor or form tutor in the first instance or via the email send@risedale.org.uk if they have concerns or queries – we aim to respond to any concerns raised in an effective and supportive way.

All Year 7 pupils participate in an extended transition package during July. Some pupils with particular needs however start their transition even earlier in The HUB with weekly visits to the school after school and then during the school day to become acclimatised to the new environment.

Parents are invited to regular reviews held at mutually convenient times to discuss progress and interventions taking place. Careful liaison between us and other schools in sharing SEND information is very important to us to ensure the best possible provision for all and prevent any loss of support.

Admission of pupils with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND)

Risedale welcomes all pupils and endeavours to ensure that appropriate provision is made to cater for their needs. All pupils with SEND play a full part in the daily life of the school and are encouraged to join in all activities. If additional provision is necessary our parents/carers are always informed and we would ask parents to inform us of any special considerations needed for their child.

>> For more information about joining Risedale School please visit our Admissions page.

Information regarding The Healthy Child Service for North Yorkshire

The Healthy Child Service promotes and protects the health and wellbeing of all children and young people aged 0 to 19. They work with children, young people and families to empower and enable them to make informed decisions about health, and to support them in transitioning safely and happily into adult life. For more information please click HERE.

Risedale School