SEN Curriculum Guide

The SEN Department is an aspect of the school that offers personalised learning to every student in KS3 and KS4, in order to increase each student’s attainment in English and Mathematics.

Aims and Objectives

 The SEN Department supports students with special educational needs.  Students with literacy and numeracy difficulties and/or behaviour problems are given support in class.  Students are also withdrawn from main classes to work in small groups as a way of increasing their literacy and numeracy levels.

 How does the SEN Department promote pupils?

 We promote pupils by:

• By being flexible and appropriately matching the curriculum to individual learning needs and interest. We aim to develop in pupils the knowledge, skills, understanding and attitudes which will prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of mainstream school life and adulthood.

• Encouraging pupils to take responsibility for their own learning and work independently whenever possible.

• Encouraging pupils to show understanding, consideration and respect towards others and work effectively in co-operation with others.  We enable the pupils to be increasingly aware of their own progress.  To develop their strengths and to be confident about the future.  Develop self-discipline and confidence in expressing themselves.

 LITERACY WITHDRAWAL GROUPS

 Students are withdrawn to support them with their literacy. Within these groups they are taught the following:

• Speaking and Listening
• Develop ideas and sustain talk confidently.
• Contribute to and discuss constructively and sensitively; adapt talk to different purposes and audiences.
• Appreciate and use Standard English in more formal situations
• Make effective use of a wide range of vocabulary.
• Listen to and make use of a wide vocabulary.
• Listen to and make sense of complex ideas.
• Handwriting development.

  Reading

• Choose and read more challenging and demanding texts.
• Be sensitive to meanings beyond the literal
• Distinguish between more and less significant aspects of texts.
• Ask and answer questions about a text.
• Summarise the main points of a text and relate their summary to the full text:
• Use appropriate reading strategies when seeking information.

 NUMERACY WITHDRAWAL GROUPS         

 Students are withdrawn for numeracy support. They are taught the Key Stage 2 curriculum providing them with the foundations they need to access the Key Stage 3 curriculum.

 In Class Support

 As well as providing withdrawal groups Teaching Assistants provide in class support. Their primary role is to enable access to the curriculum and facilitate independent learning.This may be with pupils who have learning difficulties, pupils with a physical disability, children with visual or hearing impairment, children with communication problems or pupils experiencing behavioural difficulties.The Teaching Assistant can be crucial if pupils are to achieve greater autonomy, higher academic standards, and greater social awareness and feel part of the whole school community.

 Teaching and Learning to Promote Achievement

 Differentiation

 We aim to allow all children to have access to the curriculum through:

• Activities
• Resources/tapes/pictures/ICT.  The ICT facilities encourage and develop a student’s desire to write, by means of producing a neat well-presented piece of work. Researching using the Internet Data Base and the reading and spelling program. 
• Ways of learning
• Progression
• Individual, paired small group work
• Support from an adult or other children

 Resources

 ICT Resources

 The variety of ICT resources available to students has developed significantly over the last two years.  We now have the ICT programme Clicker 5 which promotes writing for dyslexic students enabling them to feel more independent.

We also have Success Maker an ICT programme which enables

personalised programmes  to be made according to a student’s  ability.  Lexion - ICT programme to increase spelling ability.    Lexia – Reading and Spelling Programme which monitors individual student progress.  

• Readingmaterials
• Educational Visits
• Photos for points for discussion and to generate ideas
• People/community
• Artefacts – for hands on experience
• ICT – using computers for reading, spelling and numeracy development

 Lunch Time Activities

 Students are able to make use of the ICT Literacy and Numeracy   Resources during Lunchtimes. Not only is this educational for students but it provides some of the quieter or more vulnerable students with a safe haven at lunch time.  

 Assessment and Monitoring

 Students are assessed regularly within SEN to monitor progress.

 Each student has their own IEP and individual targets.  Students are set targets in the front of their books to achieve, regular short term targets are set for students each time their work is assessed and marked.

 Our ICT Literacy resources are also able to monitor individual pupil     progress.

 The SEN Department conducts a twice yearly whole school assessment of Reading and Spelling Ages to monitor student progress and identify where SEN support is needed.

  Ways of Learning by:

• Investigation
• Composing
• Problem solving
• Hypothesizing
• Prediction
• Decision-making
• Discussion
• Evaluating
• Negotiating
• Questioning
• Designing and making

 Qualifications

 From September 2011, we are offering year 10, 11 and sixth form students the opportunity to gain a new qualification in Functional Skills in English.

Functional skills in English aims to ensure that each individual is able to communicate effectively: when speaking, listening, reading and writing. Each component, contexts have been designed so that learners develop the functionality they need.

Learners must pass each component at their chosen level in order to achieve an award, certificate or diploma in Functional English.  This combines elements of academic subjects and practical skills in a way that will reflect life skills that are required in the work place.

In the SEN department we recognise that each student has different learning styles and requires an alternative route to their GCSE’s. 

The pupils in the SEN department are taught to be active independent learners and to be able to develop research skills, intellectual curiosity and the ability to process information. We celebrate success and encourage pupils to take part in and enjoy learning and life.

 We have an unshakeable belief that we can make a difference.