SEND

At Stratford School Academy, we believe in providing the best possible support to enable all students to achieve their full potential. We endeavour to provide an environment where all pupils, including those with SEND, are able to access a broad, balanced and challenging curriculum.

As part of the Children and Families Act 2014, the London Borough of Newham are required to publish a ‘Local Offer’ which outlines the support that is accessible for children with SEND in the local area. 

Newham London: Local Offer

Alongside this, schools are required to publish information about their arrangements for identifying, assessing and making provision for students with SEND. 

SEND Policy and Information Report 2021-2022

 

SENCo

Ms Betsy Beal

 

SEND Curriculum Overview

SEND Curriculum Overview - 2022-2023

 

SEND FAQs

We embrace the fact that every child is unique and therefore the educational needs of every child are different. At Stratford School Academy we support students with SEND in a number of ways, read our FAQs below for more information.

 

Who are the best people to talk to about my child’s difficulties with learning/Special Educational Needs or Disability (SEND)?

 

Our designated SENCo is Ms Betsy Beal.

If you have any questions about the day-to-day SEND support your child is receiving, you can discuss these with the SEND Site Leads:

  • Ms Ursula Mandzyn (Upton Lane)

  • Ms Camelia Vlasiu (Grosvenor Road)

For concerns or other queries, please do not hesitate to contact Ms Beal by calling your child's school office or emailing Ms Beal directly:

 

How do you identify students with SEND and assess their needs?


Quality First Teaching is our first response to the identification of SEND therefore, should your child be finding the work in lessons too challenging or much harder than their friends, you should contact their class teacher by emailing:

Class teachers carry out regular assessments with all students and identify students whose progress is significantly slower than their peers. Slow progress and low attainment do not automatically mean that a student is recorded as having SEND.

If we suspect that a child may have an undiagnosed SEND, the school will inform you of the necessary steps that will be taken. This may include, but will not be limited to:

  • Observations within school

  • Meetings between student, parent and teacher

  • Internal screening tests to assess learning, cognition or behaviour

  • Onward referrals to specialist external agencies

Only once a student has obtained a formal diagnosis of SEND and/or is accessing a specific SEND intervention, they will be added to the SEND Register.
 

How do you support students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)?


When a child has received a diagnosis of a Special Educational Need or Disability by a GP or specialist agency, we will act to remove barriers to their learning by ensuring that the child receives high quality additional support and interventions carefully matched to their needs.

Stratford School Academy uses a 'Wave' system to set out the different levels of SEND support available to students:

  • Wave 1

The Academy’s regular teaching arrangements and Quality First Teaching are sufficient to meet the needs of Wave 1 SEND students.

  • Wave 2

Students may receive adult support in mainstream classes or be withdrawn for specialist interventions in small groups, where appropriate. Examples of interventions include: Mentoring, Social Skills, Language Enrichment, and individual Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) programmes.

  • Wave 3

The Academy has a specialist nurture provision on each site. These are mixed age classes of up to 14 pupils, that are taught by SEND specialists or subject specialists, and are supported by a high-ratio of Teaching Assistants. Our Wave 3 classes follow a curriculum entirely separate from the provision made for their peers, which focuses on developing key life, social, communication and academic skills.

This provision is for students who are working significantly below age-related expectations, have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities that have been assessed as ‘significant’, ‘complex’ or ‘severe’, and have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities that would make them unable to access a mainstream lesson.

 

How are the classrooms and other areas of the school adapted to meet the student's needs?

All areas of the school’s buildings are specially equipped and accessible to all students, including those with SEND. We have lifts in both school buildings, a hygiene suite, disabled toilets and specialist facilities in our classrooms. We also have a provision for children with autism at our Upton Lane building.

 

What arrangements are made to support students with SEN in taking part in extra-curricular activities and school trips outside of the classroom?

All students are encouraged to attend extra-curricular activities/clubs and all students are involved in residential trips and educational visits.