Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

At our school we strive to create an inclusive teaching environment that offers all students, no matter their needs and abilities, a broad, balanced and challenging curriculum. We are committed to offering all our students the chance to thrive and fulfil their aspirations.

We will achieve this by making reasonable adjustments to teaching, the curriculum and the school environment to make sure that students with SEND are included in all aspects of school life.

What are Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)?

A student has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability that requires special educational provision to be made for them.

They have a learning difficulty or disability if they have:

• A significantly greater difficulty in learning than most others of the same age, or
• A disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools

Special educational provision is educational or training provision that is additional to, or different from, that made generally for other children or young people of the same age in the school

Students are considered to have a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to do normal daily activities.

The school will make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, so that they are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers.

The 4 areas of need

The needs of students with SEND are grouped into 4 broad areas. Students can have needs that cut across more than 1 area, and their needs may change over time.

Interventions will be selected that are appropriate for the student’s particular area(s) of need, at the relevant time.

Class teachers

Each class teacher is responsible for:

• Planning and providing high-quality teaching that is differentiated to meet student needs through a graduated approach
• The progress and development of every student in their class
• Working closely with any teaching assistants or specialist staff to plan and assess the impact of support and interventions, and consider how they can be linked to classroom teaching
• Working with the SENCO to review each students progress and development, and decide on any changes to provision

SEN information report

The school publishes a SEN information report which sets out how we deliver our SEND provision. This can be found here.

Our SEND policy can be found here.

Our Accessibility Policy can be found here.

The information report will be updated annually and as soon as possible after any changes to the information it contains.

Learning Support Team

We strive to work in partnership with parents and carers at every stage and would urge any parent who is concerned about their child’s learning and progress to discuss this initially with their class teacher or by contacting a member of the Learning Support Team.

Key staff names and roles, who can be contacted using the main school number 01454 868840.

The SEN governor link is Michael Fry. 

Special Educational Needs BSCS Offer

BSCS tracks all students identified as having additional needs and monitors the impact of interventions. This includes students who have medical needs, learning needs, disabilities, looked after children, young carers, behavioural and emotional issues which impact on learning and children in need. Students with a statement or Education, Health and Care Plan and those as identified as SEN support are included on our Inclusion Register. 

Support and Guidance

If you would like any external support, the following organisations may be helpful for you:

Supportive Parents 0117 9897725 or www.supportiveparents.org.uk

IPSEA Who we are | (IPSEA) Independent Provider of Special Education Advice

 South Gloucestershire Services - SEND and You 

If you want to view videos with information from our students please scroll down to the section further down on the page. 

How will BSCS prepare and support my child for transition from KS3 (Years 7-9) to KS4 (Years 10 and 11)?

Transition from one phase to another will always be carefully planned and discussed with parents. Information is shared via the school website and newsletter and additional Parent Information Evenings provide opportunities for you to find out about the move to GCSE or Post 16. In years 9 and 11, students will be offered support through 1:1 meetings with key staff. For those with identified SEND and other vulnerable learners, the Learning Partnership West service offers additional support.

How will BSCS prepare and support my child for Post 16 transition, both within BSCS and outside of BSCS?

Firstly, please don’t panic! We are here to help and reassure you. In school we have a wide range of needs and students often have strengths and areas of weakness and this is normal. Helping students to feel successful as learners and recognise their own profile as a learner sits at the heart of school ethos

How are BSCS resources allocated and matched to a student’s SEN?

At BSCS we have access to a wide range of strategies and resources for supporting students, such as smaller classes in English and maths, additional mentoring support, morning literacy catch-up sessions and Independent Learning clubs. Support is provided to develop core skills and build learner confidence. We are committed to ensuring that all our students leave BSCS with the skills they need to be fully independent within their community: resilience, reflectiveness, resourcefulness and responsibility. For students with Statements or EHCPs, additional resources are allocated as part of the Assess, Plan, Do and Review process in collaboration with parents/carers.

How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?

For students with Statements and EHCPs, decisions about levels of support are made at Local Authority level, in collaboration with you, the parent/carer. Schools have the opportunity to be part of the decision making, during the consultation period. At school level, additional support is allocated by Team Leaders and the SENCo/Deputy SENCo in collaboration with the Leadership Team and discussions with teachers, parents and the student themselves.

How will I be involved in BSCS as the parent of a child with SEND?

All parents and carers are encouraged to be actively involved in the BSCS school community; reading our regular newsletter, available on the website, and using FROG to monitor your child’s progress is an excellent start and will provide you with further information about how to get involved with school events. Attending Parent Information Evenings and maintaining regular communication with your child’s tutor and key worker is also important and will help you to stay up to date with his/her progress.

Who can I contact for further information?

Queries relating to SEND issues can be made via:

• Learning Support Team Administrator, Donna Smith - 01454 868868  donna.smith@olympustrust.co.uk
• SENCo, Bethan Owen: bethan.owen@olympustrust.co.uk 
• Deputy SENCo, Cristiana Ferris cristiana.ferris@olympustrust.co.uk
• Assistant SENCo, Laura Austin laura.austin@olympustrust.co.uk
• Director of Inclusion, Susie Beresford Wylie susie.beresfordwylie@olympustrust.co.uk