Care and Guidance underpins all aspects of our inclusive provision at our academy, assisting our students to enjoy their education, feel valued and develop both academically and personally. All students are supported in their learning and encouraged to engage in every aspect of school life.
Should students experience barriers to their learning be they academic, physical, emotional or social we promptly intervene to support their access to the curriculum and enjoyment of school. Our academy operates strong inclusion practices led by our Special Educational Needs, Inclusion and Deep Support team and our Bridge and Personalised Learning Centre provision etc. We also have an additional resource provision for special educational needs called the ARC for a small cohort of hearing impaired students. These students often have cochlear implants and require sign language as an additional aid to their teaching. Specialist teachers support these students in lessons providing a bridge between the teacher and the student and ensuring that lessons are not only accessible but that very good progress is made in student learning and understanding. Specialist teachers also work with our hearing impaired students to help them develop their life skills and to complete one to one or small group sessions to ensure that personal development is enhanced as well as academic progress.
Our students are taught in age-appropriate classes and supported to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of academy life. Effective learning requires the processes of forgetting and recall, we ensure regular opportunities to revisit and revise what has been learnt so that study is regularly refreshed and recalled. Our feedback and assessment practices monitor when the intended learning has not been fully secured by students and our teachers effectively intervene, adjusting their teaching to do things differently to help all students learn well.
For those students with special educational needs and disabilities who require reasonable adjustments to support their needs we ensure access arrangements are in place to support their normal way of working and where required, deploy teaching assistant support. SEND experts and an educational psychologist provide training for teachers and teaching assistants to support those students who may need very specific support to ensure they make good progress. Pupil passports are used well to identify the best support for each student.
There is a strong focus on students’ literacy and numeracy skills and where appropriate we facilitate increased access to English, Maths and science. Small group intervention is used to target gaps in understanding in core subjects. For students who miss aspects of their learning or require extra help catch up activities and targeted support are readily available. Elective after-school intervention and access to online learning programs are provided for those students seeking extra assurance and help.