SEN & Disabilities

Thank-you for visiting the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) section of our website. You will find provision maps of what Chobham Academy can offer for your child, depending on their needs and the support they require. If you have any additional questions, concerns or worries, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the SEND team.

The Secondary team is led K Warmington-Shiell, Assistant Principal. Our secondary SENDCos are Shabana Chaudry (Key Stage 3) and Christina Vasileiadou (Key Stages 4-5).

The Primary team is led by Diane Tatnell, our primary SENDCo.

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Harris Academy Chobham’s vision for pupils with SEN/D

Chobham Academy is committed to providing an appropriate and high-quality education for all children. We believe that all children, including those identified as having Special Educational Needs and also those who are identified as ‘Gifted and Talented’, have a common entitlement to a broad and balanced academic and social curriculum. This curriculum should be accessible to them, and they are fully included in all aspects of Academy life.

We believe that all children should be equally valued at our Academy. We strive to eliminate prejudice and discrimination, and to develop an environment where all children can flourish and feel safe.

Chobham Academy is committed to inclusion and part of the Academy’s strategic planning involves developing cultures, policies and practices that include all learners. We aim to engender a sense of community and belonging, and to offer new opportunities to learners who may have experienced previous difficulties. This does not mean that we treat all learners in the same way, but that we respond to learners in ways that take into account their varied life experiences and needs.

We believe that educational inclusion is about equal opportunities for all learners, whatever their age, gender, ethnicity, additional need, attainment and background. We pay particular attention to the provision for and the achievement of different groups of learners:

• Boys and girls

• Students from minority faiths, ethnicities, travellers, asylum seekers, refugees

• Students who have English as an additional language

• Students who have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

• Students who are Gifted and Talented

• Students who are Looked After children

• Students who are at risk of disaffection or exclusion, young carers, sick children, children from families under stress

We recognise that children learn at different rates and that there are many factors affecting achievement, including ability, emotional state, age and maturity. We are particularly aware of the needs of our students, for whom maturity is a crucial factor in terms of readiness to learn. We believe that many students, at some time in their Academy career, may experience difficulties which affect their learning, and we recognise that these may be long or short term. At the Academy we aim to identify these needs as they arise and provide teaching and learning contexts which enable every child to achieve to their full potential.

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The SEND Code of Practice key changes

The Code of Practice (2015) covers the 0-25 age range and includes guidance relating to disabled children and young people as well as those with SEND.

• There is a clearer focus on the participation of children and young people and parents in decision-making at individual and strategic levels.

• There is a stronger focus on high aspirations and on improving outcomes for children and young people.

• It includes guidance on the joint planning and commissioning of services to ensure close co-operation between education, health and social care.

• For children and young people with more complex needs a coordinated assessment takes place and an application for an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan will be considered.

• There is a greater focus on support that enables those with SEND to succeed in their education and make a successful transition to adulthood.

To see the SEND Code of Guidance, please visit -https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/325875/SEND-Code_of_Practice-June2014.pdf

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Local Authority Offer

Details of the Local Authority offer can be found here:

https://families.newham.gov.uk/kb5/newham/directory/localoffer.page?localofferchannel=0

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Ensuring consistency across our curriculum

At Chobham Academy, every phase and department is committed to ensuring that excellent, accessible provision is in place across the curriculum. Each department has mapped out their vision for provision below:

Primary phase

Pupils in the Primary phase who are identified as having SEND may be supported on an individual, paired or small group basis within the classroom through a differentiated curriculum. The school supports pupils by preparing for their next stages of learning by a curriculum that acknowledges not only statutory requirements but also focuses upon developing independence and recognising personal progress. We believe that all pupils with SEND, irrespective of need, should have access to high quality teaching and learning opportunities and should move on from the Primary phase with the ability to demonstrate emotional resilience, good communication skills and increased independence.

Interventions are adapted and differentiated according to need and for some pupils with a significant SEND need there is access to Sensory and Therapeutic input. Staff receive a planned programme of training that is designed to provide expertise in meeting needs of our pupils with SEND. The school employs a part-time Speech and Language therapist as it recognises that a significant number of children on the SEND register present with Communication and Interaction difficulties. There is a focus on communication friendly classrooms with the use of visual timetables, visual and concrete support and scaffolding to enable all learners to access class teaching at an appropriate level.

English

Functional Literacy is at the heart of our agenda for all students. From their baseline assessment at the start of Year 7, students are placed onto personalised pathways with a focus on comprehensive functional literacy. Those students who require support will receive this through a differentiated curriculum available to them in lessons and in additional sessions.  A reading intervention programme runs once a week to support those students with literacy needs.   All staff understand that it is our collective responsibility to support those students facing barriers to learning, through our approach to teaching and learning. The department consults with the SEN team to ensure that appropriate strategies are used to support students.

Performing Arts

In Performing Arts, our aim is for all students to not only develop and improve as performers and musicians, but to also develop their self-esteem, confidence and communication skills so that they will be able succeed in their futures.

The faculty has high expectations for all students, and we provide teaching and learning experiences that target each student’s needs so that they can reach their performance potential.

We are committed to inclusion and removing any potential barriers to learning and participation in all drama and music lessons.

We believe in equality of opportunity, and we aim to create a supportive yet challenging environment that values difference and recognises the achievements of all children.

Art

In the Chobham Art Department we aim to encourage all children to reach their full potential through the provision of varied opportunities. We celebrate an inclusive approach, giving all students access to develop as artists through self-expression, whilst building basic creative skills.  We recognise that our curriculum planning must allow students to gain a progressively deeper understanding and competency of art as they move throughout the academy. 

We pride ourselves having built an environment where students feel safe to take risks and are comfortable to experiment with their ideas. 

Careful thought is given to the provision of appropriately structured work for children with SEN.  We use the strategies that enable all children increased access to the curriculum through a broad-based, multi-sensory, visual, auditory and kinaesthetically planned curriculum.

Forward planning attempts to ensure that the level of challenge is appropriate to their specific needs.

Humanities

All work planned account for the differing ages and abilities in the classroom. The differing needs and capabilities of students will be met through:

• Consideration of the appropriateness of resources used.
• Variation in teaching and learning styles used in the classroom.
• Use of a variety of different tasks and teaching techniques for individual pupils.
• Varying lengths of time spent on particular issues and activities.
• Making use of differing classroom organisation.

Science

The Science Department is committed to excellence through inclusion and welcomes staff and students from a diverse range of backgrounds. Our goal is to have a motivated and diverse Faculty, where staff and students demand the highest standards from each other and work together to maximise the benefits of difference. Our successes are rooted in the value we place on the roles played by all staff that make our faculty a remarkable place to work and study. SEN students are supported within classrooms through partnership between teaching staff, teaching assistants and our technician team. The main aim of our interventions is to equip students with the skills to become independent learners and to meet their full potential, no matter what their barriers to learning.

Mathematics

At Chobham Academy, we believe that Mathematics equips students with uniquely powerful ways to describe, analyse and change the world. Students who are functional in mathematics are able to think independently in applied and abstract ways. They can also reason, solve problems and assess risk.

Our Mathematics teachers will always develop strategies to overcome potential barriers to learning and assessment for particular individuals and groups of students. We will work closely with the SEN department to ensure we have relevant information and useful strategies for individual students. This will enable us to anticipate barriers and modify lessons so all our students meet the same objectives. We will also ensure that we plan for lessons that are inclusive and make provisions to ensure all students can fully take part and learn. This will include use of multi-sensory approaches, including information and communication technology (ICT), working closely with teaching assistants, managing peer relationships, adult-student communication and student motivation.

MFL

The MFL department’s vision is that any child, regardless of their background or ability, can and will do well in their modern foreign language lessons. The MFL team uses a myriad of effective strategies to ensure this is consistent. All learning resources are adapted. In order to meet the varying needs of students, the following actions are taken across the department:

• words and phrases are reinforced with visual aids to support vocabulary learning and inference of meaning;
• phonetic support is used to help students approach texts;
• students learn key vocabulary drawn on real and familiar contexts, fully relevant to their lives, and always building on their prior knowledge;
• The language we use is clear, unambiguous, and accessible;
• targeted questioning and regular assessment for learning taking on a variety of different forms.

Economics and Business Studies

Our lessons feature different styles of pedagogy and are specialised to make sure the needs of all our learners are met. Our teachers adapt their practice to make sure all learners make progress. Furthermore, we use the following techniques to meet the needs of all:

• Variety of teaching resources from case studies, use of computers and external speakers to engage and enthuse all learners;
• Staff liaising to ensure that both support and teaching staff are meeting the needs of learners;
• Adjusting time spent on different activities for different learners.

Media/Film Studies

Media is a constantly changing, imaginative and highly academic subject aimed at offering plenty of innovational experiences for the students of all abilities who choose to study it.

Both the KS4 and KS5 courses provide learners with key life skills for independence during presentations; collaboration during production work; literacy during analytical extended pieces; and creativity in developing their own media products.

The Media department’s goal is to continue to deliver a challenging but differentiated course to all of our learners in order to promote their individual excellence.

Physical Education (PE)

PE aims to help students with SEN develop personally and socially. They work as individuals, in groups and in teams, developing concepts of fairness and of personal and social responsibility. They take on different roles and responsibilities, including leadership, coaching and officiating. Through the range of experiences that PE offers, they learn how to be effective in competitive, creative and challenging situations.