SEND & Learning Support

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Great Marlow School is an inclusive school and has an excellent reputation for supporting students with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities (SEND).

The school follows the guidelines set out in the DfES Code of Practice to identify, assess and support students with special educational needs. We work closely with the family and outside agencies in order to remove barriers to learning.

The school has a ‘Director of Learning: Inclusion’ and a ‘Head of Learning Support’, together they are responsible for the strategic development of the SEND policy and provision in the school. There is also a governor with designated responsibility for SEND.

The Learning Support Department

The Learning Support Department helps students with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) to access the curriculum by removing barriers to their learning to raise achievement levels.

The majority of support for students is within the class, as their role is to prepare students to become independent learners. Students are occasionally withdrawn in individual or small group sessions to provide targeted support for literacy, numeracy, social skills or to work with external agencies.

The learning support team relies on strong links with the family in order to ensure suitable tailored support is provided to meet the needs of each child.

The Head of Learning Support leads a team of experienced learning support assistants (LSAs), who primarily assist students in lessons to ensure they access the curriculum in an inclusive environment.

The school wholeheartedly embraces the need to develop students as independent learners, so students with SEND are assisted, over time, to make independent progress both in and out of school. Students designated SEND are encouraged to become less reliant on LSAs, to help them complete work, as they progress through the key stages. The LSA team aims to give guidance and support on how to successfully complete tasks, as this helps them become familiar with the demands of the work place.

As SEND is not fixed in its identification of students, as strategies to overcome barriers to learning are implemented, ongoing SEND support is often not required . Early interventions may help students fill the gaps preventing them from making progress. Additionally, other students who had not previously displayed any SEND needs may develop difficulties in secondary school. It is for these reasons that the SEND register is regularly reviewed and updated.

Examples of the support provided by the Learning Support Department are listed below:

• In class support with a LSA

• Group and individual work for literacy and numeracy

• Social skills groups

• Access arrangements for external examinations

• Visual timetables

• Social stories