At Fareham Academy, all students with a special educational need and/or disability will have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. We are primarily a mainstream school and we are proud that our SEND children mostly attend all lessons. As a school that has an experienced SEND team and highly trained teaching staff we will always work to support the individual needs of each child to ensure that all children are supported effectively so that they can academically succeed and become confident and successful learners in line with their peers. ​As a school we ensure that our Curriculum Leads, Heads of Year and classroom teachers are all teachers of students with SEND. Quality first teaching is central to our success in supporting students with SEN. Teachers receive regular Continued Professional Development from not only the SENCo but also key members of the SEND team and external county wide SEND specialists. This training enables us to be always forward thinking in terms of ensuring we can provide the best provision for our students with SEND. All teachers are provided with direct teaching strategies for each child with an identified SEND need through a centralised database of Provision Mapping. This platform enables all staff to have access to all students’ information and their specific needs and this informs their ability to differentiate all lessons to ensure barriers to learning are removed and rapid and sustained progress is made.

We feel that our success as a mainstream school in supporting students with SEND is as a consequence of the successful and meaningful relationships we work hard to forge with our parents from transition through to their Post 16 choices. Our teachers and support staff are an experienced and highly trained team and their skill and expertise provides parents with the comfort that their child will be able to flourish in supportive learning environment surrounded by SEND trained staff. We consider that all our staff are teachers of students with Special Educational Needs. If your child has an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP), you will be invited to attend a yearly annual review with the SENCo. The SENCo will chair the meeting and work with the team that have closely supported your child to complete the annual paperwork. At the time of the review your child’s key worker and all relevant external professionals involved with your child’ leaning will be invited to attend this meeting. We value and celebrate the need for each student to be able to express their views on all aspects of school life and therefore as part of the tutor group and tutor programme, there are many opportunities for students to take on different roles and share their opinions.

Annually, we encourage all students to strive to be elected to be a student council representative and join the tutor council where they will be able to relay their views and positively impact on change. If your child has an Educational Needs or an Education Health Care plan, we encourage all students to share their views and reflective successes and personal areas of improvement at the annual review meetings/EHCP review meetings.

A child or young person has special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability which requires special educational provision to be made. This could be to do with behaviour or ability to play with other children, academic progress, ability to understand, ability to concentrate or perhaps their physical ability is affected in a way that makes it difficult for them to learn. ​ The SEND pathway we follow at Fareham Academy can be seen in the Four Wave System linked in the resources section below. Also in the resources section is a link to the Local Offer and the services that Hampshire provides to support Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities.

SEN Support is the system by which schools should assess the needs of children, and then provide appropriate support. The system should follow four stages, often referred to as a 'cycle': Assess, Plan, Do, Review. For further information about this cycle, often referred to as the 'graduated approach', see Chapter 6 of the SEND Code of Practice 2015 linked below. This cycle should not be considered a single process. There may be more than one cycle at a time, each addressing different areas e.g. literacy, social skills, attention and/or behaviour. After the Review, a second or third cycle might start, each aiming to improve the support for the child. SEN Process of Assessment: The class teacher, tutor, working with the HOY, HOD and SENCo, assess the child's needs through a baseline assessment by which progress will be measured (LUCID/CATS SATs). Schools should also take seriously any concerns raised by parents. The assessment should be reviewed regularly, with specific dates set for the next review. Firstly, a plan of additional support is drawn up for a pupil, and logged on Provision mapping and parents MUST be informed. The school and parents should agree what progress they hope will be made (outcomes), and by what date (deadlines). The areas of difficulty and suggested areas of support will be added/ written and shared with teaching staff. Secondly, the pupil is given extra support, undertaken under the supervision of the class teacher. Thirdly, a review takes place at Fareham Academy in line with the data captures as outlined in the assessment calendar. Diagnosing a medical need: It is It is important to note that Fareham Academy cannot provide a medical diagnosis for a child in our care. If you need support with this, please see your general practitioner (GP). Once a special education need and/or disability is identified (whether an historical or emerging need) your child will be placed on our SEND register. This register informs staff of your child’s strengths, areas for development and their SEN needs and the provisions that have been put in place to support them in school to meet their needs. If your child has an EHCP the targets from the plan will be shared with teachers and in some cases an IEP may be completed as a method to secure positive outcomes. Communication and Interaction: Children and young people with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) have difficulties communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of communication. The profile for every child with a SLCN is different and their needs may change over time. They may have difficulties with one, some or all of the different aspects of speech, language or social communication at different times of their lives. Children and young people with ASD, including Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism, are likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication and imagination, which can impact on how they relate to others. Cognition and Learning: Support for learning difficulties may be required when children and young people learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of needs, including moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD); where children are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum and associated difficulties with mobility and communication, through to profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD); where 98% of children are likely to have severe and complex learning difficulties as well as a physical disability or sensory impairment. Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), affect one or more specific aspects of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia. Available Activities and Additional Support for Learning: Students who require additional provision beyond high-quality inclusive teaching provided by classroom teachers will receive support to address their needs, subject to resource limitations. Class teachers, subject leaders or progress leaders may be the initial provider of student intervention. Most additional provision provided by the Learning Support team is time limited and subject to adjustment: student needs change over time and it is expected that the level and nature of any need for additional provision would also change. The successful implementation of additional provision should lead to the reduction in the need for such provision in the long term. Additional provision may take many forms, including: – literacy or numeracy intervention during tutor time sessions; – literacy or number intervention in place of one or more timetabled lessons; – fine motor skills intervention; – emotional literacy support; – peer mentoring; – access to additional adult support within the classroom; – access to ICT resources to support learning; – intervention to support organisation and/or academic engagement. Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH): Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) or attachment disorder (AD). Emotional and Social Development of Students with Learning Needs: All students have access to a pastoral support structure within the school which includes their tutor, their year leader and Pastoral Support staff. For students with special educational needs, there are also opportunities for emotional literacy intervention, either individually or part of a small group, counselling (subject to a referral), buddying, behaviour mentoring (both in and out of class) and an individual plan to be agreed and shared with relevant staff. In a small number of cases, referral to an external support service may be appropriate. Sensory and/or Physical Needs: Some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be age related and may fluctuate over time. Many children and young people with visual impairments (VI), hearing impairments (HI) or a multi-sensory impairments (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning, or support. Some children and young people with physical disabilities (PD) require additional, ongoing support and equipment to access all opportunities available to their peers. Available Support for Students with Physical or Sensory Difficulties to Access the School: Fareham Academy takes great pride in the efforts put in to minimise any barriers to learning for students with physical or sensory difficulties. Support can be personalised to meet specific individual needs. Where possible, the school will make use of adaptive furniture, as well as audio technology to support students with severe hearing impairments. Pupils who find handwriting or fine motor skills difficult may be offered a laptop to support them in lessons where they are required to write for a prolonged period of time. This is subject to individual pupil needs. Please raise any specific anxieties you may have at your earliest opportunity. External Support: Staff at Fareham Academy aim to work effectively with outside agencies (including local authority support services and voluntary organisations) to fully support the achievement of all students. The ability of the school to access the services of outside agencies is subject to change and can be dependent upon both the permission of parents and carers being granted before their involvement can be sought and the referral criteria of the outside agency itself. Many of these services operate a lengthy referral process or waiting list. Such services could include: – Fareham & Gosport Early Help Hub – Fareham & Gosport Youth Counselling – Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS); – the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Educational Psychology Service (HIEPS); – Specialist Teacher Advisory Service.

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) register is a centralised register that informs teaching staff of a child’s difficulties and provides teaching staff with appropriate support strategies. At Fareham Academy we use Provision Mapping, a subsidiary of Class Charts, to ensure that all teachers and support staff are fully informed on students’ needs. Your child will qualify to be on the SEND register if socially or academically your child is not reaching age related expectations. The information about your child will be available to all staff on Provision Mapping and will be used to ensure teaching staff, LSAs and support staff can plan and prepare effective lessons to ensure your child is provided with a high-quality programme of study.

The key responsibilities of the SENCo are as follows: • Overseeing the day-to-day operation of the school SEND policy. • Coordinating provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. • Liaising with the relevant Designated Teacher where a looked after child has a special educational need and or a disability. • Providing tiered support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. • Liaising with parents of pupils with a special educational need and or disability. • Liaising with professionals to support the child with special educational needs and/or disabilities. • Support transition between key stages for a child with special educational needs and/or disabilities. • Working with the Headteacher and Governing Body to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities under the Equalities Act (2010). • Ensuring that records for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities are kept up-to-date.

At Fareham Academy, we pride ourselves on our inclusive environment. All members of staff at the school understand the importance of promoting high self-esteem in order to achieve positive well-being. At Fareham Academy, we also have an on-site Student Support Services which is managed by Mrs Hoggarth and Miss Heath. Student services offer pastoral support as well as medical support with trained first aiders on duty at all times. Student services also offer intervention for; supporting vulnerable students, screening, supervised learning, mentoring services, youth services and support during unstructured times of the school day. The G.E.M pathway we follow at Fareham Academy for supporting emotional well-being and mental health can be seen in the three-tier system in the resources section below. We have six members of staff who are Child Protection Officers should your child need a designated teacher to support them. Our Designated Safeguarding Leads are re-trained every three years and all staff are provided with training and updates regularly on Child Protection and safeguarding protocol. SEND Department: At Fareham Academy, we currently have a number of Learning Support Assistants with a broad range of training in various areas including: Speech and Language, Autism Awareness, British Sign Language, Deaf Awareness, Speech Language Communication Needs awareness, ELSA and Mental health. Subject teachers receive regular SEND training. Hearing Impaired Resource Provision: At Fareham Academy, we are fortunate to have a Hearing Impaired Resource Provision which is called the LINK centre. All LSAs are trained in being able to support our hearing impaired students in their daily equipment hearing checks and in the use of the new state of the art radio aids. Our communication support assistants (CSW) support the students in their mainstream lessons whilst also providing BSL lessons and over teaching in the LINK centre should your Hearing Impaired child be a BSL user. We also provide staff and students with deaf awareness training each year as we believe an inclusive education is the key to success. Student Support Services: Our Student Support Services is made up of Mrs Hoggarth, Miss Heath and Miss Bye. A number of the support staff are ELSA trained and provide emotional support to identified students. All members of student support staff are first aid trained. We also work closely with external agencies such as; MOTIV8, school nurse, CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service), paediatricians, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, educational psychologists and social care. Gateway Provision: Fareham Academy offers a Gateway Provision, this is an alternative provision for student at Key Stage 3 who need bespoke additional support due to their SEND need or they are at risk of permanent exclusion. The SENCo works closely with the team to identify students they feel would benefit from the personalised packages they provide. They provide intervention to support students with; developing their social skills, ability to work independently or to self-regulate their behaviour. Exam Dispensation: Miss Hewitt is our exam dispensation lead and she works to identify and apply for access arrangements and as to whether a student may need academic support through Access Arrangements, Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration. Under the Equality Act of 2010, the Joint Council for Qualification (JCQ) requires an Awarding Body to make reasonable adjustments where a disabled person or student with a specific learning need would be at a substantial disadvantage in undertaking an assessment. Such reasonable adjustments under the approval of the examination board enable the students to have extra time in exams, a scribe should their writing hinder their clarity of expression, have a reader and/or computer reader to help them if they are slow readers.

All children are included in all parts of the school curriculum and we encourage all students to be included on school trips and extra-curricular clubs. We will provide the necessary support to ensure that this is successful. A risk assessment is carried out before all school trips to ensure the health and safety of everyone will not be compromised.

There is disabled access to the school building as well as a disabled toilet on the ground floor. There are currently no alternative arrangements for disabled access to the first floor. Should you like a copy of the Accessibility Plan, then please contact the school and we will be more than happy to send out a copy for your perusal.

At Fareham Academy we strive to ensure transition for your child from junior school is smooth. For a student who has a special educational need or and disability the SENCo with liaise with the SENCo at their primary school to ensure we are well informed of your child’s needs and provision. If your child has an EHCP, the SENCo or a member of the SEND team will attend Year 6 transition meetings before your child begins at Fareham Academy. For children joining Fareham Academy in Year 7 we offer a whole week transition as part of our transition planning as we feel it is important for all students to feel a sense of belonging early on in their visit to the school. We also hold two open evenings a year where parents are invited to come and familiarise themselves with the school and speak to staff. For children with SEND we encourage more visits to assist with the acclimatisation of the new surroundings. We also provide ongoing support at key stages of education including input from our careers advisor from Year 9 onwards. Finally, in Year 11 the SENCo will coordinate transition meetings to further education to ensure your child is given the most effective support even when they leave Fareham Academy. For college transition a named member of staff may accompany and support students on their taster days and to interview to support a smooth transition and ensure new staff are fully aware of their needs.

SEND complaints are handled in the same was as general complaints. Please see our Complaints Policy for more information.