The Academy at Shotton Hall

The Academy at Shotton Hall is an inclusive school where every child is valued and respected. We are committed to the inclusion, progress and independence of all of their students, including those with SEND. We work to support their students to make progress in their learning, their emotional and social development and their independence. 

We aim to create a learning environment which is of high quality, but also actively work to support the learning and needs of all members of the community.

When is it on?

Time of day
Morning
Afternoon

Who to contact

Contact name
Angie Mein
Contact position
SENDCO (Assistant Principal)
Telephone
0191 518 0222
E-mail
enquiries@shottonhallacademy.co.uk
Website
The Academy at Shotton Hall

Where to go

Address
Passfield Way
Peterlee
County Durham
Postcode
SR8 1AU

Other details

Age range
11 - 16 years
Related links
Ofsted reports

Local Offer

Contact name
Angie Mein
Contact telephone
0191 518 0222
Contact email
angie.mein@shottonhallacademy.co.uk
Links
The Academy at Shotton Hall

How do you identify Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)?

How does the setting/school/college know if children/young people need extra help and what should I do if I think my child/young person may have special educational needs?

Despite high quality teaching, some students are unable to make expected progress and this could be for a variety of reasons, one of which is a special educational need.  Staff use tracking data and knowledge of students to identify such students. If they have a concern that there might be an undiagnosed special educational need, they will raise that concern with the SENCO.

Our SENCO will then investigate further by liaising with parents, gaining the views of the student, gathering more information about the student from other staff who teach or support them, carrying out testing as appropriate and referring the student to an outside service (Advisory Support Teacher, Educational Psychologist) if appropriate. Once this information has been gathered, if a special educational need is suspected or diagnosed, a meeting will be arranged, including parents, to discuss the student’s needs and subsequent actions.

How will you support my child with their special educational needs and disability?

How will early years setting/school/college staff support my child/young person?

Where a student is diagnosed with a special education need, support will be put in place to help them make progress.

This support might involve further differentiation in class by teachers, advice to teachers on a student’s need and strategies to be implemented, small group targeted intervention sessions, referrals to outside agencies, or a combination of these actions.

Interventions may involve bespoke packages or a programme developed specifically for that student or group of students.

Current interventions include:

  • Fresh Start 202020
  • LINK, Moving UP and Better Reading Partnership (BRP) for literacy
  • Building positive self-concept
  • Understanding your emotions
  • PIP for social skills support

Support can also be from outside agencies for things like speech and language and autistic spectrum disorder amongst others.

Interventions follow a monitoring cycle involving assess–plan-do-review. Where an intervention with a student is not found to be effective, we will endeavour to find out why and put in place a more effective programme. Interventions are regularly reviewed to ensure effectiveness and to ensure that we continually strive to improve their intervention programme.

Some students receive support through the use of technology, including the use of a laptop or tablet. If appropriate, our SENCO will apply to ATT for such equipment. Students who are allocated technology are also sometimes provided with software to support their progress.

Students with visual or hearing impairments may also be assessed and supplied with equipment to support their needs; this is currently supplied by Durham County Council's Sensory Support service.

Parents and carers of students with SEND will have regular meetings with school staff to discuss their child’s progress, support needs and any concerns they may have. Parents and carers are also welcome to request a meeting or discussion with us at any time, including the SENCO, if they have a concern.

How will you make sure my child's education meet their needs?

How will the curriculum be matched to my child's young person's needs?

Our staff strive to provide high quality teaching to all of their students. Teachers prepare schemes of work and lessons which support the learning and progress of all students through a variety of methods, including creative and innovative teaching techniques and the use of a wide variety of resources. Individual departments are responsible for their curriculum and teaching staff adapt their teaching and resources to suit the needs of all learners, including those with SEND, in their classrooms (known as differentiation). Such in-class differentiation may involve many adaptations and strategies, dependent upon the needs of the student.

Staff have access to regular training opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills, including regular CPD sessions on a wide variety of educational concerns, including SEND issues.

How will we know my child is progressing?

How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support my child's/young person's learning?

All staff are responsible for assessing, monitoring and tracking the progress of students. Each student is regularly assessed in class in all subjects and levels are recorded and reported to parents at least once per term.

At a whole school level, aspirational targets are set for all students including those with SEND. Staff are responsible for setting each student achievable yet challenging targets within lessons and having high expectations of progress.

Heads of Departments, Sept Tutors, Learning Managers and the SENCo regularly check on the progress of students and if someone is not making the expected levels of progress then intervention is made to provided this. A massive range of intervention strategies are in place both inside and outside of normal levels.

How will you support my child's overall wellbeing?

What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall wellbeing?

Where a student is diagnosed with a special education need, support will be put in place to help them make progress. Such support might involve: further differentiation in class by teachers, advice to teachers on a student’s need and strategies to be implemented, small group targeted intervention sessions and referrals to outside agencies, or a combination.

Interventions may involve bespoke packages or a programme developed specifically for that student or group of students.

Current interventions include:

  • Fresh Start
  • 202020
  • LINK
  • Moving UP
  • Better Reading Partnership (BRP) for literacy
  • Building positive self-concept
  • The Incredible Five Point Scale
  • Understanding your emotions

as well as support from outside agencies for things like speech and language and autistic spectrum disorder amongst others.

Interventions follow a monitoring cycle involving: assess–plan-do-review. Where an intervention with a student is not found to be effective, the school will endeavour to find out why and put in place a more effective programme. Interventions are regularly reviewed to ensure effectiveness and to ensure that the school continually strives to improve their intervention programme.

Some students receive support through the use of technology, including the use of a laptop or tablet. If appropriate, the SENCO will apply to ATT for such equipment. Students who are allocated technology are also sometimes provided with software to support their progress. Students with visual or hearing impairments may also be assessed and supplied with equipment to support their needs; this is currently supplied by Durham County’s Sensory Support Service.

Parents/Carers of students with SEND will have regular meetings with school staff to discuss their child’s progress, support needs and any concerns they may have. However, parents/carers are welcome to request a meeting or discussion with school staff at any time, including the SENCO, if they have a concern.

What specialist services and expertise is available at or accessed by the staff?

What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the setting/school/college?

Where a student with SEND is not making appropriate progress and we feel that they need advice and support from external professionals, they will discuss such a need with parents. If it is felt appropriate, they will then refer a student to an external agency and/or professionals for diagnosis, support or advice. Subsequent to such a referral, we will work with the external agency to support such students, using their support and advice. We have a contract with the council's EPSS Service (Educational Psychology Support Service) to whom we make referrals for Advisory Support Teachers and Educational Psychologists. 

We also work with other external agencies such as Sensory Support, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Speech and Language Therapy, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Services.

How are staff trained regarding SEND?

What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEND have had or are having?

Staff have access to regular training opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills, including regular CPD sessions on a wide variety of educational concerns, including SEND issues.

What activities outside the classroom will there be?

How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?

We are an inclusive school and actively seek to promote the inclusion of students with SEN and disabilities. We use our best endeavours to ensure that all students with SEN and disabilities are able to fully participate in the life of the school, both in their learning and in the wider provision and life of the school. Adaptations and provisions are made for SEN and disabled students to enable them to participate in all school trips and other out of class activities.

Students with SEND are actively encouraged, supported and given opportunities to become involved with extra-curricular activities. For example, current students with SEND have been involved with the following clubs: lunchtime, breakfast and break time clubs, homework club, steel band, STEM club, sports clubs, and live performance events. SEND students have also participated in student panels for new members of staff, Year 6 transition support and in the annual school production.

What support can I expect for my child?

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

The council funds schools to support their SEND provision. Each individual school receives their own SEND funding from the local authority.

Each school identifies specific interventions to use this fund and their impact is monitored and reviewed by the Academy. We use our professional judgement to ensure that the funding is distributed to have the greatest impact on our SEND pupils. We regularly review this at school level to ensure maximum effectiveness and efficiency. We strive to ensure equity, transparency and clarity within the academy for the monies spent on all learners and their needs.

How will I be involved in my child's education?

How are parents involved in the setting/school/college? How can I be involved?

Parents and Carers are equally at the centre of supporting their children. They are fully involved in decisions about support for their child, including decisions to investigate a potential diagnosis, referral to external agencies, planning and evaluating support. They are encouraged to contact any member of staff at school if they have any concerns about their child. The SENCO is always pleased to discuss any concerns involving SEND with parents and carers.

My child is going to be starting or leaving soon, how will you help them?

How will the setting/school/college prepare and support my child/young person to join the setting/school/college or the next stage of education and life?

We understand that transition between schools and other establishments is sometimes an anxious time for parents/carers and students, especially for students with SEND.

For students coming into Year 7 at The Academy at Shotton Hall, the Head of Year 7 and SENCO, endeavour to visit all primary schools where there are students coming to The Academy at Shotton Hall. They meet with Year 6 teachers or leaders to gain as much information as possible about these students, including SEND information. The Head of Year 7 contacts other primary schools by telephone to gain the same information. For students with SEND, the SENCO receives all relevant Year 6 information, including SEN files. Parents/Carers of students with SEND in primary schools whose child will be coming to The Academy at Shotton Hall are always welcome to contact our SENCO who will discuss your child and their provision on the telephone or arrange a meeting for you (and your child if appropriate) to come in to discuss this.

All Year 6 students who will be attending The Academy at Shotton Hall, are invited in for a transition day in the summer term, when they spend the day in their new sept  group and take part in activities to help them adjust to life at The Academy at Shotton Hall . They also visit for a day where they take part in lessons and familiarise themselves with the layout of the school. Many students with SEND are invited in for extra transition sessions to introduce them to life at The Academy at Shotton Hall to try to allay any anxieties as much as possible. In addition to this, prior to starting Year 7 in September, there is also a summer school in the last week in August available to all students qualifying for pupil premium.

For students with an EHCP, the SENCO will attend Year 6 Statement Review meetings to begin to understand the needs of these students and plan their transition. For students with high transition needs, the SENCO will put in place a more personalised transition programme, in conjunction with the primary school and parents/carers. Parents/Carers of students with an EHCP in Year 5 who are considering a placement at The Academy at Shotton Hall are very welcome to contact our SENCO at any time to discuss their child’s needs or arrange a meeting or visit to the Academy.

For students leaving Year 11, the SENCO works with our post 16 provision coordinator, vocational experience administrator, careers advisors and the One Point service to ensure that all students have thought through their next steps and have appropriate applications to post-16 providers. We also liaise with their next provider to ensure that they understand about a student’s support needs by providing a learning disability assessment (LDA) created in conjunction with students, families and the One Point service. All students with an Education, Health and Care Plan will have access to the above services from Year 10 onwards.

Disclaimer

Durham County Council's Families Information Service does not promote nor endorse the services advertised on this website. Anyone seeking to use/access such services does so at their own risk and may make all appropriate enquiries about fitness for purpose and suitability to meet their needs.

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Address: Passfield Way  Peterlee  County Durham

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