General Information

At King James I Academy we are committed to the academic and personal development of all students regardless of ability. We recognise the diverse and individual needs of all students and take into account the additional support required by those young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

King James adopts a whole school approach to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. All staff work together to ensure the inclusion of all students. We are committed to ensuring that students with SEND achieve their full potential.

At King James I Academy the SENCo is also the appointed Designated Teacher for Children Looked After.  It is important for all teachers and support staff in school understand the implications for those children and young people who are looked after and have SEND.

We believe in positive intervention, removing barriers to learning, raising expectations and accelerating levels of achievement. As a school, we also work in partnership with other agencies to ensure that all our SEND students have a positive educational experience.

 

There are four broad areas of SEND, these are:

  • Communication and Interaction - This area of need includes young people with Autism Spectrum Condition and those with Speech, Language and Communication Needs.
  • Cognition and Learning - This includes young people with Specific Learning Difficulties, Moderate Learning Difficulties, Severe Learning Difficulties and Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties.
  • Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties - This includes any young people who have an emotional, social or mental health need that is impacting on their ability to learn.
  • Sensory and/or Physical Difficulties - This area includes young people with a hearing impairment, visual impairment, multi-sensory impairment and physical difficulties.

At King James I Academy we offer a wide variety of support to students in order to enhance learning and develop skills.

Individual Support: Literacy, Speech and Language, Numeracy, Study Skills, Physiotherapy, Medication, Physical Difficulties, Listening and Counselling, Support with Transition
Small Group Support: Literacy, Numeracy, Speech and Language, Study Skills, Motor Skills, Behaviour Support, Life Skills, Personal Social Development, Homework Support, Art and Music Therapy, Gardening, Independent Travel, Forest School, Building Friendships and Social and Communication.
In Class Support: All Curriculum Areas, covering the whole age range.
 

SEN Department Aim

The aim of the SEN department is "to ensure that all students with additional needs, (needs which are beyond the differentiation and normal classroom strategies adopted by teachers), are identified, referred, appropriately supported and that such needs are reviewed in a timely manner in order to ensure that all targeted students can make academic progress and add value to their personal expectations".

 

In Class Support

Learning Support Assistants offer in-class support covering all subject areas, working collaboratively with teaching staff to meet students’ educational needs and raise standards. Learning Support Assistants offer subject specialism, and aim to support students to reach their true potential. Students’ academic performance is monitored and additional support is offered if required.

 

Nurture Group Provision

Our Pavilion building now supports Key Stage 3 Nurture groups – Year 7, 8 and 9.   The Pavilion is open before, during and after school to support students’ academic, personal and social skills.   Its aim is to provide support for vulnerable students and acts as ‘stepping stone’ for the transition between primary into secondary school.   Specialist staff offer differentiation in terms of level, pace and approach in order to meet the individual needs of students whilst developing independence and inclusion with the mainstream school.  Students in the nurture group benefit from having the same teacher for English, Geography, History hence reducing the number of teachers and subject rooms students need to access across the academy site.

The Pavilion is a fully accessible building for disabled students.  The building consists of three larger than average classrooms that look out over and enclosed gardens and the school field.   Toilet facilities include a disabled toilet.   There is also a kitchen area that can be used to support breakfast club and social times but also offer opportunities for life skills.   Students are able to socialise in the garden area during the summer time.

 

The Learning Support Unit

Our Learning Support Unit (LSU) continues to provide excellent support for students finding it difficult to cope with mainstream lessons and offers individual and small group support covering all curriculum aspects as well as personal and social development.   Whilst being separate from the mainstream school it boasts a self -contained safe environment with a small enclosed garden, greenhouse and access to a kitchen area.  Students are referred to the LSU through the SERG referral process.   Specialist staff offer support for identified students with an individualised program of support this ties in with the students SEN plan.   The support plan is then reviewed at the end of the intervention and the student is then supported back into mainstream lessons.  Specialist support staff are well trained and work closely with other agencies to promote learning for all and establish positive outcomes for individual students.

 

Physiotherapy

Some of our students have Individual Physiotherapy Programmes to develop fine and gross motor skills. Staff work collaboratively with the Physiotherapy Services to achieve this. Within every department, we provide access to ground floor classrooms to support our students with physical difficulties. We encourage able bodied students to support students with physical difficulties to move around the school site.

 

Modified Sports

Our students benefit from accessing a range of modified sporting activities. These include: Boccia, Table Cricket, New Age Kurling, Wheelchair Basketball, Archery, Fencing, Swimming, Adapted Athletics and Tag Rugby. This gives our students the ability to experience the thrill of competition, and develop friendships with peers from other schools whilst improving their confidence and physical abilities.

Forest School

This is a new initiative and is very popular with our students.    

Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process, that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions. It is a long-term program that supports play, exploration and supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting.

Forest School facilitates more than knowledge-gathering, it helps learners develop socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically and intellectually. It creates a safe, non-judgemental nurturing environment for learners to try stuff out and take risks. Forest School inspires a deep and meaningful connection to the world and an understanding of how a learner fits within it. Forest School therefore, helps participants to become, healthy, resilient, creative and independent learners.

 

Independent Travel

The Independent Travel Programme helps students to travel safely to and from school. Activities include planning safe routes, map reading, road safety, understanding the 24 hour clock, handling money, and reading bus timetables. This helps students to build confidence and gain greater freedom in the wider environment.

 

Skills For Life

The main aim for the Skills For Life Programme is to help students develop new skills, becoming independent and increasing their self-esteem in preparation for adulthood. This includes activities such as: cooking, food hygiene and safety in the kitchen. Students are given experience in shopping on a budget and handling money, both in shops and at the local bank.

 

Students With Medical Needs

Some students require medication during the school day. At King James I Academy we have members of staff designated to support individual students throughout the day, enabling them to attend lessons as normal.