Access and Inclusion – provision for students with SEND
Overview
The Access and Inclusion department aims to provide an environment in which all SEND students are fully included in the life of the school, challenged to aim high and provided with a wealth of opportunities to fulfil their potential. We support students in a range of ways to help remove barriers to learning and nurture independence so that they learn and develop into confident young women.
Our aim is to ensure all students’ needs are met in the mainstream classroom wherever possible through Quality First Teaching. Access and Inclusion staff work closely with teachers and specialists to ensure work is engaging, challenging and promotes high aspirations for our students. Staff are provided with targeted strategies to support each individual student, as well as resources and training to support inclusive teaching in all curriculum areas – our Inclusion Policy provides more detailed information. A key element of ensuring that the needs of every student are met is working with parents and carers; our team liaises regularly with parents and carers, so that all provision for students with SEND is planned for and reviewed with the family and young person at the heart of the process.
As a school in Newham, we work in partnership with the Borough to provide a Local Offer for children in need of such support. This is a guide to the services in Newham that are available for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities aged from birth to 25. Further information is available here.
What additional support do we provide to children with specific educational needs?
Our Whole School Provision Map provides an overview of the various additional interventions we offer to support all learners, as and where appropriate. If you wish to discuss your child’s support interventions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the Inclusion Leader via our School Office.
Additional needs are identified before, on entry or at any point during your child’s time at Portway. The appropriate intervention, referral or support is then put in place – as per our Whole School Provision Map.
Our Accessibility Plan outlines how we work to ensure that our school is accessible to all learners.
Finally, our School SEN Information Report provides detailed information about our school and our provision, and is available as a document to download on this page.
‘ When I first came into Sarah Bonnell (in the middle of Year 8) I made friends so quickly and felt like I truly was part of the school in a matter of seconds! Although I am in a wheelchair, I get treated as equally as everyone else does and the school facilitates to whatever needs I have’ (Year 9 student)
The Transition Group – a bespoke curriculum for SEND students
The Transition Group (TG) at Sarah Bonnell School follows a Nurture Group model to improve students’ social and emotional wellbeing and academic progress. TG provides a focused programme of literacy, numeracy and social/emotional aspects of learning offered by the Access and Inclusion Curriculum Area. Students benefit from additional 1:1 numeracy support where appropriate, according to individual needs. Students in Year 7 spend seven hours a week working within TG, which enables them to develop their literacy and numeracy skills before rejoining some curriculum areas in Years 8 and 9.
This intensive work supports students in their transition from Primary School and throughout their time at Sarah Bonnell in KS3, through a flexible and inclusive programme which enables them to flourish alongside peers in mainstream lessons.
Students who are in TG access the mainstream English curriculum in a meaningful and personalised way, and as a result are able to develop transferable written and oral communication skills which benefit them in all subject areas. By creating a safe and fulfilling environment, TG is able to champion students’ resilience and emotional literacy and because of this they are able to become more confident and articulate women. Students in TG access a range of alternative educational and enrichment opportunities which develop life skills, and applied numeracy, such as caring for others and preparing for work. A range of therapeutic approaches is also included in the offer for TG students and this is designed around the needs of those in each group, using a person-centred approach.