SEND Information Report

SEND Policy

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Current Ofsted rating

Outstanding: 2009, 2013, 2018

Good: 2023

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School Location

• Beaucroft is a day special school for pupils aged 4-19.
• We welcome pupils from a wide geographical area and support a comprehensive range of special educational needs.
• Beaucroft Main Provision is located in Colehill, Wimborne, and caters for pupils with a wide range of learning difficulties and associated complex needs. We have a college site in Wimborne Town for our Post 16 students.
• As a school we uphold the rights of our pupils’ individuality to be seen first, not the level of their learning difficulty.

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What is your standard admissions number?

Beaucroft School and College Provision currently 230 spaces, (Sept 25)

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What is our admission criteria?

• All pupils must have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
• Admissions may be made at any time during the school year via the Dorset LA Admissions panels.
• All admissions are made in accordance with the current legislation relating to pupils with special needs.
• The East Locality Education and early years SEND team manager (our Local Authority) administer all admissions, 01305 221372.
• There are no prescribed place numbers relating to the category of learning difficulty or Key Stage. Places are allocated on vacancies within groups rather than overall vacancies within the school.
• The school has a robust Equality Policy and no child will be discriminated against on grounds of sex, race or religion.

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The Code of Practice, states that all children and young people are entitled to an education that enables them to make progress so that they:

• achieve their best
• become confident individuals living fulfilling lives, and make a successful transition into adulthood, whether into employment, further, higher education, or training.

All staff at Beaucroft have due regard to promote disability equality. The school/college delivers an appropriate curriculum to:

• Provide suitable learning challenges
• Meet the pupils’ diverse learning needs
• Remove the barriers to assessment and learning

 In-line with the Code of Practice the school/college will:

• Identify and address the needs of the pupils we support.
• Use our best endeavours to ensure that a child receives the support they need.
• Ensure that all pupils are offered full access to a broad, balanced and appropriate curriculum that sets high expectations for every pupil whatever their prior attainment.
• Provide for the individual needs of all pupils and ensure at least good progress.
• Take the views, wishes and feelings of the young person into account, and involve them as fully as possible in decision making about their own education.
• Work in partnership with parents and carers to enable them to make an active, empowered and informed contribution to their child’s education.

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What is the school’s policy for assessing and reviewing the progress of pupils?

Please refer to our Assessment Policy for further information.

What is the purpose of assessment, recording and reporting in our School?

The core purpose of assessment in our school is to support and plan for the holistic development of the children and young people in our care.

To achieve excellence in assessment we subscribe to the following principles: 

• Assessment will address holistic development and change including Independence, Communication, Social and Emotional, Sensory and Physical and Cognition including subject specific learning.
• Assessment will recognise that different groups of students have different trajectories in development, according to their needs.
• Assessment will provide a baseline from which to measure progress and data to track progress along planned pathways.
• Assessment will lead to appropriate accreditation for our pupils and enable them to develop skills to go into the wider community and prepare for the next phase of learning and training.
• Assessment will be informed by the voice of the parents, carers and pupils who are key participants in planning for holistic outcomes.
• We welcome the principles embodied in the Education, Health and Care plans of linking short-step targets to longer term planned outcomes.
• We welcome the opportunity for multi-agency and therapeutic inputs as part of our target setting and assessment practice.
• Reflection is at the heart of our assessment practice. Assessment will enable us to follow the progress of each pupil closely and to judge when interventions are required, or where adaptations or modifications are required in the teaching and learning experienced by the pupil.
• Moderation within our school is an essential tool to ensure rigour of assessment and continuous growth and challenge in our assessment practice.

What evidence do we keep to track progress?

• Learning and Progress Files
• Portfolios of Work
• Completion of the Foundation Stage Profile at the end of the Reception Year
• Early Years Foundation Stage are assessed against The Early Years Foundation Stage Assessment Document /Development Matters
• Early Years Learning Journals
• Connecting Steps- Engagement Steps, Progression Steps, Adult Curriculum and Steps4life.
• Evisense – Photo, Video and Observational Evidence
• Target folders
• Pupil’s work – Termly Literacy and Numeracy Moderation
• End of Key Stage Tests and Tasks
• Records of significant pupil responses to learning experiences on response sheets
  • A range of External Accreditation schemes.
  • EHCP Outcome Trackers.

What is the school’s approach for teaching pupils with SEND?

Each pupil drives the direction of their own ‘curriculum’. Whilst there may be whole school or department ‘topics’, the planning, learning and delivery may vary between classes. Priorities based upon EHCP outcomes, pupils’ age, need, motivation and learning style will help to build the curriculum. In addition to this reference is made to ‘Preparing for Adulthood’.

What is the Intent of our Curriculum offer?

• To provide a curriculum which meets the individual needs of our pupils.
• To provide motivating and relevant learning and development activities to maximise pupil engagement and support outstanding individual progress.
• To provide a curriculum which is enriching and challenging, where pupils experience the opportunity to learn in a wide range of contexts.
• To provide a curriculum which develops the five key areas of learning: Communication, SEMH, Independence, Cognition and Learning and Physical and Sensory.
• To provide a curriculum which prepares pupils for the next stage of their education, employment, or training.
• To provide a curriculum which effectively promotes pupils’ holistic development, enhances their self-esteem, and enables them to celebrate and feel pride in the acquisition of new skills and achievements.
• To provide a learning rich environment within which each pupil can reach their full potential.

How do we implement our Curriculum offer?

• Different curriculum models – Pre-Formal, Semi-Formal, Formal and Nurture.
• Topic based approach providing stimulating learning experiences. The same overall topic is covered by all curriculum models ensuring that classes can use a variety of approaches to support individualisation and accessibility.
• Links to Individual EHCP’s and outcomes specifically in the five key areas of learning – Communication, SEMH, Independence, Cognition and Learning and Physical and Sensory.
• Varied and frequent use of the local and extended community, giving the pupils opportunities to transfer knowledge, skills, and concepts into real life settings.
• Use of therapies including SaLT, OT, physio, drama therapy and music therapy.
• Differentiated group and individual lessons and resources.
• Learning beyond the classroom – contextualised trips and visits including horse riding, exploring the community, residential outings, and parent/carer liaison.
• Total communication approach including PECS, symbols, signalong, AAC and intensive interaction.
• Personalised learning including EHCP pupil tracker, EHCP’s, annual reviews, individual targets, and outcomes.
• Therapeutic approach to behaviour management (Dorset Therapeutic Thinking) including Behaviour support policy, individual Therapeutic Trees and individual risk management plans.

What is the impact of our curriculum offer?

• Pupils are motivated and engaged and display positive attitudes to their learning.
• Individual pupils achieve the best possible outcomes.
• Pupils are readily prepared for the next stage of education, employment or training including transitions at Year 11 and Year 14.
• Pupils achieve relevant accreditation and qualifications to continue to their learning journey into adult life.
• Pupils successfully transition between school phases and build upon prior learning.
• Pupils leave with maximised communication, confidence, self-help, and independent life and living skills.

In addition to this we plan for and deliver intervention programmes.

We identify target groups of pupils within departments who would benefit from additional intervention over and above quality first teaching and also extending and responding to individual strengths.

Aims of intervention programmes:

• To raise standards
• To further improve achievement
• To actively seek to address and overcome barriers to learning
• To provide appropriate access to all aspects of the National Curriculum through a personalised approach to learning
• To develop the full potential of every individual pupil
• To narrow the attainment gap between the highest and lowest performing pupils nationally
• To work in partnership with parents/carers

Outcomes

• Improvements in speaking, listening, reading, writing, spelling and maths
• Extending and responding to individual strengths e.g. Entry Level Qualifications
• Improved memory skills
• Improved concentration
• Positive attitudes to learning
• Increased self esteem
• Learnt knowledge, skills and understanding are applied in all areas of the curriculum

The selection is based on the identification of our most vulnerable pupils who are not achieving as well as their peers relative to their starting points or those pupils who we need to extend further. Identification has been through one or a combination of:

• analysis of progress and attainment – Engagement Profile/Connecting Steps – Early Steps, Engagement Steps, Progression Steps, Steps4life/ YARC Reading Assessments
• issues/concerns raised by the class teacher, parent/carers
• recommendations made by outside agencies
• recommendations made through Annual Reviews/Person Centred Reviews

Programmes followed at Beaucroft:

• Personalised additional support in English and Maths
• Speech and Language Therapy from the Beaucroft Team
• Other Therapeutic programmes – e.g. music therapy, occupational therapy
• Wake and Shake
• Weekly senior options including Yoga, drama, cooking, sailing
• Inclusion collaboration with local schools including St Michael’s, Canford and Bryanston.
• Forest School

What is the support available for improving the emotional and social development of pupils with SEND?

Beaucroft works in partnership with the Learning Disabilities Team; supporting in developing and delivering self -esteem and social skills programmes.

Parent Voice

At Beaucroft we encourage parents to have a voice. This is achieved through:

• Steering Groups which have parent representation e.g. Healthy Schools, Anti- Bullying Policy
• Annual Reviews of Statement/EHCP
• Parent Consultations
• Home-School Liaison book
• Parent questionnaires
• Parent representation on the Governing Body
• Comments regarding school improvement can be forwarded to the school office and these will be forwarded to the Senior Management Team for
• Parent Coffee Mornings led by Family Support Worker
• New Parents Groups
• Home visits as appropriate including the outreach team/or Parent Support Worker where appropriate

What is the school’s Accessibility policy?

Valuing diversity is central to achieving the overall aim of Beaucroft School and fully supports the spirit of our mission statement. At Beaucroft we are committed to ensuring equality of education and opportunity for disabled pupils, staff and all those receiving services from the school. We recognise and welcome the proactive nature of the duty to promote disability equality and aim to further develop our culture of inclusion and diversity in which people feel free to disclose their disability and to participate fully in school life. We are therefore committed to making reasonable adjustments to ensure that the school environment is as accessible as possible. In addition, all pupils have an entitlement to access a curriculum that is appropriate and differentiated to meet their needs.

At Beaucroft we believe that diversity is a strength, which should be respected and celebrated by all those who learn, teach and visit here.

What arrangements are there for training staff in relation to children and young people with SEND and how do you secure specialist expertise?

• Robust induction programme of training.
• In house and external training e.g. Signalong, Manual Handling, First Aid, PECS, Medical Needs – training led by Specialists
• Opportunity to visit other specialist provision
• Appraisal system to support the professional development of both teachers and teaching assistants.

What and Who are the key points of contact?

• School Website – www.beaucroft.dorset.sch.uk
• Telephone – 01202 886083

Services to support parents and carers of young people with SEND

At Beaucroft, we offer the service of Family Support Advisers, Mandy Guy and Catherine Ephgrave, who organise regular events for parents but can also be contacted directly.

m.guy@beaucroft.dorset.sch.uk

Within Dorset parents can be supported by the Dorset Parent Carer Council and by SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service)

• Dorset Parent Carer Council website – www.dorsetparentcarercouncil.co.uk
• SENDIASS information –  Dorset SENDIASS

The Local Authority’s offer to pupils with SEND

Information on all matters relating to children and young people with SEND is published by the Local Authority through the Family Information Directory. This can be accessed at:

SEND Local Offer – Dorset Council