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Our School

SEN Report

SEN Information Report 2023 - 2024

Question

School response

How does the school know if children need extra help?

What should a parent do if they think their child may have special needs?

All pupils at Oaklands have an Education Healthcare Plan (EHCP) indicating a severe learning difficulty, a profound and multiple learning difficulty or autism with severe learning difficulties

In 2020-21 in our New Oaks primary provision  caters for nursery aged and reception aged children in our Little Oaks unit, and for children in year 1-5. Year 6 will open in 2023.

High Oaks Secondary caters for students aged 11-19.

All pupils at Oaklands School do have special needs as identified in their EHCP. Parents can contact school with any concern at any time. Formal opportunities are provided at parent’s evenings and through the annual review process.

 

How will school staff support a child?

Who will oversee, plan work with children and parents?

How often will this happen?

Who will explain to parents what is happening for the child?

Each pupil has an Individual Learning Plan which indicates the support and approaches needed by each child. Additionally, many pupils have personal care plans, medical care plans, manual handling plans, Personal evacuation plans, behaviour plans and/or risk assessments and programmes designed by occupational, physiotherapy and speech and language therapists. Some pupils have advice plans provided by educational psychology where that advice has been sought by the school. Staff support pupils as indicated in all the plans and programmes that are relevant to that pupil.

The class teacher and subject teachers plan work for children in consultation with classroom teams, therapists and parents.

The planning and review process is ongoing. Curriculum planning takes place in termly or half termly modules. Individual Education Plans are reviewed termly with the involvement of parents, and, where appropriate, the child.  Therapy reports indicate the frequency of programme review and quantify the direct input each pupil needs.  Requests for the Local Authority to update EHCPs accordingly are made at annual review meetings.

The class teacher is the main point of contact for parents. The Assistant Heads also play a central role in family liaison, especially where families need or request more support.

 

How will the curriculum be matched to a child’s needs?

What is the schools approach to differentiation?

Oaklands curriculum is designed to meet the curriculum needs and entitlement according to the EYFS, National Curriculum, post 16 requirements and the identified needs of young people with learning difficulties In preparing for adult life. Details of our curriculum content are available in our prospectus and on our website. Curriculum themes are published termly.

Each pupil is a member of a class group formed of pupils in the correct key stage of compatible peers. All learning at Oaklands is planned individually for pupils with individual targets. A range of strategies and approaches are used to enable individuals to access the curriculum. Oaklands cannot however produce a different curriculum delivered separately for an individual pupil. All pupils are part of a class group which they attend.

How will both the school and parent know how a child is doing?

How will the school support parents to help their child’s learning?

When will parents be able to discuss a child’s progress?

How will the child be involved in discussions about their education and special educational provision?

The School and parent will know how a child is progressing through; ongoing continuous assessment and evidence collection recorded on SOLAR software and compared with similar schools using the Government’s  progression guidance. Formal reporting to parent is undertaken at parent’s evenings and annual review reports and meetings. There is more regular (at least weekly) contact in home communication books and, if needed, by telephone.

In addition to liaison with class teams Oaklands provides a parent support service including training events for parents. The therapy team are now a central part of the work with parents. From September 2023 therapists will be able to make more regular contact with parents and provide programmes for use as home in addition to their work in school.

At parents evenings, at review meetings and by appointment with class teachers.

Children are given feedback on their progress in every lesson. They receive merit cards throughout the year when they make significant progress. There are “good work” assemblies regularly. Children are also included in their review meetings and within their ability take part by giving a presentation showing their progress and report on their favourite activities and what they would like to learn next. Where children are not able to express their own opinions their preferences are taken into account in planning for them.

What support will there be for a child’s overall well-being?

Pastoral, medical, social emotional in and out of school?

Pupils are taught in very small class groups of between 8 and 10 pupils, depending on the needs of pupils. Each class has a teacher and a minimum of 3 support staff who provide very close support and personal care to pupils. If the usual class pupil staff ratio is not adequate for an individual pupil and application will be made to the Local Authority for additional funding to provide 1:1 support from an appropriately skilled member of staff.

The school is allocated a full time healthcare assistant on each site who are commissioned health to provide care to pupils on the CCN caseload. If a pupil with continuing care needs from another Local Authority is place at Oaklands commissioning arrangements between health authority will be needed. The school itself does not employ medical staff. A qualified nurse for the CCN team attends when they feel it is required, and are on call if support is needed.

Some medical care may be delivered by classroom support staff where this limits the need for them to miss classroom learning. If medical care is delivered by classroom staff they will have received appropriate training from health staff and there is usually a member of the health team on site.

If a young person has medical care needs but are not on the continuing care caseload parents will need to provide the school with a medical care plan giving the school instructions for what care staff should provide, and how to respond to an emergency. In most cases the plan provided by parents to school should be signed by a medical professional. If a medical care professional will not provide a signed care plan we will discuss this on an individual basis.

Our PSHCE curriculum addresses topics relevant to pupils’ social and emotional development.

Where families are experiencing particular difficulties outside school Oaklands has a member of staff who provides advice and support to families through a drop in and family support service. The secondary school has a full time family support work, the primary school a part-time FSW. 

Where this service is not enough to support the pupil we can make referrals to either the Local Authority educational psychology service, to social care or, if issues relate to mental health rather than behavioural issues, to CAMHS.

What specialist services and expertise are available or accessed by the school?

Oaklands directly employs its own team of Occupational and Speech and Language Therapists. Physiotherapy and dysphagia services are provided by the NHS. For speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy pupils should receive a service if the need is indicated in their Education Healthcare Plan. Most pupils with therapies in their plan receive a full assessment and a programme which will be delivered mainly by class teams. Therapists themselves assess when direct therapy is needed and for how long.

At Oaklands both SALT and OT are also part of the delivered curriculum. All class groups receive a lesson per week delivered by a qualified therapist.

Oaklands also employs the following specialist staff and trainers;

  • TEACCH trainer on staff (until December 2023)
  • 2 Makaton trainers on staff
  • 3 Team Teach trainers on staff
  • 3 manual handling trainers on staff
  • A music therapist 1.5 days per week

Our trainers are able to deliver a higher level of expertise in these interventions and ensure that all staff receive regular guidance.

3 trained job coaches

Our job coaches set up work experience placements for sixth form who are ready for employer based work. They accompany pupils to work, training them to travel and in the workplace. Pupils are allocated this service through annual review meetings in discussion with parents.

Visits made by peripatetic teachers for visual and hearing impairments

All pupils with these services indicated in their Education Healthcare Plan will receive this service.

Educational psychology by referral if required

Specialist health visitor for continence by referral (there is currently a waiting list)

What training will the staff supporting children and young people with SEND have had or receive?

Most class teachers are fully qualified. During 2023-2024 we have 4 teachers in training who are running class groups. All teaching assistants have a level 3 qualification in learning support or similar, many Learning Support Assistants have level 2 in learning support or similar. This is changing over time since the level 2 course has been withdrawn Nationally.

All staff receive an induction programme which gives an introduction to the approaches used in school.

All staff receive in depth training in a range of learning strategies over time through our INSET training programme including; TEACCH, PECS, Intensive Interaction, sensory curriculum, Team Teach, Makaton

How will children be included in activities outside the classroom, including school trips?

Most pupils have a weekly outing or community life skills programme. Some activities use community based facilities. The school has 3 minibuses and 3 people carriers which can be used to transport pupils. Older pupils may be engaged in travel preparation programmes through their community visits, some are referred to the LA travel buddy service or to a service provided through Ealing Mencap to be trained and accompanied while learning to travel independently to school or college.

How accessible is the school environment?

The school buildings are fully accessible;

At Gresham Road 9 hoisted classrooms, one of the sensory environments and the small pool, as well as adapted toilet areas are fully hoisted for physically disabled pupils. The doors to hoisted facilities are width and a half to enable wider chairs and physiotherapy beds to move easily, and doors in these areas are power assisted. First floor facilities are accessed via two lifts; a third is available for emergency evacuation. The full building has handrails to support students with limited mobility in moving around the building. There are accessible outdoor facilities including 3 sensory gardens, a main playground, MUGA and running track which is surfaced to be suitable for wheelchairs. Covered awnings protect student arriving in buses from inclement weather.

At Woodlands Road is a single storey building. There are 4 hoisted classrooms, two sensory rooms, playgrounds are fully accessible.

How will the school prepare and support a child to join the school?

How will the school prepare young people to transfer to a new school or the next stage of education or life?

We run prospective parents afternoons termly so that parents can see the school and ask questions.

We attend parents’ events on invitation at Lindon Bennett school.

Where we receive an application for a school place documents indicate whether the child would be suitably placed in an SLD school. Where this is the case, and there is a suitable vacancy we invite parents to bring their child for an assessment visit where suitability of placement is explored. If it is not possible to bring applicants to school a visit to their current placement might be made instead. Assessment is made through reading application documents, observing the young person and by doing some assessment tasks with them to explore suitability for an SLD school. Once placements are agreed teachers visit pupils in their previous schools to prepare for receiving them at Oaklands. Oaklands is increasingly oversubscribed, IN 2023-2024 we received 176 applications for 40 available places a 77% oversubscription

When a place at Oaklands is offered parents are invited to attend an induction morning at which they can discuss their child’s personal care needs with classroom staff and provide detailed contact and medical information. Parents are provided with a parents' induction pack.

All pupils have an opportunity to attend a transition day. All pupils receive a transition book including details of their new class group and staff. A member of Oaklands staff attends year 6 annual reviews when we are invited.

Our Connexions Officer attends and becomes involved in planning with pupils and families during their last year in school.

How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?

Oaklands is funded on a fixed average per pupil cost in each age banding. Staff resources are closely matched to pupil funding ensuring that the staff ratio is as high as can be provided within that funding.

A wide range of resources are available and, if a pupil has particular needs equipment is purchased as identified in individual programmes by therapists or teachers. Particularly specialist or high value equipment may need to be identified in Education Healthcare Plans and purchased for them by their Local Authority. Oaklands funding is not adequate to purchase of physiotherapy equipment nor specialist seating.

Where a child has additional disabilities  which are not covered by the SEN Framework, the school will take reasonable steps to make the relevant facilities or equipment available to the child in accordance with its duties un the Equalities Act 2010.

How is the decision made about the type and how much support a child will receive?

All pupils are in a small class groups supported by a teacher and a minimum of 2 support staff. Staff support is planned according to the pupils needs.

Some pupils require full time one to one support all the time. If this is the case this is identified either at initial assessment of placement or during an annual review. Where the need for one to one support is identified in a Statement or Education Healthcare Plan the funding will be agreed by the Local Authority.

Pupils progress is regularly monitored and, if a pupil is not making expected progress then additional support will be allocated to enable them to progress.

 

How are parents involved in the school, and how can they become involved?

Parents are expected to take part in daily communication in a home communication book where ever this is possible.

Parents are invited to parents’ evenings and annual reviews, drop in mornings and regular training events. There is a support service for families who need support.

Parents have access to the school website and also receive a half termly newsletter. They are invited to some school events such as the Christmas service, Sports day and school performances.

Parents are encouraged to consider becoming a parent Governor on our Governing Body.

 

Who can parents contact for further information, or raise concerns?

Parents can contact the Head Teacher, the relevant Head of School, or the Assistant Head Teachers in charge of their child’s department or the class teacher.

The school administration team will provide information about day-to-day issues such as uniforms, transport and school meals service.

Concerns may be raised with the Chair of Governors, who can be contacted through school.

The school complaint policy can be found on our school website at www.oaklands.hounslow.sch.uk

 

How does the school listen to pupils views?

Pupils are provided with opportunities to make choices every day.

Pupils attend their own annual review meetings and are involved in planning where this is appropriate. Where pupils cannot give an opinion in a complex setting staff take their known expressed preferences into account.

The school has a school council which meets to discuss a range of issues. Students Council is involved in decisions such as the development of the playground, and were recently part of the group who achieve the school’s Eco schools award.

Where children are able to understand their own special educational needs they are involved in decisions about the support they receive. This is done through tutorial work with the child and through annual review meetings.

How do Governors monitor attainment and progress of SEN pupils ensuring their needs are met by the school?

Governors are provided with performance data regularly at both committee meetings and full Governing Body meetings.

Governors make regular visits to school and carry out lesson observations every term. Governors give regular feedback following their visits or scrutiny of school information. They make suggestions which are actioned, and they check on progress and changes made.

How do pupils gain admission to specialist units/provision on the school site?

Applications for Oaklands School are made to the Local Authority. Applications to reception, year 7 and year 12 are made through formal panels.

In Year applications are responded to on a case by case basis depending on whether an appropriate vacancy is available in an appropriate class group.

Oaklands School is a community special school which makes provision for children with severe learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties and autistic young people whose learning difficulties are severe.

Oaklands School,
Gresham Road, Hounslow,
TW3 4BX

0208 560 3569

Oaklands School,
Woodlands Road, Hounslow,
TW7 6JZ

0208 560 3569