Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND)

First, talk to your child’s form tutor about your concerns. If your child’s Form Tutor is unable to respond to your concerns directly, they will discuss these with the SENDCo who will then contact you. To contact the Form Tutor, please send an email to parents@maryleboneacademy.org.uk  or call the school reception on 020 3143 7100. 

Your child’s form tutor or another member of the teaching staff may contact you by email or phone to express our concerns. This may include an arrangement to meet at a mutually suitable time to discuss the concerns.

The form tutor or subject teacher may also talk to you about any issues at a parent/teacher consultation meeting. These take place once a year for each year group. 

The SENDCo may contact you to discuss your child’s difficulties and anypossible supportor interventions the school might be considering.

At Marylebone Academy we believe it is very important for parents/carers to be involved in all areas of their child’s learning and we actively encourage discussions. We believe, where appropriate, that it is also essential to understand your child’s views on any difficulties they may experience with their learning. 

You will be able to share your views and discuss your child’s progress with class teachers and Form Tutors at regular meetings such as Parents’ Evenings and Year Ahead Evenings. 

If your child has an identified special educational need, the SENDCo will arrange to meet with you periodically as necessary to review current progress, support strategies being used and expected outcomes. 

If your child has an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, you and your child will be able to share your views at the Annual Review. Additional termly reviews may also take place to discuss current progress, support strategies being used and expected outcomes. Further information on EHC Plans can be found in the SEND Code of Practice (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25) 

Students with identified special educational needs may be invited to complete a one page profile to express and share their views about themselves and how they like to be supported. These are used by in-class Teaching Assistants and are also used to inform the SEND guide which is distributed to all teaching staff. 

Opportunities for parent/carer feedback will be provided throughout the year through events such as ‘Year Ahead’ evenings and through surveys. 

At Marylebone Academy, we believe that your child’s learning needs will first be met through the high-quality teaching delivered by subject teachers. 

Regular training is provided for all teaching and support staff, according to staff and student needs, to ensure there is the appropriate expertise to support children with special educational needs. These can take the form of but are not limited to:  

• Advice and support from the SEND team regarding individual students.
• INSET regarding students with EHC plans delivered by the SENDCo and external agencies. 
• INSET on skilled adaptive teaching delivered by the SEND and Teaching and Learning teams.
• INSET for all new staff and trainee staff on SEND, run by the SEND team.
• INSET provided by external services such as Educational Psychology, Speech and Language Therapy, mental health services and the Bi-Borough Inclusion service. 

At Marylebone Academy we believe that your child’s learning needs will first be met through the high-quality teaching delivered by subject teachers. We carefully plan our curriculum to match the age, ability and needs of all students. 

Subject teachers will adapt lesson planning and teaching to match your child’s special educational needs and/or disability. It may be appropriate to adopt different strategies or resources and adapt outcomes to meet your child’s learning needs. Additional adults will be used to support the learning of groups and individuals to enable them to make progress and develop independent learning skills.  

Additional specialist advice is sought when appropriate and, when necessary, accessibility aids and technology may be used to support your child’s learning.  

We regularly review our Accessibility Plan to ensure that all children have the fullest access possible to the curriculum and the school site. 

This really depends upon the nature of your child’s needs and difficulties with learning. Our education provisions will match the needs of individuals across the four broad areas of need as defined in the SEN Code of Practice 2014:  

• Communication and Interaction
• Cognition and Learning
• Social, emotional and mental health
• Sensory and/or physical needs 

At Marylebone Academy we have a three-tiered approach to supporting a child’s learning:  

Universal  

This is the quality first teaching your child will receive from subject teachers and may include some minor adaptations to match learning needs.  

Targeted  

It may be appropriate to consider making additional, often short-term special provision to remove or reduce any barriers to your child’s learning. This takes the form of a graduated four-part cycle of a) assessing your child’s needs, b) planning the most effective and appropriate intervention, c) providing this intervention and d) reviewing the impact on your child’s progress towards individual learning outcomes.  

Specific targeted one to one or small group interventions may be run outside the classroom. These will be reviewed regularly to ensure that they are fit for purpose and to minimise disruption to the regular curriculum. You will be kept informed of your child’s progress towards the outcomes of these interventions.  

Specialist  

It may be necessary to seek specialist advice and regular long-term support from a specialist professional outside the school to plan for the best possible learning outcomes for your child. This may include educational psychology, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, sensory advisory teachers and the child development service. The school will provide guidance and support with referrals to these services as needed, although, for a very small number of students, access to these specialists may be through an EHC Plan. 

The current interventions provided at Marylebone Academy include:  

• Literacy support
• Numeracy intervention
• Touchtyping
• Handwriting support
• Speech and language (1:1 and small group)
• Occupational therapy
• ELSA intervention
• Social skills
• Mentoring and keyworking
• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (1:1 and small group)
• Individual behaviour support plans
• Year 7 Transition support or Homework club
• SEN break and lunch time club
• Exam access arrangements  

For certain students, reasonable adjustments are made to the uniform and behaviour policy to support their ability to access learning. 

Subject teachers and other staff working with your child ensure that your child receives appropriate teaching and support to reach their goals. Academic progress for all students is regularly reviewed, with appropriate changes to learning and intervention groups made as necessary. External agencies and specialists may also review your child’s progress and adapt their planning accordingly. 

The purpose of an EHC Plan is to make special education provision to meet the special educational needs of a child or young person, to secure improved outcomes for him/her across education, health and social care and, as he/she gets older, prepare for adulthood. An EHC Plan will contain:  

• the views and aspirations of you and your child
• a full description of his/her special educational needs and any health and social care needs
• establish outcomes for your child’s progress
• specify the provision required to meet those outcomes and how education, health and social care will work together to meet your child’s needs and support the achievement of the agreed outcomes. 

You, your child (where appropriate and aged 16 and over) and/or the school, usually the SENDCo or Headteacher, can request that the local authority conduct an assessment of your child’s needs. This may lead to an EHC Plan. 

The SENDCo and SEND team may offer guidance as appropriate to parents about strategies or activities which can be done at home to support your child’s learning. 

All information from external professionals will be discussed with parents as appropriate, either in person or in a written report, according to the nature of the feedback. 

Marylebone Academy receives funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency, central government and, for students with an EHC Plan, the local authority. These funds include money to support the learning of children with SEN and/or disabilities and, for students with an EHC Plan, an allocated budget to allow for the provision of support needed. 

The Principal, in consultation with the School Governing Body, decides the budget for SEN provision on the basis of the needs of the students in the school. 

The SEN team and the SENDCo, alongside the Senior Leadership team, evaluate the intervention strategies annually. This evaluation informs their development plan, objectives and action for the year, which may include additional or alternative interventions, staff training and equipment needs. 

Your child’s progress will be assessed both in terms of his/her learning within the class and with regard to specific intervention programmes. The impact of the support given is carefully measured to ensure that the intended outcomes have been achieved and if not, what adaptations are necessary. It may be decided that a further period of support would be beneficial for your child.  

You and your child will be kept informed and encouraged to be actively involved at all stages of this support. Students and parents/carers will be invited to attend annual Parents’ Evenings. Assessment results and specific feedback are given to students after each formal assessment, where students are also requested to self-reflect and next steps guidance is provided. A formal school report will be written and sent home at the end of each academic year. 

At Marylebone Academy we believe that the happiness and well-being of all our students is paramount and understand the impact this has on progress, attainment and personal development. All members of staff take this aspect of school life very seriously.  

You can be confident that your child’s Form Tutor, subject teachers, the SEN team and the SENDCo are available to provide support to match your child’s needs. In addition, every student is encouraged to choose two members of staff as their ‘trusted adults’ who they may speak to about anything of concern. 

For students who require additional support from external agencies, the school works closely with local authority family services and mental health services. The school has a strong ethos of collaborative work with families and external professionals, both initiating and participating in multi-agency network meetings as necessary to ensure the best possible outcomes for students’ emotional and mental well-being. You should feel free to contact your child’s Form Tutor in the first instance if you have any concerns. 

Marylebone Academy is an inclusive school and committed to providing equal opportunities for all students. Our aim is that no student will be excluded from extra-curricular activities or school trips, unless there is a valid reason relating to the health, safety, behaviour, impact on learning or appropriateness of the activity to the student. We will provide the necessary support to ensure that this is successful.  

A risk assessment is carried out prior to any off-site activity to ensure that health and safety are not compromised. In the unlikely event that it is considered unsafe or unsuitable for a student to take part in an activity, an alternative activity which will cover the same curriculum areas will be provided in school. You should also feel free to contact your child’s Form Tutor if you have any concerns. 

• The SENDCo will be available at open evenings to discuss the specific needs of your child and help determine if the school can meet these needs. 
• Marylebone Academy aims to visit and coordinate with as many feeder schools as possible before students transfer in Year 7 in order to meet the students and discuss with the relevant teachers any individual needs and how best to support them. 
• The SENDCo will be available at Year 7 induction meetings to discuss the special educational needs of any students starting the following September. Parents/carers are encouraged to bring recent professional reports to inform discussion.
• For students with an EHC Plan, the SENDCo will, where possible, attend the annual review meeting prior to his/her transfer to Marylebone Academy. If this is not possible, a meeting will be arranged with the SENDCo at the previous school. 
• Students with an EHC Plan may also be invited to a transition visit prior to transferring to Marylebone Academy. 
• Where appropriate, additional multi-agency meetings can be arranged to create a more detailed transition plan.
• The SEN department, alongside the pastoral team, at Marylebone Academy may offer small intervention group during the course of Year 7 for students who find the transition to secondary school particularly challenging.
• Whilst your child attends Marylebone Academy, we take care to ensure that, particularly during transition points (on transfer to the school, between classes each year and at the end of Key Stages), all staff are aware of individual students’ needs, learning progress and best support strategies.  

All students will be invited to a one-to-one meeting with a member of the Senior Leadership team or the SENDCo to provide advice and guidance on Key Stage 4 options. From Year 9 onwards, all EHC Plan reviews will have a focus on preparing for adulthood, including employment, independent living and participation in society. 

• Students with an EHC Plan will be provided with individual meetings with an independent careers advisor from Year 9 to discuss potential careers and suitable post-16 pathways.
• Students will be supported with researching appropriate sixth form schools and colleges, including open day opportunities where available. Where appropriate, students may be accompanied to these open days. Students with SEND will be offered support with post-16 applications for sixth form school or college places or apprenticeships.
• Taster days will be organised where appropriate, giving students an experience of study on particular post-16 courses.
• The SENDCo will liaise with the relevant staff at any new school or college to ensure the student has a smooth transition.  

• Students with SEND will be supported in their applications to further education, training, employment, or independent living.
• This support will be personalised and provided by our SENDCo and an Independent Careers Advisor.
• Where appropriate, students will be accompanied on visits to open days and taster days. 

If a student is moving to another school, we will contact the new school’s SENDCo and ensure he/she knows about any special arrangements or support that needs to be made for the student. 

We will liaise closely with staff when receiving students from elsewhere and when transferring students to different schools, ensuring all relevant paperwork is passed on and all needs are understood. 

The Special Resource Provision (SRP) at Marylebone Academy, called the Kaizen Zone (K-Zone) is the Bi-Borough’s mainstream secondary provision for students on the Autistic Spectrum or with Social Communication Difficulties. There are 21 places available. 

In line with our whole school ethos of inclusion, K-Zone provides additional support for students who may struggle to access learning within the mainstream at times due to anxiety and difficulties with emotional regulation. This support may take the form of withdrawal from lesson, targeted small group or 1:1 sessions or additional in-class support. 

Prior to applying for a place, students and their parents are encouraged to visit the school and K-Zone. Application for a place within K-Zone is usually through consultation with the local authority during Annual Review of a student’s Education and Health Care Plan. On rare occasions, a student who is on roll at Marylebone Academy may be considered for a place through direct liaison with the school and the local authority.