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SEND Policy_

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Co-op Academy North Manchester

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Policy

Policy details

Aims of the Policy

The aim of the SEND policy is to ensure that pupils with identified SEND:

  • Follow a broad, balanced, and relevant curriculum with high quality teaching that meets their individual needs.
  • Regularly have their progress reviewed and provision adapted as required in line with statutory duties.
  • Experience no barriers to full participation in academy life.
  • Have their physical, emotional, and intellectual needs met.
  • Are suitably prepared for next steps and Post-16.

Relevant Legislation

This policy has been written with regard to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 0-25 (2015), part of the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act 2001 (which came into effect in September 2002) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2001/10 . It also takes into account the guidance set out by the Local Authority (LA) for SEND practices and procedures, and additionally

Identifying Special Educational Needs 

The SEND Code of Practice says a child has a learning difficulty if he or she:

●     has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age

●     has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions

When determining if a child has SEND we will refer to the four broad categories of need as described in the SEND Code of Practice.  These are:

  • Communication and Interaction
  • Cognition and Learning
  • Social, Emotional and Mental Health
  • Sensory and/or Physical

Pupils will be placed onto the SEND register if:  

  • The universal academy offer of quality first teaching and pastoral support is not sufficiently meeting the needs of the pupil and enabling them to make progress.
  • Following transition from another school (either primary or an in-year admission) we have been advised that a pupil has SEND.

Responsibility for SEND

The Special Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo) is Hazel Garsden.

The SENDCo is responsible for:

  • The strategic direction of SEND provision to ensure all pupils with SEND receive their full educational entitlement and have access to the whole curriculum
  • The overall monitoring of the delivery of SEND provision to ensure its quality and impact
  • Coordinating the team of staff responsible for the delivery of targeted and specialist provision
  • Supporting whole school  professional development
  • Advising on the graduated approach to providing SEND support
  • Liaising with parents of pupils with SEND
  • Liaising with other schools, educational psychologists, health and social care professionals, and independent or voluntary bodies
  • Being a key point of contact with external agencies, especially the local authority and its support services
  • Liaising with potential next providers of education to ensure a pupil and their parents are informed about options and a smooth transition is planned
  • Working with the headteacher and school governors to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities under the Equality Act (2010) with regard to reasonable adjustments and access arrangements
  • Ensuring that the school keeps the records of all pupils with SEND up to date

Overview of SEND Provision at Co-op Academy North Manchester

SEND provision within mainstream settings falls into the following categories:

Universal:

  • In class support consisting of high quality teaching, following guidelines from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) on teaching pupils with SEND

Targeted:

  • Interventions - Targeted intervention sessions with the principle aim of accelerating learning or bridging gaps in learning for literacy, numeracy and social skills.

Specialist:

  • Provisions made in-line with Section F of any pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

Admission for Pupils with SEND

In line with the Equality Act 2010, we will not discriminate against children with disabilities and we will liaise with the pupils’ home Local Authority to take all reasonable steps to provide effective educational provision.

A Graduated Approach to SEN Identification and Support

The academy uses a graduated approach to address the needs of its pupils with SEND which takes the form of a four-part cycle ‘assess, plan, do, review’

Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)

An annual review will be conducted for all pupils with an EHCP, in-line with statutory requirements. The SENDCo is responsible for the co-ordination of this review on behalf of the Local Authority and will ensure that all relevant stakeholders, including pupils, parents/carers, key members of academy staff, health and social care, and any other outside agencies involved with the pupil, are invited to the meeting and consulted as part of the review.

Supporting Pupils at School with Medical Conditions

At Co-op Academy North Manchester we recognise that pupils with medical conditions should be properly supported so that they have full access to education, including school trips and physical education. Some children with medical conditions may be disabled and have medical needs in addition to SEN and where this is the case the school will comply with its duties under the Equality Act (2010).

Please see the ‘Supporting Pupils with Medical Needs in the Academy’ Policy for further details.

Partnership with outside agencies

The Academy is proactive in identifying sources of support as pupils develop through their school life. We seek to respond quickly to emerging needs and work closely with other agencies including:

  • Educational psychologists
  • Speech and language services
  • Social care
  • SEND Information and Advice Support Service (SENDIASS)
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
  • Hearing Impairment Team
  • Visual Impairment Team

The SEND Information Report published on the academy’s website can be accessed by clicking on the link here: Co-op Academy North Manchester SEND Information Report December 2025

The Local Offer from the Local Authority can be accessed by clicking on the link here: Welcome to Manchester Local Offer

Arrangements for Transition

Pupils with SEND and their parents/carers will be invited in to get to know the Academy prior to starting. Where possible, the SENDCo will make additional visits to feeder settings with high need SEND pupils and attend Pre-Transfer Annual Review Meetings of any pupils with EHCPs.

With consent, the SENDCo forwards information regarding pupils with SEND to any future settings and will be available to attend transition meetings as necessary.

Complaints

The academy responds to all complaints in line with our general complaints procedure.

If parents or carers of a pupil with SEND have a concern or complaint, the Principal will (assuming the complaint is not about the SENDCo) ask for the SENDCo to respond to the matter in line with the academy’s complaints policy.

If the complaint is regarding the SENDCo, the Principal may pass this to the Vice Principal to investigate.

If the complaint cannot be resolved informally, then the Principal will go through a formal process, as outlined in the Complaints Policy.

Linked Policies

The Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy is part of the Academy’s Inclusion Policy and should be viewed in conjunction with other Academy policies, in particular the policies for Teaching and Learning and Behaviour for Learning .

The Academy’s SEND Information Report also contains further details of SEND provision.

Compliance

This policy complies with the statutory requirement laid out in the SEND Code of Practice   0 – 25 (2015) and has been written with reference to the following guidance and documents:

●        Equality Act 2010: advice for schools DfE

●        SEND Code of Practice 0 – 25

●        Schools SEND Information Report Regulations

●        Statutory Guidance on Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions    April

●        The National Curriculum in England

●        Safeguarding Policy

●        Accessibility Plan

●        Teachers’ Standards

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