SEND Information, 14 common questions

1. What kinds of SEND are provided for at Oakwood?

Oakwood is a mainstream coeducational secondary school of approximately 1600 students. We support a range of additional needs and are “needs driven.” This means that we identify needs and put support strategies in place without the need for a formal diagnosis. We do however recognise that identifying with certain traits through a diagnosis can bring relief, understanding and additional external support; and so we support a formal diagnosis route where this is chosen and use external partners for this. We do not wait for a diagnosis to come through before taking action, as we believe early intervention aids pupil progress. We work in partnership with parents and the student to build a picture of need and a support plan.

Our SEND department at Oakwood is referred to as ALF – this is an abbreviation for Access to Learning Faculty.

All students are asked to complete an “All About Me” page when they join the SEND register. ALF Leaders speak to parents or carers about their child and where helpful, use the All About Me page and parental information to create a bespoke pupil passport to share with relevant staff.

If a student has an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) before they come to Oakwood School we will be consulted with by Surrey County Council SE SEN department to see if we can meet the student’s needs. Where a mainstream place is not deemed in the best interest of the student, we will confirm on our consultation document that we also feel a specialist placement is needed. We will state what reasonable adjustments we can make and the reasons why we feel we cannot meet all the needs of the student. It is always difficult to make these decisions based on paperwork alone, and many parents visit the school in the September or October of year 5 to help formulate their plan for a secondary placement. Parents who want to “try” mainstream secondary often miss out on a place in a specialist placement and we believe it is far better to choose the correct school, that can take the child through to year 11, than placing them in an inappropriate setting. We are happy to discuss need, give tours and find creative solutions however, we cannot change the number on roll at the school, influence friendship groups or change the structure of the school building! 

2. What are the policies for identifying children and young people with SEND and assessing their needs, including the name and contact details of the SENCO (mainstream schools)?

Mrs Jo Wright is the SENDCo at Oakwood and may be contacted via sen@oakwood.surrey.sch.uk.  Mrs Wright or one of the deputy SENDCos (Mrs Jowett and Mrs Dahl) will respond within 2 term time week days to emails.

Our aim is to provide support where needed in line with our SEND policy and the graduated response. We can meet many prevalent needs at school with High Quality Teaching (previously commonly referred to as Quality First Teaching.) Teachers can incorporate strategies to reduce copying and cognitive load for example that will not only benefit students with additional needs but all students in the class.

Where students require provision that is additional to or different from the majority of peers, in order to meet age related expectations, ALF leaders will have a conversation with teachers, parents and were considered appropriate, the student, in order to determine whether admission to the SEND register is advised. We also have a referral form for school staff to complete if they wish to raise a student for consideration to the SEND register and have tried a number of strategies before doing so. ALF leaders may observe a student in class or carry out some screening tests in order to plan appropriate time-bonded measurable targets. A summary of the types of assessment, intervention and support is available on the link ( Waves of support doc.)

When ALF leaders and parents have agreed to admit a student to the SEND register, Oakwood will send a confirmation email to parents/carers with details of the area of need and some signposting for further support. We will similarly work with parents/carers when a student is removed from the SEND register.

3. What are the arrangements for consulting parents of children with SEND and involving them in their child’s education?

The transition from a relatively small primary school to a large secondary school can be a difficult time of transition for parents/carers as well as pupils. The daily contact with the class teacher or teaching assistant that may have been available at primary school is not feasible at secondary school in most cases and an increase in independence for students is part of their natural development. The first port of call for any parent/carer is the student’s tutor. If the issue is not resolved then do contact the Head of Year and ALF leadership by email (sen@oakwood.surrey.sch.uk.) Keyworker for students on the SEND register will support to solve any day to day issues or concerns.

We do very much value a close relationship with all our parents of students with additional needs and where students are going through a particularly difficult period, we will have daily or weekly contact by arrangement with you. Ordinarily, we set half termly or termly targets (depending on what the need is) and we ask you to book an appointment with us at Parent Consultation Evenings to discuss how your child is doing.

Where a student has an EHCP (Education Health and Care Plan) targets will be reviewed annually at the Annual Review Meeting however parents/carers are still encouraged to monitor progress with ALF leaders at Parent Consultation Evenings. Oakwood holds all Annual Reviews in the autumn and spring terms so as to leave the summer term to focus on transition for our prospective year 7s. You may therefore find that your first Annual Review at Oakwood is earlier than expected. We will notify you by email at least 6 weeks before the scheduled meeting and send you a reminder nearer the date.

4. What are the arrangements for consulting young people with SEND and involving them in their education?

Oakwood is actively promoting awareness of a range of needs amongst students with a clear message of how our community can and should support each other. This has been recently promoted through Neurodiversity assemblies for all year groups in January 2023 and plans to celebrate Neurodiversity week from the 13th to 17th March 2023.

All students on the SEND register are invited to complete an ALL About Me Page and this is shared on SIMS Linked Docs for all staff to view. Where a Pupil Passport is deemed appropriate pupils may be involved in writing the information, pending the need.

Students and parents are supported in understanding the area of need, and strategies that may help, by discussion with ALF leaders or with well trained ALF teaching assistants. We have a range of books for students to read alone or during intervention and we offer supportive clubs for students to openly discuss their similarities, differences, strengths and challenges. This has included an ADHD morning group, a girl’s ASC lunchtime group and after school sessions for a range of needs. These are advertised in the school’s clubs booklet.

We actively encourage all teachers to get to know their students and how to support them within their subject.

All students on the SEND register are now allocated a Key Worker who will meet with the student at least fortnightly to review progress towards targets and modify support as needed. This is a recent development as only high need students have been allocated a keyworker to date (February 2023.)

As part of our SEND provision monitoring cycle we will organise groups of students to express how well their needs are provided for and to suggest further improvements. We call these meetings “Pupil Voice” meetings. Parents are not informed of these meetings but your student may enjoy telling you about them.

5. What are the arrangements for assessing and reviewing children and young people’s progress towards outcomes? This should include the opportunities available to work with parents and young people as part of this assessment and review.

The progress of all students on the SEND register is monitored using termly assessment results from subject teachers. Where students are not meeting expected outcomes provision is reviewed.

Where parents are concerned about progress, they can contact the subject teacher and sen@oakwood.surrey.sch.uk to discuss further strategies of support.

Students with an EHCP are invited to attend the Annual Review and to update their aspirations and All About Me page in preparation.

Students are included in target setting by discussion with an ALF leader or their keyworker for regular reviews.

Assessment results, where deemed helpful, are shared with students in order to jointly agree intervention strategies and targets.

6. What are the arrangements for supporting children and young people in moving between phases of education and in preparing for adulthood? As young people prepare for adulthood, outcomes should reflect their ambitions, which could include higher educatio

Our planning for our new year 7s starts in the March. We liaise with SENDCos and primary school teachers to build a picture of need and we visit our feeder schools in the summer term to meet the children and talk to staff. Our usual feeder schools include Burstow Primary, Langshott Primary, Trinity Oaks, Meath Green Junior, Salfords and Manorfield. We accept many children from a wider area however, and liaise with staff from these schools by phone or email. All prospective students attend at least one taster day and our students with SEND are invited to an additional half day to have an extra tour of the school, ask any questions, find out about the support they will be getting and to give an opportunity for new parents to chat with each other and meet the ALF team.

We liaise with a range of colleges in preparation for students leaving Oakwood, this includes East Surrey College, Reigate College, West Sussex College, Brinsbury College and occasionally Plumpton. Some of our students go on to post-16 specialist provision, for example Woodfield School in Merstham, and we will liaise with parents and the destination setting to support the transition, often creating bespoke plans.

For students with an EHCP we discuss transition for Post 16 at Annual Review. Further advice for post-16 can be found at Preparing for adulthood | Surrey Local Offer.

If a student has an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) before they come to Oakwood School we will be consulted with by Surrey County Council SE SEN department to see if we can meet the student’s needs. Where a mainstream place is not deemed in the best interest of the student, we will confirm on our consultation document that we also feel a specialist placement is needed. We will state what reasonable adjustments we can make and the reasons why we feel we cannot meet all the needs of the student. It is always difficult to make these decisions based on paperwork alone, and many parents visit the school in the September or October of year 5 to help formulate their plan for a secondary placement. Parents who want to “try” mainstream secondary often miss out on a place in a specialist placement and we believe it is far better to choose the correct school, that can take the child through to year 11, than placing them in an inappropriate setting. We are happy to discuss need, give tours and find creative solutions however, we cannot change the number on roll at the school, influence friendship groups or change the structure of the school building!

7. What is the approach to teaching children and young people with SEND?

We believe that every leader in school is a leader of SEND and we continuously reflect and update our knowledge in this vital area of education. We recognise that many strategies designed to support specific SEND needs are of benefit to all students and as such we try to incorporate a range of strategies into all our lessons. We value individuals and get to know what works for them, rather than labelling or referring to a child according to their special educational need or disability. We make reasonable adjustments to our education in order to include all students and positively discriminate for those with a disability however, we also recognise the limitations of our large school and will support parents / carers who feel a smaller setting is more conducive to their child’s needs. We have a responsibility to teach all pupils and as such, if a child because of their disability is continuously disruptive; despite support, intervention and target setting, we will consider alternative pathways with parents / carers, so that the child’s needs and educational requirements are properly met.

8. How are adaptations made to the curriculum and the learning environment of children and young people with SEND?

We aim to consider the barriers for any student and think creatively and efficiently as to how these may be overcome. It may be an intervention to build resilience, a therapy to help with managing anxiety, a learning group to focus on revision  / vocabulary acquisition or any number of support mechanisms we can provide.  If we need to withdraw a student from class we will consider the best time for them to come with the least negative impact on their timetable. Whilst we do believe that a broad and balanced curriculum is in the best interest of most children, there are times when we will reduce the curriculum and provide a learning space in ALF if this means that the student is more at ease attending school – a reduced curriculum to build resilience and confidence is preferrable to a student not attending school at all.  When we make a decision to adapt or reduce a curriculum we will consult with parents / carers, subject leads, the SENDCo, Head of Year, the student and the curriculum manager to ensure it is considered the best option from all perspectives.

Some children have extreme anxiety around attending school. Where attendance is significantly low we will consult with parents, subject leads, the curriculum manager, the attendance officer and the Head of Year for a short term “Building Up” Timetable to ease the student back into school. A place may be offered in ALF to do this, rather than going straight into lessons, according to need. The Building Up Timetable will run for no more than 6 weeks after which time it is hoped that the student will be back in school full time.

Students who have extreme difficulty learning to read and write may in year 8 be considered for withdrawal from a Modern Foreign Language in order to focus on their English language skills. This is a permanent withdrawal from MFL and not a consideration that is taken lightly. We firmly believe that MFL is an integral part of the curriculum and often improves English language skills through the studying of grammar and vocabulary in another. It also builds an important understanding of other cultures. Discussion for withdrawal is centred around progress in MFL, reading and writing scores and the opinion of parents/carers and the student. The Head of MFL, the ALF Leadership team, the Curriculum Manager and the Head of Year are all invited for consultation. Language Skills groups instead of MFL are usually small groups of up to 6 students and are taught by a member of the ALF leadership Team or the Literacy HLTA.

ALF has a CoIN room to help students work calmly to regulate their emotions or avoid sensory overload. The room is managed by an ALTA (Advanced Level Teaching Assistant) and students are given an EXIT card to show to teachers to allow them to leave. A child will be supported to use self-regulation strategies and to reflect on the circumstances that led to the use of the EXIT card. This data is monitored and evaluated termly to ensure appropriate support and use of the room.

ALF runs a KIT Kat Club at break times for students who find integration difficult on their playground area. The students chat, play games and eat their snacks / lunch in a welcoming environment supervised by a member of the ALF Team.

Students with difficulty walking can be given permission to use lifts to get to upper floors and there are numerous accessible toilets around the school for use. Students who do not feel comfortable going to the toilet at breaks may be issued with a toilet pass to leave in lesson.  We also issue cards for some students to leave lessons 5 minutes early to avoid busy corridors or queue jump cards for those who struggle to wait in a canteen environment. Some children are issued with a 5 minute outside the classroom card if they need a learning break and we can make minor adjustments to uniform according to medical needs.

We work closely with the specialist teachers for visual and hearing impairment to ensure the environment is adapted to meet these needs. This includes working with the premises team to ensure yellow warning strips are up to date and the HI (hearing Impaired) team to train teachers in using radio technology for example.

The needs of all students are recorded in the SEN section on SIMS and changes and additions to the SEND register are reported weekly to all staff via our SEND Bulletin. We have support information on file for all areas of SEND and this is located in the A1 STOP SEND SHOP so that all staff can access it. It is regularly adapted and updated.

9. What is the expertise and training of staff to support children and young people with SEND, including how specialist expertise is secured?

The SENDCo Mrs Wright is very experienced in working with children with SEND. She is primary school trained and has worked in a specialist secondary school for ASC students as KS4 lead; a primary pupil referral unit for children excluded from school and a PMLD (profound and multiple learning difficulties) school as Post 16 lead. She attained her NPQH (National Professional Qualification for Headship) in 2007 and her NASENCo (National Award for SEN Coordination) in 2020. She continues to develop her expertise as she works towards a Masters in SEND leadership, most recently finishing the Autism Skills and Knowledge module.

Mrs Wright worked as Deputy SENDCo at Oakwood for three years prior to becoming the SENDCo and thus provided a smooth transition for the school.  She continues to manage the CoIN unit, as this fits well with her experience and passion for supporting children with autism.

There are two Deputy SENDCos who are experienced teachers and bring expertise to the department in dyslexia, dyscalculia and ADHD.

We have four teaching assistants who are more specialist in autism and speech and language, they support the CoIN students in mainstream lessons. In addition, we have 2 fully trained ELSAs (Emotional Literacy Support Assistants) who run ELSA intervention for SEND students and specialist HLTAs in English, Maths and Science. They run small group intervention and work closely with both ALF and the relevant subject leads.  We have a further ALTA (Advanced Level Teaching Assistant) who supervises the CoIN room and another 5 experienced teaching assistants who support in class; one of whom is a fully qualified retired teacher. We have a low staff turnover and continue to recruit to our growing department as our SEND numbers rise, in line with national trends following the Covid 19 pandemic.

In 2021 we trained ten staff in the Zones of Regulation with the creator Leah Kuypers, by way of an online training day from America. We offer Zones of Regulation intervention for ADHD and ASC students and regularly refresh teaching staff with the useful vocabulary and strategies, so that they can effectively support in class.

In 2020 we trained 6 staff in level 3 Elklan and we regularly share the strategies and support sheets with staff, as well as having them available on the A1 STOP SEND SHOP (internal network for teachers).

All ALF teaching assistants undergo professional development every two weeks and we focus on areas of need decided upon by the ALF leadership team (SENDCO and Deputy SENDCos.)

All ALF staff have a CPD (Continuous Professional Development) booklet, have been issued with the National Standards for Teaching Assistants and have access to the National College for courses.

New staff have an induction program written for them according to prior experience and expertise. This may include work shadowing or training from ALF Leadership. All ALF staff receive regular safeguarding training and are given time in induction to focus on Safeguarding. It is a standing item in our fortnightly pupil progress meetings.

Our Speech and Language Therapist, STIPS and other outside agencies will work with specific teaching assistants where relevant and the strategies used will be cascaded to all ALF staff at professional development meetings. We also share tips in the weekly bulletin.

In 2022 two ALF staff were trained in Mental Health First aid and this was cascaded to all staff via the SEND bulletin. Teaching Assistants are expected to complete 6 hours professional development each year. Training shared by Surrey County Council is shared with staff and we have a clear process for applying for a course.

We are always mindful of the need for succession planning and we currently have a deputy SENDCo undertaking the NASENCo course in April 2023. We acknowledge the national move to have an NPQ in SEN leadership to replace the NASENCo qualification however, these national courses are yet to come into fruition.

Over the last two years we have had led INSET for the school at the start of the year in an aspect of SEND and a second training session in November or January for all staff. All ITT (Initial Teacher Trainees) and ECTs (Early Careers Teachers) have a training session with ALF leadership and come to support and discuss SEND as needed.

The SENDCo participates in SENDCo networking across Surrey, attends HLP (Horley Learning Partnership) network meetings and CoIN (Communication & Interaction) Network meetings. We have developed links with schools in the area to compare and discuss local and national trends. 

10. How do we evaluate the effectiveness of the provision made for children and young people with SEND?

We have a number of strategies to measure the effectiveness of our provision made for children and young people with SEND.

  1. We complete start and end assessments for all interventions and then grade with a gas score. A gas score ranges from -2 to +2. 0 is expected progress (eg 3 months progress in 3 months). The intervention teacher will make a judgement of 1 and 2 if rapid progress has been made and -1 or -2 if slow or no progress has been made. We monitor these results termly and report to governors. We will adjust intervention provision as needed following ALF leadership discussions around this data.
     
  2. We use CEM INCAS computer assessments to give a detailed profile of attainment in Maths and English. We use these assessments to measure progress in our Maths and English intervention groups and to monitor the overall progress of some SEND students.
     
  3. At the end of each year we scrutinise our year 11 GCSE data to find what has worked well and what needs improving. We look for patterns in provision and attendance as well as attainment for different  groups of SEND (boys/ girls / Pupil Premium / Free School Meals.)
     
  4. Each year we produce approximately 6 case studies to track provision and analyse effective practice.
     
  5. We monitor the progress of all SEND students termly, after assessment capture points, to adjust provision as needed.
     
  6. We monitor the behaviour points and achievement points of SEND students, as well as fixed term exclusions and compare these to non-SEND students. We then train and advise staff of support strategies as needed.
     
  7. The SENDCo prepares a yearly comprehensive report for the governing body and the SEND governor and Chair conduct a visit and learning walk at least yearly to help monitor effectiveness.
     
  8. The ALF Leadership Team will monitor aspects of provision through learning walks, pupil voice, questionnaires and book looks throughout the year.
     
  9. Teaching Assistants meet weekly and are keyworkers for up to 20 pupils each. They feedback observations and concerns fortnightly at pupil progress meetings.
     
  10. Teaching Assistants are included in the Performance Management cycle and are given a specific pupil progress target to work on through the year that is reported back on at mid-year and end of year reviews.
     
  11. The CoIN Centre Manager networks with the other CoIN Centre Managers in Surrey to share best practice and monitor provision.
     
  12. ALF Leaders meet weekly to monitor intervention waiting lists, EBSA and the SEND register.
     
  13. ALF leaders meet fortnightly with year group leaders and the attendance manager to discuss provision and support for individuals.

11. How are children and young people with SEND enabled to engage in activities available with children and young people in the school who do not have SEND?

We expect our staff to positively discriminate for students with SEND so that they can access all aspects of the curriculum. This may mean planning ahead and pre-teaching for an event or ensuring there are additional staff for a trip or practical event. We monitor how many SEND students are taking part in trips, performances, matches, music recitals, productions, school council and positions of responsibility, to ensure that we remain inclusive.

12. What support is there for improving emotional and social development? This should include extra pastoral support arrangements for listening to the views of children and young people with SEND and measures to prevent bullying.

Emotional and social wellbeing is built into the PSHCE curriculum and also a focus in assemblies. We have an excellent pastoral support team as well as a school counsellor. Our Bullying Policy is adhered to and any evidence of bullying swiftly dealt with. There are a number of routes for reporting concerns including anonymously via the app “Toot-Toot.” Posters of the Safeguarding Team are evident throughout the school, as well as posters encouraging children to “tell”, so that we have a happy and safe school community. Vulnerable groups, such as our SEND pupils, build up good relationships with ALF staff so that they feel comfortable discussing any concerns and we have “drop-in” sessions with our ELSA trained teaching assistants at break times and lunch times for any SEND student who wishes to talk.

13. How does Oakwood involve other bodies, including health and social care bodies, local authority support services and voluntary sector organisations, in meeting children and young people’s SEND and supporting their families?

Oakwood has a wide network of support. Our Pastoral team will refer to the school counsellor, the school nurse, the Lucy Reynor Foundation Trust, the YMCA and a range of other external providers according to need. The Pastoral team are also able to offer ELSA intervention (Emotional Literacy Support) to build self-esteem and help reduce anxiety, where a short term intervention is hoped to solve the difficulty. Where a need persists and is impairing the education of a student, support from ALF (the SEND department) is sought and the student is placed on the SEND register.

Once on the SEND register a package of support, based on need and available resources, is put in place. This is monitored to see if the student is making progress. Where further support is needed, ALF leaders will consider making referrals to other specialists for assessment and support. Where long term provision is needed, for example where a student cannot manage without a teaching assistant, we will discuss an EHCP application with parents / carers. Further information on the EHC process and be found at Timeline for the Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment process | Surrey Local Offer

Once an application has gone in to request assessment for an EHCP, the local authority will assign an Educational Psychologist to meet with parents / carers and assess your child, usually at school. They will also discuss your child’s learning with ALF leaders, who will liaise with teachers across the school beforehand. It should be noted that some secondary aged students do not wish for teaching assistant support or to be brought out of class groups for interventions. We do our best to support sensitively to students’ perceptions, and to promote inclusivity across the school, however if a student it resistant to any support, we do not consider an EHCP to be an appropriate solution.

Avenues we may explore include:

  1. Advice from our private Educational Psychologist, Laura Grahamslaw. Oakwood employs a private Education Psychologist for 6 days in the school year to help give advice on the best strategies for a student. She will visit the school on a planned day each half term and carry out planned consultations, as well as attending ALF’s parental coffee shop (held on the second Wednesday every month in term time, 1.45pm to 2.45pm). Ed Psych consultations are organised by ALF leaders and include parental attendance.
     
  2. Assessment and support from our Speech and Language Therapist, Gabby Collie. As Oakwood has a specialist CoIN Centre (see separate heading) we have a Speech and Language Therapist in school every fortnight on a Thursday. She will carry out assessments following a referral from an ALF Leader and a signed consent form from parents. Consent forms can be found using the ALF Link.
     
  3. Assessment and advice from our ASC (Autistic Spectrum Condition) outreach service. ALF leaders can ask for support from Limpsfield Grange, https://limpsfieldgrange.co.uk/outreach/ , world renowned provision for autism.
     
  4. Consultation or referral to Surrey Mindworks. Where students have ongoing difficulties with anxiety, social communication, self-harm, aggression, depression or other social, emotional or mental health difficulties, we may, in consultation with parents / carers, refer a child for support and / or assessment from Surrey Mindworks - Home :: Mindworks Surrey (mindworks-surrey.org) We refer online and download screening questionnaires that we circulate to teachers for comment. We then complete the forms and upload them, it takes about 2 weeks. We are mindful that Surrey Mindworks have a waiting list for some assessments of up to two years (ADHD and ASC for example) and therefore any referrals should ideally be made in year 7 or year 8.
     
  5. Referral to STIPs. STIPs stands for Specialist Teachers of Inclusive Practice - Specialist Teachers for Inclusive Practice (STIP) | Surrey Education Services (surreycc.gov.uk)
    STIPs offers advice and training on whole school approaches to inclusive practice. They also provide assessments and provision planning for individual children and young people with learning, communication, social, emotional and behavioural needs.
     
  6. Physical and Sensory Support Service (PSSS) - Physical and sensory support (PSS) - Surrey County Council (surreycc.gov.uk) We have specialists from the PSSS visit our hearing impaired and visually impaired students on a termly basis and we can refer for advice for other students as needed. PSSS support our students with a physical disability, a diagnosis of sensory impairment, deafness, vision impairment and multisensory impairment.
     
  7. Occupational Therapy (OT) – We use the Occupational Therapy Support packs in schools -Occupational_Therapy_Resource_Pack_.pdf (childrenshealthsurrey.nhs.uk) and refer for further support if needed. Occupational Therapy enables students to participate in daily life to improve their health and wellbeing. “Occupations” for children or young people may include self-care (getting ready to go out, eating a meal, using the toilet), being productive (going to school, or volunteering), and leisure (playing with friends or doing hobbies). Further information may be found at Schools and nurseries :: Children and Family Health Surrey (childrenshealthsurrey.nhs.uk)
     
  8. Support from REMA (Race Equality and Minority Achievement) - Race equality and minority achievement (REMA) - Surrey County Council (surreycc.gov.uk) We use this service for assessment and advice for students who have SEND and EAL (English as an Additional Language.)
     
  9. Consultation with alternative provision - Alternative learning for those with additional educational needs - Surrey County Council (surreycc.gov.uk)
  1. A2E. (Access to Education) provides a flexible, short-term, education service. It is for children and young people who cannot attend school through exceptional circumstances. This could include medical reasons and permanent exclusions.
     
  2. Surrey Online School – (SOS) SOS provides online lessons to pupils who are out of school due to medical needs; school refusers and increasingly those at risk of permanent exclusion. There is a cost to the school so we consider this carefully.
     
  3. Liaison with Reigate Valley College – (RVC). Reigate Valley College is a Pupil Referral Unit (short stay school) for students aged 5 to 16. Their aim is to reduce the numbers of pupils who are Permanently Excluded from school by offering mainstream schools an alternative to exclusion. They offer a range of interventions so pupils can be supported, either within their mainstream school or at the college. Welcome | Reigate Valley College (rvc.surrey.sch.uk) RVC has three sites, one for each Key Stage. Key Stages 1 and 2 (years 1 to 6) are based at the Phoenix Centre, Redhill; KS3 (years 7 to 9) is based at the Allingham Road Campus in Reigate and KS4 (years 10 and 11) is based at the Sidlow Bridge Campus.
     
  4. Short Term online learning through EdClass. In exceptional circumstances we may be able to support a student with online learning for a fixed short term period of time. At the current time we use Ed Class - A School Improvement Platform | EDClass . ED Class is a fully-safeguarded alternative provision however is a high cost short term provision. This is not an entitlement and will look for the right support at the right time for students, on an individual basis.

This list is not exhaustive and we take part in initiatives and support activities as they arise. We are currently exploring ADHD support groups through Bernados; we are part of a 3 year study working with Goldsmith’s University, to compare how provision in mainstream schools for pupils with autism compares to specialist provision in Cullum Centres; and we have worked with specialists in behavioural support from Wey Valley College in the past. Increasingly, some parents are seeking private assessments for a diagnosis, if you would like support with this please email ALF leaders via sen@oakwood.surrey.sch.uk

14. What are the arrangements for handling complaints from parents of children with SEND about the provision made at the school?

It is hoped that ALF and parents / carers can work together amicably for the benefit of the student concerned. We strongly believe that school supporting parents / carers and vice-versa is the best environment for a student to be the best they can be. Oakwood will endeavour to do the best for every student with the resources available. We will make reasonable adjustments where feasible and without significantly compromising the learning of other students. We consider ourselves to be creative thinkers and create bespoke packages where possible.

We hope that all difficulties can be overcome by good communication with ALF staff well before a formal complaint is felt necessary. Should you have a complaint you may direct it to ALF leadership in the first instance using the email SEN@oakwood.surrey.sch.uk. If the issue remains unresolved, the Line Manager for SEND / ALF on the Senior Leadership Team is Mr Luke Shilling, lshilling@oakwood.surrey.sch.uk. Please refer to our Complaints Policy for further details.

We run a parental coffee shop on the second Wednesday in every month (if in term time) from 1.45pm to 2.45pm. All parents / carers are welcome to discuss issues with each other and/or a member of the ALF leadership team. It is also a wonderful opportunity to mix with parents and build up a supportive network. Our Education Psychologist attends six sessions per year.

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