Special Educational Needs & Disability

Information Report 2023-24
Send Information Report 2023-24

At Challney High School for Boys we believe in achievement, ambition and progress for all children and we aim to meet the needs of all children through highly effective teaching and learning.

There is an emphasis on early identification of need with support to develop skills and strategies which reduce barriers to learning. We undertake a rigorous system of monitoring children’s progress and using a wide range of strategies to foster a culture of life-long learning and independent living skills for all children.

We work in a flexible way to develop effective partnerships with children and their parents/carers, the SENDCo, specialist teaching staff within the school and external professionals, such as educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to ensure that the school can meet a broad range of special educational needs.

For any further information or questions regarding this report and the school processes, please contact the school designated SENDCo, Haris Shafi - hshafi@challneyboys.co.uk, or Deputy SENDCo Mrs Fazarna Shabir at fshabir@challneyboys.co.uk 

How do we support children with special educational needs ?

Children with special educational needs are identified from information sent through from the junior schools at transition. 

We aim to identify students with additional needs and assess their needs as soon as possible. We monitor students’ performance at each data collection and work with Heads of Faculties, subject teachers and pastoral team to put strategies in place in order to cater for those students’ additional needs. In addition, the SENCO carries out a number of assessments in order to identify the barriers to learning and put provision in place should there be a need for it. We use information gathered from the student, their parents/carers, teachers, form tutors and external agencies to identify the needs. The SENCO also filters information from end of year reports and GL assessments in order to identity where progress has been slow in order to monitor all students’ participation, progress and attainment, and identity our students’ additional learning needs as early as possible.

How do we consult with and involve parents and pupils?

At Challney High School for Boys, we believe it is very important for parents/carers to be involved in their child’s learning. Parents can contact their children’s form tutor or subject teachers to discuss their child's SEN needs. You can also book a meeting with the SENCO.  

If your child has been identified as having additional learning needs, you will be informed of this in writing and given an opportunity to book an appointment with the SENCO to discuss this further. All students with an identified special educational need will have either a student passport or an individual educational plan(IEP), depending at what stage of SEND support your child is (please see detailed information about SEND Waves below). This document will be shared with their subject teachers in order to scaffold learning materials for them as well as monitor their progress and participation in the lessons.

Each student with an EHCP has a key worker who works closely with the family, student and school. Our key workers develop strong relationships with families and students. This way we are better able to communicate with families and students who have additional learning needs.

Students with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) will have Annual Review meetings. These meetings will be conducted by the SENCO, who will invite you to your children’s annual review and you will have an opportunity to confirm your attendance. At these annual reviews, EHCP targets and outcomes are discussed, reviewed and amended as necessary.

The relevant case worker from the local authority may be invited to attend these if there are significant changes to be discussed. In these meetings you will have an opportunity to meet with other professionals involved in supporting your child’s learning, and discuss strategies, activities and ways for you to help your child to meet his/her potential.

We encourage all students with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) to be present at the annual review. Students are encouraged to participate in all aspects of their education, including any extracurricular activities, and are assisted in this when necessary.

At Challney High School for Boys, you can contact the SENCO at any time of the academic year in order to arrange a meeting and raise/discuss your concerns.

Our Support for Learning Team is open to every child to come and have a conversation with the SENCO or any member of the team in order to provide further support and guidance for all students at Challney High School for Boys.

How do we support pupils moving between phases and preparing for adulthood?

Challney High School for boys has a thorough Primary to Secondary transition programme.

We work as closely as possible with our local primary schools and external agencies to ensure that we know as much as possible about students with special educational needs and which strategies are successful at primary school so that these can be adapted to a secondary environment as necessary

Challney High School for Boys’ Transition

• Parents and students are invited to attend our open evening.
• The SENCO is available at open evening to speak to the parents in person to give an insight into the support we give to our students
• After the places are offered, the SENCO along with the Year 7 Transition Lead attends primary schools in order to discuss SEND students’ needs with the primary school SENCOs
• In July, students are invited to come in for a whole day of transition activities to see how things will work when they are at Challney High School for Boys
• Some vulnerable students, or those with SEN or disabilities, are invited on an “as-needed” basis to participate in an Early and/or Extended Transition Programme. In this programme, students are able to come to the school as regularly as is deemed necessary to become familiar with the surroundings and the format of the school day.
• During this time, students may shadow Year 7 students in some lessons and spend break and lunch times with them.
• For SEN students who have EHC Plans in place, the transition coordinator is invited for their reviews to guide the students through the best transition path

The approach to teaching children and young people with SEN?

Challney High School for Boys is dedicated to providing high quality first teaching to all students, with an ‘all included’ ethos. We have a broad and balanced curriculum, and teachers are trained to use a range of teaching strategies to support students’ learning needs. Students are set by ability and this is regularly monitored to ensure that students are in the correct learning groups.

At Challney High School for Boys, we believe that your child’s learning needs will first be met through Wave 1, Quality First teaching delivered by the subject teachers who adapt their teaching to meet your child’s learning needs.

Parents are notified by letter if they are to receive any additional interventions to support their learning. These interventions will initially be for a term and then it is reviewed in order to measure the progress of your child.

The school has trained teaching assistants running LLIP (Luton Literacy Intervention Programme), Catch-up Literacy, Catch-up Numeracy, Speech Language and Communication, ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistance) Social Skills such as Lego Therapy, Guided Reading interventions as well as in class support for those who have EHCPs in place and/or need a little more extra help.

The subject teachers, tutors, Support for Learning and Pastoral Teams work with your child to ensure that he receives appropriate teaching and support in order to reach his goal. The strategies and progress will be reviewed termly through progress reports and internal monitoring. External agencies and specialists may also review your child’s progress and work with teachers to adapt their planning accordingly

How have we adapted the curriculum and learning environment?

Teachers are trained to differentiate the curriculum, employing a number of teaching and learning approaches to enable students to make progress. A range of specialist equipment and resources are available where necessary. 

Students in key stage 4 may be entered for additional alternative qualifications if necessary, e.g. the OCR Cambridge Nationals Sports Science qualification. 

At Challney High School for Boys, we believe that your child’s learning needs will first be met through the Quality First teaching delivered by his class teacher. We carefully plan our curriculum to match the age, ability and needs of all children.

The class teacher 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, approaches or resources and adapt outcomes to meet your child’s learning need. Additional specialist advice is sought when appropriate and, when necessary, accessibility aids and technology may be used to support your child’s learning. We hold regular staff training sessions to ensure that strategies are up to date and working for students with special educational needs.

Our provision map is regularly updated and reviewed to ensure that all the provisions we offer are high quality and impact on students’ progress. We use only those interventions that are evidenced based, provide the best value, meets your child’s needs and are recommended by stakeholders such as educational physiologists.

Please note, Challney High School for Boys has limited accessibility due to the age of the site. 

Wheelchair access is possible at the main entrance leading to the main hall, buttery, toilet and lower school cafeteria. Further access is possible to the SEA block via a side ramped entrance leading to; Science, Languages, Engineering, Maths & ICT. In addition, the school does have accessible toilet facilities.

It is strongly recommended that a comprehensive parental and, where necessary, thorough occupational therapist, visit and assessment is carried out before any final decision is made regarding site suitability for your child. 

For students with social, emotional or mental health difficulties (SEMH) we offer school based counselling services, ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistance). ELSA focuses on a wide range of needs such as social skills, self-esteem, resilience, bereavement and loss support.

For students with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) support is provided by the classroom teachers by employing the Context and Language Integrated approach. Some students with SLCN have out-of-class sessions and they follow the evidence based programs such as TALC (Test of Abstract Language Comprehension). We have an ELKAN trained teaching assistant who delivers these sessions to the pupils with SLCN.

What additional support for learning is provided?

At Challney High School for Boys we have a 3 tiered approach to supporting a child’s learning:

Wave 1 – this is the high quality first teaching your child will receive from his class teacher and may include differentiation to cater for your child’s needs. 

Wave 2 - it may be appropriate to consider making additional short term special educational provision to try to close the gap to your child’s learning. At this stage, you will be notified in writing that your child has been entered on the SEND register outlining the support that is going to be put in place. You will also have an opportunity to meet with the SENCO to discuss your child’s Wave 2 Provision in person. At this stage, SENCO creates student SEND passports to further advise teachers how to best support these pupils in lessons. In some cases, the pupils mostly in Year 7 and 8, may need to attend out of class interventions. Some pupils may be allocated an in-class teaching assistant in some lessons to support and monitor if the support package in place is working. After a term, in consultation with the teachers and teaching assistants, SENCO reviews students’ progress, and the pupils may go back to Wave 1, stay on Wave 2 longer or move up to Wave 3. 3.

These one to one or small group interventions may run outside the classroom, during the school day or after school. This will be limited to 6 -8 weeks with the aim to review it at the end and remove your child from the SEND register to minimize disruption to the regular curriculum. You will be kept informed of your child’s progress by the SENCO. 

Wave 3 – at this stage your child has been on Wave 2 intervention for at least a term and after the review, the SENCO did not see rapid progress. For this reason, it may be necessary to seek specialist advice. This may include educational psychology (EP), speech and language therapist(SALT), occupational therapy (OT) and child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). Your child will be on Wave 3 intervention for a longer period of time and the reviews will be carried out with the external agency’s involvement. At Wave 3, an IEP is created with specific targets. Students attend out of class interventions, a TA is allocated to support in class for about 12 hours a week; it could be one to one or one to two/three, depending on the child’s needs. The progress is monitored weekly, teachers and teaching assistants report to SENCO. This is the stage when SENCO may consider an application for an EHCP and/or students may go back to Wave 2

Parents should be aware that they have the right to request an EHCP directly from their home local education authority. 

Wave 3 + - this is for those who have an EHCP in places. The pupils are allocated teaching assistants in class, they could be in a small class(G band- nurture class) and have targeted interventions, especially those in Year 7 and 8.

What training is provided for our staff?

Staff have INSET days where they are regularly updated on SEND strategies, approaches as well as external agency support they may seek. The SENCO also shares information about the students on the SEND register and how to support these students in the lessons. Any subject teacher can also book a meeting with the SENCO to discuss the students they teach and seek support from the SEND team.

Our Teaching Assistants hold Teaching Assistant qualifications, they regularly attend in-house continues professional development sessions and attend day courses delivered by different stakeholders.

How do we evaluate the effectiveness of our provision of pupils?

The impact of provisions is reviewed through formative and summative assessments for the interventions the students are attending. The classroom teachers’ assessments are also used to determine if the students attending the provision have made progress. We also use evaluation forms to see how the students and parents are feeling, and the SENCO uses this information to decide on the effectiveness of our provisions.

Evidenced based interventions are incorporated wherever possible to ensure that students with SEN are able to achieve the maximum amount of progress possible for them.

Quality Assurance is maintained by a regular schedule of learning walks, observations, and book scrutiny is carried out by Subject Team Leaders and the Senior Leadership Team. In addition, each department is audited annually to ensure that our high standards of provision are maintained.

How do we do to ensure that pupils with SEND have equal access to all activities available to all pupils in school?

Challney High School for Boys offers a wide range of clubs and activities. All of these are available to all students, regardless of SEND status. Where possible and appropriate, SEND support can be tailored to ensure that students with SEN are able to access all activities that they wish to participate in; for example, a teaching assistant may be allocated for your child to a day trip.

What support is in place for improving emotional and social development of our pupils?

Supporting emotional and social development is a key role of every member of staff at Challney Boys. The pastoral team and the SEND team work together to ensure that students are supported to achieve their full potential.

Students are encouraged to speak to an adult when they are feeling emotionally or socially vulnerable or if they are struggling with their mental health. Reasonable steps are taken to help support the students and their families.

Bullying and/or discrimination in any manner is not tolerated at Challney High School for Boys. Students are encouraged to tell a teacher or member of staff if ever they see or experience such behaviour.

Our in-house counsellor and ELSA trained Teaching Assistants are available to guide and support your child with his SEMH. All EHCP student have a key worker who they meet on a weekly basis to share any difficulties they might have. Some students, who have been identified as having emotional and/or social difficulties, are assigned a key worker too. Vulnerable students have a safe place to go to where they can see a member of staff to talk about and share their social and emotional barriers, difficulties and needs.

How do we involve other agencies in meeting pupils needs and how do we support families?

The SENCO holds regular multi-agency meetings with speech and language therapists (SALT), SEND advisory teachers and educational psychologists (EP). If the SENCO needs to refer your child to an external agency, she will invite you to a meeting in order to explain the reasons for the referral and ask for your permission.

You will always be informed in advance when an external professional is going to see your child and you will also have an opportunity to meet these stakeholders in order to share your concerns with them. Staff also participate in meetings with other bodies whenever this is necessary, including social care, medical professionals, local authority services and voluntary agencies to coordinate support and share information where this is appropriate and necessary. We work very closely with parents, students and families to support them.

Access for those with Disabilities

• The school has taken a positive approach to improving life chances for disabled people for a number of years and works in line with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act to enable all to participate in school life. The special needs code of practice 2014 is also implemented by teaching and support staff across the school.
• All students can expect to be treated with respect and to have their needs met. The service they receive from the school will not be weakened because they have particular needs and we continue to take steps to raise awareness of this commitment with our staff.
• New staff are given special educational needs and disability awareness training through the new staff induction programme.
• Specialist resources are provided for a range of needs across a variety of subjects.
• The school has provided a specific classroom for children with medical requirements during lunch and break times.
• Teachers are well informed of students’ individual needs including medical conditions and associated learning requirements as agreed with the individual.
• All children with medical needs and, or disabilities have a key worker in school.

Who can you speak to with regards to SEND at Challney High School for Boys?

The designated SENDCo at Challney High School for Boys is Haris Shafi - hshafi@challneyboys.co.uk ,  or 01582 599921 ext: 361

Where can I find out more about services to support my son?

You can find out more about  local services, support and events for children and young people aged 0 to 25 years who have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) by following this link to Luton’s Local Offer SEND information hub

What arrangements are in place for handling complaints regarding SEND provision?

If your child is on the SEND register or has an Educational Health Care Plan, and you wish to make a complaint about the school. Please follow the guidelines which are outlined on the government website: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school/sen-complaints

This guidance suggests three steps to follow:

1. Talk to the school’s special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO). The designated SENDCo at Challney High School for Boys this is Mr Haris Shafi

2. Follow the school’s complaints procedure – which can be found here. 

3. Complain to your local authority: https://www.luton.gov.uk/Education_and_learning/Special_educational_needs/Pages/default.a