Special Educational Needs

Trinity Church of England High School believes that all students have the right to a broad and balanced curriculum and all students are encouraged to take a full part in every aspect of the life of the school. A wide variety of support is provided by the Special Needs Department to enable SEN students at Trinity to achieve to their full potential.

View the schools 'Special Educational Needs Policy'

The department consists of the following members of staff:

Mrs J Levine (SENCO)
Mrs S Kirk (Assistant SENCO)
Ms L Baranski (Teacher in Learning Support and English)
Ms H Fidler (Teacher in Learning Support and English)

What are 'Special Educational Needs?

Blackboard The 1993 Education Act states that a child has 'special educational needs' if he or she has a learning problem which calls for special educational provision to be made.
It goes on to explain that if a student has greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of his/her age, then this special provision is to be made for him/her.

Many students experience problems with learning at some stage in their school life. This may be very short term or it can be a long-term difficulty.

How does the school gather information on the special needs of students?

At Trinity, we aim to find out as soon as possible the learning needs of all our students.
When a student comes to Trinity, we gather information from:

National test results (SATs)

Verbal and non-verbal reasoning tests

Primary school records

Classroom observation

Teachers and Support Staff

Any outside agencies involved

Furthermore, we particularly value information from:

You, the parents

Students themselves

What extra provision is then made for students with special educational needs?

We follow the guidelines as set out in the 2001 special Educational needs code of practice.
This requires that students are placed on threshold School Action when a concern is expressed about them. If a students's learning needs continue, he/she is placed on the next threshold, School Action Plus and the school will ask advice of specialists from outside school.
In exceptional circumstances, the Local Education Authority will recommend that a student has a statement of Special Educational Needs, which sets out the special provision needed for
that young person.
Some students are given an Individual Education Plan (IEP) to help subject teachers address their particular problems.

We work with small groups of students to give extra help with reading. This is for those whose reading age falls below nine years of age. Some students will work in small groups on spelling/handwriting. We run small groups for students with language processing problems, students with fine and gross motor skills difficulties and students who generally find it difficult to integrate in our community. We let parents know what support we have arranged for their child.

We try to provide support that best meets the individual needs of students. We value and rely upon the support of parents. We know that to make a difference, parents and teachers need to work together to identify and address the needs of our students.

We try our best to make the class work suit the ability of the student. Learning assistants give help in the classroom. Additional help is given by external agencies where a particular need entitles a student to receive it. Trinity is resourced to support students who have varying degrees of visual impairment.

At all stages, you, as parents, are consulted and the views of your son/daughter are sought. Progress made is reviewed regularly and we look forward to meeting with you on these occasions. It is a partnership.

For more information, advice, or simply to chat about your child's needs, please get in touch with Mrs. Levine (SENCO) or Mrs. Kirk (Assistant SENCO)

At Trinity, Learning Support is central to our commitment to all students being regarded as individuals in a caring school environment. Students with special educational needs are offered the same curriculum entitlement and experiences as all other students. We do not have a 'unit' where students are withdrawn from main subjects.