Special Educational Needs (SEND)

• Positive relationships between staff and students are at the heart of our approach, helping every young person feel comfortable and confident when discussing their education.
• When additional provision is needed, it is explained clearly and appropriately so the student understands how it will help them.
• Students are actively involved in creating and updating their Student Passport, which outlines their strengths, needs, and strategies that work best for them.
• Every couple of weeks, students have a one-to-one check-in with their form tutor to share any concerns or successes. The tutor responds promptly and takes appropriate action to support them.
• Each term, the form tutor or SEND team reviews the Student Passport with the student to ensure it reflects their current needs and goals.
• This process ensures students are not just supported - they are included, listened to, and empowered to take an active role in their learning journey.

• We hold parents and carers evening’s, where you can discuss a student with subject teachers and the SENDCo.
• In addition to parents and carers evening’s, we are pleased to offer a KS3, KS4 and Year 6 SEND coffee morning.
• If a decision is being made about a particular student the parents and carers of those students will be contacted.
• All parents/carers are invited to join the governing body and in so doing to play a key role in the decision making process.
• If a parent/carer has any queries, they are invited to contact us via the planner, email or telephone.
• Parents of students with SEND are welcome to contact the SEND Team Key Worker if they have any other enquiries.

• If a student has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), the school ensures they receive the provision outlined in the plan. This provision is reviewed with parents and the student to make sure it supports progress and encourages independence.
• Students are assessed for potential SEND needs on a highly personalised basis. The SEND team may be alerted through referrals from teachers, form tutors, student performance, Inclusion & Safeguarding team, parents/carers, or external agencies.
• If the SENDCo recommends placing a student on the SEND Register, parents/carers will be notified.
• The impact of support is measured through lesson progress, assessment data, and intervention outcomes to ensure strategies are effective.
• The SENDCo oversees and assures the quality of this process, working closely with a member of the Senior Leadership Team to maintain high standards.

A Student Passport is a document that provides a clear overview of your child’s learning needs, strengths, and support strategies. It helps teachers understand how best to support your child in the classroom by outlining any barriers to learning, recommended teaching approaches, and reasonable adjustments. The passport also includes space for your child’s own voice, highlighting what they find easy or challenging, and is regularly reviewed to ensure it reflects their progress. This tool ensures consistency and personalised support throughout their school journey.

​Template Student Passport

Support from the Classroom Teacher

Your child’s first and most important source of support is their subject teacher. They are the expert in their subject and will use key information from your child’s Student Passport to adapt lessons and provide strategies that help them succeed. This might include:

• Breaking down tasks into manageable steps.

• Providing visual aids or scaffolds.
• Offering extra time for processing and responding.

Additional Support from the SEND Team

Sometimes, extra help is needed. In these cases, the classroom teacher can request support from our SEND team. This may involve a Teaching Assistant (TA) joining the lesson to check in with your child and provide targeted support. Our TAs work closely with teachers to ensure interventions are meaningful and help students stay engaged and confident.

Other support available may be access to the LSC for scheduled invtervention. There is also access to a supported homework space after school (Mon-Thurs) in the library. 

Assistive Technology

Laptops are available for students who need them, either because of significant handwriting difficulties or following recommendations from specialist reports.

The LSC is the central hub for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision. It’s a dedicated space where students can:

• Access individual and small-group interventions tailored to their needs.

• Receive support with homework and learning tasks.

• Find a calm, supervised environment during break, lunch, and before school.
• Build confidence and connections in a welcoming setting that celebrates strengths rather than focusing on limitations.

It’s a safe and supportive space designed to help SEND students thrive academically and socially.

• ‘Access Arrangements’ allow candidates with special educational needs, disabilities or temporary injuries to access the assessment without changing the demands of the assessment. 
• An access arrangement for use in an awarding body’s examination/assessment can only be awarded if JCQ requirements are met. Although the centre may consider advice from professionals from other organisations, JCQ regulations state that the centre must make decisions on appropriate access arrangements for their candidates.
• It is the responsibility of the SENCo to lead on the access arrangements/reasonable adjustments process within their centre and to make appropriate and informed decisions based on the JCQ regulations, as they will have a working knowledge of an individual candidate’s needs and how their difficulties impact in the classroom and/or in timed assessments.

​Guidance for Parents and Candidates

• If students have any additional needs, or are on the SEND Register, they may be selected by their primary school to attend additional transition days which will support the transition process and allow us to further identify any additional support a child may need.
• For students with existing SEND, we invite parents to contact us if they wish to meet regarding the transition of their child.
• Wherever possible, the SENDCo will attend the annual review of all Year 6 students with existing statements of SEND.
• In Year 6, all prospective students and their parents will be given the opportunity to attend parents/carers evening, where the policies and procedures will be shared.
• All Year 6 students will be visited by a member of SLT in their primary school setting to offer support and answer any questions they may have. 

• For all prospective students, we will liaise with the current school to ascertain the student’s needs to ensure that appropriate support is in place and a smooth transition is completed.
•  For students with existing SEND, we invite parents to contact us if they wish to meet regarding the transition of their child.

Each student has access to:

• Form Tutor
• SLT Link for each year group
• Inclusion & Safeguarding Officer
• Attendance Officer
• Whole school Wellbeing in Mind support
• If your child is on the SEND Register, they will have a access to the SEND team in the LSC, who will be their main point of contact for SEND related concerns.
• When a student needs medicines, these are administered through the office team once consent from the parent or carer has been given.
• PSHCE is delivered to all students. The programme will target key issues that support emotional issues, which are not addressed in the usual curriculum.
• The Wellbeing in Mind team offer whole school support through assemblies and drop in sessions. The team also offer group sessions such as emotional regulation and exam stress through a consultation process. There is also the possibility of a referal for 1:1 work with the wellbeing in mind team where approrpiate.

• All buildings are wheelchair accessible.
• We have experience working with the visually impaired and hearing impaired teams. If we have a child with an auditory or visual impairment, we would work with the relevant team/s to make reasonable adjustments to the environment to support these students.

Bedale High School is a mainstream secondary school that welcomes students with SEND across areas such as communication and interaction, social, emotional and mental health (SEMH), sensory or physical needs, and medical needs. Support is not dependent on a formal diagnosis; what matters is clear communication between families, previous education providers, and external agencies so we can respond quickly and effectively.

All students access the same curriculum and opportunities as their peers through high-quality teaching from subject specialists.

Every student is assessed formally in all subjects each term and data is reported to parents along with information about their target grades, attitude to learning and focus area.

At each Assessment Point the SENDCo, along with the Senior Leadership Team, analyses the data of students with SEND to ensure they are making progress in line with their peers. If students are not making, or are not on track to make expected progress, appropriate interventions will be put in place.

The Student Planner provides the opportunity for regular home-school contact. Parents are able to see rewards received for good behaviour, comments about negative behaviour and homework. 

Parent and Carer Evenings are held once per academic year with an additional evening for Year 7 students to review the transition from primary school.

·                     The SENDCo is a qualified teacher, who works closely with the Headteacher to ensure that all students with SEND make excellent progress.

·                     SENDCo: Shannon Bradbury

·                     Telephone Number: 01677 422419

·                     Email: admin@bedalehighschool.org.uk