Da Vinci Academy is committed to providing a high-quality, ambitious, and inclusive education to all the children within our academy. We vow to make sure no child is left behind in their learning and this includes pupils with SEND.
Name of Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCo):
Mrs S. Perks– SENCo : Email: [email protected]
Call: 01332 831515
You can find details of the Local Authority SEND Offer here:
Identification strategies used by the academy may include:
Other professionals such as speech therapists, health visitors and/or educational psychologists may also be involved in the process by completing appropriate assessments.
Parents/carers are encouraged to pass on any information and concerns that they may have about their child’s health and background by contacting the academy. If you have concerns, you can meet at a mutually convenient time with the special educational needs and/or disabilities co-ordinator (SENDCo). You can also arrange an appointment with the SENDCo prior to your child’s admission to the academy and at any other time during the school year.
It is important that you speak to the academy, either by contacting your child’s pastoral leader, a teacher or by asking to speak to the SENDCo about your concerns.
A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they:
Special educational provision is education or training provision that is additional to, or different from, that made for other children or young people of the same age in mainstream schools.
Teachers will raise a record of concern and share this with the SENDCo.
A meeting will then be arranged with yourself, relevant teacher(s) (if appropriate) and the SENDCo to identify the best way forward.
Following the meeting, the SENDCo may decide to conduct a range of initial assessments to inform the academy about the nature and level of support required.
This will be communicated with staff and monitored regularly.
The level and type of support required will be discussed with you.
This could be any or all of the following:
Step 1 – Precise teaching and adaptations will be made by the teacher within the whole class setting.
Step 2 – Targeted small group intervention for a set period.
Step 3 – Targeted 1:1 support in a specific area of need for a set period. In some cases, additional and more specialist support may be sought through a referral to an outside agency.
If the short-term intervention does not address the issues raised and greater needs are identified, your child, with the consent of you as parents/carers will be placed on the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) register.
All children on the SEND register will have a plan that details the help a child will receive and the targets that have been set for them.
If your child has special educational needs and disabilities, you can find support information at the following links:
Derby City Council’s SEND Local Offer
Advice and guidance about autism and the challenges autistic people and their families face. Topics include what is autism, diagnosis, communication, mental health, education, and more.
A website to help young people who think their friends may have mental health problems.
Kooth is an online mental wellbeing community for children and young people aged 11-18. They provide accessible and safe spaces with a range of therapeutic support and interventions.
Some students may require specific interventions in order for their needs to be met and for progress to be made. The academy will consider on an individual basis the best intervention for its students.
Access arrangements allow candidates with SEND or temporary injury to:
The intention behind dispensation is to meet the specific needs of an individual student without impacting on the integrity of the assessment. In order to support students for dispensation, the school will be required to gather evidence from work produced during their time at the school, discuss their needs with the student and approach the student to obtain their reflections.
Once information has been gathered a specialist assessor will conduct a series of assessments to ascertain if the student qualifies for access arrangements. If the decision is that access arrangements are appropriate the student may be awarded a reader, scribe or additional time.
Students with SEND will have a base at lunchtime where they will have access to their year group Learning Support Assistants. This safe space provides an environment in which they can relax and interact with their peers or complete homework should they choose to.
Some students who are identified as SEND will require 1:1 mentoring and support. Should the SENCo and other key staff consider this appropriate a mentor will be assigned.
All students who are identified to have SEND will have an individual Student Support Plan (SSP), which is updated and amended regularly by the year group Learning Support Assistant. The document provides key information for staff as well as advice, guidance and strategies as to how best to meet the needs of the student concerned.
