Special Educational Needs Information Report

Our SEND information report outlines details for parents/carers of children who have Special Educational Needs or a Disability (SEND) and all those who support children with additional needs. This information outlines the support and provision you can expect to receive at Whitby School.

Date: September 2025
Review Date: September 2026

Definition of Special Education Needs (SEND)

The SEND Code of Practice (DfES, 2014) says pupils have a learning difficulty if they:
a) have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age.
or b) have a disability, which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions. A child under compulsory school age has special educational needs if they fall within the definition at (a) or (b) above or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them. (Clause 20 Children and Families Bill 2014).

The Code of Practice (2014) provides an overview of the range of needs divided into four broad areas, upon which our school focuses its efforts to provide for SEND:

Communication and Interaction
Cognition and Learning
Social and Emotional Difficulties
Sensory and Physical Needs

Identification

For a child or young person to be entered onto Whitby School SEND Register we take account of what work has been done previously and by whom. Teachers are responsible for providing Quality First Teaching (QFT) within their daily teaching. If a child or young person is not making adequate progress they will only be considered as having a SEND if the class teacher has provided reasonable adjustments through high quality teaching in the first instance. As such, any child or young person on Whitby School SEND Register receives support that is additional to and different from that which is ordinarily provided for most of the other children of the same age.

Children or a young person are identified as having a SEND through a variety and combination of ways including.

communication with previous settings
children performing below ‘age related expectations’
concerns raised by parents/carers
concerns raised by a teacher.
collaborative working with external agencies
use of standardised assessment such as Elklan, GLR (Dyslexia Screening Test)
children or a young person that already have an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP).

There is a graduated approach that enables the right level of intervention and support when needed:
School uses Edukey to map out individual plans and support teaching and learning.
There is a process of constant review and therefore possible movement within the graduated approach. It is important the children are given specific and relevant input, and this may be in the form of a short-term intervention. It does not mean that a child or young person will necessarily be placed on the SEND register. These targeted children or young people will be closely monitored, and their progress tracked through our Initial Concern process. If a specific educational need is highlighted, a ‘Individual Learning Plan’ may be put in place. These will be written with the parents, child or young person and SEN department. These identify clear SMART targets to be supported in class and through clearly defined interventions. These will be regularly reviewed as part of the ongoing Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle, such that we are aware of the effectiveness of the provision made for our pupils with SEND and made alterations to best meet their needs and fulfil their potential accordingly.
Other agencies are involved, when necessary, eg, speech and language therapy. Any children or young people who then require an ‘EHCP’ will have annual and interim reviews. Parents, SENDCo, and LA representative - usually the appropriate caseworker, class teacher, supporting TAs and any other parties involved in the EHCP provision are invited to the annual reviews.

School Policies that are linked to the identification and assessment of SEND

SEND Policy
Accessibility
Safeguarding Policy and procedures
Supporting Pupils with Medical Conditions
Behaviour Policy
Equality Information and Objective Statement

Whitby School Individual Learning Plans

Individual Learning Plans are created for all children or young people who are on the SEND register with a view that these are entirely working documents which are continually reviewed and follow the child or young person through their education, creating a holistic picture of the child and how best to support them. They are created in a joint process involving the parents/carers, the child or young person and the class teacher with an outcome focused approach. When completing individual learning plans, we strive for targets to not only look at the term or year ahead (in the short/medium term), but also further into the child’s future eg, the next Key Stage (long term). This lends itself to the forward planning approach adopted by school to better meet the needs of all its SEND pupils. Parents/carers will be supported to understand how they can promote these targets at home. The learning plans are very child centred and monitored and reviewed half termly.

Special Educational Needs Policy Implementation

This SEND Information Report, along with our Special Educational Needs Policy, has been developed by the SENDCo and Deputy SENDCO
Contact details: send@whitbyschool.co.uk
Telephone: 01947 601901

It is the responsibility of all school staff to act within the policy and associated guidelines. All staff must follow the SEND Code of Practice 2014. With the SENDCo, it is the role of the headteacher to implement the school’s SEND policy and to ensure that all staff are aware of the school policy and how to best support children with SEND. The headteacher will report to the governing body about the effectiveness of the SEND policy on request. The school will work collaboratively with parents/carers to ensure they are able to support their child. The governing body has the responsibility of reviewing and agreeing the policy. The governors support the headteacher in carrying out this policy. The school governor for SEND is: Jane Mortimer

The SEND Governor will support and challenge the school to ensure that no learner is treated less favourably, denied opportunity, or left behind because they have additional needs.

The Headteacher, Julie Caddell will monitor the effectiveness of the policy on a regular basis and report to the governing body. The governing body will review the policy and information report annually.

Partnership with Parents/Carers

Whitby School will have regard to the SEND Code of Practice (2014) when carrying out its duties toward all pupils with special educational needs and ensure that parents/carers are involved with any decision that SEND provision is necessary for their child’s or young person’s personal progression. Partnership with parents/carers plays a key role in enabling children and young people with SEND to achieve their potential. We recognise that parents/carers hold key information and have knowledge and experience to contribute to the shared view of a child’s needs and the best ways of supporting them. All parents/carers of children with special educational needs will be treated as partners, with due consideration given to our ‘Equality Policy’ (found in the Policies section on our school website) and supported to play an active and valued role in their child’s education.

Home-school communication around SEND are detailed below:

there is a Parent/Carer SEND leaflet for your key information and an initial point of reference
class teachers and the SEN department are regularly available to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns you may have and to share information about what is working well at home and school so similar strategies can be used
the SEN department is available to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns/worries you may have. All information from outside professionals will be discussed with you and with the person involved directly, or where this is not possible, in a report.
individual Learning Plans will be reviewed with your involvement each term as appropriate
homework will be adjusted as needed to your child’s individual needs
there are a number of parent/carer support groups such as SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service).

Pupil Voice

Teachers/SENDCo and Support Staff will work with children and young people to identify the support needed to meet agreed outcomes. The provision is planned, and interventions are allocated to individual needs. The children regularly discuss their progress and support with support staff. Pupil voice is highly valued in our school, and we feel their contributions to their own Individual Learning Plan is key to the pupil’s success.

A Graduated Approach

When a potential special educational need has been identified, a graduated approach will be taken. This involves assessing, planning, implementing, and reviewing the approach taken so that it is increasingly personalised to the child or young person. This cyclical process, as we build a deeper understanding of the child’s needs, enables school to continually reflect upon the approach taken and to gain ‘Pupil Voice’ and ‘Parental Input’ along the way which is intrinsic to getting the provision correct for each individual child.

Transition Arrangements and Preparing for Adulthood

From Year 9 onwards, the school will ensure that pupils with SEND are supported to prepare for adulthood, including independent living, employment, and participation in society. Careers guidance will be tailored to individual needs and aspirations.

We recognised that transitions can be difficult for a child or young person with SEND and take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible. We are keen to involve parents/carers as much as possible with their transition to their next year group. The children or young person will spend time in the summer term in their new surroundings if appropriate. The period of transition depends on the individual needs of your child or young person. When writing and reviewing EHC Plans there is always a focus on the longer term transition to the next Key Stage for that individual pupil and what smaller ‘SMART’ targets are needed to achieve the aspirations of the pupil, parents/carers, and the staff within school such that each pupil may achieve their full potential and so that we provide all children and young people with an education that will enable them to be resilient within adulthood and become lifelong learners. Staff have also taken opportunities to visit and work closely with our partner primary schools and local SEND schools to acquire a more in-depth knowledge of their routines, systems, and ethos. This also gives staff an opportunity to see what provision the schools have in place and how best to support your child for the transition into Year 7. Staff are willing to arrange and accompany children and/or parents/carers to their new school. Where possible, all involved staff will attend a Year 6 annual review to meet you and your child, where there is an EHC plan in place. At this meeting, we hope to ease any worries and concerns you may have during your child’s transition to their new school.

School to include how they prepare pupils for adulthood which will include how the school ensures that pupils from Year 8 until Year 13 are provided with independent careers guidance.

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

We are strong advocates that all teachers are teachers for children with SEND. Our teaching, learning, and planning procedures reflect this and are as follows:

individual Learning Plans for all children and young people on our SEND Register - including reviewing of outcomes at the end of each cycle (termly)
individual SMART targets
differentiated learning
multi-sensory activities
data analysis through school tracking system
pupil progress meetings with class teacher, SENDCo and senior leadership team
sharing between teachers to ensure a smooth transition
individual Learning Plan meetings held termly between child/young person, teacher, and parents/carers to discuss progress and next steps
targeted interventions delivered and reviewed regularly through book looks and evidenced progress within core subject areas
teachers and support staff working closely together.

How we adapt the curriculum and learning environment for children and young people with SEND

Whitby School has a range of approaches to supporting children and young people with SEND needs. All children and young people benefit from quality first teaching in the classroom, which caters for their individual needs and supports all children and young people to make good progress. Work is differentiated for different groups and individuals. Sometimes this is enough to ensure a child or young person is on track to reach their full potential, however sometimes an Individual Learning Plan will be needed with individual ‘SMART’ targets and strategies to work towards achieving them. This will be put in place in discussion with parents/carers and where appropriate the child or young person. This would mean additional work with a child or young person on a small group or 1:1 basis to carry out specific interventions to support a child or young person to meet their individual targets. The SENDCo works alongside class teachers and support staff to oversee SEND provision and monitor the progress of any child or young person requiring additional support. Where appropriate other agencies will be asked to work alongside the school to assess a child and plan for their needs. At all stages, parents/carers will be involved in the process.

To ensure all children and young people can access the curriculum at an appropriate level and fulfil their potential we take some of the following actions:

make adaptations to ensure that all pupils have access to the school curriculum and school activities
support pupils to achieve their full potential despite any difficulty or disability they may have
ensure that staff are aware of pupil’s individual needs and teach in a way that is appropriate for them
provide opportunities for pupils to develop confidence, self-esteem, and resilience
work in partnership with parents/carers, pupils, and external agencies to cater for children’s special educational needs and disabilities
make provision for children with SEND to fully develop their abilities, interests, and talents
identify special educational needs at the earliest opportunity to ensure early intervention and support
ensure all children with SEND are fully included in all aspects of school life and can develop their Cultural Literacy
regularly review policy and practice to achieve the best outcomes for all our pupils.

Provision

We aim to provide our pupils including those with SEND, with all the facilities necessary in order that they can realise their full potential. Listed below is the main body of our provision, however it may not list every skill, resource, and technique we employ to achieve this as these are continually developed and modified to meet the changing requirements for individual pupils. Your child/young person will receive:

Quality First Teaching.

Your child/young person may receive:

specific small group work including targeted interventions
specific targeted work on an individual basis as part of a small group
specialist individual support or sessions from specialist teachers or other professionals
specified 1:1 support during lessons and or/ playtimes
individual targets and an Individual Learning Plan
writing aids
pre-teaching of new concepts to enhance learning
support manipulatives, eg, Numicon, writing frames, vocabulary boards
tabletop resources.

The school budget, received from North Yorkshire LA, includes money for supporting children or young people with SEND.

the Headteacher decides on the budget for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in consultation with the school governors based on needs in the school
the Headteacher and the SENDCo discuss all the information they have about SEND in the school, including:
the children receiving extra support already
the children needing extra support
the children who have been identified as not making as much progress as would be expected
deciding what resources/training and support are needed.

How Children/Young Person with SEND are Included in Activities outside the Classroom

the school have a range of extra-curricular clubs. These are available to all children and young people with special educational needs
children and young people and their parents/carers are involved in planning for any activities or trips. With support provided for the children and young people through the SEN department
the following support is provided for children or young people with SEND during transition times, break times and lunch times: Access to all clubs and activities as well as access to a safe space.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Provision for Children/Young Person with SEND

To evaluate the effectiveness of the provision for children and young people with special educational needs (SEND), we use a range of qualitative and quantitative methods, including progress tracking data, individual support plans, and intervention reviews. Regular reports are created to monitor outcomes, focusing on academic progress, social development, and emotional well-being. These reports also include input from class teachers, SEND support staff, and external specialists where relevant. Crucially, the views of the children and young people themselves are actively sought through pupil voice activities, and we also gather regular feedback from parents and carers through meetings, surveys, and reviews. The outcomes and evaluation reports are presented to senior leadership and the governing body, where they are closely scrutinised to ensure accountability and continuous improvement. Insights from these evaluations inform future planning and help tailor support to meet the evolving needs of each learner.

Staff expertise and Provided Training Opportunities

Staff training in relation to SEND is carried out on a regular basis depending on the needs of the children/young people within our school. Individual staff may attend the training, and this may be on specific areas of need such as Dyslexia or Autism or more whole school issues such as Inclusive Classroom Practice. In-house training can also be offered to a number of staff where a specialist will come into school and provide training on a specific area of SEND, if needed ie, Makaton training.

Our SENDCo and Deputy SENDCo have the National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-ordination.

External Agency Support

Links with external agencies are vital to ensure that we provide the highest levels of support for our pupils with SEND. Any one of the support services can raise concerns about a pupil. This will be brought to the attention of the SENDCo and the pupil’s parents/carers.

A request for support from external services is likely to follow a decision taken by the SENDCo, colleagues, in consultation with parents/carers. External support services will usually see the child or young person, so that they can advise subject and pastoral staff on strategies and provide more specialist assessments that can inform planning and the measurement of a pupil’s progress, give advice on the use of new or specialist strategies or materials, and in some cases provide support for particular activities.

Below is a list of the services that the school most regularly work with:

SEND Hubs
Early Help
Educational psychology team

To find out about the local authority’s Local Offer of services and provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities please use this link: SEND Local Offer (https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/SEND-local-offer)

Interventions

The SENDCo and the pupil’s class teachers, in discussion with parents/carers, will decide on the action needed to help the pupil to progress in the light of their earlier assessment.

This might be:

to provide key learning targets appropriate to the child’s/young person’s current achievement
to provide different learning materials or specialist equipment
to introduce some group or individual support
to devote adult time to devising the nature of the planned intervention and to monitoring its effectiveness
to undertake staff development and training aimed at introducing more effective strategies
to provide effective intervention without the need for regular or on-going input from external agencies.

Targeted Mainstream Provision

Targeted Mainstream Provision (TMP) provides specialist support, so that children and young people with SEND can make progress within a mainstream setting.

Our TMP is a provision for children with an EHCP with Communication and Interaction as their primary need. Six of these places are ‘core’ places which means that the pupils are on the school roll and their place is permanent. Two are ‘flexi-places’ which is a temporary place for a period of assessment to see if the TMP is the right setting for them. Places are decided through a consult process where we read all the relevant information provided by the local authority to decide whether we are able to meet the needs of the student and if a place is available. Places are highly sought after as we are the only secondary TMP in Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale.

Pupils who access the TMP should ideally attend mainstream lessons for 60-80% of the time and for the remaining 20-40% they can access the provision for additional curriculum support or for interventions identified in section B of their EHCPs. However, this is flexible depending on the needs of the individual students and each has a bespoke timetable.

The lower and upper sites each have a TMP room that pupils access, with a sensory room close by that is monitored at all times. Staffing consists of a Lead Teacher, a Senior ATA and an ATA who, between them, have a wealth of experience of working with pupils with C&I needs. Our current cohort consists of two pupils in Year 7, two in Year 8, three in Year 9 and one in Year 11. We also provide break and lunchtime support on both sites each day for additional pupils who have been identified as vulnerable and struggle with unstructured times, and provide interventions for additional pupils within the school where we can.

Use of Alternative Provision

Alternative Provision is defined as ‘education arranged by local authorities for pupils who, because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, would not otherwise receive suitable education; education arranged by schools for pupils on a fixed period exclusion; and pupils being directed by schools to off-site provision to improve their behaviour’ (DfE 2013).

Schools can use such provision to try to prevent exclusions, or to re-engage pupils in their education.

When commissioning alternative provision, the school will carefully consider what providers are available that can meet the needs of their pupils, including the quality and safety of the provision, costs, and value for money.

Once the school has commissioned alternative provision, we will maintain on-going contact with the provider and pupil, with clear procedures in place to exchange information, monitor progress and provide pastoral support.

Supporting Pupils with their Emotional and Social Development

We recognise that pupils with SEND may well have emotional and Social Development needs that will require support in school. We have a robust Safeguarding Policy in place, and we follow National and LA Guidelines. We believe that all children with Special Educational Needs and/or Health and Well-being needs must have their needs recognised and assessed, through a whole-school approach, with appropriate and timely intervention put in place through an Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle.

We believe that all teachers are teachers of children with special educational needs, and it is therefore a whole school responsibility to ensure that these children’s/young people’s needs are addressed. All staff have due regard to general duties to promote disability equality, including having a clear understanding of youth mental health issues and how to approach these with sensitivity and care. A range of support strategies are in place for pupils who need them including: 1:1 mentoring, feelings books, friendship groups, Speech Language and Communication interventions, Multi-sensory Interventions, and tailored-bespoke interventions that are created on an individual needs-assessed basis.

Arrangements for Dealing with Complaints from Parents/Carers

The school deals with any complaints from parents/carers by calling a meeting with the Headteacher, and all the concerned parties. (Please refer to our ‘Complaints Procedure’ which can be found on our website for further details).

Admission Arrangements (also see admissions policy)

The admissions arrangements for all pupils are in accordance with national legislation, including the Equality Act 2010 and the schools key information around this can be found in our ‘Equality Information and Objectives’ policy. This includes pupils with any level of SEND: those with an EHCP plan and those without.