Supporting our SEND students

Our SEND policy, SEND Information Report and Local Offer are all in-line with the requirements of:

• Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014;
• The Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2014 and 2015;
• The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014;
• The Equality Act 2010.

Our SEND policy should also be read in conjunction with the following West Walsall E-ACT Academy policies: Admissions Policy, Behaviour Policy, Accessibility Plan, Assessment Policy, Equal Opportunities Policy, Safeguarding Policy, Home Learning Policy and Parental Concerns and Complaints Policy.

SEND arrangements

We at West Walsall E-ACT Academy are proud to call ourselves an inclusive academy, as we continue to foster positive working relationships with an array of external agencies and organisations. These very relationships allow us to either enhance the support we provide to our SEND learners and their families or arrange and secure additional support from these organisations when the need arises. Furthermore, we strive to ensure that our SEND learners can access, participate in and engage with the same aspects of academy life as our non-SEND learners.

We also aim to ensure that all students, SEND and non-SEND, are given the same academic and pastoral opportunities. This entails a high regard for the Code of Practice 2015 in that:

• All students are entitled to an education that enables them to make progress
• All students have access to a broad and balanced curriculum
• Teachers are expected to set high expectations for every student, regardless of prior attainment
• Teachers are expected to use appropriate assessments to set targets which are deliberately ambitious
• Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the students in their class, including where students access support from learning support assistants or specialist staff
• The academy regards high quality teaching, differentiated for individual students, as the first step in responding to students who have or may have SEND
• The academy regularly and carefully reviews the quality of teaching for all students, including those at risk of underachievement

We at West Walsall E-ACT Academy pride ourselves on the broad and balanced curriculum we provide to all of our students. In order to allow our SEND learners to overcome any barriers, we also incorporate the advice provided as a result of assessments, both internal and external, and the strategies described in statements of special educational needs / Education, Health and Care Plans.

As part of our requirement to keep the appropriateness of our curriculum and learning environment under review, the following improvements continue to be developed:

• work on physical environment to improve safety for visually impaired (high visibility markings on steps, posts, entrances and exits, improved lighting etc)
• SEND training for staff on an array of learning difficulties, sensory impairments and the SEND Reforms
• ongoing efficient communication of students’ various learning needs, hence requirements, to staff
• a focus on increasing the provision of assistive technologies – including access to laptops/PCs – in order to aid access to the curriculum for SEND learners

Key Documents and Links

Walsall’s Local Offer
West Walsall E-ACT Academy Local Offer

FACE Walsall – Information Sharing
Parental Referrals
SEND and Learning Policy
SEND Information Report
Academy Accessibility Plan