SEND

Oakfield aims to support students with additional needs by removing barriers to learning and participation. We ensure that all students have access to an appropriate level of education that affords them the opportunity to achieve their personal potential and that they receive sufficient support to reach for these goals.

Miss Bray is our SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) and works with the team to support the school, pupils, parents and agencies.

To get in touch please email lbray@oakfield.academy

Working With Families

We are committed to meeting the educational needs of all our pupils. At times, some of our children will need additional support. We will facilitate this by following these objectives:

Involve parents/carers as partners
Provide, provision for meeting pupils’ special educational needs, the setting and marking of work appropriate to the individual need of the child, and where necessary through the development of individual or group learning programmes
Foster and maintain links with all outside agencies, educational support services, secondary and special schools
Initiate and facilitate staff development programmes concerned with special educational needs
Ensure that our school provides for equal access in line with the Disability Discrimination Act

Remember ... a diagnosis of a recognised need only forms one part of the journey, we are most interested in documentation which helps us to know more about how to support a child. How do you support and identify children who need support?

How do you support and identify children who need support?

Occasionally, some children may require extra support during their academic journey. Our school has established procedures to identify and assess the unique needs of each child, involving teaching staff, parents, external agencies, and the students themselves. The level and type of support are tailored to the individual needs of the child.

Upon joining our school, we consult with previous teachers to determine the most effective support strategies for each child, ensuring their continued progress across all areas of the curriculum. We may also conduct further assessments to gain a comprehensive understanding of each student's strengths and weaknesses. Our staff regularly meets to review student progress and access to the curriculum, and from these discussions, we identify appropriate support measures. These may include class-based assistance, small group sessions, or targeted work programs.

Children with significant needs receiving support beyond that of their peers have a Pupil Passport to inform all teaching staff of their strengths and challenges. This enables teachers to adapt their lesson plans and implement strategies that engage students in their learning and foster happiness and success.

Children with an Education Healthcare Plan (EHCP) receive appropriate support as directed, with annual and interim reviews conducted to discuss provisions, goals, and outcomes. These reviews include all relevant adults and the child in question.

If necessary, our school consults with parents and external agencies to provide additional, specialized assistance and guidance for our staff to address each child's unique needs. Such agencies may include Educational Psychologists, Specialist Teacher Advisors for disabilities, and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).

We strive to ensure that all students, regardless of their ability, can participate in all classroom activities at an appropriate level.

Information and support for parents

Mental Health Support Team

The Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) are part of the CAMHS early help service who offer support, advice, interventions to aid a pupils mental health if they are showing mild to moderate symptoms of mental health and/or behavioural difficulties or if they do not reach the threshold at a CAMHS assessment.

Teams are made up of professionals called Clinical Lead Practitioners and Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs). These are workers who have had specialised training to support young people presenting with a wide range of mental health issues.

How can I access the service?

Only school can make a referral, please speak to your child's class teacher or contact Miss Bray (SENCo/Senior Mental Health Lead). Referrals are completed with input from school and home. These are then sent to the team and discussed in their weekly meeting. There are three possible outcomes.

The referral is accepted and the young person is added to a waitlist for assessment.
The young person would be better helped by outside agencies - referral is signposted.
More appropriate for Tier 3 CAMHS.

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