“Every child brings a unique pattern of strengths and areas of need to our community and the school aims to fulfil the potential of all students.”
At High Tunstall, we believe that all students should be provided with the opportunities to leave as well rounded individuals and therefore we have a curriculum that is designed to give all students opportunities to progress across a broad subject based offer.
Our aim is for all students to receive a curriculum which is ambitious and challenging to ensure students are provided with the tools to succeed in all aspects of life.
For students with Special Educational Needs and/or Additional needs, we do not support a narrowing of the curriculum and have remained true to a traditional curriculum structure, thus ensuring the correct components are given time to embed in student long term memory ready to perform more complex tasks as the curriculum progresses. We clearly communicate our expectations on the acquisition of non-negotiable knowledge and skills at pre-determined stages and phases to ensure that our curriculum is progressive and truly rooted in the knowledge our students gain.
Quality first teaching is at the core of ensuring students with additional needs receive a quality curriculum. ‘Knowing every child’ is key to our community at High Tunstall and is fundamental to understanding special education needs and additional needs.
All students are provided with the opportunities to access the broad and balanced curriculum, through the principles of ‘Inspire, Support and Achieve,’ however measures are taken to support students with additional needs to ensure they are able to continue to learn in this way.
Steps are taken to prevent students with additional needs from being treated less favourably than other students. We will ensure the facilities are provided to help students to access the school and ensure the curriculum is not narrowed. We will do this by:
- Ensuring all students have access to and are inspired through a broad and balanced curriculum and take measures to adapt the curriculum to allow students to participate in the full life of the college where appropriate. Students have the opportunity to participate in all subject areas along with extra curricular activities being available to all.
- Class teachers plan lessons according to the specific needs of all groups of students in their class and will ensure that they take all measure to support and meet the needs of their students. This includes the implementation of specific strategies such as coloured overlays and resources to support students with dyslexia, movement breaks for students with sensory needs and ADHD, adaptable physical equipment such as tables in classrooms to support wheelchair users.
- Specially trained support staff can adapt the teachers planning to support the needs of students where necessary.
- Specific resources and strategies are used to support students individually and in groups, this includes the use of technologies such as reading pens and laptops.
- Planning and teaching is adapted on a daily basis to meet students learning needs. Teaching staff work closely with pastoral and inclusion staff to ensure teaching is sensitive to students needs.
All students on the SEND register have a Student Overview Sheet which is provided to all staff. This is a one-page profile detailing any specific difficulties a student may have and specific strategies to overcome their barriers to learning.
All students identified as having a SEND need has an allocated Inclusion Assistant Mentor who meets with each student on a weekly basis and ensures student voice is heard and shared with staff when required.
At High Tunstall, we have 2 additionally resourced provisions:
- ASD and/or Medical and Physical (20 places) – Places are decided by the Local Authority for young people with an EHC Plan.
- Moderate Learning Difficulties (20 places) – Places are decided by the Local Authority for young people with an EHC Plan.
When students are allocated places within these provisions, the staff work closely with parents to identify where the most appropriate place for the student to access their curriculum is, whether this be within the provision itself or in mainstream lessons.
