Specialist Teaching and Support

In November 2019, we entered our new purpose-built building and the Additionally Resourced Centre (ARC) has been specially designed to cater for the needs of our most vulnerable students and those with an Additionally Resourced Provision place.

Each students needs are looked at on an individual basis and a bespoke support plan is created for them.

The purpose of The Additionally Resourced Provision is to:

• Support transition within the mainstream secondary school environment
  · Provide high levels of support for students with their work in mainstream lessons, optimising their access to the National Curriculum.
  ·  To provide a broad and balanced education for every individual student.
  ·  Address communication difficulties and help students to develop their understanding of social situations.
  ·  Teach students language and vocabulary they need to understand and use for their college subjects.
  ·  Implement programmes of study addressing social skills and social communication, so that students can make the most of their integration into the social, pastoral and extra-curricular life of the college.
  ·  Encourage and facilitate independence and the fullest possible participation in whole college life.
  ·  Work closely with parents/carers and external agencies in developing strategies and meeting the needs of identified students.
  ·  Raise and maintain awareness of special educational needs and to disseminate information to all staff regarding:

• Students’ strengths and talents
• The nature of their difficulties
• Appropriate achievable targets
• Strategies which support learning
• Good practice in teaching of students with special educational needs.

Successful inclusion of our students depends on the existence of a strong collaborative relationship between the teachers within the mainstream school and The Additionally Resourced Centre. There is an ongoing exchange of information about the progress of our students with support given to help understand individual behaviours and identify strategies for each individual student.

All students are entitled to a high-quality education.

Subject teacher input via excellent targeted classroom teaching also known as Quality First Teaching is what all students receive in the first instance.

This means:

• That the teacher has the highest possible expectations of all students in their class.
• That all teaching is based on building on what students already know, can do and can understand.
• Different ways of teaching are in place and individual strategies are implemented so that students are able to be fully involved in learning in class.
• Specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SEND Team or outside agencies) are in place to support students to learn via an individual ‘Student Overview Sheet’.
• Students are mostly taught in classes with students of similar ability.
• Students with an Additionally Resourced Provision place will receive support from an Inclusion Assistant in their lessons.
• Students will be allocated a mentor who is part of the Inclusion Team who meets with them weekly as part of the whole school mentoring programme.

All children in school should receive quality first teaching as a part of excellent classroom practice, whoever their education is delivered by.

At High Tunstall College of Science, the importance of a close home/school relationship is highly regarded. Parental/Carer input and an understanding of a student’s needs is an integral dimension to their learning. The extent and frequency of contact with parents and carers depends on their wishes and the needs of the student. The following are examples of the way we foster and encourage a close home/school relationship:

• Synergy one to one messaging
• Key Worker who is a central figure for home/school communication. The key worker will make regular phone calls home/send Synergy correspondence to keep parents and carers informed day-to-day.
• Parents’ Evenings- held for all year groups throughout the year. The Senior Teacher for Inclusivity and SENDCo are available during the event to assist parents and students and meet to discuss progress.
• Coffee Mornings – offered throughout the year. It gives all parents and carers the opportunity to meet each other and talk to the Inclusion Team.
• Annual Education Health and Care Plan reviews.
• Facebook page for The Additionally Resourced Centre (ARC)

We recognise that transition can be difficult for a child with special educational needs and take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible.

Students are supported in all stages of transition:

• Transition to Key Stage 3 – The Additionally Resourced Centre provides a structured programme for all incoming Year 7 students, with a detailed and personalised transition programme in liaison with primary schools, opportunities for students to develop a positive relationship with the Key Worker and staff in advance of starting at High Tunstall, visual supports and adapted transition materials, support for parents and carers and enhanced visits and transition days to High Tunstall.
• Transition to Key Stage 4 – Students are supported by the SENDCo to make informed choices about what options would be most appropriate and beneficial for GCSEs. The Inclusion Team helps students, parents and carers begin to focus on adulthood as students reflect upon what they would like to study Post-16. The Inclusion Team support students through the use of visual timetables, meeting staff in advance and supporting in transition lessons to prepare students for the expectations of Key Stage 4.
• Transition to a Post-16 Provider – High aspirations are crucial to success and therefore discussions about longer-term goals start early and continue through Year 11. The Additionally Resourced Provision centres support around an extended transition and the young person’s own interests and needs and focuses on further education, participating in society and being as healthy as possible in adult life. We work with the Post-16 providers to ensure they have all the relevant information they require and plan detailed extended transition opportunities for all ARP students. Students attend careers fairs and lessons with support from an Inclusion Assistant and are fully supported through the process of applying to Post-16 Providers. Post-16 Providers are also invited to Year 11 Education, Health and Care Plan reviews.