Learning Support

Gordon’s Learning Support Department has the experience and expertise to provide for students with a wide range of barriers to learning, alongside those students for whom English is a second language.

KEY INFORMATION FOR SEND AT GORDON'S:

Please click here to view the Gordon's School SEND Information Report.
Please click here to view the Gordon's School SEND Policy.
Please click here to view the Provision Map for 2023-2024.
Please click here to view the school's Accessibility Plan.
Please click here to view the Supporting Students with Medical Conditions Policy. Please click here to view the Staff Training to Meet the Needs of our Students.

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Introduction

The Learning Support provision at Gordon’s is in line with the revised SEND Code of Practice (2014), in light of this the School will:

Meet the Equality Act duties for students with disabilities
Use our ‘best endeavours’ to meet students’ Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
Inform parents when students receive support for special educational needs and involve them in reviews of progress
Admit a young person, where the school is named in an EHC plan
Co-operate with the local authority in developing the local offer
Produce and publish online a School SEND Information Report
Secure the services of a suitably qualified or experienced member of staff as SENDCo (National Award); and have regard to the new 0-25 SEND Code of Practice
Provide a clear focus at every level and every stage on a person-centred approach and the involvement of families and young people
Focus on outcomes to be achieved, rather than simply units of provision.

Gordon’s School SEND Profile

We are required by the Department of Education to publicise the profile of our SEND intake.
The profile of our current 2023-24 intake is as follows:

31 students have an Education Health Care Plan
113 students have been identified as having a Special Educational Need and Disability, (not including those pupils with an EHCP).

The range of SEND includes Cognition and Learning, Speech Language and Communication Need, Social, Emotional and Mental Health and Sensory and/or Physical.

This is made up of the following groups:

38% of students with SEND have needs linked to Cognition and Learning including maths, reading, writing and a range of specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia.
24% of students with SEND have needs linked to Communication and Interaction including speech, language and social communication and interaction disorders such as Asperger’s and Autism.
37.5% of students with SEND have needs linked to Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties
0.5% of students with SEND have needs linked to Physical and/or Sensory difficulties including disabilities affecting vision, hearing and mobility.

About the Department

The Learning Support Department is housed within Taunton House which is centrally located and easily accessible for all. The department is well resourced and includes four separate teaching areas, two of which contain an interactive whiteboard. The Head of Inclusion is located within Taunton House.

The Learning Support Department predominately offers in class support for our EHCP and higher needs SEND students. As an inclusive school all of our students are education within a mainstream classroom.

Aside from in class support, our Learning Support team offer an array of interventions to meet the specific needs of our EHCP/SEND students. Such interventions run on a termly basis and students are invited to attend if the provision matches their need. Currently the Learning Support Department offers weekly 1:1 or small group sessions in the following areas: mentor/organisation, literacy and EAL, Social Thinking, Zones of Regulations and ELSA. These interventions are offered on a needs basis.

Our Learning Support Department operates an open door policy where students and colleagues are welcome to call in for a conversation or to seek advice whenever they feel the need. We do ask that parents/carers call or email the SENDCo or Deputy Head of Learning Support in advance to arrange a meeting; our team will happily accommodate this. There is also a dedicated Learning Support section in the School’s Library where colleagues and students alike will find information on a wide range of learning difficulties.

In the last full OFSTED inspection the following observations were made by the inspectors:

“The care, guidance and support provided is exceptional, encouraging both pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities.”

“Pupils with special needs are given very good support and the individual education plans for these pupils are thorough and constantly reviewed with involvement of the pupils themselves.”

The school was judged to be outstanding in respect of how well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities made progress.