The Bramcote College

A Co-educational academy school for young people aged 11 -16 years.

The school is part of the White Hills Park Federation Trust.

Sixth form provision can be accessed via Bramcote College.

Last Updated

Record Last Updated On:

Contact Details

Contact Name
Mrs Heidi Gale
Contact Position
Headteacher
Telephone
0115 9168900 0115 9168900
E-mail
bramcote@whptrust.org
Website
The Bramcote College
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Where to go

Name
The Bramcote College
Address
Moor Lane
Bramcote
Nottingham
Nottinghamshire
Postcode
NG9 3GA
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Time, Costs and Availability

Availability

Age Ranges
11 -16 years
Additional Local Offer Information

Local Offer

Description

We are a truly comprehensive Federation where all students are welcomed and thrive, and all are given every opportunity to achieve to their highest potential. We work in partnership with parents and carers to ensure that students’ individual needs are understood and catered for. The achievement of all students and groups of students is closely monitored so that we can provide tailored and targeted support by specialist, highly-trained staff to enable them to make excellent progress. We work closely with external agencies and organisations to access appropriate high-quality support and we use additional funding, such as SEN or pupil premium funding, wisely to secure maximum impact.

Contact Name
Mary Kirby
Contact Telephone
0115 9168900
Contact Email
mary.kirby@whptrust.org
Links
SEN Information Policy
Accessibility Plan
SEND report

Schools Extended Local Offer Response

1. What kinds of special educational needs does the school/setting make provision for?

Bramcote College makes provision for all types of SEND.

The four broad ‘areas of need’ are:

  •  Communication and Interaction
  •  Cognition and Learning
  •  Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
  •  Sensory and Physical Needs

(It is worth being mindful that the school site is on several different levels it might make it difficult to make provision for pupils with significant physical disabilities)

2. (For mainstream schools & maintained nurseries only) How does the school/setting know if pupils need extra help and what should I do if I think that my child may have special educational needs?

At different times in their school life, a child or young person may have a special educational need. The Code of Practice 2014 defines SEN as follows:

A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or a disability which calls for special education provision to be made for him or her. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty if he or she:
a) has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others the same age, or
b) has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16s institutions.

Bramcote College welcomes parents/ carers to contact Mrs Kirby (SENDCo) or their child’s Head of Year or Tutor if they feel their child has a special educational need and/ or disability. Members of teaching staff have received training in their identification of SEND and know to inform the appropriate member of staff where there are concerns.
To contact the SENDCo please email mary.kirby@whptrust.org.

Once a concern has been raised Mrs Kirby will then collect information from your child’s teachers and any external services/ professionals who may have been previously involved in supporting them. This may involve analysis of their work and/ or lesson observations.  Based on the information obtained, there may be no further actions required or light touch support strategies agreed. Equally, we may screen for learning difficulties or request to raise the child at the termly SEND meeting with our family of schools called Springboard.

Information is passed on from our feeder primary schools and we have termly meetings with all the SENDCo’s in the family.

Your child will complete a National Reading and Numeracy test as part of their induction; results analysis may lead them to receive literacy support during Year 7 and possibly Year 8 to reduce the barriers to learning in the future.

Bramcote College strives to communicate effectively with parents/carers, students and staff throughout these initial stages and thereafter.  We believe it is of utmost importance that the voices of the parents/carers and students are heard.

3.a) How does the school/setting evaluate the effectiveness of its provision for pupils with special educational needs?

If a child is identified as having an SEN need, we will provide support that is additional to or different from the learning arrangements normally provided as part of the high quality, individualised teaching intended to overcome the barrier to their learning.

When providing support that is “additional to” or “different from” we engage in a four-stage process:

assess plan do review

Assess – this involves taking into consideration all the information from discussions with parents/carers, the child, the class teacher and assessments.
Plan – this stage identifies the barriers for learning, intended outcomes, and details what additional support will be provided to help overcome the barriers. Decisions will be recorded on an SEN Support plan and will form the basis for review meetings.
Do - providing the support – extra assistance for learning – as set out in the plan.
Review – measuring the impact of support provided, and considered whether changes to that support need to be made. All of those involved – learner, parents or carers, teacher, SENCO and outside agencies contribute to this review. This stage then informs the next cycle.

Staff value pupils of different abilities and support inclusion. There is flexibility in approach in order to find the best provision for each child.

3.b) How will both the school/setting and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will the school/setting help me to support their learning?

 

In addition to the normal reporting arrangements, there will be the opportunity for parents to meet termly with the SENDCo and/or key worker to review short term targets and discuss the progress their child has made.

Where further communication might be helpful this will be agreed individually with the SENDCo and/or keyworker.

Each pupil with identified learning needs will have a pupil profile/ passport which highlights their barriers to learning and strategies for support. All teachers will be expected to follow the guidance and advice suggested by the SENDCo and other professionals on this document.

Additional support will also is considered on an individual basis in response to every individual student’s needs.

3.c) What is the school's approach to teaching pupils with special educational needs?

The Bramcote School has an inclusive approach to teaching students with special educational needs. Students are offered access to the same curriculum and opportunities as all students, but provision is then tailored to meet needs. Students are supported in class by quality first class teaching with additional support from teaching assistants where required. In addition to this intervention programmes are introduced as appropriate to meet individual’s needs. In literacy students with reading ages below functions levels of 10 years are identified using star reader tests and daily or weekly tailored programmes are implemented e.g. Reading Plus, ‘Switch On’ ‘Toe by Toe’. In numeracy students are identified through Math’s assessments and interventions can include ‘Catch up numeracy, Rapid Maths, 1:1 work with specialist Maths teacher, before and after school boosters. For students with social and emotional difficulties interventions include; Forest School and socially talented programmes. 

The school also works closely with the MHST team as part of CAHMS and also has a counsellor within school. 

3.d) How will the curriculum and learning be matched to my child/young person's needs?

The students at The Bramcote School are broadly set by ability at KS3. At KS4, Core subjects Maths, English and Science are taught in ability groupings and all options subjects are taught in mixed ability classes. Teaching is differentiated to support individuals, extend learners and encourage achievement. As a trust we offer a wide range of appropriate courses for students with different interests and strengths at KS4 through 3 different pathways, green which includes a compulsory language, blue which ensures a board and balanced range of subjects and purple which includes more accessible course. Students and parents are guided through the options process to ensure the correct provision is reached. Further personalised curriculums are developed to meet individual needs as they arise and always in consultation with parents. This can include a timetable of vocational courses, work placements, alternative providers etc.

At the start of GCSE courses students will be assessed by the Family SENCo for relevant access arrangements for examinations in conjunction with the JCQ requirements. Any relevant access arrangements will be granted for controlled assessments and examinations.

3.e) How are decisions made about the type and amount of support my child/young person will receive?

We involve parents in discussions about needs and support for a student with special educational needs. This is done at review meetings as needs change. The type and amount of support will vary and is driven by the needs of the individual.

3.f) How will my child/young person be included in activities outside the classroom, including school trips?

We endeavour to take all pupils on schools trips. The only exception to this is if we feel pupil’s behaviour may put themselves or others in danger. Pupils with SEN have taken part in school productions, D of E, sporting competitions and clubs and gone on a range of trips.

3.g) What support will there be for my child/young person's overall well-being?

The Bramcote School has an effective pastoral support system. All students meet their form tutor weekly as their first points of contact. Students who require additional support are assigned a keyworker or mentor who will meet them regularly. A keyworker can act as a very effective link between home and school for students with additional needs. In addition to this we have a school counsellor that students with additional emotional needs can be referred to as and when appropriate.

4. (For mainstream schools and maintained nurseries) Who is the school/setting's special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) and what are their contact details.

Mary Kirby

Assistant Headteacher - Inclusion | SENCO

Email: mary.kirby@whptrust.org

 

5.a) What training have staff supporting special educational needs had and what is planned?

Training of specific SEND happens regularly in school and is reviewed to meet individual needs. Training will sometimes take the form of whole school training and also occur with small teams who are working with individuals and who might need a more targeted approach.

2021 -2022 recent training includes:

  • Inclusive quality first teaching Sept 2021
  • Individual training for VI pupils Sept 2021
  • Autism awareness and supports Sept 2021
  • Empathic listening and Trauma informed practice Sep 2021
  • Effective support in the classroom - specific TA training May 2022
  • Cognitive load and BC5 SEND supports May 2022
  • Sensory processing difficulties targeted training May 2022

Training planned for Sept 2022 - 2023 

  • Emotions coaching and low arousal approaches 
  • Dyslexia friendly schools 
  • Differentiation approaches to support engagement 
  • ASC refresher 
5.b) What specialist services and expertise are available or accessed by the setting/school?

As a school we meet termly through Springboard with our family of schools to discuss the needs of pupils and identify possible supports.

We have links with a wide range of outside agencies who offer specific guidance and support to our school and families.

  • Educational Psychologist
  • Therapists including those for Speech and Language, Occupational and Physiotherapy and the Physical Disabilities Service
  • Local Authority Advisors including those for; Cognition and Learning, Communication and Interaction and Sensory needs including Hearing impairments and visual impairments
  • Health Services including School Nurse and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
  • Social Care
  • Outreach services including voluntary organisations

We seek support from outside agencies for staff and families whenever it is needed.

Staff training is ongoing to ensure the school is kept up to date with any changes and priorities. The training needs within our school reflect the needs of the staff and children we work with.

6. How will equipment and facilities to support pupils with special educational needs secured? How accessible is the school/setting?

Place funding is used to provide up to 9.5 hours of additional support for students with special educational needs. After this bids are made for additional family funding (AFN) if additional hours of support are required for an individual. The individual has to meet stringent criteria set by the Local Authority to receive this funding. Further to this if criteria are reached then High Levels Needs (HLN) funding can be applied for by the school directly to the Local Authority. This funding is then used to provide resources, specialist equipment or Teaching Assistant Support as required by the individual.

The school has been assessed for wheelchair users and students with visual impairments. Adjustments are made as required to meet needs in accordance with the accessibility policy.

7. What are the arrangements for consulting parents of pupils with special educational needs? How will be I involved in the education of my child/young person?

All parents have the opportunity to take part in parent forums and the PTA. Parent questionnaires are also carried out by the school and feedback forms are available at parent’s evening. In addition to this students with special education needs will have more regular review meetings during the year   where parents’ views are obtained, both prior to and during the meetings.

8. What are the arrangements for consulting young people with SEN and involving them in their education?

The school has a student council that all students have the opportunity to take part in through their form representatives. In addition to this the SENCo and other members of the Learning Support department will seek out student views during keyworker meetings, prior to and during review meetings and through student questionnaires and interviews.

9. What do I do if I have a concern or complaint about the SEN provision made by the school/setting?

If you have an initial concern or complaint you should contact the SENCo in the first instance. Alternatively you may put your complaint in writing to the Headteacher or Directors as is consistent with the complaints policy.

10. How does the governing body involve other organisations and services (e.g. health, social care, local authority support services and voluntary organisations) in meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs and supporting the families of such pupils?

The Directors actively encourage contact with outside agencies through the Nottinghamshire Guidance and relevant referral systems.

11. How does the school/setting seek to signpost organisations, services etc who can provide additional support to parents/carers/young people?

The school will discuss access to relevant organisations and signpost parents to external support services at review meetings. In addition information is shared over the telephone and online.

12. How will the school/setting prepare my child/young person to: i) Join the school/setting?

We offer a variety of visits and taster days to primary school children across the junior age range. Parents are actively encourage to visit and tour the school prior to entry and these can be arranged by contacting the school office. There are also weekend and evening language classes taking place at the school.

ii) Transfer between phases of education (e.g. early years to primary, primary to secondary etc)?

All students will complete a 3 day induction programme in the summer before the September start. In addition to this students with special educational needs are offered extra visits in a small group prior to the 3 day programme to support a smooth transition and reduce anxieties. There is a culture of sharing information with feeder primary schools to further aid this process.

The Citizenship programme at KS3 & 4 prepares students for transition to the next phase of education.

iii) Prepare for adulthood and independent living?

Students are offered a wide variety of course choices at KS4 & 5 to give them the most appropriate opportunities following completion of compulsory education. In addition to this interview days are held for KS4 students to prepare them for job applications.

13. Where can I access further information?

Further information about the school and a copy of the SEND policy can be found at http://thebramcote.school/

 

The SEND Local Offer can be found at http://www.nottshelpyourself.org.uk/kb5/nottinghamshire/directory/localoffer.page?directorychannel=10

SEN Information Last Updated On: 12/10/2022

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