“The importance of developing independent learners, promoting positive mental health and well-being, life skills, social skills and cultural awareness, underpins the belief that the curriculum offered provides the widest and most beneficial pathway for all students.”

We want our students to excel while developing the skills they need to achieve their full potential and believe that all students have an entitlement to study a broad and balanced curriculum that provides varied and interesting learning experiences suitable to their needs. We will strive to ensure that the support provided for our students removes barriers that will enable them to access their learning in all of their subjects. If we are to achieve this, we need to consider carefully the pathway or options for every student so that they have the skills, the resilience, respect and reflectiveness in order to participate fully in all aspects of society.

The Pastoral Support Team – Student Engagement

The team is made up of Heads of Years, Pastoral Leaders and Pastoral Assistants. They are most likely to work closely with students who do not meet the threshold for SEND Support and those whose behaviours may impact on their ability to achieve successfully. The team provides 1:1 or small group intervention to address social and emotional literacy needs, organisational and engagement concerns as well as support to address behaviour for learning difficulties. A solution focused approach is designed to ensure that all students can demonstrate positive learning behaviours that fall in line with the school’s LORIC (leadership, organisation, resilience, initiative, communication) expectations and ethos.

Attendance and Punctuality

Our two Attendance Officers have a huge role to play in raising the achievement of our students by improving school attendance and punctuality across the whole school. Their commitment to promoting excellent attendance and reducing the number of absences is demonstrated by the important relationships that they build with students and their families.

The SEND Team

The SEND Team supports the students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). This support will be specific and personalised to the student and falls into three categories:

1. The support for students with EHCPS
2. The support for students identified as SEND Support
3. The investigation of students with potential SEND.

The SENCO is responsible for the strategic co-ordination of the day-to-day provision of education for students with SEND as well as the management of the team of Learning Support Assistants (LSAs). During the current climate, we have attached one LSA to each year group, who is the first point of contact that will raise concerns and instigate discussions regarding SEND and potential students. In addition, in order to address low reading ages and severe literacy needs, students from particular groups in year 7, 8 and 9, receive daily small group literacy support. Please see our link to SEND Provision.

The Autism Resource Base

The Autism Resource Base provides support for up to 20 children who have a primary diagnosis of autism and have an EHCP. Admissions to the base will be through the SEND team at Lewisham, Kaleidoscope, based on need and suitability of the provision for each individual child. The criteria for children wishing to attend the Resource Base is as follows:

1. The young person must have an EHCP and a primary need of ASD however, they may also have additional needs.
2. Levels: children will be cognitively able and working at levels of a Year 5 student or above or working at age expected levels.
3. The young person will have the ability to access learning within a mainstream setting for at least 50% of the timetable. After we have understood the profile of an individual student’s ability to access mainstream lessons, especially for those students with a spiky profile, we will apply flexibility according to the student’s needs. Students will attend the Resource Base for interventions such as social skills and speech and language support.
4. The Resource Base will be suitable for students where it has been demonstrated that they continue to require a high level of support to regulate their emotional responses and manage the sensory environment of school, as well as the demands of the curriculum.

A wonderfully honest take on what it is like to be Autistic from Sidney in Year 7. With huge thanks to Beth Sbresni, who created this wonderful animation.

The Sanctuary

Some students within Deptford Green School may require a smaller and additional supportive learning environment that is able to cater to their specific needs. These needs may be educational, behavioural, social, emotional or include mental health needs. The aim of the provision is to ensure that any personal challenges are conquered so that students can develop their resilience and implement the strategies required that will enable them to achieve their academic and personal targets.

The Sanctuary provides support for four main groups of students:

1. Students who face permanent exclusion and spend full-time in The Sanctuary so that further assessments (in house and outside agencies) can be carried out in order to establish next steps.
2. Students who have missed a considerable amount of school due to social anxiety, illness or circumstances beyond their control, and need an alternative or reduced curriculum at GCSE level.
3. Students who have attended off-site placements due to significant behavioural issues and need a gradual reintegration back into mainstream lessons.
4. Students who may temporarily require additional support due to emotional, social interaction or emotional needs.

Students who attend the Sanctuary are referred by their Head of Year and are provided with the opportunity to learn in a small and supportive setting for up to six weeks continuously or during specific times during the day. This may be because they have significant barriers that affect their overall successful engagement. The climate for learning is personalised in order to meet the needs of the students that attend.

Throughout any time spent in the Sanctuary, students are carefully monitored and high expectations of behaviour, as well as a focus on learning is evidenced by the LORIC points they achieve during this time.

Behaviour Mentor

The school mentor is available to support individuals or small groups of children to ensure that their attitude, behaviour and conduct is of the highest standard. We have in the past used the PiXL Edge programme, a programme which relies heavily on the key LORIC learning behaviours: leadership, organisation, resilience, communication and initiative. The behaviour mentor works closely with identified children to ensure that they are in a better position to make the right decisions both in lessons and during unstructured times.

Outreach Inclusion Service

The Outreach Inclusion Service offers every Lewisham mainstream Primary and Secondary school access to support for children aged 4-16, and their families, who are experiencing difficulties in participating fully in their educational setting. The team comprises teachers, advisors and therapists specialising in working with children and young people (CYP) whose main barriers to learning are their social and emotional needs. They are a multi-disciplinary team, drawing on all of their vast experience gained from working in mainstream schools, specialist schools and alternative provisions, adjusting their support to meet the needs of all learners. Currently at Deptford Green, we have two members of the team attached to the school.

SEND Provision

Deptford Green School is a fully inclusive mainstream school. At Deptford Green School all pupils are valued equally, regardless of where their abilities lie, with the School being committed to developing ‘the best in everyone’. All students are entitled to have access to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum, which is differentiated to meet individual needs. With its aims, Deptford Green School is committed to equal opportunities, with students being encouraged to achieve their full potential, whatever their academic or physical ability, through the provision of a balanced and challenging curriculum in both content and styles of learning.

Our provision is built around a graduated approach. This ensures that the needs and differences of students are clearly identified and that reasonable adjustments and interventions are put in place to ensure the best possible outcomes for all learners.

Students with an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP)

All students with an EHCP are offered additional support during their transition from primary to secondary school. Once at Deptford Green they will be assigned a keyworker who will be the main point of contact and support for that student during their time at the school.

Support for those with an EHCP will include implementation and regular reviewing of the provision identified within their EHCP in order that they can be best supported to meet their outcomes. Regular keyworker support and termly reviews will support the Annual Review process.

Support and intervention for those with an EHCP may include:

• In class support
• Out of class small group or 1 to 1 targeted support
• Environmental adjustments and adaptations
• Adaptation of or provision of additional learning materials
• Access to the use of assistive technology

Details can be downloaded here of our local SEN provision offer. This comprises part of the Lewisham offer of provision overall. To see the SEN provision in Lewisham go to http://www.lewishamlocaloffer.org.uk/

Exam Support

Some students will be eligible for additional or specialised arrangements during assessments and examinations.

Assessments and observations will be undertaken by teachers, Inclusion staff and specialist assessors in order to support an application for access arrangements.

Access arrangements in examinations include:

• Extra time
• Scribe, reader or use of reading software
• Prompter
• Use of a laptop
• Enlarged print/ examination paper
• Rest breaks

Alternative Curriculum Pathways

At Deptford Green, we realise that the standard GCSE pathway may not be suitable for some of our learners. Therefore, we deem it important to ensure that there are alternatives available that will engage our young people and provide them with a sense of achievement. At the end of KS3, children with SEND work closely with the our SENDCo and other key members of staff to ensure that they make the right option choices. Within inclusion we provide the following:

External Agencies and Services

For the purposes of assessment, advice, and intervention the SEND team at Deptford Green regularly liaise with and might refer a student to any one of a number of external agencies or specialist teams.

External agencies and services we regularly work with include:

• Educational Psychology Service
• Drumbeat Outreach – ASD advisory, support and training service
• Specific Learning Difficulties Specialist Teachers
• Sensory Teachers Team (specialising in supporting those with visual and hearing impairments)
• Speech and Language Therapist

For SEND related queries please contact our SENDCO

• Ms Ruth Alexander - ralexander@deptfordgreen.co.uk

For Inclusion related queries please contact our Head of Inclusion

• Ms Natasha Cameron - ncameron@deptfordgreen.co.uk