Our Approach to SEND
Folkestone Academy's SEND Parent Pledge
The purpose of the parent pledge is to assure you that we are relentless at pursuing nothing but the highest quality education for your child.
We believe in inclusion and equal opportunities and that is why we have the same high aspirations for every child in our school.
We understand some children face barriers and need tailored support from our staff and school in order to thrive in the classroom and the school community.
We know the importance of collaboration and working with you and your child to forge strong relationships, united by the common purpose of success for your child.
Academic success is just one part, we want to ensure your child is happy at school and is a valued member of our community with both the skills and qualifications to progress to the next stage of their education. We will only succeed in this by working as a team.
Therefore the Parent Pledge is an agreement between our school, you and your child to sign up to working closely together, communicating clearly and being relentless in providing your child with the education they deserve.
FINAL FA Our Pledge 2.0.mp4FA SEND parent pledge web.pdfAt Folkestone Academy we have a tiered approach when supporting pupils to learn and achieve their ambitions. Regardless if a pupil is on the special educational needs register or not, if they are struggling to make expected progress we will apply this process of support.
What does this mean?
Universal
‘Inclusive education and high-quality teaching for all pupils in the classroom’
What is high quality teaching?
High-quality teaching is the foundation for progress for all pupils. The Academy bases its expert teaching on 18 teaching principles which fall into six categories; Teacher knowledge/pedagogical knowledge, classroom management/perception, planning/pathway knowledge, execution, pupil knowledge, reflection.
Examples
New vocabulary is taught explicitly using etymology (word origins), morphology (prefixes and suffixes) and using vocabulary in context.
Staff have consistent and rigorous expectations that are clear for all pupils.
Lessons begin with retrieval practice of powerful knowledge.
Modelling is used to give clear examples of excellence.
Staff provide scaffolding for pupils to help support them to reach high expectations.
Staff are asked to be highly reflective on their practice and adapt it based on feedback, training and needs of pupils.
Targeted Intervention
‘Specific, extra, time-limited support in-school for children with additional needs’
What is targeted support?
Targeted support is usually, but not exclusively, delivered by staff with additional training and expertise. This tends to be timetabled at appropriate sessions during the school day. Often this targeted intervention will take place in small groups, but may, on occasion, be a ratio of 1:1. Interventions run for a set amount of time, concluding with a form of assessment that shows the impact and success they have had.
Examples
Zones of regulation, Lego therapy, sensory circuits, Read Write Inc.
Specialist Support
‘Services offered by external professionals such as occupational therapists, speech and language therapists or health professionals on or off the school site.’
What is specialist support?
Sometimes we need to call upon the support and advice from other professionals and services to support the young people in our care. They may come in to meet the child or it may be that the child receives this support away from school premises.
Examples
As stated above, this may be occupational therapists, speech and language therapists or health professionals. This may also incorporate educational psychologists, Early Help workers, counsellors etc.
Click on the link below to view our SEND policy information report:
Click on the boxes below for more specific SEND information
If you have concerns about your child, or are interested in your child attending our academy and need to know more about our SEND provision please contact:
Mrs A Monkley – Director of SEND: alison.monkley@turnerschools.com
When concerns are raised by either parents/carers or a member of staff the academy will use the following approach (click on link below to view):