SEND

Students with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are highly valued at Harrogate Grammar School. Our aim is to empower and support them to develop the confidence they need to achieve their aims both educationally and personally.

Research evidence tells us that young people with SEND do their best in schools where expectations are high for all students. Our tracking data illustrates that students at HGS with SEND make excellent progress and achieve above expected levels at GCSE and A Level however there is no room for complacency. We constantly strive to do more to strengthen our capacity to respond to an increasingly diverse range of individual learning needs and to close the attainment gap.

The school is committed to the early identification of special educational needs so that action can be taken as swiftly as possible. Support is based on a careful evaluation of individual requirements and our strategy is to develop breadth in provision that involves varied approaches to overcome any barriers and enable success.

Whilst the Co-Ordinator of Learning Support is responsible for identifying and planning the range and frequency of interventions that are implemented to meet a child’s needs, close partnership with parents is central to the process. The views and wishes of the student are also recognized and valued. All provisions are kept under regular review.

For most students, extra help will be provided within the classroom by the delivery of Quality First Teaching. Subject teachers are provided with specific information regarding all our students with SEND and receive regular training in suitable strategies to maintain inclusivity and ensure progress. Subject staff are expected to adapt and modify resources to meet the needs of identified students. Within the LS Department, our specialist teachers and highly qualified teaching and learning assistants are dedicated to working collaboratively with key staff, both academic and pastoral, to unlock the potential of our most vulnerable learners. Subject teachers regularly draw on information and advice provided by the Learning Support team.

Timetabled support is flexible and adapted to respond to the changing needs of individuals and groups of students. Where extra help involves spending some time outside the ordinary classroom, it will still be in the context of the inclusive curriculum.

At HGS, supporting SEND is recognized as a whole school commitment and there is a learning support dimension to every aspect of school life. It is of paramount importance to us as a school to ensure that students with SEND are considered at every point in our planning.

The school’s SEND Information Report which provides detailed information regarding how the school identifies, assesses, and arranges provisions for students with special educational needs, can be viewed under the Policies section.

Liz Zoccolan
Assistant Headteacher/SENDCO