Welcome to St Bonaventure’s SEND page. On this page you will find information on the support we provide for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). We hope you will find this information useful and that it will give you further insight into how we support students with SEND throughout their learning journey at St Bonaventure’s and into further education or employment.

At St Bonaventure’s  we believe that all students should be provided with a safe environment in which they enjoy learning and make outstanding progress. If any problems arise, they will be dealt with promptly and in partnership with the students and their parents/carers.

Our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator is Mrs F Parker. She can be contacted by email: f.parker@stbons.org or telephone 020 8472 3844 

What are Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)?

Special Education Needs and Disabilities are defined as a child or young person with “a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her”.

Or a child or young person who:

  • “has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age,

          or

  • 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-16 institutions”

What are the school’s aims for students with Special Educational Needs (SEND) and Disabilities?

St Bonaventure’s aim for students with SEND is that they make above expected progress and are given the opportunity to develop their literacy, numeracy, learning skills, social skills and life skills in order to succeed in whichever path they follow upon leaving the school.

What underpins St Bonaventure’s practice for students with SEND?

St Bonaventure’s, as with all schools in the United Kingdom, uses two main documents to inform their policies and practices for students with SEND.  The first of these documents is the SEN Code of Practice (2014) which sets out guidelines for all schools to follow and maintain in order to ensure appropriate support for all students with SEND.

The second document is the Equality Act (2010) which protects students with SEND from discrimination and ensures that inclusive practice is adopted and adhered to within the school.

Who supports students with SEND?

  • Ms F. Parker                      SENCo 
  • Ms S. Burgess                   Deputy SENCo
  • Ms A. Marsland                 Learning Support Teacher (Part time)
  • Miss J. Anthony                 Higher Level Teaching Assistant 
  • Mrs T. Halfacre                  Higher Level Teaching Assistant 
  • Mr L Pontin                        Higher Level Teaching Assistant
  • and a team of Learning Support Assistants.

How does St Bonaventure’s know if a student needs extra help?

A student may need extra help if:

  • a learning concern form is completed by a member of staff
  • a concern is raised by the student
  • a concern is raised by parents/carers
  • limited progress is being made across a range of subjects
  • there is a specific reason for limited progress
  • there is a change in the student’s behaviour or progress

In all of the above circumstances, the concerns will be assessed by the Learning Support Department or an external specialist in order to provide further support or advice where necessary.

What happens at St Bonaventure’s to support students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities?

  • All students on the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities register will be supported by a Learning Support Plan. The Learning Support Plan is be pupil-centred and offers clear objectives for students. These profiles will be reviewed on a termly basis.
  • In the first instance, students with SEND will be supported by high quality teaching and differentiated learning materials.
  • If a student has needs relating to specific areas of their education, such as literacy, numeracy or Specific Learning Difficulties then small group interventions may be used. These interventions will be run by Learning Support Teachers or Higher Level Teaching Assistants. All interventions will be planned with clear objectives in mind; time constrained (usually for a half term) and reviewed by all involved in order to judge the effectiveness of the intervention.
  • Occasionally a student may need more specialist support from external agencies. If this happens, a referral will be made by the SENCo with the parent/carer’s consent and forwarded to the appropriate agency.

How will the curriculum be matched to meet a student’s needs?

  • When a student has been identified with SEN their work will be differentiated by the class teacher to enable them to access the curriculum and make progress.
  • Learning Support Assistants may be allocated to work with the student in lessons, on a one-to-one basis or in small groups to focus on specific needs. This will happen in timetabled lessons or in small withdrawal groups
  • All students identified with SEN will have a Learning Support Plan which will be monitored termly.
  •  Appropriate agreed specialist equipment may be given to students e.g. pen/pencil grips, coloured reading rulers, touch-typing software and iPads for use in certain lessons.

How will I know how my child is doing?

  • Learning Support Plans will be sent home every term and parents/carers will be invited to comment on the objectives and targets set.
  • Each year group has a parent’s evening once a year to discuss student’s progress.
  • Progress reports are sent home at the end of each of the five assessment cycles so that parents/carers are informed of student’s progress.
  • The student’s planner will be used to communicate with parents on a day-to-day basis.
  • Subject teachers or SENCo may contact parents to discuss a student’s progress.

What support is there for students’ overall well-being?

  • The school offers a wide variety of pastoral support for pupils who have emotional, social and mental health difficulties, these include:
  • Each year group has a Head of Year and an Assistant Head of Year who are available to support students during break, lunch time and after school.
  • Lunch clubs are available to students who find long periods of unstructured times difficult.
  • The outside space is divided into distinct areas so students can choose their own activities during break and lunch.
  • The school Chaplain is available to provide short term support for students social, emotional, mental health needs.
  • Brentwood Catholic Children’s  Society provide counselling and support for student’s social and emotional needs. This service is accessed via a referral in school.

What specialist services are accessed by the school?

The school works with a range of specialist services in order to support a wide range of needs. The services provide advice and support for teachers within school as well as providing individual or small group intervention for students.

The main services accessed by the school are:

  • Educational Psychology Services
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Language Communication and Interaction Team
  • CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) through Child and Family Consultation Services
  • Behaviour Support Development and Advisory Service (BSDAS)
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Hearing Impairment Specialist Teachers
  • Visual Impairment Specialist Teachers
  • School Nurse

How does the school support students’ medical needs?

The details of all student’s medical needs are kept on a central database and managed by Mrs B. Wheatley (School Welfare Officer) who is also a designated first-aider and oversees the medical register on a day-to-day basis. The NHS Associated School Nurse visits the school every Monday and provides up-to-date information on students medical needs.

For those students whose medical needs are severe, or pose a high risk, care plans are drawn up by Mrs Wheatley and the School Nurse, and distributed to all staff.

What training have the staff supporting students with SEND completed?

The staff supporting students with SEN have completed a comprehensive training package, these include

  • Autism awareness
  • Teaching students with ASD
  • Teaching students with SPLD
  • Differentiation for students with SEN
  • Emotional regulation of students with ASD
  • Colourful semantics
  • AQA Unit Award Scheme
  • Maths for Life
  • Acquiring Curriculum Thresholds
  • Reading interventions
  • Ruth Miskin literacy intervention training
  • Access arrangements and invigilation
  • Medical training; Asthma awareness; EpiPen, First aid

How accessible is St Bonaventure’s?

St Bonaventure’s was built in 1877 and, as a result, there are certain parts of the building that are not accessible to wheelchair users or those with certain physical impairments. There is a wheelchair lift that provides access to some first floor classrooms for Science and English. All ground floor classrooms, sports facilities, playgrounds and the canteen are fully accessible.

Where physical disabilities are known, we will adjust a student’s timetable to ensure that lessons are relocated to the ground floor to enable full access to the curriculum.

How does the school support the transition of students from primary into secondary?

At St Bonaventure’s we have a thorough transition process that supports students with SEN from primary into secondary from the point of induction.

  • SEND transition day with feeder schools
  • Liaise with feeder schools and parents to gather as much information of identified students to facilitate the application of suitable resources
  • Whole cohort transition day for the new Year 7
  • Open days for parents and students
  • Meetings are organised for parents and relevant staff

How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to the student’s SEND?

  • The SEN budget is allocated each financial year. The money is used to provide additional support or resources dependent on an individual’s needs.
  • Additional agreed resources may include:
    • Access to specialist computed programmes
    • Teaching Assistant support in classroom
    • One-to-one or group interventions
    • Specialist learning tools or materials

Some students receive Higher Needs Funding and/or have Statement/Education Health and Care Plan. These students receive extra funding which is allocated in partnership with Newham LEA, St Bonaventure’s, the child and their parents. This allocation is reviewed annually.

How is the decision made about how much support students will receive?

  • The decisions are made in consultation with the SENCo; the Learning Support Department; subject teachers; Year Leaders and external specialists. Decision are based on termly tracking of student’s progress, concerns raised by staff or assessment by external agencies.
  • Students with Statements (or Education, Health and Care plans) have an individual package of support created and maintained by Newham LEA. The SENCo’s role is to ensure this support is directed, monitored and supported in conjunction with the parent’s and student’s wishes.

What should I do if I think my child has Special Educational Needs or require further information?

If you are concerned about your child’s progress, you should contact their form tutor in the first instance: they will be able to pass your concerns onto the SENCo.

If your child has an SEN and you require more information, or would like to discuss their needs further, please contact the SENCo using the contact details at the top of this page.