EHCP students and on-EHCP students who join us with an identified SEND are flagged to the school through the transition/ handover process.

All students in Year 7 are assessed for reading ability in relation to national benchmarks. This allows identification of students who require targetted or specialist intervention.

Teacher referrals:

• If a teacher suspects a student may have an underlying SEND, an initial referral will be made to the SENCo, who will discuss with them the barriers to learning and what strategies have already been used to address them.

•  This  will be followed up, for example through gathering information from teachers, dialogue with parents/ carers or liaison with the schools Educational Psychologist.

• The SENCo will then decide on the appropriate support or intervention, to be reviewed at an agreed point (normally after 6 weeks)

Parent referrals:

1. The parent/carer should document concerns about their child’s learning, behaviour, or well-being, including examples from home and school, and speak to their child to understand any difficulties they are experiencing.

2. Parents/carers should contact the child’s form tutor, subject teacher, or Head of Year to discuss concerns. If needed, they can request a meeting with the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) to explore possible support.

3. The school will review the child’s progress using existing data, teacher observations, and any concerns raised by staff. The school may implement short-term interventions (e.g., additional classroom support, targeted strategies, mentoring).

4. If concerns persist, the SENCO may arrange further in-school assessments or refer to external specialists (e.g., educational psychologist, speech and language therapist, CAMHS). The child may be added to the SEND register and receive a Student Support Plan with tailored interventions.