SEND at Leeds East Academy

At Leeds East Academy we strongly believe that every child, regardless of any educational or physical difficulties, has the right to take part in and enjoy every aspect of school life. This includes a broad and balanced curriculum designed to meet the individual needs of learners.

All students with SEND access lessons alongside their peers. We believe that outstanding first wave teaching is fundamental to achieving this, so we ensure that carefully targeted differentiation is evident in all planning. We also believe that targeted withdrawal interventions provide a powerful tool for supporting students and enabling them to access the curriculum.

The latest SEND Information report for Leeds East Academy can be downloaded on the link below:

SEND Information Report 2024

To view to our SEND Policy, please visit the Policies Page. 

 SEND Staff Handbook 

SEND Parent Newsletters 2023-24

Our SEND Parent Newsletter can be downloaded on the link below:

  SEND Parent Newsletter- Term 1

 SEND Parent Newsletter - Term 2

 SEND Parent Newsletters 2022-23 

Our SEND Parent Newsletter can be downloaded on the link below:

 SEND Parent Newsletter- Term 1

SEND Parent Newsletter- Term 2 

SEND Parent Newsletter- Term 3 

What is the Leeds Local Offer?

The aim of the Leeds Local Offer is to make sure families can easily find what services are available for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities in their local area.

The Leeds Local Offer will provide accurate, accessible, up to date information about all services from birth to 25, including all education, health and social care services, in one place.  It will help families find out what help they can access to meet their individual needs.

The Leeds Local Offer will also provide a place where families can share their views of services and how they would like to see them develop.  These views should then be taken into account as services are reviewed and developed.

Click here to find out more about the Leeds Local Offer.

How do we identify the pupils with additional needs? 

Leeds East Academy has a clear approach to identifying and responding to SEND. Our aim is to maintain a structured assessment process throughout Key Stage 3 that ensures early identification and intervention of SEND. Through our clearly defined and staged assessment programme we are able to identify any additional needs at the earliest possible stage and promptly implement effective provision to improve the long-term outcomes for all our learners.

Every term the SENCO will analyse the SEND data to evaluate the progress those identified as having SEND are making. This will be reviewed and new targets set. You will receive 3 reports each year outlining their progress in relation to their targets.

A well-defined referral process is implemented which allows teaching staff to clearly identify, refer and then support all leaners based on their specific educational need. This provides with the awareness and allows us to:

• Enable all leaners to realise their own potential
• Provide highly differentiated lessons
• Know every learner well
• Support all aspects of a child’s additional educational need

Any learner who is not making adequate progress despite access to the high quality teaching targeted at their areas of weakness and intensive Wave 2 support will be referred to the SEND department to identify any possible areas of SEND. SEND is assessed through a range of methods including:

• Diagnostic assessments from outside professionals including the Educational Psychologist, Leeds SEN & Inclusion Team (SENIT) and the Speech & Language Therapist. 
• Information provided from feeder school including reports from external professionals
• A range of SEND targeted assessments to explore areas including reading accuracy; reading comprehension; reading speed; writing accuracy, legibility and writing speed (wpm); cognitive processing (e.g. phonological, auditory or visual processing, or working memory)

 The Four Broad Areas of SEND

Communication and interaction
Children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty communicating with others and may also not understand and use social rules of communication. This often includes children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, including Aspergers.

Cognition and learning
Learning difficulties cover a wide range of needs, including moderate learning difficulties (MLD) and severe learning difficulties (SLD), where children are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum. Specific Learning difficulties (SpLD), affect one or more specific aspect of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.

Social, Emotional and mental health difficulties
Children may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties. These may include becoming withdrawn and isolated as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. Other children may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) or attachment disorder.

Sensory and/or physical needs
These include vision impairment, hearing impairment or multi-sensory impairment which will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning. Some children with a physical disability require ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers. It also includes children with medical needs.

How do we support students in individual area of need?

 Different types of support at Leeds East Academy

Wave One- Inclusive Quality First Teaching for all. Some example of this would include: highly differentiated lessons which promotes scaffolding to stretch, challenge and support, targeted questioning, addressing gaps in learning and consistent behaviour management strategies.

Wave Two- Children who require additional support have these needs met through a graduated framework of carefully planned interventions and support. The school uses its funding to ensure that class sizes are kept as small as possible and that children have access to additional small group and 1:1 support as required.

Wave Three- Highly personalised SEND support and interventions. External agencies are employed as appropriate to provide additional support and guidance. This may take the form of direct work with an outside agency practitioner. 

Evaluating the effectiveness of the provision 

Throughout the academic year, the Special Educational Needs register is reviewed weekly to ensure that students are receiving the most appropriate support to enable them to succeed in line with their peers. Following specialised assessments and internal Pre-Public Examinations, information and assessment data is analysed to evaluate the effectiveness of the provision which is available to individual students and their needs. Each child and their individual needs will be different, this process allows us to provide a bespoke and personalised offer for all students and ensure the support which they receive is having the most impact. 

How accessible is the school setting?

• Leeds East Academy is based on two floors with access to each floor via lifts.
• There is a limited number of doors throughout the building; all doors are wide and electronic allowing students using wheelchairs, crutches, etc. easier access around the building.
• Corridors are wide with disabled toilets on every floor.
• Evacuation chairs on all floors.
• Outside spaces are flat with no steps.

The arrangements for the admission of disabled pupils

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 defines a disabled person as one who has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a persons’ ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Most children with Special Needs will not be disabled within the meaning of the Act. The admission of pupils with disabilities is considered in the first instance in the same way as non-disabled pupils. Further considerations are made in the light of need and accessibility.  

Any steps are taken to prevent any pupils being treated less favourably than other pupils. In practice we ensure that classroom and extracurricular activities encourage the participation of all pupils, including those categorised as having Special Educational Needs.  

Existing facilities provided to assist access to the school by pupils with disabilities: 

• Wheelchair access at all entrances and sections of the school. 
• Exterior lighting to improve evening access. 
• Disabled Toilets located on both floors 
• Lift access to the first floor 
• Extra wide corridors 
• Planning out-of-school activities including all school trips and excursions so that students with disabilities can participate 
• Finding ways in which all students can take part in the full curriculum including sport and music, utilising adaptive equipment, where necessary. 
• Live and up-to-date Pupil Passports for all pupils using the ANT system; disseminating information for all staff to meet the needs of your child 

How does Leeds East Academy support a student’s overall well-being?

• The SEND Department base- The SUN room offers a supportive, understanding and nurturing environment.
• Pastoral Support in all year groups.
• Safeguarding training for all staff
• Trained child protection officers in school
• Streamlined referral process which staff can identify and support students through First Quality teaching
• Pastoral meeting to identify strategies and monitor individual students
• Seacroft Manston Cluster Partnership
• Referral to external agencies including Educational Psychologist

How will we support your child’s transition to Leeds East Academy?

We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND and take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible.

If your child is moving into year 7 at LEA:

• We will contact the SENCO and year 6 teacher and invite them to a Transition Panel meeting to ensure all professionals involved receive the relevant information.
• We hold an Induction day in the summer term attended by all student who will move up to LEA in the September and invite parents to attend in the evening.
• We will meet all students in their primary school prior to the Induction day held at LEA.
• We hold additional visits for those students identified as having SEND.

What Specialist Services are available or accessed by the academy?

Management and allocation of resources

The SENCO at Leeds East Academy is a qualified teacher with extensive experience of planning for and teaching students with additional needs. They hold responsibility for overseeing all provision, progress and statutory requirements for all SEND students. An Assistant SENCo is employed to support with strategic planning for students with SEND as well as carrying out statutory work and liaison with outside agencies.

The Academy also employs a team of Learning Support Assistants (LSA’s) who support individual students and small groups identified as having SEND within a classroom setting and through withdrawal sessions where appropriate. LSA’s specialise in specific areas of need, enabling a high level support and high quality staff support in specific areas. The areas include:

• SEMH (Social, Emotional & Mental Health)
• ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder)
• Literacy and Numeracy
• Physical & Sensory/ Personal care

We monitor, review and evaluate our SEND provision every term and amend accordingly. EHC Plans are provided for students with significant SEND and are reviewed termly with parental involvement. Annual reviews are held in accordance with statutory guidance.

The SEND register is checked weekly and amended if necessary. Every student on the register has a Pupil Passport, which sets out individual needs and agreed short-term outcomes, as well as offering advice to staff as to how to differentiate to meet individual needs and support that student. Annual reports are shared with the Governing Body, outlining the provision made within the academy and detailing how children with SEND are performing in school.

How can pupils with disabilities participate in the school’s curriculum? 

At Leeds East Academy we strongly believe that every child, regardless of any educational or physical difficulties, has the right to take part in and enjoy every aspect of school life. All students with SEND access lessons alongside their peers.  

Inclusive of physical and invisible disabilities, the academy strives to achieve a curriculum which is inclusive for all. Alongside the accessible building, all learning, regardless of the subject, can provide enhancements to the curriculum to ensure all pupils, regardless of their individual needs, can access and be successful.

How do we improve the delivery to disabled pupils of information which is readily accessible to pupils who are not disabled? 

The PSHCE/SRE curriculum has been designed to build on the knowledge and understanding, skills, attributes and values that all students have acquired. PSHCE/SRE acknowledges and addresses the changes that all young people experience regardless of circumstances and additional needs, such as the challenges of adolescence and their increasing independence. It teaches the knowledge and skills which will equip them for the opportunities and challenges of life. Students learn to manage diverse relationships and the increasing influence of their peers and the media. We ensure that with these lessons we provide and deliver to all students at an appropriate level and address their needs and stages of development.

Useful links

http://www.leedssendiass.co.uk/services/ 

http://www.starsteam.org.uk/ 

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages/What-is-the-Leeds-local-offer.aspx 

http://www.leedssendiass.co.uk/advice/jargon-buster/ 

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/SENSAP%20LLO%20landing%20page.pdf 

https://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/children-families-and-carers/local-offer/leeds-local-offer/sen-and-disabilitieshttps://youngminds.org.uk/