Mascalls School
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The Learning Support Department

Learning Support

Department Staff

About the Department

The Learning Support Department follows the KCC SEN Code of Practice and specifically provides support for those with the following areas of difficulty:

  • Aspergers
  • Dyslexia
  • Dyspraxia
  • Speech, Language and Communication disorders
  • Social and Emotional disorders
  • ADD
  • ADHD
  • and a variety of difficulties falling under the Autistic Spectrum Disorder
  • Dyscalculia
  • Auditory Processing Disorder
  • Visual/Hearing Impairments

Communication with parents

Communication with parents is an essential part of SEN policy. A partnership must be established with the best interests of the pupil at its core.

No assessment of pupils is carried out without informing parents and parents are always required to give permission for any assessments being undertaken either by the school or a representative from an outside agency. Parents will be sent a formal letter informing them of the results of any assessments and may be contacted by telephone or email for day-to-day liaison. The student event log provides parents with daily information whilst the school planner is also a useful form of parent/school contact.

Parents can request a meeting with the SENCO by appointment.

Pupils are categorised according to their need as SSEN (statement), S/A+ (School Action Plus) or SA (School Action).

Statemented pupils

These pupils are allocated in-class Teaching Assistant support based on the number of hours issued on their Statement. Teaching Assistants target statemented pupils within a classroom setting whilst allowing, and actively promoting, independent learning. SSEN pupils may have some small group support or 1:1 support with a TA/Teacher of Year 7/ Head of Learning Support/2nd in Department, if appropriate.

SSEN pupils are reviewed via 6 monthly IEPs and via an Annual Review. Parents, the pupil themselves and other relevant parties are invited to attend these Annual Reviews.

School Action Plus/ School Action

Pupils are identified as S/A+ if multiple agencies are involved in their care and as S/A if extra provision is provided by the school, within school.

Lower ability S/A+ and S/A students receive timetabled Teaching Assistant support in some lessons focusing on the core subjects primarily, plus geography, history, RE and technology. Higher ability S/A+ and S/A pupils are given targeted support in key areas of weakness. These may be related to specific subjects where small group withdrawal or in-class support is needed or may be related to other issues such as BESD, ADD, ASD where 1:1 anger management/ counselling-type support outside of lessons may be given.

Individual Education Plans

IEPs are issued as a statutory requirement for all statemented pupils.

IEPs are not issued for all those classified as S/A+ or S/A unless a specific issue has been identified that requires discreet targets to be set. Pupil tracking, which is an on-going process, provides the necessary information and guidance in many instances.

IEPs written by the primary school are used to provide useful guidelines for Y7 pupils but are not reviewed by the LSD. Our own data collection and observation in Semester 2 is used to indicate whether there is a need for a new IEP to be written. Parents are informed of this by letter at the beginning of Semester 2.

Where IEPs are written they are done so in liaison with the pupil, parents and other staff. Copies of the IEPs are available to all staff via folders stored in the staff room. The general details contained within the IEP are an expansion of the details within the SEN booklet.

The Department Offers Support

The department is often required to be used as a 'time out' location or a 'safe haven' for pupils for a variety of reasons. Placements within the department usually take place at social times such as break and lunchtime, mainly to provide support with home work although the department can be used for this reason during lessons after careful consideration by the HoD, SENCO ,PM and AHT, and all are undertaken only with the agreement of staff within the department. These placements are never allowed to become a method of pupils disregarding or undermining the authority of anyone within the school. However, they remain a vital means of ensuring the happiness and well-being of a number of socially and emotionally vulnerable students.