Special Educational Needs & Disabilities

Innovative, personalised and supportive programmes of support; a family orientated centre of learning and a secure environment for the ongoing development of a positive academic self-image. Our Special Needs Department is described as a ‘model of inclusion’ and we constantly strive to best meet the needs of all of our pupils.

Our consistent and thorough approach to supporting pupils encountering both social and academic difficulties, ensures that all pupils are given the very best opportunities to make progress towards individual targets.

Young people are at the very heart of everything we do and breaking down the barriers to their learning is our absolute priority. Small class sizes, a differentiated curriculum,  in class support and targeted interventions enable us to include children successfully within this mainstream environment.

We have a strong team of teachers and teaching assistants, including specialists in literacy and numeracy intervention and stop at nothing to ensure the very best nurturing and progress driven support.

New Year 7 parents tell us:

'Since she came to this school her needs have been identified and things are in place. We are really happy with all the support in place.' 

'Great support. I am so pleased with how happy she is at school and how well she is doing.'

'Thank you so much to the TAs and staff for always being there and helping with everything.'

Student comments:

EAL students in soundswrite intervention: “I love the word search starter . I enjoy learning the different sounds and putting them together. It’s really helped me in class.“ 

Ellie says about Maths Recovery: “I never liked doing maths but I enjoy it now . Miss Kane makes it fun and gives me confidence to try new things.“  

A Year 7 EHCP student: “I love my life. School, home and friends are all good. I'm really happy at this school.“

SEND Team

Mrs L Garrett: SENCo

Miss V Ormshaw: Assistant SENCo

Mrs J McArthur: Inclusion Support Co-ordinator

Transition

Periods of transition can be difficult for all students, more so for those with additional needs, and indeed their parents. we recognise this and work tirelessly with our feeder primary schools, post 16 partners and outside agencies to ensure that a smooth and seamless transition is facilitated, all relevant information is shared and all parties feel confident in taking those next steps. 

Transition between Key stage 3 and 4 is also well planned to ensure support needs can be facilitated and progress maintained.

School – Access Arrangements

Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments are put in place for students with specific needs, such as special educational needs, disabilities or temporary injuries. Students are identified and their needs assessed during year 10. Approved Access arrangements are put in place for internal school tests, mock examinations and examinations and form a normal way of working as a reasonable adjustment made in the classroom as part of our commitment to quality first teaching.

Intervention

Students identified as needing interventions are either identified from their previous school, tests or teacher/ head of year referrals. Initially, students will be assessed by analysing the results of the SATs and CATs scores, a list is then created of individuals who we feel may need further testing. Mrs Ashton is fully trained in administering a full suite of learning assessments and also liaises closely with our EP and TESS team to ensure no stone is unturned. Once assessments have been conducted,  evaluation of performance and results determines which form of intervention will best suit the individual’s needs.

The SEND department offers, IDL Literacy, Guided reading sessions using SRA and Dockside readers, and Soundswrite,  amongst several other Literacy specific programmes. For Numeracy, the interventions may be Maths Recovery, IDL numeracy, Timestable Rockstars and personalised booster sessions. Progress is assessed at various points throughout the year in order to ascertain whether the student still requires support.

In addition we offer intervention to boost working memory, language development, emotional regulation, confidence and self esteem and to reduce anxiety.

Nurture Class

In each year group there will be at least one class established to aid the transition process for pupils from a primary to a secondary setting.
Pupils are identified through conversations which take place between the SEN department, Primary schools and parents, to ensure the pupils who would benefit most from being in this group are selected.

The class follows the full curriculum supported fully by teaching assistants alongside their class teacher. Overtime students may move out of this class for one  or more or indeed all subjects as their additional vulnerabilities fade and/or substantial progress is made.  

Outside Agencies

The Westleigh School  works closely with many external agencies to support our students. The TESS team support the learning support department by conducting cognitive assessment tests, offering emotional, behaviour advice and interventions. We also engage this team in working closely with parents. 

The sensory support team from Wigan work closely with the students who are identified to receive additional support through medical and clinical recommendations. Speech therapy, occupational therapy, the educational psychologist, counsellors and virtual schools all contribute to supporting the needs of our students.

The SEN Register

Information collated during transition meetings and via communications with our feeder schools is used to determine if the student should be placed on the SEN register. If a student has received interventions within a 6 month period, has received a CAT test of 84 or less, has a diagnosis and additional support is required they will be placed on the K (additional support) register. The K register is widely available to staff so that the needs of students can be catered for within their lessons and quality first teaching can be delivered. These students will have a pupil passport o advise staff re their needs and strategies best used to facilitate repid progress. Students may not require to be on the K register for long periods of time, and may be removed once interventions have been successful, equally some students may remain on the register for their duration At Westleigh. Students who have an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) will be placed on the SEN register with an E, these students will have annual reviews and will (depending on their individual plan) have a teaching assistant support within lessons.

Introducing our new Time Out Pass system

As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting students' wellbeing whilst maximising learning time, we are introducing a new Time Out Pass system. This is a targeted intervention and will only be issued to a small number of students where it has been identified as an appropriate strategy to support their individual needs. The pass provides a short, structured opportunity for students to regulate their emotions before returning to their lesson ready to learn. It is not an exit from learning, but a carefully managed strategy that promotes emotional regulation, independence and successful reintegration into the classroom. Students using the pass will follow an agreed route to a designated regulation space, check in with The Orchard, and return promptly to their lesson, with the expectation that the entire process lasts no longer than 10 minutes.

The Time Out Pass is a privilege that comes with clear expectations (please see the poster we are showing the children). If it is used appropriately, it can be a valuable tool in supporting a student's success in school. However, if the pass is misused—for example, by avoiding lessons, exceeding the agreed time, or failing to follow the agreed procedures—it will be reviewed and may be withdrawn. Where this happens, we will work with the student and their family to identify alternative strategies that better meet their needs while continuing to support their wellbeing and access to learning.

Early Exit Passes

As part of our ongoing review of SEND provision, we have carefully considered the use of Early Exit Passes. From September, we will no longer be issuing Early Exit Passes as part of our standard provision.

This decision has been made following a review of their effectiveness and, most importantly, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students. Allowing students to leave lessons early can result in them being unsupervised around the school site and does not always promote the independence and resilience we want to develop.

To ensure that students continue to feel supported during social times, we have significantly enhanced our SEND provision. This includes:

  • Several additional designated SEND seating areas, both indoors and outdoors, providing quieter spaces during break and lunchtime.
  • A new outdoor catering area, which will help reduce queues and create a calmer environment for all students.
  • Continued support from the SEND team, who are available to accompany students to the dining hall where this is identified as an appropriate adjustment.
  • Ongoing access to individualised support and reasonable adjustments where these are required to meet a student's identified needs.

These changes will allow us to provide support that is safer, more consistent and better prepares students to access the wider school environment with confidence. As always, any reasonable adjustments will be considered on an individual basis, and we will continue to work closely with students and families to ensure the right support is in place.

The Department

The Westleigh School are fortunate to have a large learning support team who strive to support the needs of students requiring additional help. All of our team are dedicated to supporting our young people and will maintain regular contact with parents.

Contact Information

Wigan Local Offer

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