SEND Offer

How We Identify Additional Needs

We use a clear, structured process to identify and respond to pupils’ additional needs, known as Assess – Plan – Do – Review.

• Assess: Concerns about a pupil’s barriers to learning — including behaviour, progress, presentation, or social, emotional and physical needs — can be raised by staff or by parents/carers. An initial assessment is completed with staff and family input, capturing barriers to learning, strengths and interests, current engagement and self-regulation, and the support that may help.
• Plan: Where appropriate, the pupil is added to the SEND register and a co-produced Learner Plan is created, developed with pupil and parent/carer voice. Some pupils, particularly those with autism whose needs are best met through holistic strategies rather than discrete targets, will have a Learner Plan 2.
• Do: Learner Plans are used every day by teachers and support staff to shape seating arrangements, adapt teaching, and inform any additional interventions. Plans are kept live on our tracking system, so all staff working with a pupil can see up-to-date information at any time.
• Review: Learner Plans are reviewed and updated at least termly. Pupils and parents/carers are invited to contribute to how well the plan is working and what should happen next, alongside feedback from every member of staff involved.

Assessment draws on a range of evidence, including in-class observation, pupil voice, attainment data, attendance and behaviour information, and any relevant external or medical reports.

Our Levels of Support

Support is graduated to match the level of need, from high-quality teaching for every pupil through to specialist, individualised provision.

Most pupils’ needs are met through our universal offer alone.

Adapting Our Curriculum

We want every pupil to access a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum. Teachers adapt planning, delivery and resources — not only seating or physical adjustments — to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

• Pupils with gaps in foundational knowledge (particularly in Key Stage 3) are identified and supported through our foundational skills offer, covering oracy, handwriting, writing, reading and vocabulary.
• Where a pupil’s needs require it, the curriculum is differentiated rather than adapted, so that learning is pitched at the right level — for example, a more personalised offer for a pupil working significantly below age-related expectations.
• Reading intervention (phonics and fluency) is prioritised for all learners who need it and takes place in our Reading Room with our trained Reading Intervention Ambassador.

Reconnection: Our Learning and Regulation Provision

Reconnection is our needs-led provision that helps pupils access learning, regulation and assessment in a calm, purposeful environment. It is not a withdrawal space or a sanction — it is a bridge that helps pupils return to the classroom regulated, prepared and ready to succeed.

For most pupils, Reconnection provides a short-term alternative to a mainstream lesson — for example, a calm space after an incident, part of a reintegration plan, or a short-term adjustment, always with a clear focus and an agreed end point. For pupils with an EHCP, Reconnection can also provide longer-term, regular support to meet the provision set out in Section F of their plan.

Reconnection has two areas:

• Learning Zone – A calm space for academic and therapeutic interventions, including Lego Therapy, Decider Life Skills, executive functioning support, vocabulary pre-teaching, subject catch-up, and online learning (Sparx Reader and Sparx Maths). Personalised 1:1 support is also offered, including maths, English, handwriting and Life Skills.
• Regulation Zone – A space with regulation stations and sensory circuits for pupils who need calm, monitored support before re-engaging with learning. As a Thrive school, we use Thrive-informed strategies to help pupils move from feeling overwhelmed to feeling settled and ready to learn again.

Pupils can access Reconnection in three ways:

1. Booked in by the SENDCo — for example, for curriculum catch-up, a documented SEMH strategy, a reintegration plan, or an urgent same-day need.
2. Through a regulation pass — issued for reasons such as movement regulation (e.g. ADHD), emotional dysregulation, or a temporary situation such as bereavement, injury or a safeguarding concern.
3. As part of planned, timetabled interventions, including provision required by a pupil’s EHCP.

Access is always offered calmly and framed as support, never as removal or punishment. Reconnection is coordinated by the SENDCo and our Learning Support Assistants, with oversight from a trained team — including access to our onsite Mental Health Lead — so that every pupil using the space is known, supported and working towards a clear next step.

Pupil Voice and Participation

Every pupil with SEND has a key worker, who checks in regularly, gathers pupil voice each term, supports in-class learning, and helps ensure any EHCP provision is being delivered.

• Pupils co-produce their Learner Plan, suggesting the strategies that help them and understanding the targets set for them.
• Pupils with SEND are actively encouraged to take on leadership and responsibility roles, such as prefect or membership of pupil leadership groups.
• Pupils with SEND are included in whole-school pupil voice activities and encouraged to take part in extra-curricular opportunities, including sport.

Working in Partnership with You

You know your child best, and we want to work with you at every stage — from identifying needs, to setting targets, to reviewing how well support is working.

• Review meetings are held with parents/carers at least once a term for every pupil on the SEND register, and more frequently for pupils with an EHCP, including a formal Annual Review.
• We have a dedicated SEND email inbox, overseen by the SENDCo, so enquiries reach the right person quickly.
• For day-to-day matters, staff will contact you by email or, where more appropriate, by phone.

Our communication pledge to you:

Supporting Key Transitions

• Year 6 to Year 7: Information gathering from primary schools, transition review meetings, additional visits where needed, parent meetings, and Learner Plans prepared ahead of September so staff know your child before they arrive.
• Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4: Support to understand curriculum pathways, make informed option choices, and access appropriate support during examination courses.
• Key Stage 4 to Post-16: Early careers guidance, college and provider visits, information-sharing with receiving settings, and family support through the application process.

Preparation for Adulthood is considered throughout a pupil’s school journey and is built into Learner Plans and EHCP reviews, so that pathways remain ambitious, personalised and outcomes-focused.

External Agencies We Work With

Some pupils require specialist advice and support beyond what our universal and targeted provision can offer. We work closely with a range of external agencies to identify need early, access specialist expertise, and improve outcomes:

Referrals to external agencies are evidence-based, involve parents/carers before submission, and always draw on pupil voice and relevant professional reports.

Staff Expertise and Training

Our SENDCo leads SEND strategy and provision across the school and provides regular, up-to-date training to all staff and specifically to our Learning Support Team, so they have the expertise to support pupils effectively. SEND professional development is ongoing, evidence-informed, and responsive to the needs of our pupils, rather than a one-off event.

Accessibility

The school maintains and reviews an Accessibility Plan, which sets out how we will:

• Increase participation in the curriculum for pupils with SEND and disabilities.
• Improve the physical environment of the school.
• Improve access to information for pupils and families.

If You Have a Concern

If you are concerned about your child’s progress or the support they are receiving, please contact our SENDCo in the first instance using the details below. Most concerns can be resolved through this direct conversation. Where a concern cannot be resolved informally, our school’s complaints procedure sets out the next steps — this is available on our website / from the school office.

Who to Contact

• SENDCo: Mrs Sally Holt
• SEND email: vbsend@nllt.co.uk
• Phone: 01915239745

You can also find our SEND Policy and Accessibility Plan on the Policy page on our website, and the Local Authority’s Local Offer at: Sunderland Local Offer – Together for Children

Our SEND Information Report is reviewed annually.