The Olympus Academy Trust is committed to delivering an outstanding education for young people, ensuring that our students have access to the highest standards of teaching, resources and learning opportunities.

We work in close partnership with our schools, ensuring that we facilitate the sharing of best practice and provide access to a wide range of partners and resources for the benefit of our students and the wider community. Visit our website here or follow us on Twitter @olympustrust.

Patchway Community School

Local Offer 

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Local Offer from the Parent/Carer’s Point of View

Patchway Community School is an inclusive school where students of all needs and abilities receive appropriate support in order to thrive and make progress.

We take a personalised approach to meeting their needs through discussions with the young person, their parents and teachers. As a college that has always put the students first, we will continue to ensure that young people at Patchway are fully involved in planning for their learning and have the capacity to share their views.

Identification 

 Young people’s needs are identified in a variety of ways: 

  • At Year 6 transition through liaison with Primary School and meetings with parents and the college Student Support Group (SSG)
  • Use of student profiles by Year 6 teachers
  • Concerns can be raised by tutors, class teachers, parents and the young person themselves by contacting the relevant Tutor, Head of House or the SENCO, Emily Bottell. The college can then further investigate the needs of the young person so that extra help can be put in place for them as necessary
  • Use of the Single Assessment Framework
  • Moderate, specific [dyslexic], behavioural and disability needs are mostly identified at transfer
  • Data used in identificationKS2/3 documents
  • KS1 and 2 data
  • Support plans
  • External reports eg. speech therapist, occupational therapist, educational psychologist, EWO
  • Achievement data – Year 7 onwards
  • Literacy and Cognitive Ability Tests at the start of Year 

Meeting the needs of learners with SEN 

We ensure that all young people with special educational needs can fully access the curriculum.

All teaching staff have a personalised profile of their class’s needs which include strategies to support individuals and support staff in their planning and differentiation of tasks and resources. 

The SENCO, Emily Bottell, oversees the programme of support for all young people in the college with special educational needs. 

We have a team of Teaching Assistants who work alongside our young people and communicate with them on a daily basis. 

We have a team of Teaching Assistants who work alongside our young people and communicate with them on a daily basis. In addition, all young people have a tutor who is a regular point of contact for them as well as an advocate for them. 

All parents/carers have the opportunity to meet and discuss their young person’s needs on transfer into the college and at Parent/Teacher Evenings throughout the year. Patchway Community School work alongside the Local Authority and external agencies such as the Educational Psychology Service, Inclusion Support Service, Family Intervention Support Service and the Youth Intervention Support Service who provide support and training to us. 

Teaching and learning 

Responding to individual needs is at the heart of all classroom teaching at Patchway Community School and teachers have an array of strategies that can be used in a variety of learning contexts to ensure that every young person can access the curriculum fully and make progress. 

Each young person will be part of a tutor group and the relationship with their tutor is of key importance throughout their time at the college.

Staff training occurs on a frequent basis and SEN support is often at the forefront of our training and planning. There are a series of INSET days throughout the academic year as well as a weekly staff training session, bulletins and meetings. As an example, in the last year staff have had training on: support for young people with dyslexia, use of phonics, supporting young people with medical needs, examination access arrangements and supporting young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Patchway Community School has a passionate, approachable and experienced pastoral team led by Vaughan Edwards, Deputy Head.  Each young person will be part of a tutor group and the relationship with their tutor is of key importance throughout their time at the college. The tutor sees their tutor group on a daily basis and is a first point of contact. In addition, each Year Group has a Head of House who oversees their social and emotional needs in addition to their learning and progress. The SENCO, Emily Bottell, is an additional support for young people in the college with special educational needs. We have two Learning Mentors in college who both have their own support base. They are both non-teaching staff who are available to support young people with social/emotional needs on a daily basis. 

Monitoring

Young people with special educational needs in the college are set challenging and meaningful targets in line with their peers.

The effectiveness of our provision is assessed throughout the year in conjunction with formal assessment points. We closely monitor the levels of progress that young people are making in all areas of the curriculum. 

Parents/carers are provided with progress reports periodically throughout the academic year and these will detail the progress that young people have made. At our Parents’/Carers Evenings staff can discuss the progress made between assessment points and whether these levels are as expected for your young person. 

Planning for an individual’s needs happens in conjunction with any formal assessment point as well as at any point of transition. Staff meet with parents/carers to discuss how their young person’s needs are to be catered for and young people are also actively encouraged to specify the support that they feel they need and its effectiveness.

We believe that an open dialogue with parents/carers is the most successful model.

As part of our normal reporting arrangements, parents/carers are able to access progress data linked to the students using the Sims Learning Gateway. We also encourage our parents/carers to contact us to discuss any issues at any time – we believe that an open dialogue with parents/carers is the most successful model. Tutors, Heads of House and the SENCO may be contacted by telephone or email and parents/carers can have a chat over the phone or arrange to meet us in college. 

Transition Where there are concerns, parents/carers are contacted at the earliest opportunity to discuss and to help us with our planning and we also fully involve any young people involved with special educational needs or disabilities to ensure that their concerns are fully discussed and that they feel informed and reassured. 

Transition

There are several important transition points which occur during a young person’s time at Patchway Community School.

Year 6 students have many opportunities to familiarise themselves with the college site and staff through planned activities and visits.

The Leader of Transition, Jon Pike, along with the SENCO, Emily Bottell, are available to meet individuals at the college and at their primary schools to discuss their concerns and needs in the classroom. Personalised transition plans are frequent to support young people who have anxieties about their transition to secondary school. In addition, transitions from KS3 to KS4 along with selection of courses and career planning are supported as well as the transition to Post 16 programmes of study. 

Governors 

The SENCO has links with the governing body through the SEN nominated governor who maintains an operational understanding of SEN provision and deals with complaints.

Meetings are held between the nominated governor and SENCO. Governors regularly monitor and review provision and progress of students with special educational needs.

Accessibility 

The Patchway Community School site provides limited access for learners who require the use of a wheelchair.

We have toilet facilities for wheelchair users. We have been able to accommodate students in the past who’ve required a wheelchair for a temporary condition. We do our utmost to ensure that our students’ physical needs are met and have sought advice and support from external agencies in the past to advise us on any adaptations that need to be made. 

When planning college trips and events, the needs of our learners helps to inform our planning and parents/carers are made a part of this process. We would always involve a young person in our preparations for such events by keeping them fully informed. 

We welcome any questions or comments and would encourage parents/carers to get in touch with us at the college to discuss our provision. Patchway Community School is a caring and nurturing community for young people where students with special educational needs make good progress, feel valued and safe and enjoy their learning.