1. Welcome to Harrop Fold School’s SEN Department
This is our SEN Information Report with answers to the questions our parents often ask about special educational needs.

2. It has been produced with regard to
Section 69(2) of the Children’s and Family Act 2014
Reg 51 and Schedule 1 of the SEN Regulations 2014
Section 6 SEND Code of Practice

3. Mrs Rathmell, SENCO Your first point of contact for any SEN issues
Telephone

4. What special educational needs does Harrop Fold School provide for?
There are four categories of special education needs:
Cognition and learning
Communication and interaction
Social, emotional and mental health
Physical and sensory
We provide support for all of the above. This may include teaching assistant support in lessons, group support or 1:1 support, or providing specialist equipment to ensure all our students are able to achieve. We have a school counsellor and a pastoral team who work alongside us to ensure that your child is safe and fully supported.

5. How does Harrop Fold School know my child needs extra help?
If any of your child’s teachers feel that they are not making the progress they should be, they can refer them to me, the Harrop Fold SENCO.
I will then collect information from your child’s teachers and may observe your child in lessons. I will also contact you to let you know that I am monitoring your child, and also to ask you how you think they are getting on in school.
If we decide that further support may be required, I will refer your child to Sally Tomlinson, our specialist SpLD teacher. She will assess your child for a range of needs and inform you of the outcome.

6. What can I do if I think my child needs extra help?
You may notice your child is struggling with homework or seems pre- occupied or upset. If you think this may be because your child is struggling in school, please telephone me, or me.
I can then speak to your child’s teachers and we can decide if we need to do further assessments.

7. How will the school know how my child is doing?
Once we have decided what support will help your child to make progress, we will complete a support plan for them. This will be made available to all teachers and all staff who work with your child.
If your child is undertaking a designated intervention eg a phonics or reading programme, we will monitor their progress against targets.
All students undertake regular assessments and their progress is monitored by class teachers. If you child is not making expected progress, they will inform me.
The SEN team will speak to your child regularly to ensure that they are fully involved in their education and are receiving the right support.

8. How will I know how my child is doing?
I will be available to speak to parents/carers at consultation evenings throughout the year.
If your child has an Education Health and Care Plan, you will be invited to an annual review at school to discuss the plan.
If we have a support plan in place for your child, I will ring you with updates.
If you have any concerns about your child’s special educational needs, you can telephone me or using the contact details at the start of this presentation.
We have a parent/carer support group for pupils with communication and interaction needs.
For children who are looked after, the pastoral team from the school will attend their PEP meetings and annual review meetings, and will liaise closely with the SEN team to ensure the correct SEN support is in place.

9. How will my child access the curriculum?
Our curriculum at Harrop Fold school is broad and balanced and affords all our students to access a wide range of subjects.
At Harrop Fold, we believe in quality first teaching and this is what will form the basis of your child’s lessons here.
Work will be differentiated to meet your child’s needs and there will be a variety of different learning activities to suit all types of learners.
In year 7, we have a nurture group that will access a curriculum tailored to suit the students’ specific needs.
We have specialist equipment to help ensure practical subjects such as food tech are accessible to all.

10. How will staff support my child?
Pupils at Harrop Fold who have special educational needs are supported in a variety of different ways.
We have teaching assistants who work in class with children. We have specialist higher levels teaching assistants who work within the Maths and English department.
We have bespoke interventions in form time for years 7, 8 and 9 that focus on reading for those pupils who need extra support.
We have a year 7 nurture group for our new arrivals who may require an adapted curriculum.
We have 1:1 for additional support for numeracy and literacy, and speech and language.
We also have 1:1 to support pupils with communication and interaction needs, and social, emotional and mental health needs.
We have a school counsellor.

11. How is the level of support my child needs decided?
The level and nature of support your child requires will be decided in a joint process involving you, your child and me.
Once your child has been identified as having a special educational need, I will work with your child’s teachers to ascertain how we can best support them.
You will then be contacted to discuss the support plan, and your views will be taken into consideration. After all, you know your child best.

12. How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom?
At Harrop Fold, your child will have plenty of opportunities to access activities outside the classroom.
For school trips, we provide additional teaching assistant support.
We have numerous after school activities including sports club, and these are open to all our pupils. Reasonable adjustment can be made to ensure they are accessible to all.
We have a homework club in The Link room that is open four afternoons a week, straight after school.

13. How will Harrop Fold School support my child’s overall well-being?
At Harrop Fold, we believe in nurturing the whole child.
We recognise the importance of your child’s overall well being.
We have a dedicated pastoral team with year leaders who are on hand to support your child with all aspects of school.
We have a no tolerance approach to bullying, and we are particularly aware how vulnerable some of our students with special educational needs can be.
We have a safe place at lunch and break times where students can come to find peace and quiet, and also someone from the SENteam to talk to.
We have curriculum enrichment days that encourage your child to engage with the community and the wider world.
We have a school counsellor.

14. What specialist services are accessed by the school?
A number of specialist services are accessed by the school, including:
Learning Support Services
Speech and Language Therapists
Hearing Impairment Service
Visual Impairment Service
Educational Psychologist
Physiotherapist

15. What training have staff supporting children with SEN had?
All our teaching assistants take part in our school programme of continued professional development.
Some of our teaching assistants are trained in Elklan Speech and Language training.
Our teaching assistants have the opportunity to undertake training provided by Salford Authority for a variety of different needs, including handwriting and numeracy.

16. How accessible is the school environment?
Harrop Fold school has two lifts that can be used by staff or students with mobility needs.
We have disabled toilet facilities around the school.
We have disabled changing facilities near our sports hall.
We have disabled parking spaces in front of school.
We have refuge points and call buttons in each stairwell in case of a fire.
We have specialised equipment for use in practical lessons.

17. How will Harrop Fold support my child in the next stage of life?
At Harrop Fold, we support all our school leavers to access the further education or training courses that are appropriate for them.
We work with the careers service, to encourage our pupils to explore their futures.
We work with further education providers in the area to ensure that they are aware of any special educational needs our students have.
For pupils who have an Education Health and Care Plan, we update their plan at all annual reviews from year 9 to take into account their thoughts about the future.
We have visits from local colleges for students in years 10 and 11.
We have careers activities and advice as part of our curriculum enrichment days.

18. What should I do if I have a complaint about my child’s SEN provision?
We have an open door policy at Harrop Fold, so any issues or complaints are generally resolved quickly.
If you have a complaint about your child’s SEN provision, please contact me.
If this is not appropriate, please contact a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

19. What other support is available?
Other sources of help are:
Parent Partnership
Learning Support Services
Educational Psychology Service
Children with disabilities social work team
Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub
For details of the local offer in Salford:

20. What else may I need to read?
Harrop Fold policies and procedures, including the SEN policy and Harrop Fold’s local offer are available on our website:
Details of the local offer in Salford are available from: