Key Info
SEND - Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

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Introduction

Welcome to Inclusion for Oxley Park Academy.  We are passionate about ensuring that all children are at the centre of everything we do at school. We also believe that it is very important to ensure that we have high expectations for all children so that they flourish and achieve to be the best that they can.

Oxley Park Academy is a very inclusive school. We promote equality of access and opportunity to all areas of the curriculum for all learners. We believe that parents and carers play a vital role in supporting their child’s education and we, therefore, aim to encourage positive relationships between home and school.

At Oxley Park Academy we aim to:

  • identify pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as early as possible and ensure that their needs are met

  • have in place systems whereby teachers are aware of pupils with SEND

  • provide all pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum that is differentiated to the needs and ability of the individual

  • have high ambitions and expectations for pupils with SEND

  • actively engage in support from the Local Authority and outside agencies

  • ensure that all pupils take a full and active part in school life.

 

How do we support a child who has been identified as having Special Educational Needs or a disability?

  • In all year groups, children will have access to learning and the curriculum through Personal Provision Plans tailored to the child’s needs

  • Regular intervention programs are available in all classes to support children to make progress with their learning

  • Class teachers organise and plan targeted and/or personal provision with support from the Inclusion Leader or outside agencies as required

 

Strategies to support and develop literacy:

  • 1:1 phonics

  • Reading, writing and spelling boosters to fill gaps and consolidate learning

  • Smaller literacy groups supported by a Teaching Assistant

  • Additional teacher support

  • Providing pupils with alternative methods of recording their work, for example a laptop or using a programme called Clicker

  • Differentiated challenges in class

  • Targeted and personalised interventions for Literacy such as Lexia or Nessy

 

Strategies to support and develop numeracy:

  • Smaller maths groups supported by a Teaching Assistant

  • Small group or 1:1 maths boosters to fill gaps and consolidate learning

  • Opportunities for pre-teaching

  • Targeted and personalised interventions for maths

  • Additional teacher support

  • Providing pupils with alternative methods of recording their work, for example a laptop or tablet

  • Differentiated challenges in class

 

Strategies to support and develop independent learning:

  • Mentoring by peers, support staff or teaching staff

  • 1:1 nurture time with a Learning Mentor

  • Social groups and Classroom Skills group

  • Visual timetables for class and individuals

  • Academy sanctions and reward systems as set out in the academy’s Behaviour Policy

  • Mentoring and guidance from a Teaching Assistant

  • Personalised behaviour plans where appropriate

  • Risk reduction plans where necessary

  • Targeted and personalised interventions to support

  • Sanctuary space for children to be used

  • Virtual hugs to help support emotional difficulties

  • Support and supervision at unstructured times of the day

  • Access to structured activities overseen by an adult indoors or outdoors as appropriate during lunch times

  • Support from our Learning Mentor

 

We are very proud of all the adults that work to promote inclusion and have regular weekly training sessions with internal and external trainers to develop their knowledge of SEND. These training sessions include:

  • autism and how to support children with social communication and interaction challenges

  • supporting reading in the classroom

  • wellbeing support for all children

  • how to support children with literacy difficulties including dyslexia

The Meadows

The Meadows is our internal SEND support provision for pupils attending mainstream classes at Oxley Park Academy. It provides a nurturing and structured environment where children can access additional support to help them overcome barriers to learning whilst remaining part of their mainstream class community.

Pupils may spend part of their day in The Meadows receiving targeted support for areas such as communication and interaction, social and emotional development, sensory regulation, literacy, numeracy or learning behaviours. Programmes are carefully planned and reviewed to meet individual needs, enabling pupils to develop the skills and confidence needed to succeed in the classroom.

The Meadows offers:

Short-term and longer-term targeted interventions.
Small group and individual support.
Opportunities for sensory regulation and emotional wellbeing support.
A calm and structured learning environment.
Close collaboration between teachers, support staff, families and external professionals where appropriate.

The overarching aim of The Meadows is to help pupils access and achieve within mainstream education, promoting independence, confidence and positive outcomes for every child.

 

The Hive Specialist Resource Base (Shenley Wood Campus)


The Hive is our Specialist Resource Base (SRB) located at the Shenley Wood campus of Oxley Park Academy & Nursery. The provision supports children with identified Special Educational Needs and Disabilities who require a more specialised learning environment alongside opportunities for inclusion within the wider school community. 

Our aim is to provide a nurturing, structured and highly personalised learning environment where children can develop their academic, communication, social and emotional skills, enabling them to flourish both within school and beyond.

Children attending The Hive benefit from:

Highly individualised support tailored to their identified needs.
Specialist teaching approaches and targeted interventions.
A calm, supportive and structured learning environment.
Opportunities to access mainstream learning and wider school experiences where appropriate.
Close collaboration between school staff, families and external professionals to ensure the best possible outcomes for every child.

Admissions to The Hive

Places within The Hive are not allocated directly by the school.

Admission to the Specialist Resource Base is managed by the Local Authority through Milton Keynes SEND admissions processes. Children will typically have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which identifies the need for specialist provision. Referrals, consultations and placement decisions are made by the Local Authority in partnership with parents/carers and relevant professionals.

Parents or carers who wish to find out more about specialist placements should contact their SEND Caseworker at the Local Authority.

 

EAL (English as an additional language)

We welcome our growing community with children from different cultures and countries who speak a wide variety of languages. To support learners who are new to English we have a variety of strategies that we use:

  • use of Learning Village (a computer programme that supports and developing language acquisition alongside curriculum language)

  • Language buddies