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Our Special Educational Need & Disability (SEND) offer

Our Special Educational Need & Disability (SEND) offer

Oaktree School:
Overview for parent information
How we support children/young people with special educational needs or disabilities

Our vision and how we hope to achieve it
At Oaktree we realise that we have an essential role to play in shaping the lives of the young people in our care. For this reason we endeavour to provide an environment that is welcoming and pleasant to work in, with professional, caring and committed staff, and ready access to specialist help. We are committed to providing the highest quality of education for our pupils and to developing their talents to the full, thereby enabling them to lead happy, fulfilling and independent lives. To this end, we have the following aims:

• To provide a caring, stimulating and supportive environment which encourages informed choices.

• To offer a curriculum which is broad, balanced and appropriate to the needs of individual pupils and raises their awareness, understanding and appreciation of the World as well as fostering independence.

• To maximise potential and enjoyment in all areas of education. This includes social, emotional, physical, intellectual, aesthetic, moral and spiritual aspects, both in and out of school.

• To engender respect for others, regardless of ability, race, colour, gender or beliefs.

• To promote self-motivation and self-esteem by the recognition of individual strengths, and by acknowledging and recording progress and achievement.

• To encourage the full development of communication skills in all areas, including inter-personal skills.

Parental involvement and support is seen as key if we are to achieve all the above aims.

Type of school/college we are
Oaktree is a special needs school for pupils with complex needs age 7 – 19 across key stages 2 – 5

Our Ofsted rating
During our last OFSTED inspection in 2018 Oaktree was rated as Good

How we know if a child/young person has special educational needs
Every pupil who joins the school has already been identified as having a special need and holds an EHCP plan.

Parent /carers have opportunity to raise any concerns regarding provision at Annual Reviews and through regular home and school contact.

What we do to help children/young people with special educational needs
Oaktree removes barriers from learning and promotes equal access to the curriculum. We implement the provision specified in the EHCP and plan the curriculum which is differentiated for pupils accordingly. We assess the pupils by using ongoing assessment methods, individual marking and feedback and ongoing Learning Journals of selected work.

We set measurable targets for each pupil for in academic, social and emotional and speech and language development.

The class teacher alongside the senior management team, curriculum leaders, LSAs, OT, physiotherapists, EP, school nurse and psychotherapists work collaboratively with the pupil to support their individual needs. All lessons are differentiated according to need. Makaton, ICT programmes and visual aids are utilised if needed to support pupils’ engagement, learning and enjoyment of communication.

Our task is to engage our pupils and then sustain this engagement in learning. All students work as part of a class and take part in adult directed activities throughout each day. Whilst the curriculum is highly differentiated in each class, we focus on creating independent learners, so don’t provide 1:1 support for pupils as a general principle, nor run individualised learning programmes.

Oaktree is a vibrant, busy and dynamic, sometimes loud environment full of hustle and bustle. We can use humour, surprise, trips and visits to achieve this engagement. Although all classes follow a set timetable for the week, this can be subject to frequent change.

We regularly have large school events which all pupils are encouraged and expected to take part in. All pupils are expected to have lunch together in the dining hall which can also be busy and loud.

The day to day environment of Oaktree is fluid where students move classroom frequently and where staff teams are altered regularly. Students who require a structured and predictable timetable may find our way of working difficult and lead to unnecessary anxiety and stress.

How we adapt our teaching for children/young people with special educational needs
We have small classes and a high level of support to ensure all pupils are included in the teaching and learning process. We use a range of differentiated methods such as visual, hands on and sensory experiences to engage learners. We aim to provide varied learning opportunities both inside and outside school.

Teachers act upon advice regarding provision as indicated in the EHCP to support the individual and to ensure outcomes are met. The school has a staff team with a great deal of outstanding experience in working with a wide range of educational needs.

How we decide what resources we can give to a child/young person with special educational needs
The resources that we allocate and use at Oaktree are always determined by our pupils need. We seek to maximise the potential of our resources budget so that we have a flexible bank of resources that enhance the educational experiences of all of our pupils as they move through the school.

Student Voice are consulted about what resources they feel would be best suited for use in the school and they have opportunities for fund raising for new resources they would like.

Class teachers determine the resources needed for individual groups, as do subject leaders for their curriculum areas.

How we check that a child/young person is making progress and how we keep parents informed
At Annual Reviews and parent consultations parents are invited to comment on their child’s individual academic and social targets and formal assessments. There are also weekly homework tasks linking in with the theme of learning: school reports where children can comment on their progress throughout the year and home/ school books which provide a space for daily communication between parents and staff.

Tokens can be earned in each lesson where pupils receive feedback about their behaviour and progress with learning in the session. Teachers continually assess pupil progress in all subject areas. Any concerns that are identified are referred to the subject leader and senior management team. Pupils judged to not be on track to meet their targets are quickly identified and offered an appropriate intervention.

Parent training is offered through the speech and language therapists. There are monthly coffee mornings where parents can support each other and share their experiences. Outside agencies are often invited to these meetings who can offer further guidance and support on central issues to our parents and pupils.

Support we offer for children’s/young people’s health and general wellbeing
At Oaktree we seek to support our pupils in having, healthy, safe and happy lives.

We have a strong pastoral care team that includes three child protection officers. We also have a member of staff who has responsibility for medication and social care. We have trained staff who work with any specific medical issues that our pupils may have. This training is carried out with the support of the school nurse who works with us at Oaktree. At the school we have a physiotherapist, a psychotherapist and a speech and language team who work very closely with our teaching and pastoral care staff.

The school has been awarded the Gold Healthy Schools award and this is seen throughout
lunchtime meals on a daily basis.

As part of being a healthy school for all of our pupils, we have additional movement and physical activity sessions for small groups of pupils.

Every pupil has a Food Technology lesson each week to learn about healthy eating.

Physical activity is actively promoted and celebrated at Oaktree. We award certificates and medals for participation in school sporting activities. Physical activity through sports and dance is a key part of our extended school provision. Each year we have a whole school sports day, where pupils and staff participate in a wide range of fun, individual and team activities. Outside sports coaches often come into school to provide a greater range of sport experiences, as well as many classes swimming weekly and our Sixth Form group attending a local gym.

Some pupils are helped to get grants and personal budgets to buy services they want to enhance their socialisation. We work very closely with outside agencies such as Cheviots, Charles Babbage House, medical professionals and CAMHS.

Pupils contribute to their Annual Reviews and share their views with their parents or carers and other involved external agencies. Pupils also share their views within their school report that is sent home annually.

Specialist external services we use when we think extra help is needed
Physiotherapist
OT
Psychotherapist
School Nurse
Peripatetic music teachers
Chickenshed (a local theatre company) hold regular theatre workshops
Facefront drama group
Swimming sessions at Southgate and Church Farm pools
Tottenham Hotspur Sports Foundation coaches
Cheviots
CAMHS

Connexions
Charles Babbage House
Hearing and visually impaired specialist

Dietician

The training our staff have had or are getting
All our staff are trained or experienced in the teaching of students with SEN. Best practice is constantly identified and disseminated within the school. Staff access external training in accordance with need.

In addition to formal lessons we also run Literacy and Maths interventions for students not making good progress. We also run soft interventions to support students other needs: Makaton, Social Skills, Lego Therapy, Food Intervention, Healthy Hands, Therapeutic Gardening, Sensory Circuits, Fit Club, Process and Play to name a few.

Recently our staff have ongoing training on; First Aid, administering medication, Makaton, Clicker  7, Numicon and Food Hygiene, Approach as required.

How we include children/young people in activities and school trips
With our school trips and activities, we aim to enhance and enrich our academic and social curriculum. Through work experience opportunities we aim to provide our pupils with key experiences in the community and the outside world that facilitate them in developing confidence in themselves as members of the school and broader community.

We also have regular reward trips to reward and celebrate pupils’ good behaviour. Parents/carers are sent a letter of permission to sign and return. For each trip, we maintain a high staff/pupil ratio. A thorough risk assessment is carried out prior to each trip. Our school environment

Our school environment

Our environment is a one storey building which backs onto a large astro, a grassed play areas surrounded by woodland, 2 polytunnels, raised growing beds, a sensory garden with a pond and wildlife area and a timetabled Sensory Room. Within the playground there are various areas dedicated to specific activities including a football and basketball court, a tricycle track, swings, zip wire and a roundabout. There are disabled toilets and classrooms lead out to the school playing field. Pupils use appropriate equipment such as cutlery, modified chairs, ICT Talkers and Communication Boards, and writing tools to support their individual needs.

How we prepare for children/young people joining our school and leaving our school
All parents and pupils are encouraged to visit Oaktree if they feel that it might be the right school for their child. During these visits, parents and children will be shown around the school by a member of the Senior Management Team. This is a great opportunity for parents and prospective pupils to begin to get to know the school and ask any questions that they might have.

During the transition process, Oaktree will liaise with the pupil’s present school to begin a handing over process where all information is passed on to us so that we can prepare fully for the arrival of the new pupil. As part of this process, the pupils new class teacher will make a visit to the pupil’s school to see how they get on in their current environment.

2 Taster afternoon ‘sessions’ are offered to all new pupils. This is a chance for them to meet the staff who will be working with them and to spend some time getting to know their new classmates and the school.

Transition reviews, for moving on from Oaktree, start in year 10. Part of this process is a careers interview with a Connextions advisor.

For any pupils with social services involvement, an Early Notification form is completed for Cheviots who then pass this on to Adult Services. At this stage, a Moving on Assessment is completed with the pupils and any other involved professionals.

Pupils visit different provisions and college tutors are invited in to meet with staff/parents and pupils. A great deal of work is done on independence (including independent travel) and social skills to enable the pupils to feel confident about making the transition from Oaktree to the next exciting stage of their life.

How parents are involved in school life
Parents are centrally involved in the lives of our pupils. We use home school diaries for regular contact between home and school. Parents can also contact the school and talk directly to the teacher or another member of staff.

Parents are invited to coffee mornings, showcase performances, sports days, fetes, art exhibitions and sporting events. We have active parent governors who spend time in the school on a regular basis.

In addition to a monthly newsletter, our website gives up to date detail on events going on within the school.

Who to contact for more information or to discuss a concern
Parents can contact the school to speak to any of our members of staff. While it is vital that parents/carers have regular contact with the school, we also often receive messages from bus and taxi escorts who accompany pupils on their journey to and from school.

For further information please follow this link www.enfield.gov.uk/SEND

For more information on our offer contact Mina Barzegar (Senco) rbarzegarbefro.308@oaktreeschool.org.uk or Sarah Cox (Senco) scox67.308@oaktreeschool.org.uk or Kyri Nicholas (Senco) knicholas2.308@oaktreeschool.org.uk

https://new.enfield.gov.uk/services/children-and-education/local-offer/

 

September 2021