Inclusion at Co-op Academy Penny Oaks

Introduction 

Inclusion for all pupils is at the heart of all we do at Co-op Academy Penny Oaks - every child has the right to be included. Underpinned by quality first teaching delivered by our highly skilled teachers, we aim to make all our bespoke curriculum offer accessible for every pupil. We have created a high quality, inclusive learning environment which aims to meet the needs of our pupils.

 At Penny Oaks we truly believe that every pupil matters and that every pupil has the right to a high quality education that enables them to be the best version of themselves.

 

Contents

• Universal Offer

• Special Educational Needs

• New to English/English as an Additional Language

• Inclusion packs

• Pupil Premium

• Pupil Voice

• Behaviour and Attendance

• Learning Mentor

• Young Carers

 

Universal Offer

Every classroom is set up to be communication friendly. Within classrooms you will see visual timetables, concrete resources being used to enhance pupil’s learning and working walls to support learning.

Labels with picture cues as well as words are used on workbooks and  trays and resource areas.

Classrooms are enriched by lots of vocabulary.

Knowledge organisers are available for every subject and are used by pupils to support their learning and understanding.

Oracy runs through our whole curriculum offer, enabling all children to have the confidence to discuss many subjects confidently.

Breakfast Club runs every morning from 8:00am for all children.

As part of our bespoke curriculum we provide an extensive range of experiences and trips which all pupils can access.

 

Special Educational Needs

At Co-op Academy Penny Oaks we follow the Graduated Approach - Assess - Plan - Do - Review.

The SENDCO liaises with different specialists to support the needs of children. Advice is sought from Educational Psychologists, the SCIL (Social,Communication, Interaction and Learning) team, Speech and Language therapists and CAMHS. Referrals are made where necessary and specialist reports requested to help us meet the needs of children.

Some children need specific support in order for them to access the curriculum. Individual visual timetables, Now and Next boards, Workstations with specific activities children can complete independently and specific apparatus acquired to meet the needs of any pupil who requires it are some of the measures we put in place.

Other support measures used are picture communication cards and Colourful Semantics.

Any child on the SEND register has an individualised pupil passport with specific targets to move them on in their learning. We hold regular meetings with parents to share targets met and new targets set. This gives parents the opportunity to know what is in place to support their child.

 

New to English/English as an Additional Language

For children who start at Co-op Academy Penny Oaks who have English as an additional language or are completely new to English we use the Bell Foundation toolkit to find the pupil’s starting point and target support for listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Colourful semantics is used to support word/picture recognition and sentence structure. 

In Early Years we use the Wellcomm assessment which is a speech and language screening tool used to identify children with potential language difficulties. It can be used to screen children in English and in their home language.

During lessons word mats with pictures and words in dual languages help children to access lessons and start to understand what is being taught. 

 

Inclusion packs

At Penny Oaks we provide inclusion packs to help our pupils be more independent in their learning. Each pack is bespoke to the pupil who may need it. The idea behind the pack is that it supports the pupil in their learning and reduces their need to ask an adult straight away for support. They can use the items in their packs to help in specific lessons.

Items which may be seen in a pack could be:

A card with support to help calm their thinking and get them ready to listen and learn

Phonics mats specific to the the Phase they are on

Letter formation sheets

High frequency words

This list is not exhaustive as the packs are specifically designed to meet each individual's needs. Not every pupil will need an inclusion pack as they will be able to access lessons through the classroom’s universal offer.

 

Pupil Premium

At Co-op Academy Penny Oaks we are committed to making sure everything we offer is accessible to all pupils.

Quality First teaching is at the heart of everything we do.

Everything we offer is available to all our pupils including Breakfast Club and  After School clubs.

Experiences built into our curriculum are subsidised through our Pupil Premium funding in order to reduce the cost for parents.

Our Pupil Premium funding also helps us to support families with uniforms, coats, shoes etc.

We work in partnership with Rethink food to make sure our families do not go hungry.

 

Pupil Voice

At Co-op academy Penny Oaks Pupil Voice is very important to us and through the year it is gathered by different members of staff for different areas:

Subject Leaders - curriculum

Safeguarding

Special Education Need support

Behaviour and Attendance

From the results of these we look at areas where we can improve. This helps us to create a more inclusive and positive school culture, and it informs school policies and practices.

 

Behaviour and Attendance

Co-op Academy Penny Oaks’ Positive behaviour policy is linked to our 12 core values. Pupils and adults look for the core values being shown at any point through the school day. Pupils vote on who they want their values champion to be at the end of the week and this is celebrated in assembly on Fridays.

If a pupil has struggled with their behaviour they are given time for reflection during the week. This supports pupils in thinking about their behaviour and which values they have struggled to show.

Restorative questioning is used to help pupils think about and understand how their behaviour has affected everyone involved.

We have a dedicated attendance officer who will make daily phone calls and home visits where necessary to help pupils attend school regularly.

Our attendance officer works with families to improve attendance of pupils. Rewards and certificates for excellent and improved attendance are given to pupils and families to celebrate their efforts.

 

Learning Mentor

Our Learning Mentor has daily check-ins with pupils who need or request it through our wellbeing Dojos. 

As part of her work she supports pupils who face barriers to learning by helping them develop coping strategies, improve motivation, and re-engage with their education. This is done using many different strategies providing a safe comfortable environment where every pupil knows they will be listened to and given time to regulate. This builds supportive, one-to-one relationships with our pupils.

Part of the Learning Mentor role is to liaise with staff, parents, and other professionals to make sure the correct support is being given to pupils.

She also runs extra-curricular activities to foster positive behaviour and confidence.

 

Young Carers

For any young carers that we have identified within school, support is in place to help them attend and enjoy school and reach their full potential.

Pupils are identified through pupil voice and circle time activities.

At Co-op Academy Penny Oaks we identify the needs of pupils who are young carers and are mindful of the pressures which they may be facing outside of school which impact on their learning in school.