Additional Support Needs and Inclusion in Denny High

Additional Support Needs and Inclusion in Denny HighAnne Motion & Peter Graham, Denny High Community School, Falkirk

1CONTEXT

Denny High is a mainstream Falkirk Authority secondary school with 1275 pupilsSeven associate primariesIncorporated Northfield an Autistic Spectrum Disorder unit, one of two in Falkirk authorityThere are 123 in the bottom 2 SIMD deciles84 in the top two.

CONTEXTDenny High is a mainstream Falkirk Authority secondary school with 1275 pupils, with seven associate primaries. The school also has a unit for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (Northfield), which is one of two in the authority. Within Falkirk Authority there is a special school for moderate and complex difficulties and a secondary behaviour unit. There are 123 in the bottom 2 SIMD deciles and 84 in the top two deciles.2INCLUSION

Denny High School Pupils disseminate into four houses

Dumyat HartfellCruachan SchiehallionDenny High Community School

Northfield pupils belong to Hartfell House

INCLUSIONAll pupils belong to one of four houses Dumyat, Hartfell, Cruachan and Schiehallion, and attend registration with form tutors, with a horizontal system. Form lasts for ten minutes each morning, form teachers normally take their Personal and Social Education class. This builds up positive relationships. Northfield pupils belong to Hartfell House. There is a healthy inter-house rivalry with many quizzes and competitions as well as charity days.3SUPPORT FOR LEARNING DEPARTMENT

1 Principal Teacher

7 Support for Learning Teachers

2 Northfield Teachers

2 Behaviour Support Teachers

15 Support for Learning Assistants (13 FTE)

SUPPORT FOR LEARNING DEPARTMENTThe department consists of 1 principal teacher, 8 support for learning teachers, 2 Northfield teachers and 2 behaviour support teachers and 15 Support for Learning Assistants (13 FTE)4ADDITIONAL SUPPORT NEEDS

201 pupils with additional support needs

Autistic Spectrum DisorderSensory Impairments AspergersDystoniaDyslexiaSydenhamsDyspraxiaSticklersDysgraphia Severe AnaphylaxisChronic Lung Disease

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT NEEDSThere are 201 pupils with additional support needs throughout the school to address; Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dysgraphia and sensory impairments along with a number of medical conditions which include severe dystonia, Sydenhams, Sticklers, severe Anaphylaxis and chronic lung disease (oxygen cylinder required) both long and short term difficulties. Pupils with social and emotional difficulties are supported internally and utilising external agencies.5Restorative ApproachAlternative To Exclusion Provision

This gives pupils time to reflect on their behaviour and discuss with staff.

We are a restorative school and offer pupils an alternative to exclusion provision within our Support Base. This gives pupils time to reflect on their behaviour and discuss with staff. There are 23 pupils accessing Northfield with ASD or Aspergers.

All the above pupils are entitled to be included in all aspects of school life. This can involve arranging to transport oxygen cylinders on buses through to sending SLAs with pupils to Euro Disney with Aspergers pupils.6TRANSITIONPrimary transition starts 18 months prior to the pupils arriving in Denny High.

Support for Learning teaching team is allocated a primary and visits weekly

They follow the pupils through from P6academic levels, social interaction medical and family issues

TRANSITIONPrimary transition starts 18 months prior to the pupils arriving in Denny High. A member of the Support for Learning teaching team is allocated a primary and visits weekly. They follow the pupils through from P6. During this time the pupils become familiar with them and staff gain knowledge on academic levels, social interaction and medical and family issues. 7Pupil Support File

All this information is transferred into our Pupil Support File. From this information file, staff can be easily signposted to any medical or learning concerns.

Staff attend Transition meetings for those pupils with Additional Support Needs and any pupil requiring a PSRG (Pupil Support Referral Group). We are responsible for compiling class lists. These we get checked out with primary staff to ensure transition is as smooth as possible.8Enhanced TransitionFor pupils in need of this

There are 2 Primary 7 Parents/Carers Evenings, February and June

Parents/Carers are in partnership with Denny High School

We offer an enhanced transition programme for pupils in need of this. There are 2 Primary 7 Parents/Carers Evenings, February and June where it is stressed that parents/carers are in partnership with Denny High School.9Pupil Information

The information gathered is available to all members of staff in the Pupil Information file in the Shared for Staff folder on our Network, this is updated regularly for each pupil. FORM 4: IEPs are in the folder in year groups in alphabetical order.

10Form 4: IEPs

11SUPPORTING STAFFStaff bid for departmental input for their departments

We prioritise staff to facilitate these bids.

SUPPORTING STAFF

Staff bid for departmental input for their departments. We prioritise staff to facilitate these bids.

12Northfield

Two classrooms

One social room

Small tutorial room (departure lounge)

Store cupboard!

Boys Toilet!13NorthfieldOpened in August 1998

Aim is to integrate pupils into mainstream wherever and whenever possiblecan be social integration and/or academic integration

Pupils can attend Northfield from S1 to S6

Mainstream subject staff teach some Northfield pupils in discrete small groups in S1 & S2.

Northfield is a facility for pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. It was opened in Denny High School in August 1998.

Our aim is to integrate pupils into mainstream wherever and whenever possible. This can be social integration and/or academic integration.

Pupils can attend Northfield from S1 to S6. At present there are 24 S1-S6.

Mainstream subject staff teach some Northfield pupils in discrete small groups in S1 & S2.

It is important that the pupils using Northfield are exposed to a broad and balanced curriculum which allows for individual progress. It is, therefore, proposed to offer a curriculum as near to the one opposite as possible.

14NorthfieldIt is important that the pupils using Northfield are exposed to a broad and balanced curriculum which allows for individual progress. We thereforeoffer a curriculum as near to mainstreamas possible.

15Supporting pupils using ICT16SQA PolicyThe provision of a human reader and/or a human scribe would undermine the fundamental assessment objectives for reading and writing and would not secure that the National Units in Literacy provided a reliable indication of the knowledge and skills of the candidate upon whom they are conferred. It would not be possible to maintain public confidence in the National Units in Literacy if learners are given credit for reading and writing when that process has been carried out by someone else. SQA Policies, Section 96(7) Equality Act 2010, Specification 3 - Literacy Units

Changes within the new National Qualifications system, as of August 2013, meant that learners undertaking National 3 and National 4 English are no longer permitted to use a human reader/scribe for the Literacy element of this qualification. Pupils are allowed the use of word processors, and other assistive technologies as acceptable adjustments.17Our Solution

As part of the work with SQA and CALL Scotland (Edinburgh University), we were made aware of two pieces of software which would enable learners who had an additional support need requiring reader/scribes to become independent. These pieces of software are:Ivona MiniReader provided by Ivona Software

CereProc Voices Heather and Stuart, also known as The Scottish Voices

18What are the Scottish Voices?Why listen to me when you can here what they are

19Who can use the Voices?

Any member of staff or pupil in a Scottish Secondary School (Not Private School) can use the Voices under the Scottish Government License.

Anyone who works for the Scottish Government / Local Council can use it, e.g. NHS, Social Work, etc.

20Why Do We Need Them?We spend a lot of time in schools teaching pupils to work with readers and scribes, rather than teaching coping strategies to some of their needs.

Literacy is a priority for all lets give pupils a tool to assist them with this!

21Open InvitationPlease feel free to come and visit us any time we always have the kettle on.

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