Wessex Learning Trust
About Us SEND Vision
Nailsea School has an inclusive ethos and we strive to ensure all students are at the centre of everything we do. Our mission is to make sure that every child feels safe and happy and we encourage them to Aspire, Believe and Succeed, no matter what their barrier to learning. Our team have high ambitions for our SEND students both in the mainstream and ASD resource base. All students follow a broad range of curriculum subjects at key stage three, four and five. We have a team of more than twenty staff with wide-ranging skills and experience to support students as they progress through school.
We make sure we are fully aware of the barriers students face when they start Nailsea school and we aim to ensure our students are fully prepared for adulthood to become happy, confident, well- rounded independent members of society.
Part of the school’s strategic planning for inclusion is to develop cultures policies and practices that include all learners. We know that SEND students can achieve alongside their peers, in addition to quality first teaching, we ensure teachers use an adaptive teaching strategies approach to reach all kind of learners.
We use a graduated response to track student progress and have a range of additional support resources to ensure our SEND students achieve.
Parent feedback is positive
Four out of five stars for understanding their children’s needs, making them feel happy and safe, with effective communication.
“Since joining Nailsea from primary school in 2020, my son’s well documented anxiety issues have reduced considerably. The care and attention from the SEND Team and my son’s TA has been amazing. Having a very good understanding of the EHCP requirements has allowed my son. for the first time in his short life to progress well in a mainstream environment. He is growing in confidence, helped by access to a broad curriculum, which is allowing him the opportunity to develop interests in various subjects as well as develop his social skills with his peers.”
“Being in mainstream but having SEND support from people who really understand his needs and who work as a team with him to achieve his goals has allowed my son to flourish at secondary school”.
Please click on the link below for Nailsea School’s Local offer
If you would like any more information or would like to visit the School, please contact Reception or email the SENDCo (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities Co-Coordinator).
Contact details are available in the Staff Contact Directory below:
At Nailsea School we recognise that the needs of every child are different. Our mainstream offer is guided by the SEND code of practice using a graduated response. Should a student be identified as needing additional support, there are a range of formal interventions which can be accessed (see intervention information).
Additionally, in September 2020, we opened the first North Somerset Resource Base (RB) for students with higher functioning Autism. The aim of this provision is for students with an ASD diagnosis and Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) to have an extended transition into secondary school life with them ultimately being able to successfully access the main school full time without 1:1 support.
Unlike a traditional Special School, the RB can integrate with other non-SEND pupils; whilst providing a space to help SEND pupils to realise their potential with a focus on social skills, interactions, communications, and a staying safe curriculum. In addition, English, Maths, History, Science. Geography, and Ethics being taught within a smaller setting.
As part of our inclusive approach and to facilitate transition into the mainstream, students attend specialist subjects such as Art, Music, Drama, DT, ICT and PE alongside their mainstream peers. RB students are also part of main school tutor groups and play a full role in pastoral life at Nailsea School.
As well as providing a more sheltered learning environment within the school, the base provides a safe, secure and low-stress environment for students to use at social times when it remains staffed and supervised.
Exam Access Arrangements (EAA)
Access arrangements are special concessions in external examinations, which can be applied for by the school. They enable a level playing field for students who would otherwise be placed at a substantial disadvantage. They should closely reflect the normal support provided in class or during interventions. For further information – please see the guide below:
Using the outdoors as our classroom, the DEN is a space for encouraging enjoyment of nature while delivering sessions tailored to the individual needs of the student. Activities generally fall under three categories: bush craft skills, gardening and environmental art, using these as mediums to address issues and build skills. All of the activities are geared up to allow the students to succeed.
Working in the DEN is not a punishment or reward, it is one of the many support services our school offers for students that are struggling to achieve their full potential. We recognise that not all students are by nature academic, but they may have a whole host of other skills to explore and celebrate; they may have difficulty concentrating in classrooms all day but are inspired and fully engaged when being physically active in an outdoor setting.
Aims:
Students referred to the DEN may have some of the following issues:
