Special Educational Needs & Disabilities

“We begin with the obvious fact that the children we work with are perfectly capable of learning anything that we have to teach. We know that the intellectual crippling of children is caused overwhelmingly by faulty instruction – not by faulty children”

Engelmann, 1991

At Advantage Schools, we believe all schools should welcome and teach pupils with a wide range of needs. Education should be inclusive by design, ensuring that all children, including those who find learning difficult, receive the high-quality input they need — whether or not they have a formal diagnosis.

Our curriculum and teaching are designed with these learners in mind. Since everyone struggles with learning at times, this approach benefits all pupils and harms none. By embedding quality provision into everyday teaching, we aim to reduce the need for separate systems and segregation for pupils with SEND.

Learning difficulties and Special Educational Needs (SEN)

A learning difficulty means a child has:

  • Significantly greater difficulty in learning than most children of the same age, or
  • A disability that prevents them from accessing the usual school facilities.

A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.

Even when a pupil has a learning difficulty, if their needs can be met through a school’s standard teaching approach (known as universal provision), they may not require formal SEN identification. Because the Advantage Schools education offer is designed to support vulnerable learners from the start, fewer pupils may need significant adaptations or placement on the SEN register. Our goal is not to reduce numbers on the SEN register, but to create a truly inclusive learning environment in which a diverse range of pupils can thrive.

Coming Soon

We have a strong and well-developed SEND provision that supports children with Special Educational Needs and disabilities (SEND). The dedicated team work with staff and children in classrooms to help them achieve their very best, as well as providing a package of support in and outside of the classroom to meet the needs of each child.

D Washington | Director of Inclusion and Trust SENCo

D Howarth | SENCO

M Gould |Kingfisher Lead Teacher

E Vincent | Early Years SENCO

If you feel you are concerned about your child's progress or you feel they may have a learning difficulty or disability, please complete the SEND referral form and email to the address on the top of the form. The SENCO or Assistant SENCO will be in touch to discuss how they can support your child.

SEND Referral Form

Our Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) policy has been written with regard to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice: 0-25 years (June 2014) and the Equalities Act (2010).

Pupils will be identified through on-going assessments by the child or young person’s teachers, and brought to the attention of the SENCO if they are making less than expected progress, in spite of high quality, differentiated classroom teaching targeted at the child or young person’s area of weakness.

To find out more about how we are implementing our SEND Policy, please see our SEND Policy and SEND Information Report.

Advantage Schools SEND Policy

SEND Information Report

Accessibility Plan

The shared Learning Trust has teamed up with Award Place for the SEND Inclusion Award. Vale inclusion award

The SEND Inclusion Award offers mainstream schools the opportunity to gain accreditation for high-quality provision and outcomes for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Schools are required to reflect on and improve their provision in line with a series of objectives that fulfil both Ofsted criteria and the SEND Code of Practice. Specifically, the award focuses on ‘outcomes’ for pupils and how schools can demonstrate the impact of their SEND provision. The award leads schools through a process of self-evaluation, action planning and evidence collection before final verification and accreditation.

The award will help schools develop high-quality SEND provision throughout the school by:

  • promoting awareness of SEND issues and inclusion for all staff, parents, pupils and governors
  • evaluating and improving classroom practice and interventions
  • focusing on pupil outcomes.

EHCNA Parent / Carer Information Sessions

Advantage Schools Trust, in conjunction with Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) have opened a specialist provision for pupils with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) at both the Vale & Rushmere Park Academies.

Kingfisher at The Vale Academy is very privileged to accommodate a 12-place Primary ASD ARP (Additional Resource Provision). Based at the rear of the school (separate access), the pupils who attend our ARP are all primary age (Reception to Year 6) and have a diagnosis of ASD plus an Education Health Care Plan.

Kingfisher at The Rushmere Park Academy accommodates a 10-place Lower School ASD ARP (Additional Resource Provision). Based at the side of the school (separate access), the pupils who attend our ARP are all lower school age (Reception to Year 4) and have a diagnosis of ASD plus an Education Health Care Plan.

Admission

To gain entry to our Kingfisher Provisions, all pupils must have an EHCP that clearly identifies that they have a difficulty on the Autistic Spectrum as their primary area of need. All pupils are assessed for their suitability for the provision against agreed criteria by Central Bedfordshire Local Authority of being able to attend mainstream for at least some of the time on entry.

When selecting either Academy please state whether your request is for the main school or Kingfisher provision.  Pupils who attend the main school, do not have access to the Kingfisher Provision or specialist staff.

After consultation with us, pupils selected by the local authority to attend are those who would have difficulty accessing a mainstream class but have the potential to do so for at least some of the school day, if they have a secure base and enough structure and support is put in place to facilitate this. 

If you are interested in a place at the Kingfisher Provisions, please speak with your child’s current SENCO to arrange consultation.

We advise you to contact the Kingfisher Team to arrange a visit & tour prior to an application being made.

If you would like to get in touch with The Kingfisher Provisions, please email:

The Kingfisher provisions provides a calm, safe and nurturing environment where our pupils are based, going out to mainstream lessons according to their needs. The buildings have their own entry and exit system and separate play areas. The Kingfisher Provisions pride themselves on an expectation that all pupils can access a growing amount of mainstream lessons and this amount of mainstream attendance is expected to grow as they progress through the schools. 

Pupils start and end their day with us; coming back between lessons and being based here at break and lunch times if required.

We are very much an inclusive part of the Advantage Schools Trust, following school and trust policies to create a consistent approach for our pupils. Pupils who join Kingfisher are expected, over their time with us, to work towards attending most of their subjects in mainstream lessons, being able to attend mainstream for at least some of the time on entry. 

The Kingfisher provision is not a classroom for teaching on a full-time basis, or somewhere pupils are based full-time. Small group work and individual teaching within the provision is seen as a means to develop the social emotional and work skills needed to enable successful integration into mainstream classes.

The pupils attending the provision follow the national curriculum, and the lessons taught on a daily basis are mirrored to what is being taught in their mainstream classes. Individual timetables are adapted and developed to meet each individual pupil’s need, both social and academic, ensuring a balance of access to mainstream learning with support to develop their other holistic areas of need, within the provision. 

The provision is staffed by a teacher and specialist teaching assistants, who are highly experienced in the needs of pupils with autistic spectrum condition. The classroom is set up to allow the pupil a balance between having their own space as well as the opportunity to socialise with their peers. pupils can have work stations if appropriate to their individual needs both in the Kingfisher provision and the classroom.

Pupils are encouraged to join clubs, socialise with pupils outside of the provision, participate in special events such as trips, discos, sports day and charity fundraising events and are highly supported to do so.