Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Policy  2026/27

Policy details

• Date created - 03/11/2025
• Date reviewed - 01/09/2026
• Next review date - 01/09/2027
• Policy owner - Co-op Academy Rathbone

Co-op Academy Rathbone

Bankfield Road, L13 0BQ

0151 330 5121

http://rathbone.coopacademies.co.uk/

Aims of the Policy

The aim of the SEND policy is to help create an inclusive and caring community providing opportunities for all its learners, including those with SEND, to:

• follow a broad, balanced relevant curriculum with high quality teaching and adaptations to take into account the needs of learners with SEND
• demonstrate their full potential, recognising their strengths and areas for development
• fully participate in all academy activities
• meet their physical, emotional, and intellectual needs
• offer equal opportunities
• become independent learners
• be involved in decision making

Relevant Legislation

This policy has been written with regard to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 0-25 (2015), part of the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act 2001 (which came into effect in September 2002) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2001/10 . It also takes into account the guidance set out by the Local Authority (LA) for SEND practices and procedures, and additionally

• Equality Act 2010: advice for academies DfE 2013 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents
• Statutory Guidance on Supporting pupil at school with medical conditions https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3
• Teachers’ standards 2012 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a750668ed915d3c7d529cad/Teachers_standard_information.pdf

Definition of  Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

A learner has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.  

A learner has a learning difficulty or disability if they:  

• have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same  age

• have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream  post-16 institutions  

Many children and young people who have SEND may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 - that is ‘…a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial  adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’.

This definition provides a relatively low threshold and includes more children than many realise: ‘long-term’ is defined as ‘a year or more’ and ‘substantial’ is defined as ‘more than minor or trivial’. This definition includes sensory impairments such as those affecting sight or hearing, and long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and cancer.  Children and young people with such conditions do not necessarily have SEND, but there is a significant overlap between disabled children and young people and those with SEND. Where a disabled child or young person requires special educational provision, they will also  be covered by the SEND definition.  

SEND Code of Practice (2015)

Broad Areas of Need

learners at the academy may have SEND as a result of one or more of the following needs:

• Communication and Interaction
• Cognition and Learning
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health
• Sensory and/or Physical

Behaviour difficulties do not necessarily mean that a learner has special educational needs. However, where consistent disruptive or withdrawn behaviour, or a noticeable change in behaviour is observed, this could be an indication of unmet SEND and assessments will be carried out to determine whether there are any causal factors. If it is thought that these may be due to housing or family circumstances then an Early Help Assessment may be deemed appropriate.

English as an Additional Language (EAL) and SEND

Where there is cause for concern over the progress of a learner with EAL, there is careful consideration by subject teachers and the SENDCo to determine whether the lack of progress is due to limitations in the learner’s command of  English or if it arises from a special educational need or both. An assessment in the learner’s first language may be requested.

Responsibility for SEND

The Special Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo) is Hayley Gorman, supported by the Deputy SENDCo Jack Conboy.

The SENDCo is responsible for:

• The strategic direction of SEND provision to ensure all learners with SEND receive their full educational entitlement and have access to the whole curriculum
• The overall monitoring of the delivery of SEND provision to ensure its quality and impact
• Coordinating the team of staff responsible for the delivery of targeted and specialist provision
• Supporting whole school  professional development
• Management of the SEND budget
• Advising on the graduated approach to providing SEND support
• Liaising with parents of pupils with SEND
• Liaising with other schools, educational psychologists, health and social care professionals, and independent or voluntary bodies
• Being a key point of contact with external agencies, especially the local authority and its support services
• Liaising with potential next providers of education to ensure a learner and their parents are informed about options and a smooth transition is planned
• Working with the headteacher and school governors to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities under the Equality Act (2010) with regard to reasonable adjustments and access arrangements
• Ensuring that the school keeps the records of all pupils with SEND up to date

The SENDCo reports directly to the Head Teacher.

Overview of SEND Provisions at Co-op Academy Co-op Academy Rathbone

SEND provision within mainstream settings falls into the following categories:

Universal:

• In class support consisting of high quality teaching, following guidelines from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) on teaching learners with SEND

• EEF blog: ‘Five-a-day’ to improve SEND outcomes

Targeted:

• Interventions - Targeted intervention sessions with the principle aim of accelerating learning or bridging gaps in learning for literacy, numeracy and social skills.

Specialist:

• Provisions made in-line with Section F of any learners with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

Information Sharing - SEND information as a “Golden Thread”

To support high quality teaching, information is shared through various forms. All teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress of learners in their classes, including those who access additional intervention. In order to support this, every learner with SEND will have a Pupil Passport, created in conjunction with learners, parents and key staff, utilising information from Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and specialist reports (where applicable). These will provide staff working with the learner with personalised information, including support strategies, baseline assessment data and exam access arrangements and will be reviewed termly. All documents such as Pupil Passports and EHCPs are located on Arbor for accessibility.

Regular training related to effective provision for learners with SEND will be provided to all staff on a termly basis. The impact of training and the effectiveness of provision for learners with SEND will be monitored termly by subject leaders and members of the Academy Leadership Team.

Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)

An annual review will be conducted for all learners with an EHCP, in-line with statutory requirements. The SENDCo is responsible for the co-ordination of this review on behalf of the Local Authority and will ensure that all relevant stakeholders; including learners, parents/carers, key members of academy staff, health and social care, and any other outside agencies involved with the learner, are invited to the meeting and consulted as part of the review.

The Graduated Approach

The academy uses a graduated approach to address the needs of its learners with SEND which takes the form of a four-part cycle ‘assess, plan, do, review’

Partnership with outside agencies

The Academy is proactive in identifying sources of support as learners develop through their school life. We seek to respond quickly to emerging needs and work closely with other agencies including:

• Educational psychologists
• Speech and language services
• Social services
• SEND Information and Advice Support Service (SENDIASS)
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
• Hearing Impairment Team
• Visual Impairment Team
• Inclusive Learning Service

The SEND Information Report published on the academy’s website can be accessed by clicking on the link here: Rathbone- Special Educational Needs 

The Local Offer from the Local Authority can be accessed by clicking on the link here: Liverpool Local Offer

Accessibility

Co-op Academy Rathbone is an accessible single-level building. No part of the building is inaccessible.

There is access for emergency service vehicles at the front of the building and a member of staff will always meet any requested emergency service at this point.  

In case of emergency, we have a practised evacuation procedure that enables all occupants to leave the building and make their way to a designated assembly area away from the building, so that checks can be made to account for everyone on site. Staff are responsible for directing all occupants out of the building following the fire evacuation plan and checking that the area that they hold responsibility for is clear in the case of an emergency.

We have fire drills on a termly basis and test the fire alarm weekly.

There are clear evacuation instructions available for all to read which is also easily visually understood throughout the building for anyone with any reading difficulty, all fire exits are clearly marked on these instructions and the evacuation routes are clearly marked.

All doors are wheelchair accessible and accessible toilets are available.

The academy publishes an Accessibility Plan every 3 years which can be found here: Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility Plan 

Admission Arrangements

Co-op Academy Rathbone provides education for students aged 5 to 11 years with clearly identified special educational needs who have an Education Health and Care Plan. Liverpool City Council is the home local authority which places students at Rathbone, following consultations under the SEND Code of Practice 2015.

The academy is designated for pupils and students who have an Education, Health and Care Plan with a need of Social, Emotion and Mental Health. The academy has places for 70 students.

The majority of students are admitted on the basis of an Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP), which names Co-op Academy Rathbone, but occasionally the local authority arranges for students to be admitted who are in the process of being assessed for an EHCP, or for a period of assessment. In order for this procedure to be effective sufficient time must be allowed before transfer to satisfy all parties concerned that the suggested placement is appropriate.

In considering the suitability of a placement, Co-op Academy Rathbone will take all reasonable steps to meet each student’s needs, but will also take into account the effect this could have on the existing school population.

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Arrangements for Transition

Parents and carers who may be considering Co-op Academy Rathbone as a suitable placement for their child, should contact the Liverpool Special Educational Needs Team, either by email on SEN.team@liverpool.gov.uk or telephone 0151 233 5959.

A preliminary visit to the school will only be offered to parents/carers initially. Visits for pupils will only be offered once the academy has agreed to the placement. This is to minimise the disruption to any potential incoming pupils.

In line with our Equality Policy, Co-op Academy Rathbone accepts students irrespective of religion, sexuality, disability, race or belief. The academy currently only accepts boys, but this decision will be reviewed annually with the local authority and based on city-wide need.

Transfers from other schools

Places are allocated by the Local Authority following the consultation process. Where a specific year group or appropriate class group is over-subscribed and no other suitable place in an adjacent year group or a different class group can be found, applicants will be invited to wait until there is a suitable class group available.

In addition, students may be admitted from a variety of other schools, which include other special schools.

In-year applications are treated in the same way as those which occur at the usual phase transition.

Complaints

If there are any complaints relating to provision for learners with SEND these will be dealt with in the first instance by the SENDCo then, if unresolved, by the Head Teacher. The governor with specific responsibility for SEND may be involved if necessary. In the case of an unresolved complaint, the issue should be taken through the general Governors complaints procedure which can be found here: Co-op Academies Trust - Complaints Policy (2023)

Monitoring, Evaluation and Review

The Governing Body will review this policy annually and assess its implementation and effectiveness. The policy will be promoted and implemented throughout the Academy.