SEND Contact
SENCO – Lucy Chapman – SENCO@donvalleyacademy.org.uk
Can be reached via main reception on 01302 651035
At Don Valley, students with Special Educational Needs are fully included within our academy. Furthermore, we ensure that any student who requires additional support, for whatever reason, will be recorded according to the Code of Practice either at SEN K or EHCP level, so that every student in the academy is fully supported to achieve their potential.
The SENCO and the SEND team are responsible for providing support to other staff in the academy for students’ needs to be met. The nature of this support is specifically tailored and determined by the needs of the individual student or teaching group. The support may involve: TA support in lesson, preparing adapted resources, or advice from the SENCO. The SENCO will involve the pupils, their parents, their teachers and other necessary professionals in the planning of support.
Every pupil on the SEND register will be allocated a keyworker whom they will have regular contact with and will also share that contact with home. In addition to this, all pupils on the SEND register will have a Learning Passport, which is reviewed in accordance with the Code of Practice and shared with parents and staff regularly to ensure that support is appropriate and that there is a holistic approach to supporting our pupils.
We communicate with parents regularly through professional meetings, 1-2-1 meetings, via our SEND team, through school parents’ evenings and via allocated Keyworkers. All students on the SEND register are allocated a keyworker and have a Learning Passport which is shared to all staff to ensure that all staff are involved in supporting our students.
The SENCO also works closely with the local primary schools and the local authority to ensure that students are appropriately transitioned to us from our feeder schools.
Please click here for the link to the local SEN offer: Local Offer
The SEN report can be viewed on our Statutory Information page
The academy has achieved the Inclusion Quality Mark Award Centre of Excellence.
Quotes from the IQM Inclusive School Award
Report on IQM Inclusive School Award 2020/21The academy offers an extremely wide range of bespoke provision within school to include vulnerable learners. There is a real solution focussed approach from leaders, so that if a student needs something more than what is available, the academy will develop provision to include that pupil. This school has inclusion at its heart.
Report on IQM Inclusive School Award 2020/21“staff are extremely passionate and dedicated about the academy, and indeed, the vision of “changing lives” shone through with everyone encountered. Their sense of drive and determination to improve the outcomes of all pupils came through strongly. The implementation of rigorous structures and processes supports the different teams to work strategically and collaboratively together. Strong teamwork amongst the staff is at the core of their relationships.”
“The academy’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been exemplary. Throughout all lockdowns at least fortnightly telephone contact has been made with all students, for some this is more regular, weekly or even daily in some cases. The remote learning offer was rapidly developed and now all remote learning is live lessons”
Report on IQM Inclusive School Award 2020/21