Working Together to Support Students with SEND at Biddenham

In Class Support:
At Biddenham we have a dedicated and hardworking team of teaching assistants who work alongside our students and teachers in the classroom. Teachers and teaching assistants spend time planning the most effective ways of assisting students to understand the lessons and to make progress in their learning. Our teaching assistants are timetabled predominantly to support students with Education, Health and Care Plans; we are however, a ‘needs-led’ school and support is offered where it is required. Our teaching assistants may work with small groups of students or individuals to provide various forms of assistance. This includes scribing, reading, checking understanding of instructions and content; encouraging and reassuring. At Biddenham a student can be supported by a number of different teaching assistants, although if a student has an EHCP, one specific teaching assistant will have an overview of their progress and will strive to create a supportive relationship with them and their family.

The Learning Hub:
We are based at the back of R block in R9. This is the hub for our interventions. We also provide games and a social space during break and lunch times where students can come to, if they choose, away from the hustle and bustle of the main school areas. This allows us to nurture your child so they have the confidence to still make social connections and more importantly friends.

Boosters:
We run a range of booster sessions covering the development of numeracy, literacy, and social and emotional skills. These include: PixL Code phonics; handwriting; Lego Therapy; Toe by Toe; Social Stories and Zones of Regulation. These are delivered by our teaching assistants in small groups or 1:1. The sessions are for fixed time periods outside of lesson time, and the aim is to enable our students where possible, to holistically access the mainstream curriculum. For those that cannot do so, we can provide more individualised curriculum if required.

Homework Club:
Every Monday to Thursday after school we run a homework club staffed by teaching assistants to provide a space where students can complete independent learning.

The Sensory Space:
We have a dedicated space in the Learning Hub for students to be able to access when needing support to regulate and manage the demands of day-to-day secondary school life.  It offers a quiet, calming experience with different tactile, visual and olfactory sensory experiences on offer.

Co-Production:
We believe that effective communication between school and home is imperative for students with SEND. It allows for smooth transitions every day and benefits overall well-being and progress. We endeavour to work with students and families as closely as we can through regular feedback and opportunities to celebrate success and discuss concerns.

SEND Events and Training:
As a staff team we regularly try to ensure we are keeping up to date with relevant training opportunities. We also send out regular communication about events for parents via the school social media channels, so please do check on those.