How are Pupil’s Needs Identified?

Primary Transition

Primary Liaison takes place during the Summer Term when Learning Support staff visit feeder primary schools to collect information on the pupils transferring to Ribblesdale. Learning Support staff will attend Year 6 Annual Reviews for pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs and other reviews as appropriate. Year 6 pupils at School Action Plus, Enhanced School Action Plus or who have Statements of Special Educational Need will be invited to visit Ribblesdale during the summer term. The pupils will be issued with a transition booklet to complete. Parents are invited to an evening at the end of the Summer Term where they can meet the Learning Support staff who will be working with their children. Parents are encouraged to visit the Learning Support department independently to liaise with learning support staff about their children’s individual needs.

Screening Tests

In the first few weeks of the Autumn Term all the Year 7 pupils undergo screening for reading, spelling, writing and numeracy. This enables the department together with the information from Primary Liaison to identify which pupils may be in need of extra support. Pupils are observed in class and discussed with core subject teachers.

Further assessment can be administered through a variety of tests and screening programmes which identify specific learning difficulties. The complete picture is supported through consultation with the pupil’s parents.

Screening Tests are also administered during Year 9 for the whole year and at the end of Year 9 for those pupils who may need access arrangements for external examinations.

The SEN Links team liaise with the department through termly meetings and concerns about individual pupils can be raised. Subject staff are encouraged to refer any pupils for whom there may be concerns to the Learning Support Department throughout the academic year.

If despite specialist intervention, a pupil fails to make progress they may be referred to an external specialist agency or the educational psychologist for further assessment.