Richard Challoner School is a mainstream secondary school with resourced provisions for both Autism as well as Social Emotional and Mental Health Needs (SEMH). In addition, the school houses a Post 16 provision for students with Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD). All students will need to hold an EHCP to be eligible for a place within these provisions. More detailed information regarding those settings are located on their own page. 

We are committed to providing for students with a range of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) including those without an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). We are also committed to supporting colleagues in school to provide the initial wave of support in the classroom, Quality first teaching (QFT).

SEND Population (Students on the RC Learning Support Register) 2023/24
EHCP (E)	71
SEND Support (K)	92
Quality First Teaching  (T)	71
Learning Support Register	234

*Data snapshot as of June 2024

We are committed to providing students with a range of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) including those without an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

The school currently meets the needs of students with and without an EHCP with the following kinds of special educational need:

• Autistic Spectrum Conditions
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs including ADHD, Anxiety and Attachment disorder
• Speech and Language Needs
• Specific Learning Difficulties relating to literacy or numeracy
• Moderate Learning Difficulties
• Visual/Hearing Impairments
• Sensory and Physical Needs

Richard Challoner school has a huge wealth of experience working and providing for students with SEND and is capable of running interventions to meet the need of the students proactively and reactionary to the ever changing and developing needs of the students.  

 

Below you will find a list of the provisions we currently offer and have offered in the past. Please be aware that not all of these provisions are available to every student.

 

Breakfast Club

(8:00am - 8:30am) The Learning Support Department opens first thing for boys to have a good calm start to the day. Monitored by a small team of LSAs, boys can study, complete homework. This is a great time for many of the students to organise them self and prepare for the day ahead. 

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Breaktime Support

(11:15am- 11:35am) Learning Support offers a safe and calm environment for those boys who find the playground and canteen overwhelming. At break time boys can interact inside, have a snack, play games and chat. As we want boys to engage with each other over this time openly, we ask boys not to use their iPad over the break.

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Lunchtime Support

(13:05 - 13:40) Learning Support offers a safe calm and supported environment for those boys who find the canteen overwhelming. At lunchtime, boys can eat their packed lunch in the central area (LS2). As we want boys to engage with each other over this time openly, we ask boys not to use their iPad over lunchtime. Learning Support Assistants are on hand to offer support socially to help set up games, activities as well as having a good chat with anyone who needs it. 

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KS3 Homework Club / GCSE After-school Study Support

(15:20 - 16:25) Homework club that runs every day in the Learning Support Department. Supported by a large group of LSAs, is an environment where boys can feel supported in making a good start with their Homework. 

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SEND Mentoring System

Every student with an EHCP (E) or on the Learning Support register as SEND Support (K) will have a Learning Mentor. The Learning Mentor would be in a position to see their mentee daily, and not only be the go-to person, but also hold the administrative and communication responsibilities to gain and feedback information to relevant people. Effective mentoring can really be the glue that holds all the support together. Overseeing the students progress for a minimum of a year some mentors could oversee a student for up to 3 years. The mentor will create the 'Student Passport' and 'SEND Learning Plan'.

 More information can be found on the 'Communicating Progress' section. 

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Social Thinking

A taught lesson of 45mins based in St Bedes. The lessons focus on age-appropriate aspects of social skills regarding the thinking and understanding of how we communicate and interact with each other, both verbally and non-verbally, through gestures, body language and our personal appearance. For many boys especially on the Autistic Spectrum, it is not automatic, and we need to provide a long term understanding of our ability to understand why effective communication is so important. 

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Transition Programme (Yr 7)

Transition operates a much smaller class size of around 15 - 18 students. These are students who are most in need of support. The are provided with a calm, constant and nurturing environment on their transition to secondary school. 5 core subjects - Maths, English, RE, Geography, & History taught by a primary trained teacher in the same classroom. 

Removing the anxiety of multiple teachers, rooms and environments. Specific training and support can also be deployed in the same environment making it more effective. 

The students become quickly familiar with the expectations of the school, whilst being able to receive the best possible support from the Learning Support department, whilst accessing the full curriculum in an inclusive environment. Overall having a better transition into mainstream secondary education.

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Emotional Literacy Support Sessions 

Carried out by trained and skilled Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs). These sessions are considered early intervention for emotional thinking and understanding. There is a variety of reasons why a student is referred to this support such as family issues, sickness or separation as well as school-related anxieties and concerns, however it is not always obvious. The sessions run for approximately seven sessions then are reviewed. ELSA assistant require supervision and guidance from the Education Psychology Service frequently.

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Lexia Power Up Literacy

Lexia PowerUp Literacy is a computer-based programme that adapts instruction to the specific needs of adolescent learners. The activities in PowerUp support and build on English language focusing on developing reading skills in three areas: word study, grammar, and comprehension.

PowerUp uses a structured and systematic approach to filling in skill gaps for adolescent learners. The programme is broken up into three main skill areas since students may have different needs in each: 

• Word Study - Students develop reading accuracy and fluency by focusing on sound and syllable patterns in words. 
• Grammar - Students learn how written language works in order to improve their writing and reading comprehension. They learn how parts of speech function in sentences and how sentence parts convey meaning. 
• Comprehension - Students learn skills & strategies to become independent and strategic readers. Passages include original and authentic texts of multiple genres including informational texts, narratives, drama, and poetry.

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 Handwriting Group 

Led by one of our experienced and trained Support Staff, this intervention delivers routine exercises in a quiet and calm space in school. Offer daily practice with fine motor & gross motor skills using a variety of every day and specific items. It also supports any external plan that school might be required to implement. Regularly reviewed by Richard Challoner's Occupational Therapist.

Boys often find this time relaxing as well as an opportunity to have a chat before school. Can be delivered as a group or 1:1

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 Self Esteem Booster Sessions (SEMH)

During a 45 mins session, a Learning Support Assistant will deliver an opportunity to build on the students self-esteem with a variety of practical activities. This could be cooking, gardening, arts and crafts, sports. This session is formally set up to provide a structured but perceived informal time for the student to be able to have a mental break from the intense pressure from class. This intervention should be used in conjunction with other strategies. 

As a result of these sessions: Short term we should see an increase in engagement throughout the week, decrease of low level work avoidance, better and more positive engagement with key staff member. Medium term overall attitude regarding work would be more positive and a better and more consistent approach to learning. Long term would see a large and more positive impact to overall self-esteem, better friendship forming and more resilient learner being able to take constructive criticism over work and follow instructions without huge challenge.

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Pathway 2

Pathway 2 is an invite-only alternative curriculum at KS4. Considerable time and care is invested into identifying those students who might benefit from this pathway prior to the Year 9 options process. Identified students and their parents are invited into school for a Pathway 2 meeting before the Year 9 options process begins and are given the choice as to which pathway model they would prefer to follow.

This provision provides greater flexibility in the school week by reducing the total number of GCSEs taken by the student from ten to eight. This allows us to create 3 additional support lessons on their timetable. These lessons, run by teachers, will focus on Maths/numeracy, English/literacy, as well as a non examined course in Work Skills. 

In addition, Pathway 2 also offers all students on the program a food skills course. The course is assessed throughout the two years, based on the range of skills and recipes that the students develop and master. There is no final examination component to the course and students will be awarded either a Level 1 or Level 2 BTEC qualification, depending on their level of competency at the end of the course. Students following Pathway 2 often refer to these lessons as the “best ones of the week”, as they develop an important life skill without the pressures of a formal examination.  

This combination of additional support lessons and food skills, together with a slightly reduced workload, in terms of homework and study outside the classroom compared to the main pathway, allows students greater time to focus on those subjects that they are following GCSE examination courses in. The end result of this is that Pathway 2 typically leads to better academic outcomes at the end of KS4 and to a wider range of options and courses Post-16 for those students following it.

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Food Skills

A taught lesson which provides students with the building blocks of good health and nutrition with food. The students will make a vast variety of dishes over two years as well as an excellent understanding of food hygiene. 

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English Booster & Maths (As part of Pathway 2 Curriculum)

Bespoke individual package of English / Maths intervention delivered by a subject teacher. This Provision for boys who have found it hard to access the content of the GCSE Curriculum. The support on offer will cater to the learning needs of the student, pre-teach and gap-fill in all areas of the subject. The students in this small class will also benefit from an LSA that is familiar with them to help keep mental health and wellbeing in check to ensure positive links with the subject are maintained.

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Work Skills 

Students will be given the opportunity to have some lessons from Richard Challoner's Career Advisor, then to follow a plan to ensure they are prepared for life after education giving them the opportunity to complete CV writing, work related life skills, communications and finance. 

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 Exam Anxiety Workshop

Overseen and created by an Educational Psychologist. This 4 week workshop is delivered by two LSA's to a group of year 11 boys who might become anxious about exams.

Boys who access the group will have greater understanding and will be able to use strategies to help reduce anxieties with exams. 

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Paired Reading

Peer led reading intervention for students in years 7 & 8 that allows students to practice their reading skills with trained tutors from years 10 & 12. This would take place over a single term. 

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Occupational Therapy

The OT at Richard Challoner School supports children with a physical, sensory or cognitive difficulty to be as independent as possible and to be able to access learning activities. Advice and intervention can take many forms and is dependent on the individual’s needs. Additionally, the OT is available to teaching and support staff for advice. Students are prioritised according to the impact on their learning and what OT can help them achieve. 

 

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Speech & Language Therapy

Speech and language therapists provide treatment, support and care for children who have difficulties with communication, or with eating, drinking and swallowing. Richard Challoner School buys in two separate SALTs to support the learning of students across different provisions.

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Learning Support Assistant

The Learning Support Assistant (LSA) works with students with SEND in and out of the classroom. Supporting academically, physically, the students wellbeing, social development and focus within the classroom. This could be in the form of gentle and occasional prompts within the lesson to correct focus to being seated next to a student to physically support them access the curriculum and work set by the teacher. 

LSAs are much more nomadic than other support staff and will often support a range of students throughout the school working across multiple classes and years over the week.  LSAs at Richard Challoner are linked to an Age Phase and will work in all types of lessons. 

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Resilience Programme

Students will learn strategies to aid them to become more resilient, which will help them to manage/cope with daily difficulties and worries. After the 6 week intervention, the student will be able to use learnt strategies to manage their emotional responses to difficult situations that may occur.

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Life Skills

A range of bespoke sessions delivered in groups or 1:1, covering topics such as, hygiene, dressing, nutrition, personal safety etc