FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions from Parents/Carers:

Question	Answer	Who can help
What do I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?	Contact the SEND Team The SENDCo or Assistant SENDCo will meet you and discuss your concerns. Information about your child will be gathered from teachers. An assessment of needs will take place and if an area of SEND is identified, appropriate support will be put in place and your child will be added to our SEND register. It may be that a referral is made to other professional agencies.	Mrs Michaela Child Ms Jane Dempster Tel: 0113 393 0304 (Ext. 374) E-mail: michaelachild@allertongrange.com janedempster@allertongrange.com Ms Alisha Effendi, Administrator for SEND, DAHIT and Safeguarding Tel: 0113 393 0304 (Ext. 375) E-mail: alishaeffendi@allertongrange.com
How will school support my child?	An Education Passport will be drawn up by the SEND Team in consultation with teaching and pastoral staff and external agencies. The passport outlines the young person’s strengths, areas of need and strategies that teachers should use to support their identified needs. Passports are a live document and are reviewed regularly. Lessons are scaffolded and adapted to match individual needs. There may be some additional in class support by a teaching assistant. The young person may be placed in a specific programme of intervention, such as Lexonik for improving reading and spelling.	The SEND Team Teaching Assistants Subject teachers Form tutors Behaviour and Welfare Managers (Year Team)
How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?	Schemes of learning are designed to be ambitious and give students access to powerful and rich knowledge. Scaffolding is provided to meet individual needs and adaptations (such as printing powerpoints to avoid copying information) are put in place to simplify access. Students may be grouped to access targeted support or specific resources. Knowledge organisers are adapted to suit needs. Departments provide bespoke interventions. In exceptional circumstances, school may disapply or modify the national curriculum and its assessment requirements for an individual student.	Curriculum Leaders Class teachers
How accessible is the school?	The school building has been designed to meet a wide range of accessibility requirements. There is a lift to enable students to access all floors and disabled toilets are provided. Building acoustics meet the BATOD Standard. Specialist desks, chairs and other furniture and equipment are used for students with physical needs, as and when necessary, on the advice of the Local Authority. All reasonable steps are taken to ensure SEND students are not disadvantaged in any way and are enabled. Parents/carers are invited to discuss any individual access needs.	Curriculum Leader for SEND
How will I know how well my child is doing? How will you help me to support my child’s learning?	Student reports are live on Go4Schools and progress can be checked at any time. Go4Schools shows the current level/grade, attitude to learning and target along with attendance data for the student. Teachers discuss progress with parents at the annual Parent Consultation Evening. Regular reviews take place for students with Education, Health and Care Plans and for all those with Passports. Parents / carers are encouraged to be involved in supporting their child’s education in consultation with subject teachers, progress and welfare managers and form tutors. Parents / carers are encouraged to use the ‘Class Charts’ app, which can be downloaded onto any smartphone. This can be used for homework and for monitoring achievement and behaviour points. Parents / carers of young people with SEND are always welcome to contact the Curriculum Leader for SEND to share concerns or request an appointment.	Curriculum Leader for SEND
What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?	Allerton Grange School is passionate about the wellbeing of its students and all staff have responsibility for ensuring the highest level of pastoral care is provided. We are proud of the specialist support that The Behaviour and Welfare Team provides for students. There is an experienced team of designated Child Protection staff. All staff are trained in child protection procedures to ensure the safeguarding of all students.	Ms Sarah Whittingham Assistant Headteacher, Behaviour and Safeguarding sarahwhittingham@allertongrange.com Ms Ruth Rowbotham CLA and Safeguarding Lead ruthphillips@allertongrange.com
What specialist services and expertise are available or accessed by the school?	Teachers of The Deaf Communication Support Workers Deaf Instructors Advisory Teacher of the Visually Impaired CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) Speech and Language Therapy Child Protection Advisors STARS (Specialist Training in Autism and Raising Standards) SENIT (Special Educational Needs Inclusion Team) Educational Psychologists SENSAP (Special Educational Needs Statutory Assessment and Provision service) NHS therapists Social Services Mindmate Spa	Ms Kim Davis Lead Teacher of the Deaf Kimdavis@allertongrange.com Mrs Michaela Child Ms Sarah Whittingham Ms Ruth Rowbotham
What training and development is done by staff supporting those with SEND?	All staff undertake continuous professional development (CPD) which includes training on SEND so that staff can understand, support and develop our students with particular needs, be up-to-date with developments and share best practice. We are members of the Red Kite Alliance and regular training is offered through their network. All Newly Qualified Teachers receive SEND-specific training in their first term at Allerton Grange. Teacher Learning Communities have been established for bespoke, personalised CPD; many choose to focus on the learning needs of SEND students. SEND Champions take a leading role in cascading information and training programmes. Members of The Progress and Welfare Team have specialist training in promoting SEMH (Social, Emotional and Mental Health). Calendared training sessions take place with teaching assistants. Staff training needs are also identified through monitoring processes and addressed at an individual level.	Mrs Michaela Child
How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom?	At Allerton Grange School, we strive to be fully inclusive and our aim is to involve SEND students in activities both in and out of the classroom. Activities and school trips are available to all. The SEND team monitor and track engagement and are proactive in matching students with their interests. Risk assessments are undertaken and appropriate procedures put in place to safeguard our young people when participating in activities. Parents/carers may be involved in planning to ensure safety and inclusion.	The main office will help you contact the most relevant member of staff to help Mrs Michaela Child Behaviour and Welfare Manager (Year Team)
How will the school help children and young people transfer to the next phase of education?	Transition arrangements are firmly established in school to support students moving between year groups, phases and settings. In school, transition is made smooth by the quality of data which teachers can access about students on SIMS. Exercise books and folders are also transferred so that new subject teachers can understand student needs before they start teaching them. KS2 to KS3 Information sharing with primary schools begins in spring, including discussions and data collection. Allerton Grange Teaching Assistants will visit students in their primary schools to get to know them in a familiar environment. SEND students will be invited to attend additional Ambassador Mornings at Allerton Grange. This gives them the opportunity to become familiar with the school and staff. As this happens before the regular taster days, they are representing their school on an information gathering activity task. Other students are really interested to hear about it when they return to their primary schools. Year 6 students attend Taster Days at Allerton Grange. SENDCo and KS3 Leader collects information from primary school SENCOs and attends EHCP Reviews where possible. Coffee mornings are available for parents to discuss transition and any concerns. A Parents’ Information Evening takes place for the New Year 7 intake. KS4 to KS5 During Key Stage 4, careers plans are drawn up by the Careers Coordinator and reviewed as needed. Plans are used to inform decision-making about the most appropriate curriculum for students when selecting subject options. The Careers Coordinator attends EHCP Reviews of SEND students from Year 9 to support transition planning. Year 9 Guidance Evening and Options Information Evening. Transition Meetings with colleges and other providers. Transition workshops are offered to selected students in Year 11 to build confidence. These are bespoke and will depend on the needs of those particular students.	Ms Leanne Hosty Key Stage 3 Manager and Transition Lead leannehosty@allertongrange.com Mrs Michaela Child Ms Jess Walker Careers Coordinator jesswalker@allertongrange.com
How are school resources allocated and matched to the children’s needs? How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?	The SEND budget is delegated by the Local Authority to the Governing Body. In addition to the notional SEND budget, Leeds City Council provides top-up funding for a small number of students with a high level of need. Funding is allocated to support identified needs, including the deployment of staff, resources and equipment. Decisions about the type and amount of support a student with SEND requires are made by the SENDCo in collaboration with parents/carers, the student themselves if appropriate, Behaviour and Welfare Managers and any services who are involved with a student. The best package of support will be presented accordingly and reviewed regularly to ensure it is having a positive impact on the student’s learning and progress.	Ms Catriona Wilkinson Parent Governor with responsibility for SEND
How are parents / carers involved in the school?	All parents/carers are encouraged to take an active part in their child’s or young person’s education and are welcome to contact school at any time to discuss any concerns about their child’s education and well-being. Parents can keep informed through regular website updates, student reports, consultation evening and school apps. The Allerton Grange Parent Forum is an excellent opportunity for parents to get involved and contribute to many aspects of the school. The forum meets on a regular basis and new members are always welcome. SEND-specific involvement is through: • SEND surgery – each Monday from 3.15pm until 4.30pm. Book a slot to discuss any issues, concerns or share ideas. • SEND Parent Focus Group – share thoughts on the development of SEND at Allerton Grange. Meetings are once per term. • Key TAs are allocated to high needs students and they will be in regular email contact with home. • EHCP and review meetings.	The main office will help you contact the most relevant member of staff to help. Ms Beverley Manfredi Headteacher’s P.A. beverleymanfredi@allertongrange.com
Who can I contact for further information?	Teaching and Learning Pastoral Attendance	Mr Andy Norrington Deputy Headteacher andynorrington@allertongrange.com Ms Sabiah Altaf Progress and Welfare Manager, Year 7 sabiahaltaf@allertongrange.com Ms Ruth Davis Progress and Welfare Manager, Year 8 ruthdavis@allertongrange.com Ms Connie Wright Progress and Welfare Manager, Year 9 conniewright@allertongrange.com Mr Elliott Mahoney Progress and Welfare Manager, Year 10 elliotmahoney@allertongrange.com Mr David Gracey Progress and Welfare Manager, Year 11 davidgracey@allertongrange.com Ms Jess Walker Progress and Welfare Manager, Year 12/13 jesswalker@allertongrange.com Ms Natalie Harris Attendance Manager natalieharris@allertongrange.com