Faculty: Hemisphere
SENDCo – Mrs Sarah Barnes
Partnerships are formed with our feeder primary schools to ensure we have the best information available about our students. Students with additional educational needs are then provided with the opportunity to access a transition project to make sure they are confident in transferring to Vale of York.
This project begins after Christmas in year 6 and it is supported by other students in the school. All students have their reading age tested upon entry to Vale of York Academy, this helps us identify which students need additional support and intervention.
All students in KS3 have the opportunity to access paired reading which takes places 3 mornings a week in the library. Our Year 11 prefects listen to the KS3 students read and support them to choose books and develop their understanding of texts.
For those that fall below a standardised score of 85 will be placed upon intervention programmes such as Read, Write, Inc and all students in the acadeny access Reading Plus to develop their fluency and comprehension. It is based on the needs of the individual to ensure that they make accelerated progress.
Rarely, students may be supported in class however there is opportunity to access after school support by our dedicated Inclusion team 3 times a week in the hemisphere. The focus will be on pre teaching vocabulary and key concepts as well as literacy and numeracy catch up programmes as well as supporting SEND students to complete their home learning tasks.
Students may be withdrawn from their form time in KS3 to accelerate their progress in Maths and English.
Students who regularly need additional support to engage in their learning and assessment may be tested for access arrangements, this should be a student’s normal way of working and the criteria for this is set by the JCQ (Joint council for qualifications). The outcome of these tests will identify whether they need extra time, a reader or a scribe in their GCSE exams. These arrangements are not suitable for all students.
Rarely, students may be supported in class however there is opportunity to access after school support by our dedicated Inclusion team. The focus will be on pre teaching vocabulary and key concepts as well as literacy and numeracy catch up programmes and exam revision.
Coursework support is available after school with our inclusion team for students who are identified as having an additional educational need.
Many students who have SEND will be offered reasonable adjustments to help them achieve their potential. These may include small adjustments such as fidget toys or specific seating arrangements in class. Some students may access time limited interventions such as handwriting support or ELSA, this is dependent on need and reviewed regularly. Rarely, students need a high level of support for external professionals.
We are supported by the Learning Support Hub and the City of York council SEND department.
Please click on the link for more information about the York SEND Local Offer.
Please click here for York City Council’s 2024/25 Post 16 Pathways.
Please click on the following links to view our SEND Policy and SEND Information Report.
If you believe your child has special educational needs, please refer to the SEND Support pathway below.
