Perins is proud to be an inclusive school.  Staff provide Quality First Teaching (QFT) by making reasonable adjustments to ensure that those students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are fully integrated within lessons and the school community.  The majority of students with an identified difficulty are catered for within the classroom through the use of inclusive strategies.  Every student is entitled to enjoy the full curriculum, regardless of additional requirements, and we do our very best to try to meet each student’s individual needs.

Support for students with SEND is the responsibility of every teacher at Perins School and is coordinated by the SENCo and Learning Support department.  Our  SENCo, Miss Alexandra Scott, together with a dedicated staff of skilled Teachers and Teaching Assistants aims to ensure all students can access the full curriculum through inclusive measures.  Expectations of all SEND students remain high and they are encouraged to work to the best of their ability and to become fully involved in the Perins School community.

The Learning Support department works closely with the Pastoral team, the Heads of House and external agencies, where appropriate, in order to provide the most suitable support for individual students.  The department offers support and guidance to all staff and across all year groups and abilities, working closely with students who have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND).  The variety of needs of students with dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, SEMH and ASD, for example, are considered carefully and with guidance from the SENCo, most students with SEND are expected to make progress through personalised inclusive support from teaching staff.  This is referred to as Wave 1 intervention, where staff are expected to adapt their teaching to the needs of every student in their classroom.

The department helps students through multiple means ranging from providing laptops and coloured overlays, to differentiated resources and targeted literacy and numeracy work.  For those students with SEND, but who do not have an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP), there is a three tiered system of intervention and support which is referred to as ‘Waves’.  In the first instance the majority of support comes through inclusive strategies put in place within the classroom (Wave 1 intervention).  For those students who are still not making expected progress, despite Wave 1 intervention, teaching staff will make a referral to the Learning Support department.  After careful consideration, the SENCo may decide it is appropriate for a student to receive more targeted support through Wave 2 intervention, with the possibility of withdrawal from lesson/tutor time for small group work interventions. Should there be a necessity to provide a more targeted approach through bespoke planning, it may be appropriate for a student to receive an Individual Education Plan (IEP) with targets to work towards with the support from teaching and Learning Support staff.  It may also be appropriate for the school to refer to an external agency for guidance.  This kind of personalised support is referred to as Wave 3 intervention, and would mean the student would be added to the School’s SEND register as receiving ‘SEN Support’.

Teaching Assistants are valued members of the team who work collaboratively with subject specialist teachers, supporting student progress and encouraging independence within the classroom environment.  Their skills are audited annually and, where possible, matched to appropriate interventions providing support outside the classroom and encouraging student engagement in other areas of school life.  Their time is first allocated to those students who have an EHCP.  The remainder is then targeted where there is the greatest need.  Please refer to the school’s SEND Information Report for further information (there is a link at the top of this page).

The SEN Co-ordinator is Miss Alexandra Scott, and she can be contacted via email.  Alternatively, parents are invited to contact the department by telephone by calling the main switchboard on 01962 734361 and asking for: Mrs Jackie Fairbairn, Learning Support Manager.