Criteria for Admission to and Exit from Weatherfield Academy

Description of the School

Weatherfield Academy as a specialist provision aims to support the development of children and young people with an EHCP (aged 7 -19) whose primary need falls within the cognition and learning strand of SEND.

Cognitive Function

The child or young person will be operating in the Learning Difficulty cognitive range, as described below and their ability to make progress will be limited across all areas of academic development. They will have a lifelong learning disability which requires a multidisciplinary service response. The child or young person will require a differentiated and often personalised curriculum in a small group class setting.

Typical Levels of functioning

The following section gives guidance on the level of functioning in the main areas of need which would mean that the child or young person is suitable for placement at Weatherfield Academy Special School.

Entry Criteria

The majority of the child and young person’s learning disabilities will be noticed and then identified early on in their school careers. Their general level of academic attainment will be considerably below their peers and they will have particular difficulties in acquiring Literacy and Numeracy skills.

Indicators will include:

i) The pupil’s attainment will be significantly below age related expectations and typically 50% below age expectations.

ii) Overall cognitive profile will be between the first and second percentile.

iii) The pupil consistently needs modification of both content, pace and materials for the majority of the curriculum, including significant scaffolding and use of simplified language.

The Pupil will have an EHCP which indicates specific learning difficulties as the primary SEND. The pupil will experience significant, persistent and enduring specific learning difficulties.

These Learning difficulties may include one or more of the following areas of need:

- Dyslexia (written language difficulties) when the pupil has experienced historical difficulties with the acquisition of reading and spelling skills. The pupil will experience significant, complex persistent and enduring specific learning difficulties. Significantly below average range for attainment and skills related to SpLD e.g. working memory, phonological skills, processing speed or indicated by other relevant assessments with SS below 70.

- Dysgraphia – (under the umbrella of written language difficulties, is a ‘specific learning disorder’ with impairment in written expression. Writing problems can result from one or more of the following components. Fine motor difficulties, visual-spatial difficulties and handwriting difficulties.

- Dyscalculia – The pupil has a significant weakness in tackling numeracy tasks, very slow speeds of working evident and a recognised weakness in working memory.

- Developmental Co-ordination Disorder/Dyspraxia – The pupil may have a confirmed history of a significant motor co-ordination difficulty. Gross motor difficulties alongside fine motor difficulties will be evident, that prove to be a significant barrier to the pupil’s ability to plan, organise and execute written work, organise thoughts and articulate thought process and ideas clearly. Further evidence of the difficulties of Dyspraxia may be found in a weakness in visual and phonological processing speeds.

The pupil as an additional diagnosis could present with characteristics identified below which present alongside the identified Specific Learning difficulties.

- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and/or Attention Deficit Disorder

(ADD) DSM-5 Criteria for ADHD/ADD

- Children or young people show a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning development:

Inattention: Six or more symptoms of inattention for children up to age 16, or five or more for adolescents 17 and older and adults; symptoms of inattention have been present for at least 6 months to a degree that is maladaptive and inconsistent with developmental level.

- Symptoms present prior to age 12 years

- Symptoms not better accounted for by a different psychiatric disorder (e.g., mood disorder, anxiety disorder) and do not occur exclusively during a psychotic disorder (e.g., schizophrenia)

- Symptoms not exclusively a manifestation of oppositional behaviour

- Symptoms may be classified as mild, moderate in severity

- The pupil consistently needs modification of both content, pace and materials for the majority of the curriculum, including significant scaffolding and the use of simplified language.

Evidence could include a range of samples of annotated work, unsupported work, observations made by outreach teams, EP or specialist teacher assessments, Speech & Language Therapist reports with age related norms and school reports.

ii)

And/or

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)

- Pupils will have a history of using language effectively, tests of receptive and expressive language will present as an unusual profile SS 69 or less, or fall between the first and second percentile. Overall verbal abilities can be expected to be lower than non-verbal abilities. Working and short-term memory difficulties may be evident along with word finding difficulties. These cognitive areas of weakness will have a significant impact on written and spoken language skills.

and/or

Speech language and communication Needs

- Expressive and/or receptive language at or below the 2nd percentile (a speech and language disorder)

- Variable or inconsistent (“spikey”) cognitive ability profile, with attainment limited by impact of the speech and language disorder, so that child or young person is operating at the levels defined in the Learning Difficulty section above.

- Speech and Language skills are considered below the level of non-verbal skills, as indicated by standardised assessments or a significant discrepancy between speaking and listening and other core subjects.

and/or

- Auditory processing disorder (APD), also known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), is a hearing problem that affects about 5% of school-aged children. With this condition, a young person cannot process what they hear in the same way other children do because their hearing and brain do not fully coordinate.

Evidence may include a range of reports from Speech & Language, Audiology/Hearing Impairment Reports.

iii)

The child or young person may present with a more general learning difficulty which presents with a cognitive and academic weakness/impairment across all domains. Children with a cognitive impairment below average IQ at <70 as a classification of impairment would need to be in the mild range (SS: 50 to 70). Generalised cognitive impairment is often associated with a history of delayed developmental milestones; the age at which it becomes manifest varies according to its severity. In some children, mild generalised cognitive impairment may have become more obvious when the child starts attending school.

The Following identified conditions may be the reason for the impairment or general difficulty with learning.

- Fragile X Syndrome

- Downs syndrome (Trisomy 21)

- Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

- Global Developmental Delay

- Cognitive impairment due to a brain injury not to be deemed as severe

If evidence is not clear for admission, the SEND Advisory Teacher from Weatherfield Academy can be commissioned to gather further information to assist the decision making process.

Exit Guidance

Assessment information evidences that the child or young person has either made significantly greater or significantly less progress than their peers. They therefore may be ready to return to a mainstream school or meet the admissions guidance for another type of school/specialist provision that might meet better meet their needs.

Procedure for Placement

The admitting authority for special schools is Central Bedfordshire Council Local Authority and requests for placements at Weatherfield Academy may be considered by the SEND provision panel, if the child meets the specified criteria as outlined in this document and is living in the Central Bedfordshire Local Authority.

Admissions from Outside the Local Authority

Admissions made from outside the Local Authority should be made in writing to the Head Teacher direct to the Academy, in line with the consultation process outlined in the SEND code of practice. If the panel considers that the child meets the criteria for a place then consultation will take place. Should parents state a preference for a place that is not the nearest available school, parents may be responsible for home to school transport if a place is allocated at their preferred school. At this time, Weatherfield Academy will

respond directly to the Local Authority, indicating if the provision can adequately meet the child or young person’s needs according to the admission criteria outlined in this document

The SEND Code of Practice requires the Local Authority to comply with the parental preference unless:

- The school is unsuitable to the child’s age, ability aptitude or educational needs.

- The placement would be incompatible with the efficient education of other children with whom the child would be placed.

- The placement would be incompatible with the efficient use or resources.

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