Area of Needs
Special Educational Needs and Disabilites (SEND) is a term used nationally for children who need any additional learning support. There are 4 main areas of need in which an individual fall within:
- Cognition and Learning
- Communication and Interaction
- Sensory and/or Physical
- Social, Emotional & Mental Health
School SEN Leadership
The SEN Centre is led by Graham Hertz, NASENCO, BEd Hons/DipHE with over 30 years teaching experience and 24 years in Special Education. Graham is the SEN Manager/SENCo at North Road Academy. He has been at the school since April 2022 when he took on the SEN manger/SENCo role with a vision of opening an on-site SEN support centre for Muslim children with EHCPs, linked to the mainstream Academy.
There is a Deputy SENCo/Behaviour Support Manager, with over 20 years’ of experience with SEN children and young adults. The is also an experienced Classroom and Curriculum Manager, who oversees the daily operations of Teaching and Learning in the classrooms.
Staff
Staff
The centre will cater to 20 students over two classrooms, with a class ratio of 3 staff to ten students as a minimum. We also have Speech and Language Therapists, and Occupational Therapists assessing the students on a termly basis, and staff will use these reports to ensure students are making maximum progress.
Mr Hertz is the key contact for any SEN related queries, and to support your child further, Mr Hertz also holds SEN forums every term (3 per year), with a different focus in supporting your child’s needs.
Support
Support
Students will enrol with us already having an EHCP in place therefore staff will follow a special learning programme tailored for each individual student. As students will be working in much smaller groups, care and observation will take place to ensure extra encouragement is provided as necessary. Staff will also empower students by aiding their communication skills with their peers, other teachers and colleagues, which will aid their progression pathway.
For pupils who are in receipt of an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP), we hold multi-agency annual meetings to discuss the progress towards your child’s individual milestones and identify next steps, focussing on pupil voice.
Autonomy
Autonomy
Being an independent school, we have the autonomy to allow for a creative, bespoke curriculum الحمد لله.
The National Early Years Curriculum is used, with added Islamic Studies, Arabic and Quran Recitation classes offered as standard.
Students have Quran classes daily, teaching the alphabet to joining letters to sound out words; to memorisation of duas and short surahs.
We will regularly share progress updates with you so you are able to support your child at home with their learning.
