Wexham School

Local Offer

Wexham school is a non-selective school for ages 11-19. 

It has a 21 place resource base for students with diagnosis of ASD.

Who to contact

Contact name
Kasia Thei-Kaczmarek
Contact position
SENDCo
Telephone
01753 526797 01753 526797
E-mail
post@wexham.slough.sch.uk
Website
Wexham secondary school
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Where to go

Name
Wexham School
Address
Norway Drive
Slough
Berkshire
Postcode

SL2 5QP

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Time/date details

When is it on
School hours are 8.40am to 3.10pm, term time only.

Local Offer

Schools extended Local Offer response

Special Educational Needs policy

Wexham School prides itself on meeting the needs of our students including children and young people with Special Educational needs.

All staff together identify, assess and address these additional needs as early and as effectively as possible.

We are also proud to have a specialist Autism Resource Base provision for children and young people with  Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) .

This offer links to Wexham School’s:

  • SEN policy
  • Curriculum policy
  • Equality duty
  • Behaviour policy
  • Anti-bullying policy
  • Complaints policy.

All policies are available from the school or on Wexham School website.

In addition it links to Slough Borough Council’s Local Offer.

Teaching and learning

Most children and young people’s needs will be met without the need for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Teachers at Wexham School meet the needs of all our students through high quality teaching and learning and we require all our staff to have Autism training.

Teachers reduce and remove barriers to achievement through assessment and ambitious target setting, differentiated approaches, lesson plans, and clear targets.

If necessary there are opportunities in years 7 and 8 for small group interventions for both academic and social and emotional work.

Progress review days are integral and involve the student and their parents in a discussion with the students tutor about their learning.

There are further opportunities for parents to meet with teaching staff regarding any concerns around their progress and learning through regular parents meetings.

Identifying and assessing Special Educational Needs

Children and young people who have statements for ASD can be allocated a place in the Autism resource base through a process involving Slough Borough Council, their primary school or on some occasions their current school and specialist ASD staff at Wexham School. 

Children and young people are identified as having other Special Educational needs through conversations with parents and through good quality information transferred from local primary school.  

In addition, systems are in place to analyse data available from Literacy, Numeracy and subject specific assessment and testing.

The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCO) and SEN team assess the child or young person’s needs, and a personalised plan and interventions are put in place.

The child or young person is then monitored for progress and interventions reviewed when required.  

Looked after Children have a personal plan which is regularly updated to review needs.

Involving parents and children/young people in planning and reviewing progress

There are Progress Review meetings with students, parents and their form tutor and, SENDCO, and/or SEN staff where appropriate. This is an opportunity to discuss the termly report which provides the student and their parents with up-to-date information regarding their progress.

Targets from individual subject tutors are provided to support students in progressing and parents are asked to monitor and assist with this. There are also informal meetings with SENCO and/or Leader of Year regarding any issues the parents or staff need to raise. Additionally for students with EHCP there will be a formal (statutory) annual review.

For students that are considered be in ‘crisis’ there will be a formal Team around the Child meeting (TAC) involving parents and agencies that work with the family.

The school will work to secure the possible involvement of outside specialists such as:

  • an Educational Psychologist
  • Integrated Youth support
  • Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Outreach
  • speech and language specialist and Haybrook College.

 

Additional support

The school has the provision of an Autism Resource base. This meets the needs of students who have ASD and a EHCP.

Students  are allocated a place through Slough borough Council SEND department. Through this we offer support for ASD students to work in mainstream lessons.

We also offer other more targetted small group support or individual work such as:

  • social skills
  • life skills
  • anger management
  • additional academic support
  • travel skills
  • a smaller setting away from mainstream for students assessed as needing additional nurturing.

In addition to high quality teaching and learning, the school arranges various other support structures and interventions. This can be a curriculum adaption or a pathway adaption including access to a range of targeted support.

This includes interventions for:

  • communication and interaction
  • cognition and learning
  • social, mental and emotional health
  • sensory and physical needs and ASD.

These come in the form of:

  • social skills programmes
  • mentoring activities
  • literacy support
  • support in modifying behaviour
  • numeracy support
  • liaison with professional/parents
  • life skills
  • travel skills
  • career guidance.
Extra activities

In addition to the formal curriculum, all children and young people are offered opportunities in  extra-curricular programmes  both at lunch and after –school, including a lunch time group for vulnerable students. 

The learning mentors also offer several after school activities for named students.

There is a programme of curriculum related school trips and reward trips and additional opportunities to get involved in the life of the school such as:

  • peer mentoring
  • student voice
  • learning leaders.

These are all opportunities for students to taken on leadership roles within the school.

Meeting social and emotional needs of children/young people

Social and emotional needs are identified through analysing behavioural and progress data and referrals from staff with concerns about young people.

They can also be flagged up through self-referrals from a student and young person, or from parents and external agencies such as Social Care.

The school has a clear anti-bullying policy where the school looks to resolve issues and intervene in confidence building where necessary.

Keeping up to date with knowledge and skills

As part of Wexham’s staff induction programme all staff are given Autism training to provide them with strategies to meet the needs of the students in the Autism Resource base.  

Staff have regular professional development opportunities from courses, local clusters and collaborations and in-house training on specific student needs. This is in addition to training to ensure all staff are committed too high quality teaching and understanding of learning methodologies.

The SENDCo also regularly updates staff in the morning briefings.

Transitions

For transition from Key stage 2 to 3 the school works closely with the primary schools to personalise a transition programme that is graduated and supportive so that the transfer is a comfortable move for any student that primaries think will struggle, including those with SEN.

Parents are involved in this process to assist with any anxieties they have about their child moving to secondary school.

Key stage 3 to 4 transition takes a personalised approach with an individual meeting with every student and their parents to explore option choices. This is aided with careers interviews and personal needs are met within the student’s pathways and interventions.

Key stage 4 to 5 transition is individually tailored through careers advice, assistance with college applications and visits, coaching for interviews and travel and life skills training.

Helpful contacts
  • Wexham School SENCO – Kasia Theis-Kaczmarek, 01753 526797.
  • Slough Borough Council case officer - Osman Abdirahman, 01753 787661.
  • SEND Information, Advice and Support Service - 01753 787693 or 01753 577458.

Last updated

Last updated - .

Disclaimer

This information has been collected from third party providers. Slough Information and Services Guide and Slough Borough Council cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of this information and recommend that parents, carers, young people, residents and professionals check with providers regarding DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service), OFSTED and CQC registrations.

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