SEND - Special Educational Needs and Disability

Our Acting SENCO is Ms Pauline Hoey.

At Wirral Hospitals’ School we build on students’ strengths to enable them to develop their abilities and interests. In addition to their primary health needs, some of our young people present with a range of other difficulties including: Attachment Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Motor Tic Disorders, and Speech and Language Disorders. Information and training are accessed on a regular basis to ensure that the staff are familiar with the specific conditions and effective support strategies.

Students participate in a range of assessments during their 6 week induction period in order to ensure that appropriate support is provided to meet the complexities of their individual needs. Only a small number of students arrive at the school with an EHCP, in all such cases, this is on a dual-rolled basis and as a result of an unrelated medical need. As part of our ongoing monitoring of student progress we will, in conjunction with the mainstream joint roll school, consider the need for statutory assessment.

Students attending the school have often experienced high levels of anxiety, difficulties with school attendance or prolonged absence from school and can experience gaps in their learning experience, particularly in the areas of literacy and numeracy, which have a detrimental effect on their ability to achieve their academic potential. Part of the assessment process aims to address this issue and put the provision and knowledge in place to close the gap between the students' attainment on entry to the school and their individual potential.

Essential to the success of this process is the school’s close work with students and their families in identifying the wider support necessary to support families in understanding and meeting the needs of young people who often have very complex difficulties. This often involves a multi-agency approach.

Another essential part of this individual support is to develop students’ awareness of any Special Educational Needs and diagnosis, and, most importantly, to develop the strategies which can develop resilience and independence. This is developed both on an individual basis and through a whole-school approach of encouraging independence.

We employ an independent Speech and Language Therapist to enable us to assess our students' language and communication needs, where necessary and appropriate. Our Speech and Language therapist also runs a whole-school Social Skills programme called ‘Social Thinking’, which aims to develop our students’ skills in the context of their life in school. We also offer monthly Social Thinking session to parents who want to support this programme at home.

The Special Needs Co-ordinator ensures that all staff are aware of the individual needs of pupils.

Educational experiences are differentiated throughout the school and a very individualised experience is encapsulated in our Person Centred approach in all areas.