Wren Spinney Community School is a Special School for pupils aged 11-18. The school currently educates 68 pupils.

• All pupils will have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and the Local Authority will have identified their needs as requiring placement at Wren Spinney.
• The local authority will determine admission to the provision, considering parental preference and following consultation with the governing body and head teacher, in accordance with the ‘SEN and Disability Code of Practice’, July 2014, when the pupil has an EHC plan.
• Placements are made throughout the year, although most admissions take place at the start of the academic year.
• Staff will liaise with any previous or future educational establishments to enable a smooth transition.

Wren Spinney School is set in a residential area in Kettering. The accommodation on one level with two mobiles, offers a calm environment. Specialist facilities include; two soft play rooms, a vestibular room and a food technology room.

The school’s Accessibility Plan describes the actions the school has taken to increase access to the environment and the curriculum. Further information is available via the school website.

Wren Spinney provides high quality, personalised, specialist teaching for pupils based on needs.

We have three provisions; collaborative, sensory and structured.

The school has a policy of total communication so that every child’s individual communication skills are recognised as an integral part of their education. Alternative and Augmentative communication methods including signing, PECS, communication aids, symbols software and switches are a strong feature of the school.

Pupils are taught in class groups within a provision, identified by age, key stage and primary need. Sometimes it is necessary to have mixed age groupings.

If a pupil has a medical need, then a detailed Health Care Plan is compiled by the school nurse in partnership with parents/carers and, if appropriate, the pupil themselves. Staff who provide medicine administration complete training that is overseen by the school nurse and follow the LA policy/DfE guidelines included within ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’ Statutory guidance for governing bodies of maintained schools and proprietors of academies in England, February 2014.

Each class has a teacher who oversees all of their learning programmes. Whilst the class teacher spends the majority of their time with their class, teachers in the different key stages may have some regular designated sessions where they teach in other classes, or where pupils are mixed from across provisions.

Similarly, pupils may be brought together from across different groups/key stages for specific activities such as swimming, horse-riding, and PE. Work-related learning runs throughout the whole school curriculum. In KS4 and 5, pupils have work opportunities and dedicated enterprise sessions. All our 6^th form curriculum is based around the Preparation for Adulthood.

The Wren Spinney Cultural Capital curriculum offers a range of enrichment learning opportunities in and out of school.

Review arrangements for pupils with EHC Plans are set out in the relevant SEN Codes of Practice. Wren Spinney will adhere to these, ensuring that due process is followed and that relevant timeframes are adhered to.

Northamptonshire Local Authority will review a pupil’s EHC Plan in accordance with the relevant SEN Code of Practice. The Local Authority will ensure that due process is followed and that relevant timeframes are adhered to.

The progress of pupils will be assessed and reviewed by:

• The school’s generic processes for tracking the progress of all pupils
• Evidence for learning
• Ongoing tracking of pupils’ progress against the EHCP targets agreed at the annual review
• Cross-school, local and national moderation ensures similar marking and assessment criteria.
• The annual review of Education Health and Care Plans is prescribed in the SEND Code of Practice (September 2014).
• External accreditation opportunities using a variety of modular courses from different awarding bodies: ASDAN.

• The school is inspected as part of the whole school Ofsted inspection. Our last inspection was in 2014.

The needs of individual students are paramount; although the vast majority of pupils do stay at Wren Spinney throughout their secondary education, pupils’ needs change over time, so it should not be assumed that Wren Spinney will necessarily be the best placement for all pupils throughout their secondary years.

To continue to improve the facilities at the school through extensive renovation

The well-qualified, experienced and dedicated staff are able to meet the wide range of pupils’ personal, educational and social needs and all are trained in positive handling (Team Teach.).  All teaching assistants are at least Level 2; where possible, classes will be supported by a designated Level 3 or 4 Teaching Assistant. A NHS nurse is almost always on site and the school employs a part-time Parent Support Worker to ensure effective support for parents. In addition, an ICT technician supports technology resources in the school. Wren Spinney is committed to a process of continuous improvement, so ongoing opportunities are provided for all staff for their professional development.