Special Educational Needs & Disabilities at Braunton Academy
Welcome to our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) section of the Academy website. Here you will find information about the provision we make for students with SEND at Braunton Academy
SENCO​
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DEPUTY SENCO
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At Braunton Academy all students are encouraged and supported to pursue excellence and to study to the best of their ability. We want all students to be able to experience a feeling of success and achievement. All teachers are required to develop and adapt strategies which allow them to respond to a wide range of student needs.
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The performance of all students is monitored on a regular basis, both within departments and across all subjects.
The SEND team liaise closely with the Subject Departments and the Raising Standards Group after each Mid-Term Assessment and, if required, appropriate support is identified.
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Where a student's learning requires a specific programme of support, parents are consulted, and a plan is co-designed and reviewed. Each student with an Education, Health and Care Plan has a programme devised by the Statutory SEND Team in liaison with support services, school and parents/carers. The plan’s outcomes are reviewed annually by the Academy and parents/carers.
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It is our policy that students with an Education, Health and Care Plan should be supported to at least the level of the financial grant received from the Statutory SEND Team. Support may take the form of intervention programmes, mentoring, assistive technology or subject specific in class support. At Braunton Academy, Teaching Assistants are predominantly department based and not assigned to individual students, in accordance with the latest research. This encourages students to develop their independence skills and allows for Teaching Assistants to provide specialist subject support in lessons where needed.
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Our Special Educational Needs Policy and Information Report further outlines information with regards to implementation of our approach. (see link below)
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Access for Disabled Students:
The Accessibility Report is considered annually within the context of planning any new Capital Work. The school is committed to equal access for all students and where appropriate, entrance tests are modified. The Accessibility Plan is available in a printed format and can be downloaded in the links below.
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Key Information for Parents and Carers:
Link - SEND Policy
Link - SEND Information Report 2024 - 2025
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Link – Accessibility Plan
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Further Information, Advice and Support
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There is a lot of information available for parents or carers - below are some of the main contacts:
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The Devon Local Offer
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This gives children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities and their family’s information about what support services the local authority think will be available in their local area. This can be found at:
Devon's Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) Local Offer
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Devon Information Advice and Support (DIAS) for SEND
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DIAS has a dedicated team offering legally based and easily accessible information and advice about special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The team supports parents, carers, children and young people with SEND and the service is impartial and confidential. 
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Devon Information Advice & Support for Special Educational Needs & Disability
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Autism:
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Dyslexia:
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The information contained within this section looks at indicators of specific learning difficulties, as well as supporting your child both at home and within the education system to ensure that they achieve the best possible outcomes:
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On this page you will find information regarding: Visual Stress; Finding a specialist practitioner; Resources; Aids for visual stress, and Further reading:
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British Dyslexia Association - Visual Difficulties
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If you think your child may have dyslexia, please contact the Academy to discuss your concerns prior to obtaining a private assessment. In school we use Lucid Exact and Lucid Recall to assess literacy and working memory skills. We also have a screener for visual stress. Private assessments can be costly and are not always accepted by the JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications) Access Arrangements regulations when applying for GCSE exam concessions.
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ADHD:
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Advice and support to parents of children with ADHD
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Dyspraxia:
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A form of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a common disorder affecting fine and/or gross motor coordination in children and adults
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Dysgraphia:
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What is dysgraphia? The subtypes of dysgraphia. The causes of dysgraphia. How to identify dysgraphia. How can dysgraphia be overcome?
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Hearing and Visual Impairments and other Conditions:
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Help and information for the one in six people in the UK who have some degree of hearing impairment or deafness.
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Information on blindness and visual impairment and list of support organisations.
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Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), one of the UK’s leading sight loss charities and the largest community of blind and partially sighted people.
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