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SEND
Introduction and Ethos
At Plume Academy, we believe that special educational needs and disabilities are a whole-academy responsibility. Every teacher is a teacher of SEND, and high-quality inclusive teaching is the foundation of our approach. We operate across a split-site environment designed to meet the developmental milestones of our students, with the Mill Road Campus dedicated to Years 7 and 8, and the Fambridge Road Campus serving Years 9 to 13. We are committed to working in close partnership with parents, carers and students to ensure that those with SEND make good progress, achieve their potential and feel a strong sense of belonging within our academy community. Our practice is rooted in the SEND Code of Practice, with reasonable adjustments made so that students can access a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum.
Contacting the SEND Team
Parents/carers who wish to discuss SEND provision, support or concerns are encouraged to contact the SEND Team. We will work with students, families and relevant staff to ensure concerns are considered through the appropriate processes and directed to the most appropriate member of staff.
The Graduated Approach: Assess, Plan, Do, Review
When a student is identified as requiring SEND support, we use the graduated approach. This is a continuous cycle that helps us understand need, put appropriate support in place and review its impact.
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Assess: We gather evidence, data, teacher feedback, parent/carer views and student voice to build a clear picture of the student’s strengths, barriers and needs.
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Plan: We agree the support, reasonable adjustments and intended outcomes with the student and parent/carer.
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Do: Classroom teachers remain responsible for the student’s progress and put the agreed strategies and support into practice.
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Review: We evaluate the impact of provision against the intended outcomes and agree whether support should continue, change, reduce or be escalated.
Individual Support Plans (ISPs)
Plume Academy uses Individual Support Plans (ISPs). This is intended to make the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle clearer, more trackable and more focused on outcomes.
Each ISP records:
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The student’s individual strengths.
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Identified barriers to learning.
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Student voice and parent/carer voice.
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Helpful classroom strategies and specific reasonable adjustments.
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The provision in place.
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Clear review points and intended outcomes.Relevant staff can access student support information securely through the academy’s systems so that strategies and reasonable adjustments can inform classroom practice across both campuses.
Relevant staff can access student support information securely through the academy’s systems so that strategies and reasonable adjustments can inform classroom practice across both campuses.
Four Areas of SEND
Key Provision Areas and Academy Life
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Exam Access Arrangements: Arrangements are considered in line with current JCQ requirements and the student’s normal way of working. A diagnosis alone does not automatically result in an access arrangement.
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Medical Needs: Reasonable adjustments and support are planned where a medical condition affects access to learning or the school day, with liaison with families and relevant health professionals where appropriate.
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Break and Lunchtime Support: Some students may access identified quiet, supervised or SEND/pastoral spaces where this forms part of their assessed support needs.
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Participation and Academy Life: We aim to support students with SEND to participate in the wider life of the academy, including enrichment, trips and extra-curricular opportunities, with reasonable adjustments considered where required.
What Support May Look Like
Provision at Plume Academy is responsive and arranged across three broad tiers so that support can match changing student needs.
External Agencies
Where needs cannot be met entirely through internal academy resources, we may seek advice or work with external professionals. Depending on assessed need, this may include:
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Educational Psychology
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Speech and Language Therapy
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Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
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Essex SEND Operations
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Inclusion Partners
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Engagement Facilitators
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The Virtual School for CIC
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Social Care and local health professionals
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Essex SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service)
SEND Information and Support Padlet
SEND Information and Support for Parents/Carers
Our SEND Information and Support Padlet provides a central place for parents and carers to access useful links, guidance, updates and resources to help support students with SEND.
View SEND and Inclusion Policies
All statutory academy policies are held centrally on our dedicated Policies page so that parents, carers and statutory bodies can access the most current versions.
View SEND and Inclusion Policies
This central policies page should include access to the SEND Information Report, SEND Policy, Accessibility Plan, Equality Information and Objectives Policy, Attendance Policy, Behaviour Policy, Child Protection Policy, Alternative and Off-Site Provision Policy, Medical Needs Policy and Complaints Policy.
SEND FAQs
How We Identify SEND
At Plume Academy, we aim to identify special educational needs early so that appropriate support can be planned. A student is considered to have SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability that calls for special educational provision that is additional to or different from what is ordinarily available to students of the same age.
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Transition information: detailed data sharing and liaison with primary schools and previous educational settings prior to entry.
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Cognitive Ability Tests (CATs): baseline assessments completed on entry to help identify learning profiles.
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Reading and literacy information: regular reading and literacy assessment to identify specific barriers and areas for further diagnostic assessment.
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Teacher concerns: internal referral processes where classroom teachers identify students making less than expected progress despite high-quality inclusive teaching and adaptations.
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Parent/carer concerns: active engagement with families where difficulties or changes are noted at home.
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tudent voice: directly capturing the student’s lived experience of their learning and environment.
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Attendance, behaviour and engagement information: monitoring patterns that may indicate an underlying barrier to learning.
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Pastoral information: information from tutors, Heads of Year and wider pastoral staff regarding wellbeing and changes in presentation.
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External professional advice: incorporating guidance and assessment from relevant health, education or specialist professionals where appropriate.