Percy Hedley Teaching School: Local Offer
Percy Hedley Teaching School is a non maintained special school on the
outskirts of Newcastle upon Tyne. We offer a unique approach to teaching
pupils with disabilities. Teachers, Educational Psychologists,
Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists,
Nursing Services, Conductor-Teachers, Teachers of Hearing Impairment, a
Teacher of Visually Impairment and other specialists work collaboratively
offering a high class education, which supports pupils, aged 2- 19, to reach
their potential.
We will be offering services beyond the age of 19 in 2015.
In 2008 and 2013 we were judged outstanding in all areas within Ofsted
inspections.
"Even alongside other outstanding schools Percy Hedley stands out as a
beacon of excellence".
As a Teaching School we work in collaboration with a range of other schools,
outside agencies and both Newcastle Universities to develop pioneering, best
practice outcomes in education.
We offer a range of provision from short break care through to term time
residential placements and we will be providing a 52 week residential service
in 2015. We currently provide 17 beds within a house situated close to our
upper school. We are building 4x 6 bedded units to accommodate family
requests for extended, bespoke, residential services, from November 2014.
We work with two distinct pupil populations within our school provision;
Speech, Language and/or Communication Disorders including;
Social communication,
Aspergers,
ADHD,
Dyslexia-auditory, visual processing problems.
Physical Disabilities/Motor Disorders including;
Cerebral palsy,
Muscular dystrophy,
Gross and fine motor difficulties,
Developmental Coordination Disorders,
Epilepsy and other neurological impairments.
However post 16 provision is available for a wider range of, special needs,
pupil populations. This generic service enables access to the functional
curriculum, leading to increased independence within the context of high
levels of therapy and specialist support.
Each pupil population is taught separately until they reach Key Stage Four;
where pupils are grouped depending upon, which accreditation course they
are following. Our pupils have a diverse range of difficulties some are
accessing the National curriculum and those with severe and complex
difficulties access work within the ‘p’ scales assessment criteria.
1. How does the school know if children/young people need extra help and what
should I do if I think my child/young person may have special educational needs?
All pupils at Percy Hedley school have special educational needs and associated
difficulties. On going assessment of pupils by the multi disciplinary team
determines the approaches adopted in supporting progress and achievement.
These approaches are fluid in nature and are adapted regularly in response to
changes in presentation or need. We work within a fully integrated approach with
30 therapists to assess pupil’s needs prior to attendance within school. This
baseline information informs target setting and therapeutic approaches.
2. How will the curriculum be matched to my child/young person’s needs?
All pupils follow a broad and balanced curriculum suitably differentiated to meet
individual, assessed needs. A personalised approach supports pupils in optimising
opportunities to learn. This includes high levels of, direct, therapeutic input.
Pupils with cerebral palsy/neurological impairment access conductive education
sessions and this approach pervades the school day to maximise independence.
Pupils with speech, language and/or communication difficulties follow a physically,
multi-sensory curriculum involving appropriate therapeutic approaches to ensure
best outcomes.
Teachers,
speech
and
language
therapists,
occupational
therapists,
physiotherapists and special support assistant’s work together to meet the needs
of each pupil to ensure all make progress and achieve well. In line with statutory
guidance pupils access collective worship every day and Personal, Social, Health
and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) is considered a core subject alongside
English, Maths, Science and ICT. Detailed and precise assessment underpins
pupils’ learning and progress is carefully tracked to enable staff to set challenging
targets in partnership with parents/carers.
Three curriculum routes distinguish our personalised approach to pupils learning.
GCSE and level 1 and 2 qualifications,
Entry Level Certificates (ELC) at levels 1, 2 and 3
A p-level curriculum for our pupils with the most severe and complex needs.
We support our curriculum by providing integrated, direct therapy based learning
and this includes; CERTS, TEACCH, Sensory Integration, postural management,
Halliwick swimming, non aggressive, physical, psychological intervention for the
management of behaviour, PAMS (physical and multi-sensory learning.
Integrated Teaching and Therapy
The class teams comprise of a specialist teacher, special support assistants and a
speech and language therapist, occupational therapist and physiotherapist who
jointly plan to meet the teaching and therapy needs of between 5 and 9 pupils. The
class teacher and therapists fully collaborate on creating an individualised plan for
each pupil within the class group. The integrated team jointly plan the curriculum
and assessment for learning to meet the complex and severe difficulties of pupils
effectively.
14-19 Curriculum
Pupils follow an accredited route, which includes Asdan, Cope, ECDL, Entry Level
and GCSE courses. We teach the Foundation Tier, Functional Skills Curriculum,
which supports the generalisation of skills and knowledge.
The school offers
vocational qualifications and supports some pupils on joint placements with
schools, colleges and local businesses.
The Foundations Employability Project works in partnership with over 300
businesses across the region to provide work related/supported learning
experiences.
3. How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will
you help me to support my child/young person’s learning?
At Percy Hedley School we have high expectations for all pupils. Parents and
carers are involved in supporting assessment and target setting to establish
approaches to learning from the onset. This helps school understand the detailed
needs of each child in our care.
Pupil profiles are collated to support staff working with pupils and these include
specialist equipment, moving and handling techniques, IT, eating and drinking
needs, communication and levels of cognition. This level of detail enables us to
plan our bespoke provision for each pupil.
We work in partnership with local authorities, health personnel and social services
in planning and accounting for our standards and this supports positive
individualised outcomes for each pupil enabling them to reach their potential.
Our multi-professional, integrated approach to learning involving therapy,
Educational Psychology, medical staff and family support services is
unique and supports best practice outcomes.
Teachers and therapists plan activities thoroughly for each individual
pupil. All adults make an exceptional contribution to pupil’s outstanding
progress.
Ofsted report, 2013)
Assessment for Learning
Assessment for learning involves using assessment in the classroom to raise
pupils’ achievement on a lesson by lesson basis. It involves the idea that pupils
will improve most if they understand the aim of their learning and self- assess
progress where appropriate. At Percy Hedley School teachers and therapists
share the aims and the assessment criteria of each lesson with pupils. Learners
are supported to take part in assessing their learning and how they will make
further progress. Ongoing formative assessment takes a leading role in all of our
teaching and therapy and this involves questions and tasks to prompt learners to
demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills.
As part of our educational provision pupils take part in a range of assessment
tasks. If relevant to a child’s cognitive ability some tests are required by law at key
points in every child’s school life. We carry out teacher assessments and provide
data for the Department of Education on request.
Home Learning
Additional work to be carried out at home is part of our support to enable pupils to
reach their potential. However a high level of homework is not appropriate for all of
our pupils and parents views on this will be considered by the class teams to
enable best support for learning at home.
Activities may include: reading, spelling, life skills tasks and activities associated
with pupils individual targets.
There is an expectation that pupils undertaking accreditation will receive some
home based learning tasks. We subscribe to a number of online curriculum
resources which pupils have the opportunity to access from home.
4. What support will there be for my child/ young person’s overall wellbeing?
At Percy Hedley School we take a multi disciplinary and holistic approach to our
pupils’ well being. Our specialist staff work closely across school, home and
residential to ensure pupil’s needs are well met. All plans relevant to each
individual pupil are shared across all professionals to ensure a consistent
approach is adopted particularly in terms of medical care, postural support, moving
and handling, communication and behaviour management.
The school has a nursing service, specialists in behaviour management and
Educational Psychologists. Any staff member who works with a pupil with
particularly complex needs, whether these are medical or behavioural, receives
specialist bespoke training and mentoring to enable them to work safely and
effectively. Where relevant all pupils have behaviour management, eating and
drinking, moving and handling and medical care plans in place.
Speech and Language therapists assess and implement mealtime management
programmes, in collaboration with health personnel and they directly input into the
assessment and use of Alternative Augmentative Communication-Voice Output
Aids. Some speech therapy includes specialist literacy approaches –THRASS,
Toe
by
Toe
and
social
communication.
Occupational
therapists
and
physiotherapists assess and implement gross and fine motor skills programmes,
sensory diets, postural improvements, switch access, wheelchair provision and
attentional and organisational development in order to prioritise targets within a
holistic integrated approach. Therapeutic support enables pupils to succeed, which
impacts upon positive self- esteem.
We provide high levels of expertise in the management of self- esteem and mental
health. This is coordinated by our Educational Psychologists within a pastoral
team, which includes Family Liaison Officers, therapists and behavioural
specialists. Mental health consultants work in school on a regular basis to provide
consistent advice and support.
Close working relationships with parents ensure pupils wellbeing across home and
school is supported where possible.
Pupil’s views are a crucial part of our school ethos. We also have three active
school/residential, school councils. Staff will advocate for pupils at every
opportunity to ensure their rights to communicate, and be listened too, are
respected.
Safeguarding
This is a priority for pupils at Percy Hedley School as we strive for all in our care to
feel safe, secure and happy in their environment. We work hard to provide a caring
ethos, developing self esteem and helping pupils to achieve success in all areas of
their life including independence. Our pupils are vulnerable and staff work hard to
teach them how to stay safe within the context of their needs. This includes ‘esafety’ as key staff are trained in the management of potential issues with our
pupil’s use of social media.
At Percy Hedley School, safeguarding encompasses child protection, safe
recruitment, managing allegations and responding to all the needs of the children.
It is supported by our approach to managing challenging behaviour, bullying, the
PSHCE curriculum, internet policy and the single equality policy.
Throughout our work we have a clear commitment to supporting families and we
work hard to establish and maintain partnerships with parents and other agencies.
Key Staff
We have six designated safe guarding officers and a designated Governor for
safeguarding within school and residential.
Policy
Parents can request a copy of the policy on Safeguarding from the school office.
This has been written and developed in line with North Tyneside Local
Safeguarding Board who is involved in annual reviews of policy and procedure.
We regularly update parents on safeguarding issues and safety in school and the
community via our newsletters.
5. What specialist services and expertise and available of accessed by the school?
Conductive Education (CE) is taught to pupils with physical impairment. This is an
educational approach, which was developed in Hungary to meet the needs of
children with neurological and motor disorders. At Percy Hedley School we have
adapted the principles of pure Conductive Education and integrated them with the
requirements of the British educational system and National Curriculum. All pupils
with neurological disorders participate in the traditional task series and work to
practise and generalise the motor skills they have learnt during daily targeted
activities.
Conductive Education is a child centred, holistic methodology based on
developing a problem solving personality and maximising independence. At Percy
Hedley we have successfully applied these methods to pupils with a range of
physical and cognitive abilities.
As well as offering CE to pupil’s in our school, we also provide a free ‘School for
Parents’, from 3 months of age, where we teach conductive education methods to
parents to maximise progress with their child within the home.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapists (OTs) work as an integral part of the class team and see
pupils individually, in small groups, within Task Series (CE) and the classroom
setting.
This could be to provide input in any of the following areas:

Wheelchair mobility.

Seating and 24 hour posture.

Personal care.

Fine motor and hand skills.

Access to the curriculum via the use of specialist technologies.

The remediation of any visual perceptual difficulties.

Sensory integration

Writing programmes and fine motor coordination support.
As pupils mature the OT will implement strategies and assess for specialist
equipment to promote and develop skills relating to:

Household management

Community skills

Study and Work related skills.
Speech and language Therapists
Speech and language therapists are responsible for the planning and delivery of
individualised and high quality input to promote the communication development of
all pupils. This may be through individual sessions, small group work or whole
class teaching.
Speech therapists support ;

Social communication

Voice output technology

Access to literacy- THRASS, Toe by Toe, Cued Articulation and other
specialist programmes.

Eating and drinking

Gastrostomy feeding.
Physiotherapy
The school’s specialist physiotherapists are trained in the assessment and
analysis of movement and function relating specifically to neurological conditions.
They are responsible for the planning, delivery and evaluation of high quality
programmes to promote the physical development and physical management of
the pupils.
Physiotherapists support;

Conductive Education – daily activities

Gross motor programmes- planning and delivery

Posture and seating- including liaison with community wheelchair services
and occupational therapists.

Specialist Physical Education
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Percy Hedley School operates a Total Communication Approach which means
that all methods of communicating are actively encouraged and accepted as being
equal. It is recognised that different methods may be acceptable on different
occasions.
Some pupils with severe communication difficulties may need an additional means
of communicating other than speech. The speech and language therapy team will
take the lead on assessing and recommending augmentative systems to support
the development of communication in these situations.
Social Communication
Many of our pupils have significant difficulties in making and keeping friends and
with interacting with others appropriately and effectively. Such problems can be
the source of considerable stress for them, which can affect their mental health. As
part of the overall development of communication skills, speech and language
therapists/teachers organise group sessions, in collaboration to support learning
and reinforce the skills needed for successful interaction with others. We work with
specialist mental health practitioners who support pupil’s positive wellbeing.
Literacy
Therapists work closely and collaboratively with teaching staff to plan, deliver and
monitor carefully tailored lessons to develop pupil’s literacy skills. Approaches to
teaching the necessary phonological awareness skills (the ability to break words
down into their individual sounds) include THRASS and Cued Articulation.
Management of Eating and Drinking Difficulties
The Speech and Language Therapy department are responsible for co-ordinating
the management of mealtimes for those pupils who have difficulty in eating and
drinking safely and efficiently as a result of a neurological condition. A small team
of therapists have received specific and accredited training to enable them to
assess and plan programmes to improve the safety and quality of mealtimes in
collaboration with health personnel including Consultants from the RVI ,Newcastle
who carryout weekly clinics on site.
6. What training have the staff, supporting the children and young people with
SEND, had or are having?
All staff receive a comprehensive induction programme, including sessions on
safeguarding, moving and handling, eating and drinking, behavioural
management, postural management and assessment for learning. This ensures
that the correct skills and knowledge are gained and statutory requirements are
fulfilled. Each year the school/residential undertakes a number of training days, on
which, specific training is delivered either by external providers or school based
specialists. Staff are also given bespoke training throughout the year on a weekly
basis to meet the needs of the pupils. Training involves engaging with pioneering
approaches to therapy and teaching as well as health and safety/management
issues such as first aid, gastrostomy training, diabetes management or trachea
care, for example.
Continuing professional development is undertaken by all staff and forms part of
the performance management programme.
As a Teaching School we develop and support Continued Professional
Development opportunities, in collaboration with other education establishments,
to ensure staff have access to high quality support. This involves all staff and on
all levels i.e. post graduate and classroom based, enquiry led research.
7. How will my child/young person be included in activities outside the classroom,
including school trips?
Throughout the year, we aim to provide our pupils with a wide range of
opportunities to learn and develop independence and a love of life. Pupils may go
on various outings linked to the curriculum and we regularly have workshops in
school involving the arts, culture, sports and leisure. We access local events and
maintain strong links with the community to provide enrichment for all pupils.
As part of our post 16 curriculum, pupils spend time on residential activities to
practise functional skills application. These have included trips to Kielder,
Yorkshire, Scotland, Spain, London and France.
We provide ‘summer school’, short break care, four night and term time boarding
where pupils have opportunities to learn and practice independence skills in a
wide range of contexts.
We follow strict guidelines regarding the health and safety of pupils on any out of
school activities.
8. How will the school prepare and support my child/young person to join the
school, transfer to a new school or the next stage of education and life?
We are aware that changes can be worrying for families so we therefore offer
bespoke support and careful planning so all concerned can work together in the
best interests of the child. Transition is planned, where appropriate, with the child’s
present school, LA, parents/carers.
We recognise transitions occur at varying points within the life of a school and we
plan on an individual basis to support continued progress and achievement. In
Post 16, some learners attend lessons within other educational establishments in
order to aid transition to college when they leave Percy Hedley School. Transition
to next stages of education is planned from year 9, in line with Annual Review
requirements. This process also involves our Educational Psychologists, Family
Liaison Officers, parents and outside agencies. We work closely with all future
education placements to ensure each pupils transition from Percy Hedley School
goes as smoothly as possible. All Percy Hedley post 16 pupils go on to attend
further education, apprenticeships or training within the community.
9. We do not live in the local area; will my child still be able to access the school?
Residential accommodation is available at the school for children who cannot
attend daily on account of the distance between the school and their homes, or for
whom education and support in excess of the school day is required. For some
young people we offer regular nights in residence to develop independent living
skills and training opportunities, which reinforce learning in an alternative
environment to the home. We also offer respite care for families on a regular basis
with support from social services.
At present the residential provision is within a large house, which is in close
proximity to Percy Hedley Upper School on Leybourne Ave.
The residential service operates on a weekly boarding basis for up to17 residents
some of whom return home each weekend while others also spend the weekend
with us. We also offer weekend respite services which include a range of short
break options matched to individual pupil needs.
10. How is the decision made about what type and how much support my
child/young person will receive?
Parents/carers can arrange visits to the school at any point within a school year to
discuss our provision within the context of individual children’s needs. Parents are
allocated a key person from the senior leadership team as their main contact in
order to facilitate effective communication between home and school in support of
referrals, assessment and transition.
Percy Hedley School provides a free assessment service to local authorities and
parent/carers. This includes our residential service if appropriate. We provide
detailed recommendations, following assessment, which support LA decisions on
provision for pupils with complex special educational needs. Our integrated
therapy and teaching assessments are rigorous, detailed and include areas of
strength and areas for development. A formal referral for a child suitable for
admission to the school can be made through that child's local authority or by the
child's parent. Referral normally takes the form of presenting educational,
therapeutic and medical reports to the school. These reports are considered and
any pupil who we feel might benefit from our approach will be offered an
assessment. We will always contact the local authority to inform them of parental
assessment requests in order to gather all the information available on the child
and their needs.
The Local Authorities are responsible for SEND pupil placements.
Parents play a very important part in the multi professional assessment process.
The outcome of the week long assessment is presented to the local authority and
parents in the form of a detailed report. Support for parents is made available
throughout the whole assessment and admissions process by an appointed key
member of the leadership team. Our objective is to ensure that every pupil gets
the best possible support to fully meet their needs. Our reports and assessment
meetings provide parents and local authorities an opportunity to discuss our
independent assessment in order to best determine future provision and
placement.
11. How are parents involved in the school? How can I be involved?
Working closely with parents/ carers and families is essential to Percy Hedley
School and we strive, at all times, to have open and regular communication
between school and home. Our philosophy of education, integrated therapy and
care is a holistic twenty four hour approach to optimise potential and support wellbeing. We are happy to discuss how parents wish to be involved in the life of the
school and what information they require to support their child’s progress and
achievement.
We aim to communicate regularly with parents and believe a close and consistent
approach is paramount to the development and progress of our pupils.
There are various ways to contact staff at school:

Email
Your child’s teacher and therapists will share their email addresses
with you in the class newsletter.

Telephone
Phone calls will not be put through to class during lesson times
unless urgent. We request parents leave a message with the office
staff and all teacher/therapists will aim to return your call the same
day or the following day.

Diaries
Some classes in school have home/school diaries. The class team
will record information about your child’s day in the diary each day.
Please add any information you wish to share with the team in this
diary.

Face to face contact
We operate an ‘open door with appointment’ policy and aim to meet parents
whenever we can to facilitate partnership working.
Parents are invited into school for parent visits in line with the Annual Review
process and at varying points throughout a school year. If you would like to come
into school at any other time please contact your class team to arrange this.
Pupils who are four or seven night boarders at our residential provision will be
contacted routinely on a weekly basis by the class team either by phone call or
email. This will be to update on the pupils week at school and share any news,
successes or concerns.
We have an active Parent Teacher Association, which all parents are welcome to
join. Our Parent Liaison Officer works closely with families to support effective
partnerships within the PTA and is involved in organising workshops to support the
24 hour curriculum. Communication within the PTA is mainly via meetings in
school; but e mail and telephone contact is a vital means of communication for
those parents who are unable to attend meetings, but would still like to be involved
in the school.
Percy Hedley’s Family Liaison Officer provides objective support to parents and
carers in the best interests of the children in school and residential.
12. Who can I contact for further information?
School office(s) contact- Station Road Lower School
West Lane Upper School
Mrs Sue Fisher
Mr Stewart Evans
Associate Director
Head Occupational
0191 266 5491
0191 216 1811
[email protected]
[email protected]
Therapist
Mrs Chris
Head Speech and
McGuigan
Language Therapist
Mrs Gill Wilson
Deputy Head
[email protected]
[email protected]
Deputy Head
Mr Peter Wignall
Chair of Governors
[email protected]
Miss Katie Murray
Teaching and Learning
[email protected]
Responsibilities (TLR) ICT and Extended
Schools Outreach
Mr Chris McConville Teaching and Learning
[email protected]
Responsibilities (TLR) Standards
Mrs Louise Gunning Teaching and Learning
[email protected]
Responsibilities (TLR)
Miss Rebecca
Teaching and Learning
McBride
Responsibilities (TLR) -
[email protected]
Early Years Leader and
Visual Impairment
Mrs Eileen
Family Liaison Officer.
[email protected]
House Manger/ School
[email protected]
Robinson
Andrea Walker
transition
Gemma Winlow
Deputy House Manager [email protected]
Angie Riddell
Deputy House Manager [email protected]