The school Inclusion Support Team offers individualised assessments to identify students’ strengths and barriers to learning for students with additional or special needs. These assessments inform the level of Inclusion support that the student will receive which is guided by KHDAs Graduated Response to Provision Model where provision is divided into 3 Levels of Support beginning at Level 1 which is only teacher differentiated support guided by a Pupil Passport; Level 2 which will require teacher differentiated support guided by a Pupil Passport and targeted intervention for example literacy, numeracy, fine or gross motor skills, or socio-emotional interventions; to Level 3 support which will include 1:1 LSA support and learning guided by an Individualised Education Plans (IEPs). Students on Level 3 support are students who require a modified and differentiated curriculum with the support of an LSA (who is not the lead/subject teacher or class TA) to engage in learning opportunities alongside their peers. LSA support is an additional cost to parents. Parents have the option of a school provided LSA or employing their own LSA who must be trained and skilled in SEND. Safe Recruiting is also the standard for the employment of LSAs. All LSAs must provide a valid Police Clearance Certificate and undergo in-school Child Protection and Safeguarding Training.
The IEP is written in partnership with the student, Learning Support Assistant (LSA), parents/guardians, teachers, and any external therapy agencies supporting the student. IEP reviews to monitor and track student progress are held on a termly basis and are informed through feedback and evidence from the LSA, class teachers, Inclusion Support teachers (1:1 sessions, in-class support, and/or small group support), parents, and external therapists supporting the student.
As part of our Inclusive Ethos, we also strive to ensure that our students have fair access to tests and exams so they can appropriately showcase their learning. The inclusion team helps identify areas where students require exam access arrangements (EAA) for tests and exams so they can access these fairly. In accordance with the JCQ EAA Rules, Regulations and Guidelines, the Inclusion team, based on teacher feedback, the student’s normal ways of working, and standardised assessment tools, will determine which EAA would grant the student fair access to the exams and inform the student, parents, and subject teachers accordingly. Sometimes, parents may require an Educational Assessment from an external agency to validate the EAA. If this is the case, parents will be informed and supported with this process. The inclusion team works closely with the schools Exams Officer to ensure that these EAA are applied for in a timeous manner.
As a school we feel it is vitally important to support our school of educators with relevant and current teaching practices in inclusion. Therefore, continuous professional development opportunities through our in-house inclusion team, and GEMS special educators, external agencies, and via online TES and National College platform sites are provided for the Metropole Teaching Community.
Our students’ happiness and emotional wellbeing is essential for them to make progress in all aspects of their lives including that of transitioning between phases of education, enhancing our student’s life skills and preparing our students for life after school. Our school Counsellors, Pastoral team comprising of Heads of Year, the Health and Well-being team, trained staff of Adolescent Mental Health First aid, and Teen Mental Health First Aid team all provide care systems for all our students, families, and staff in Metropole.
We believe that extending support to the family helps our students make better progress. We have an open door policy for all our parents to ensure we are working collaboratively and as a partnership so our students can thrive. To foster this essential partnership, we communicate with parents via email, telephone, and through face to face meetings and events. We meet termly for IEP reviews as a minimum. We host parent coffee mornings to encourage the sharing of experiences, provide a support system and to inform parents on areas of interest they have identified. We have Parent Representatives to share Parent Voice with the Inclusion Team. We also work with the Parent Ambassadors to expand Parent Voice and seek opportunities to foster partnerships that will enrich student learning opportunities.
Our Inclusion journey in line with KHDA’s inclusive ethos continues to strengthen and we are delighted to be recognized for our good work in Inclusion and Parent Partnerships in our KHDA reports of 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2023 in which the following feedback was provided:
- The school is very inclusive. Specialist staff identify and support students of determination very effectively to enable them to make good and better progress.
- This highly inclusive school is welcoming to all students.
- The high quality and effective implementation of the school’s arrangements for health, safety, care and support
- The very effective identification of barriers to learning and support for students of determination
- A friendly atmosphere of mutual respect and co-operation is evident across the school.
- Partnerships with parents are very positive. They are regularly consulted and welcomed at the school. Parents greatly value the support, training and advice they receive from the special needs coordinator, unit specialists and teaching staff.
- Parents are valued partners in their children’s education. This is especially true in the additionally-resourced autism provision, which partners with the school in providing high quality, wrap around educational experience for the children and their families.
- The school very successfully empowers parents to work as partners in their children's education.
GEMS Metropole is fully committed to further developing our inclusive ethos and fully embrace the following statement, KHDA (2017) “Matters concerning admissions, participation and equity refers to the fact that students who experience SEND have the same right as all other students.”
For further information on how we provide support within Metropole, please feel free to refer to our Inclusion Policy.
For any enquiries regarding inclusion in Metropole, please contact Ms. Rathica Palavar on r.palavar_mts@gemsedu.com
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