The SEND Code of Practice (Jan 2015) states that a child or young person has special educational needs or disability (SEND) if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.

A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:

• Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
• has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.

If you have any queries or concerns regarding your child and SEN needs, please contact the SEND Team here.

What should I do if the Academy and I disagree?

• Parent should raise issue with SENDCo.
• If issue not resolved in 10 days parent can raise a formal complaint with Deputy Headteacher: Inclusion in writing or on any other accessible format.
• Deputy Headteacher: Inclusion will have 10 days to respond and resolve issues.
• Any unresolved issues at this stage will be managed according to the academy’s complaints procedure.

Here are details of our SEND team staff. To contact any of our SEND staff, please email SEND@nia.emat.uk. 

SEND Learning Support Assistants

• Flavia Abraham
• Dawn Brinklow
• Ange Jeffrey
• Jo Ridoutt
• Melvin Squire
• Aparna Thirdeep
• Ifey Uba
• Mariah Wisdom-Peters

How will we support your child when they are joining the academy? Leaving the academy? Or moving to another class?

We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND, and we take the necessary steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible.

If your child is joining us from another academy:

• The SENDCo will visit pre-schools with the class teacher or Foundation Stage Leader when appropriate and attend annual reviews for pre-academy children.
• The SENDCo will complete year 6 transition stages from feeder primaries.
• If your child would be helped by a social story book/passport to support them to understand moving on, then one will be made for them with information about their current placement and their new academy.
• Your child will be able to visit our academy in advance of their movement.
• Parents will be invited to attend an information evenings.
• You may be given an opportunity for additional visits where appropriate to help to prepare your child for their move to the academy.

If your child is moving to another academy:

• We will contact the academy’s SENDCo and ensure he/she knows about any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child. Where possible, a planning meeting will take place with the SENDCo from the new academy.
• We will make sure that all records about your child are passed on as soon as possible.
• If your child would be helped by a social story book/passport to support them in understand moving on, then one will be made for them.

When moving classes in academy:

• Information will be passed on to the new class teacher in advance and in most cases a planning meeting will take place with the new teacher. IEP s will be shared with the new teacher.
• Your child will be supported by a social story or learner passport, to help them understanding moving on, if required.
• Your child may participate in a transition group or be able to visit the new class more frequently where appropriate, to prepare them for the move.

In Year 6 for outside feeder academies:

• The SENDCo and class teacher will discuss the specific needs of your child with the SENDCo of the child’s secondary academy. Where appropriate, a transition review meeting to which you will be invited will take place between both academy’s.
• Where possible, your child will visit their new academy on several occasions, and in some cases staff from the new academy will visit your child in this academy.
• If your child would be helped by a social story/passport to support them in understanding moving on, then one will be made for them.
• If your child still needs extra support, with your permission the inclusion team will access further support through outside agencies including links with specialist organisations link and academies, Local Offer support and the Early Help Assessment process. 

If your child still needs extra support, with your permission the inclusion team will access further support through outside agencies including links with specialist organisations link and academies, Local Offer support and the Early Help Assessment process.

If you would like to know more about what we offer at Northampton International Academy contact the SEND team on 01604 212811 or email us at SEND@nia.emat.uk.

In line with the fundamental ethos and values of East Midlands Academy Trust and the aspirations of Northamptonshire Children's Trust, our intent for SEND provision at Northampton International Academy is:

• To ensure that every child and young person with SEND makes excellent progress, through access to high quality provision within an inclusive all-through setting.
• To instil in every child and young person the DNA values of collaboration, responsibility, respect, care, excellence, and aspiration which are the building blocks of learning at NIA.
• To engage with children, young people, and their families to promote early identification and provide high quality support that meets their specific needs.
• To collaborate on high quality and impactful multi-agency assessments and quality of plans for those who require specialist levels of support.
• To tailor our whole-school curriculum offer to enhance opportunities for our young people with SEND.
• To develop smooth transition through each key stage and progression to adulthood for all young people with SEND.

We are committed to providing an appropriate and high-quality education to all the children living in our local area.  We believe that all children, including those identified as having special educational needs and disabilities have a common entitlement to a broad and balanced academic and social curriculum, which is accessible to them, and to be fully included in all aspects of academy life.

We have a graduated approach to SEND, ensuring early identification of needs and a continuum of support for children in order to enable them to make progress from early years to secondary. 

• Local Authority Local Offer
• Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan
• Mediation & Disagreement Resolution
• Autism concern
• Tourette’s Action
• Dyspraxia Foundation
• Barnardo's KeyWorking Service
• NHS iDiscover toolkit