Developing Learning Provision

Message from Ms Tranter

“I am really pleased to be able to offer a short-term placements in our DLP hub. The Hub provides a nurturing and supportive environment where your child will be given high quality small class teaching. Lessons will include secondary school topics and knowledge, and they will be adapted to enable your child to make rapid progress with their literacy skills. The aim is then that your child will return to their home school with improved confidence and ability to engage more fully with their lessons. The Hub pupil coach will remain in contact with your child when they return to their home school to ensure a smooth transition.”  

Message from Mrs Breslin (Hub Lead)

“All children deserve the right to a high-quality education and to feel confident and safe in a nurturing learning environment. I am passionate about supporting pupils to achieve and make progress and am lucky enough to be able to guide and encourage your children to build their learner confidence through dedicated literacy provision in the hub at Hamstead Hall Academy. Partnership plays a key role in enabling pupils and young people with SEND to achieve their goals. All parents of pupils with special educational needs will be treated as partners and given support to play an active and valued role in their child’s education. We value your involvement and interaction in your child's life and share the same vision of increasing the life chances of your child to reach their full potential. I am excited to take your child on their literacy journey in the learning hub at Hamstead Hall Academy. I believe every child deserves a champion; together we will achieve.”  

Key Staff

Rationale

The Hamstead Hall Academy Hub is initially a one-year project funded by Birmingham City Council working in partnership with the BEP. Through a sustained and strategic approach, the Hub will support children and their families in acquiring skills needed to access the key stage 3 curriculum. The provision will focus on intense specialist literacy support in a language rich environment with specially trained staff. The SEND Hub will use the Birmingham Language and Literacy Toolkits to tailor the curriculum and track progress for each pupil.   

Increasingly, students are transitioning to Secondary School below Age Related Expectations and for a variety of reasons are not seen as being ‘secondary ready’.  One area that is of significant concern is those children whose literacy skills are barriers to them accessing the curriculum. The SEND Hub provision aims to meet the needs of pupils with low literacy levels through quality first teaching and SEND support in an inclusive setting known as the SEND Hub. Placements at the Hub will be short term (usually 6 to 8 weeks) depending on term dates and individual pupil needs, with a focus on robust interventions and rapid progress.  

Identifying pupils for programmes

Half termly meetings are held with the Hub Lead (L. Breslin) and SENDCOs in the NorthWest Network of schools to explain the focus of each programme and discuss potential pupils. SENDCOs then complete a Hub referral form (outlining key data for the pupil, internal and external intervention) and send to the Hub Lead who analyses the information, chooses pupils and informs home school. SENDCOs in home schools then liaise with parents and sign the hub agreement.  

Transition

The Hub lead will plan and manage transition for pupils, including meeting with potential parents and pupils and meeting with home school staff. Transition includes into the hub and successful reintegration to the home school. Parents will be regularly updated on their child’s progress (including a report at the end of the programme). The Hub lead will also gather information and complete necessary paperwork for pupils identified whose needs may not have been adequately met by the Hub or their mainstream school, with a view to finding the best provision for them.  

Each year, in the Summer term the hub will host primary transition placements for all feeder schools in the North West secondary network. Primary placements consist of a two-day programme and will support with the transition from a primary to a secondary setting and assists schools in the local network by providing additional days for SEND learners in the city. Working together to develop local provision at key times in transitional points in the life of SEND pupils facilitates improved life chances for children and young people with additional needs.   

Programme outlines

Communication with parents

Hub staff will regularly communicate with parents regarding progress, behaviour and attendance. Parents are always welcome in the hub, and meetings can be booked in advance. Parents are invited for induction and completion of the hub agreement and behaviour contract prior to learners starting in the hub.  

Communication with home school

Hub staff will regularly communicate with the SENDCO in the home school regarding progress behaviour and attendance. At the end of each programme, hub staff will complete a programme report for each pupil and will provide CPD to home school staff.  

Marking, homework and assessment

Marking  

Self and peer assessment: are used frequently. This can be based on success criteria identified by the Hub teachers or GOSSIP. Pupils complete this in purple pen.  

Marking stamp/ sticker

Detailed feedback will be given on classwork every 2 weeks (Maths/English/Science) and every 3 weeks (Humanities/RE) using WWW and EBI. Pupils will then respond to the feedback by completing a closing the gap activity in purple pen. Staff will check the quality of the response using a ‘checked by your teacher’ stamp and further support will be given if necessary.   

Monitoring

At intervals during the programme, Hub teachers will monitor the quality and content of work in exercise books. Feedback could be linked to GOSSIP, presentation, other key literacy skills or key skills in each curriculum area. Hub teachers can also use the “checked by your teacher stamp”. At the start of the next lesson after monitoring marking has taken place, pupils will respond to feedback using a purple pen e.g. correcting grammar or spelling errors.  

Homework  

Specific tasks will be given for literacy weekly. This will be monitored by the Hub teacher and may include online learning like LEXIA (if pupils have access to technology and internet at home). Homework will form part of the pupil's language rich curriculum and may include, reading, spelling and/or comprehension activities. Pupils will only receive compulsory homework for literacy lessons in the Hub but pupils will be encouraged to complete development homework for other subjects. It is expected that pupils read at home with the support of parent/carers and use the private reading books issued as part of the Accelerated Reader programme to finish and complete a quiz on weekly (normally on Fridays).  

Assessment  

At the start of each programme, pupils will be baselined using, Literacy Assessment Online, GL Assessments NGRT/NGST and the Accelerated Reader ‘Star Reading’ test. A language and literacy toolkit will be completed to assess where the pupil's skills are and then targets will be set accordingly. Close the gap tasks in English will be used to assess how the pupils have improved their literacy confidence and skills over a 6-week period.   

Baseline screeners for any interventions carried out in addition to the timetabled lessons like LEXIA, Fresh Start, Literacy Junction, Maths Whizz and the red and blue reading box will be completed and exit data will be recorded after the intervention has been completed.   

Attitudes towards reading and pupil voice will be monitored through questionnaires and a five-point scale of emotions whilst on the placement.   

Curriculum and Timetable  

Pupils will be taught an appropriately broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum of English, Maths, Science, RE and Humanities. Pupils will also have a PE lesson and Life Skills lesson each week. The focus of the curriculum will be on rapidly improving Literacy skills as well as personal development. Each subject has a bespoke scheme of work which covers the key knowledge and skills to be developed as well as resourcing and opportunities for personal development. Schemes of work are in teachers’ Quality of Education folders and electronic copies can also be found in the staff shared area.  

Safeguarding, first aid and attendance  

Mrs L Breslin (Hub Lead) is the DSL, SPOC and First Aider for the Hub. Staff working in the hub receive regular safeguarding training and updates. The Hub follows the whole school safeguarding policy and safer recruitment policy. Safeguarding is paramount to assure the safety and wellbeing of all pupils. Attendance concerns will be followed up with telephone calls home and conversations with the home school.  

Tracking academic and personal development  

Each programme will have a progress tracker showing baseline data, assessment data and end points.  

Hub Development Plan  

The Hub has a development plan which will be reviewed half-termly (RAG). The development plan contains a range of targets based on KPIs and the Ofsted framework. Regularly reviewing the Hub Development Plan will help the Hub Lead complete the Termly Report.  

Termly Report

Each term the Hub is required to complete a report showing progress towards the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).  

Quality of Education folders 

Teachers will have a Quality of Education Folder for each subject they teach. This will outline their intent for the pupils, implementation and the impact of their teaching.  

Lunchtime 

There are two options: -  

Stay for school dinners on site.   

Stay for packed lunch on site.  

Pupils are not allowed off site at lunchtime.  

The school canteen provides lunch for the majority of our pupils, and a place to eat their own packed lunch should they wish.  Items of food are individually priced and £3.00 will be sufficient for lunch and may even provide a snack at break-time.  If your child qualifies for a free school dinner they will be issued the value of £2.80 which will be put onto their account. Other pupils will need to bring cash every day if there require a school meal. Home school pupils will have their own ID card to purchase their food.  

We would like to make it clear that Hamstead Hall Academy will comply at all times with the new General Data Protection Regulations regarding the use of biometric data if this is required to be used.  

Uniform 

Pupils will be expected to wear their home school uniform and bring their home school PE kit on designated days. Pupils need to bring a school bag suitable to carry equipment i.e. PE kit and exercise books.  

The following items are banned:  

Any headwear unless it is for a religious observance  

Baseball caps  

Tight fashion trousers/skinny trousers  

Hooded tops  

Logos on clothing/decoration on trousers  

Skirts with slits/tight fashion or stretchy skirts/zips at the back  

Studded/decorative belts  

Trainers  

Boots, unless they can be worn under trousers  

Pouches  

Metal combs  

Mobile Phones and Headphones 

Mobile phones should be switched off and out of sight whilst on the school premises, this also includes headphones and ear buds.  

Jewellery/Make-Up 

Jewellery is not allowed to be worn.  If ears are pierced, only ONE small plain gold or silver stud in each ear, in the lobe and no other part of the ear.  Nose/eyebrow studs and any other body studs/rings/bars are NOT allowed. Make-up, false eyelashes, nail varnish, false nails and long nails are NOT allowed. Tattoos are NOT allowed.  

Hairstyles and Eyebrows  

NO extreme hairstyles including:  

Shaved patterns, lines, shaved eyebrows or shaven partings  

No artificial colours died or plaited into hair  

No overgrown /heavy fringes brushed forward onto the face  ●  Any type of Mohican styles.  

No brightly coloured beads or similar in hair  

Eyebrows are not to have shaved lines or to be shaped using a pencil.  

Banned Items  

Certain items are prohibited in school these are – knives or weapons whether real or replica, alcohol, cigarettes, lighters, illegal drugs and stolen items whether real or replica. They also include ‘an article that the member of staff reasonably suspects has been, or is likely to be, used to commit an offence, or to cause personal injury to, or damage to the property of any person. If for any reason pupils need to be searched, school staff can search pupils with their consent for any item which is banned by the school rules. Pupils can be searched where there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that they are in possession of a prohibited item (see above). Pupils can be searched on the school premises. This information is taken from our Behaviour Policy which can be found on our school website.  

Attendance and Punctuality  

We take attendance and punctuality very seriously. Registration begins at 8.45am and so pupils should be on site by then.  Pupils can attend the hub from 8:00am, they will receive free breakfast items and can engage in some mental stimulating activities before lessons start. Excellent attendance figures go hand in hand with excellent pupil progress and outcomes. To ensure your child reaches his/her full potential during their programme, we need your help.  

If your child is absent due to sickness, please call the school on 0121 386 7510 before 8.00am.  

If your child needs a medical appointment, please try your best to make it outside school hours.  

Holidays are not allowed in school term time, so please do not book them!  

For your child’s placement to be successful, excellent attendance will be required. Please speak to Mrs. Breslin if you experience any difficulties.  

Behaviour Code 

The Code of Behaviour is clear at Hamstead Hall Academy and the wider school, it sets out rules for good behaviour and consequences that apply when behaviour does not allow learning to take place. All policies are available on the school website.  

All pupils will sign a behaviour contract in line with whole school expectations. If a pupil’s behaviour doesn't meet whole school standards then their placement in the hub will be terminated and the pupil will return to their home school the next day.  

Contact

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate in contacting:  

Mrs Breslin (Hub Lead) at breslinl@hamsteadhall.com  

Mr Holder (SLT Link) at holdert@hamsteadhall.com