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SEND Handbook for Teachers 2026 -2027
Contents 1. Our Commitment to Inclusion 2. Inclusion in Action
11. Assessment and Progress 12. Access Arrangements
3. What is SEND?
13. Access Arrangement Process
4. The Four Areas of Need in SEND
14. Interventions
5. Identifying SEND 6. Adaptive Teaching at Green Valley 7. Waves of Support 8. Student Profiles & Student Success Plans 9. Finding Student Profiles and Handover Notes 10. What Should I Do If I Have A Concern?
15. Pupil Voice & Wellbeing
16. External Agencies 17. Roles &Responsibilities 18. EAL & SEND
Our Commitment to Inclusion At St. Andrews International School Green Valley, we are committed to ensuring that every student feels valued, included, and supported to achieve their full potential. We recognize that students learn in different ways and may require varying levels of support throughout their educational journey. Through high—quality teaching, effective collaboration, and a shared commitment to inclusion, we aim to remove barriers to learning and create opportunities for every learner to succeed. Inclusion is a whole– school responsibility. Every teacher is a teacher of SEND, and every member of staff plays an important role in creating a learning environment where all students feel a sense of belonging. This handbook has been developed to support staff in understanding our SEND provision, procedures, and inclusive practices. It is intended to be a practical guide that promotes consistency, collaboration, and high expectations for all learners. Thank you for your continued commitment to supporting our students and helping to create a culture where every child can thrive.
Gurleen Kaur Whole School SENCO gbindra@standrews-schools.com
Inclusion In Action At Green Valley, inclusion is more than a policy—it is part of our everyday practice. We believe that every student should feel safe, valued, and able to succeed. The voices of our students help us understand the impact of the support we provide and remind us why inclusion matters.
Scan the QR code below to hear directly from our students about their experiences of support, belonging, and inclusion at Green Valley.
Evidence of Impact EDT Consultancy Feedback (2025 –2026) “A comprehensive SEND Policy and SEND Handbook are in place, outlining strategies for supporting a range of learning needs and conditions.” “There is evidence of strong systems for tracking progress, including the use of GL assessments, FFT Phonics, and reading level monitoring, with SEND students tagged for progress analysis.”
Safeguarding Review Feedback (2025 –2026) “Direct work with vulnerable students and families is high quality and impactful” “Secondary boys rated support from tutors, inclusion and provision for SEND highly.” “There is rigorous integration of pastoral, safeguarding and SEN, underpinned by excellent records and individual student profiles.”
What is SEND? SEND stands for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. A student has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. At Green Valley, SEND provision is guided by the SEND Code of practice (2015) and is based on a graduated approach to support.
Students may require additional support for a range of reasons. Identification and support are informed by assessment data, teacher observation, parent feedback, student voice, and , where appropriate advice from external professionals.
Graduated Approach Support is planned and reviewed through the graduated approach.
This cycle helps ensure support remains responsive, effective, and tailored to the student’s needs.
The Four Areas of Need in SEND The SEND Code of Practice (2015) identifies four broad areas of need. These categories help understand potential barriers to learning and plan appropriate support.
Communication & Interaction
Cognition & Learning
Examples:
Examples:
Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC)
Dyslexia
Speech, Language and Communication needs (SLCN)
Dyscalculia Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)
Social Communication Difficulties
Social, Emotional & Mental Health
Sensory & Physical
Examples:
Examples:
ADHD
Hearing Impairment
Anxiety
Visual Impairment
Attachment Difficulties
Physical Disabilities
Emotional Regulation Needs
Sensory Processing Differences
Key Message Many students may have strengths and needs across more than one area. These categories help us understand and support learners but should never define them.
Identifying SEND at Green Valley Students may be identified as having SEND before joining Green Valley or during their time at school. Information used to build a picture of a student’s strengths and needs may include:
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Admissions Information
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CAT4 &Assessment Data
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Parent Meetings & Information
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Student Voice
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Trial Days & Classroom Observations
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Teacher Observation & Concerns
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Progress & Attainment Data
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Specialist Reports & Assessments
Identification is an ongoing process. Where concerns are identified, staff should discuss them with SENCO to consider appropriate next steps and support.
Adaptive Teaching at Green Valley High-Quality teaching is the first and most important step in supporting students with SEND. Many learners can successfully access the curriculum when appropriate adaptations are made within the classroom. At Green Valley, we use the EEF’s Five– a– day approach to support inclusive practice.
1 3 5
Explicit Instruction Modelling Worked Examples Questioning
Scaffolding Sentence stems Visuals Task breakdown
Technology Read aloud Visual supports Speech to text
2 4
Cognitive Strategies Self reflection Goal Setting
Flexible Grouping Pair work Guided groups Small groups
Adaptive teaching benefits all learners and should be considered before additional interventions or referrals.
Waves of Support At Green Valley, we use a graduated approach to support students. Support is provided at different levels depending on individual needs and may change over time. Wave 1
Wave 2
Wave 3
Universal Support
Targeted Support
Specialist Support
Available to all students
Additional support for some students
Individualized support for a small number of students
Classroom based provision
Short term targeted interventions
Personalized programs and specialist involvement
Examples at Green Valley Wave 1 •
Adaptive teaching
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Visual supports
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Flexible grouping
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Scaffolding
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Explicit instruction
Wave 2 •
FFT Phonics
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IDL Literacy
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Precision Teaching
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Social skills Groups
Wave 3 •
Individualized Programs
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Specialist Recommendations
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LSA support (where appropriate)
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External Agency involvement
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Personalized Provision
Student Profiles and Student Success Plans At Green Valley, student needs may be supported through Student Profiles and, where appropriate, Student Success Plans. Student Profiles
Student Success Plans
Managed by SENCO with input from staff
Usually led by Pastoral leads, Class teachers or School leaders
Focus on SEND needs and classroom strat- Focus on broader barriers to success Internal working document
Shared with parents and students
Updated throughout the year
Reviewed regularly against agreed targets
Used to support inclusive classroom practice
Used when targeted pastoral, behavioral, attendance or wellbeing support is required
Detailed professional document for staff
Written in student and parent friendly language
Finding Student Profiles and Handover Notes Student Profiles and Handover Notes provide important information about a student’s strengths, needs, and recommended strategies. Staff should familiarize themselves with relevant documents to support effective planning and inclusive practice. Secondary
Primary
What Should I Do If I Have A Concern? If you have concerns about a student’s learning, communication, or access to the curriculum, please follow the process below. Identify a Concern
Implement Adaptive Teaching
Discuss with the SENCO
Student profile Created (if appropriate)
Graduated Approach
Additional support (if required)
Access Arrangements Access Arrangements are adjustments made to assessments and examinations to ensure that students with identified needs can demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and understanding without being disadvantaged.
Access Arrangements are intended to remove barriers to assessment while maintaining the integrity of the qualification.
Examples of Access Arrangements may include: •
Extra time
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Reader
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Word processor
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Separate rooms
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Supervised Rest Breaks
Important Principles •
Access Arrangements must reflect a student’s normal way of working.
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Evidence is required to support any arrangement.
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Teachers play a key role in gathering evidence and implementing arrangements.
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Arrangements should be used consistently in lessons, assessments, and examinations.
•
Not all students with SEND require Access Arrangements.
Assessment and Progress Assessment information helps us to identify needs, monitor progress, evaluate the impact of support, and inform future planning. It is considered alongside teacher observation, student voice, wellbeing, attendance, and engagement to build a holistic understanding of each learner.
Sources of Information •
GL Assessments
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CAT 4
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Reading Assessments
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Class Assessments
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Teacher Observations
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Student Voice
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Parent Feedback
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Specialist Reports & Assessments
Key Message Assessment data should never be used in isolation. Effective decision making is based on combination of assessment information, professional judgement, student voice, and ongoing observation.
Monitoring Access Arrangements From Year 7 onwards, students who may benefit from Access Arrangements may be recorded on the Access Arrangements tracking spread sheet. Teachers are asked to monitor and record the use and effectiveness of arrangements in the classroom and assessments, helping to establish a student’s normal way of working over time. This may include simple annotation and using different coloured pens to show where extra time has been used.
Formal Evidence Collection For IiGCSE and IB examination applications, teachers may be asked to provide additional evidence regarding the impact and effectiveness of access arrangements through teacher feedback, classroom observations, and examples of student work.
Access Arrangement Process Teacher identifies possible need
Classroom evidence gathered
Discussion with SENCO
Arrangement trailed in class
Arrangement used in internal assessments
Use and impact recorded on the AA spreadsheet
Evidence reviewed by SENCO
Normal way of working established
Further assessment/ application (where appropriate)
Interventions
Pupil Voice and Wellbeing Understanding a student’s views, experiences, and preferences is an important part of effective SEND provision. Pupil voice helps us identify strengths, barriers, and the support that makes the greatest difference.
Student Voice
Belonging
Student Profile contribution
Positive relationships
1: 1 discussions
Peer connections
Review meetings
Inclusion in school
Goal Setting
Sense of community
Wellbeing
Strength & Interests
Emotional Regulation
Student strengths
Safe adults
Hobbies and interests
Check– ins
Talents & achievements
Pastoral support
Motivation for learning
External Agencies At times, additional advice from external professionals may help us better understand and support a student’s needs. The school works collaboratively with families and a range of specialists when appropriate.
These organisations are examples of external agencies that have supported students at GV.
Roles and Responsibilities
EAL and SEND
Not all EAL learners have SEND, and not all students with SEND are EAL learners. Careful assessment, monitoring and placement help ensure that students receive the most appropriate support.