The Raising Achievement Department (RAD)
(supporting Shaftesbury School’s inclusive ethos)

The Team

Head of RAD: Mrs A Yates

Assistant Head of RAD: Mr R Flood

Students with Special Educational Needs

We believe that all children with special educational needs should be offered full access to a broad balanced and relevant education. Our team of specialist staff coordinates educational provision for these students through the RAD.

We recognise that parents hold key information and have knowledge and experience to contribute to the shared view of a child’s needs and the best way of supporting them. Indeed the children themselves often have their own views on the kind of help they would like to make the most of their education. To this end we are keen to develop a partnership with parents to enable these students to achieve their full potential.

All children on the register have an Individual Education Plan, providing the scaffolding to support their learning. By breaking down existing levels of attainment into finely graded steps and targets, we ensure that children experience success.
We acknowledge their entitlement to share the same experiences that their peers enjoy. Whenever possible we do not withdraw children from the classroom situation. However there are times when, to maximise learning, we ask children to work in small groups or on a one-to-one basis.

Where significant levels of need fall within the autistic spectrum, we have a small integration group that provides vulnerable students with a safe environment. During transition these students have access to core curriculum and a programme of desensitisation that allows this access to increase.

Provision for children with special educational needs is a matter for the school as a whole and we have a continuous cycle of planning, teaching and assessing which takes account of the wide range of abilities, aptitudes and interests of children.

Students with Gifts and Talents

We recognise pupils who have abilities beyond the large majority of pupils in the school who require more challenging teaching and opportunities. These pupils are identified using a wide range of methods including:

• Teacher observation and assessment
• Departmental checklists
• National curriculum attainment and progress tests
• Involvement and achievement in out of school clubs and activities
• Nomination by child’s parents
• Nomination by peers

Dorset LEA have a web page to support parents of Gifted and Talented students at www.dorsetforyou.com/giftedchildren.