3. Frequently asked questions / areas of concern about SEND support for your child

3.1 My child is in Year 6 and receives SEND Support for their Special Educational Need:

If your child has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or complex needs, please come to visit the school and meet our SEND team at the earliest opportunity. Your child’s Primary School should invite Brookfield staff to the Year 5 Annual Review and Year 6 EHCP K3 Transfer Meeting or to a TPA meeting. In the Summer term of Year 6, members of our SEND Team visit primary schools to gather information about the SEND needs of children transitioning to Brookfield. Your child will be invited to Bridging Days and Induction Day and parent / carers are invited to the Year 6 Tutor evening in the Summer Term of Year 6. In addition, children identified by their primary schools will be invited to attend our annual Summer School    - a week-long activities week designed to support children to successfully transfer to Brookfield. Other additional visits can be arranged and agreed between schools according to your child’s needs. 

  • Brookfield offers school tours for parents and Year 6 children in September each year. During these visits you will have the opportunity to speak to a member of the Senior Leadership Team about your child’s needs. If a separate meeting for you to meet the SEND Team is needed at that time, this can also be arranged.

3.2 My child is in Year 6 and has access to External Agencies

  • Specialist Teacher Advisors such as those for Hearing Impaired (HI) and Physical Disabilities (PD) will continue working with your child at Brookfield School. 

  • Educational Psychology services will continue if your child still requires their input. 

  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) staff will carry on working with your child at Brookfield School. 

  • Occupational and Speech Therapy will stop in Year 6, but a representative will oversee transition at the start of Year 7. 

3.3 My child has Special Needs and is starting Brookfield School in Year 7:

  • Your child’s needs are recorded in the school’s database (SIM’s). All teachers and support staff have access to this information via SIMS (School Information Management System). 

  • A background summary outlining your child’s SEND needs will be compiled from information shared from your child’s primary school.  This will be shared with all his/her teachers. 

  • Brookfield has 5 SEND LSA Co-ordinators who each take responsibility for aspects of SEND support:  Assessment, Communication, Education Health & Care Plan (EHCP), Learning and Social and Emotional Mental Health (SEMH). The appropriate Co-ordinator will help your child settle in through the first few weeks and will review and update information for your child throughout their time at Brookfield. 

  • In the September of Year 7, your child will take appropriate baseline assessments to confirm or identify relevant reading, phonic, processing and memory needs. The results of assessments will be passed on to teachers and shared with you. 

3.4 My child with SEN is starting Brookfield School but not at the start of Year 7:

  • You will be invited during your first school visit to meet a member of the SEND Team 

  • Your child’s SEND needs will be added to the school’s database (SIMS) and will be available to class teachers. 

  • Your child will undertake a series of baseline assessments which can include literacy, phonics, processing and memory & learning. The requirement to assess for other needs (e.g., dyspraxia, joint hyper‐ mobility) will be discussed individually with parents/carers and the Specialist Teacher Advisory Service. Where a SEND need is identified, the SEND Team will contact parents/carers. The results of assessments will be passed on to teachers and shared with you. 

  • Children supported via SEN Support are reviewed twice a year. When your child's needs are above the criteria set by Hampshire Local Authority for SEN Support, s/he may be removed from this level of support. The description of his/her needs, though, will remain in the school’s database throughout their time at Brookfield School. 

  • Your child’s previous school should send over all relevant documents and information about your child. It would be helpful if parents/carers could also provide Brookfield with any useful information that they may hold separately.

3.5 My child has Special Needs and is leaving Brookfield School:

  • If your child moves to another Secondary school, Brookfield School will forward his/her records and documents to the new school. 

  • If your child is moving to college, the SEND Team will liaise with college staff to share relevant information to support your child’s needs. Brookfield maintains close links with local colleges to ensure that children are supported in making post‐16 option choices.  

  • All children will have a careers guidance appointment, organised by Mrs. Smith, our Vocational Co‐ordinator.

3.6 I have concerns about my child’s progress, but they have not been diagnosed with a learning need:

  • If you have any worries about your child, you can raise your concerns initially by making contact with your child’s Tutor. Tutors may liaise with the   SEND Team if there are concerns about a potential SEND need.  

  • Teaching staff and Tutors may discuss any concerns they have about a child’s progress with the SEND Team. 

  • The SEND Team, in consultation with your child’s teachers and Tutor, investigate the needs of children using a range of internal and, where appropriate, external assessments. Assessments that may be helpful in determining if your child has a SEND need will be discussed with you first and the results shared with you. 

  • For a formal diagnosis, we may seek the advice of our link Educational Psychologist.

3.7 My child is very anxious:

  • The House System can support anxious children through support from the Tutor, Pastoral Support Team, House Leader and our Student Leadership Team. We also have an Advocate and 2 Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA) on the staff team. 

  • The SEND Team stays in regular, and sometimes daily, contact with parents/carers of the most vulnerable children. 

  • Anxious children may be invited to spend lunch time in the R Zone club, overseen by our ELSAs. They may be allocated a Year 11 Student Supporter to meet with regularly.  

  • House Leaders can refer children in their House for a range of external agency provisions including group-based work around managing anxiety (provided by Hampshire Youth Access in school) and one-to-one counselling via our in-school service provided by Eastleigh Youth Counselling Service.

3.8 How does Brookfield help children with SEND to achieve success after leaving Brookfield? e.g., higher education, employment and independent living:

Children who have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) will have a transition meeting to outline how their EHCP will be reviewed to support them into further education. This transition meeting takes place in the first half term of Year 11. Children with complex needs, who do not have an Education Health and Care Plan, will also have transition planning arrangements made by the SEND Team in liaison with parents/carers and post 16 colleges.

3.9 I am anxious about my child and/or I still have questions – what should I do?

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