SEND

The children we teach are referred to us primarily because they are unwell, yet we also know that your child may have a Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND) that may or may not be linked to their medical condition.

Southampton Hospital School (SHS) is a fully inclusive school. At SHS, we celebrate diversity and actively promote equal access and opportunity. As such, we are fully committed to meeting children’s educational needs, and we have a great deal of expertise within our teaching and support teams in working with children with a wide variety of learning needs. These teams are led by our Acting Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo), Nell Giles, who will liaise with you and your child’s home school to understand your child’s needs and ensure that the package of learning they receive while in hospital matches these needs and addresses their current targets and goals.

Our teachers are trained to work with children and young people of all ages, whatever their individual needs. We can, therefore, ensure continuity of education for your child whether their usual setting is a special school where they are working at Engagement Levels or a mainstream primary or secondary school where they are working towards their own individual targets.

Throughout the year, we have a weekly programme of learning Makaton signs, and our teachers are trained to use them with our students. We also have close ties with specialist schools in Southampton, and our headteacher sits on the Special Schools Heads panel. As part of the Hamwic Trust, our SEN team provides extensive support and training.

If your child comes to us with an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) we will ask you to provide us with a copy so that we can ensure our teaching and support is tailored to help them meet their individual targets as set out in the plan. Equally, if you know your child is receiving extra support at school and is on a SEND Register there, we will request that information form the school on admission to ensure that all teaching is tailored appropriately.

If your child has an EHCP, the funding for the plan will remain with their usual school. We will, however, discuss any appropriate support the school can offer whilst your child is with us. This may therefore mean that we cannot provide your child’s full 1:1 hours, although please remember that our class sizes are very small and much of our teaching is already delivered on a 1:1 basis. We will also risk assess carefully alongside medical staff to ensure that your child is always safe and happy. If you live locally, your school may offer to send your child’s 1:1 support to the Hospital School and this has proven to be very successful in terms of providing familiarity and continuity for your child whilst they are in a new setting. We would always welcome these members of staff into our school and would look forward to bringing them into our team for the length of your child’s stay.

Assessing New Needs

We recognise that sometimes you are in the middle of an extremely upsetting and distressing time in terms of your child’s changing health needs. We are here to help support you through this time, particularly in terms of your child’s return to their usual school. Children who have experienced a major event in their health such as an acquired brain injury, organ transplant or treatment for cancer may need a programme of carefully planned support during their reintegration back to school, or indeed a start at a new specialist setting. We will work closely alongside the therapy and rehabilitation teams at the hospital to deliver a reintegration programme that ensures this process is as successful and stress free as possible.

This may include:

Attending multi-disciplinary meetings within the hospital alongside medical staff, teachers from mainstream schools and other specialist services
Supporting a phased programme of visits back to school
ELSA support
Providing reports and coordinating medical evidence for EHCP processes
Providing schools with a full report on the graduated approach used in Southampton Hospital School to meet needs
Discharging each student with a full academic and progress report if they have received 20+ teaching sessions
We also welcome visits from school staff to meet with children and observe their progress within the classroom.

Accessing our Classrooms

We will be delighted to welcome your children into our school, regardless of their medical condition, disability or level of mobility and communication needs. The Hospital School’s offer includes a combination of teaching at bedside or in one of our 4 classrooms within the hospital. These classrooms are situated in:

Bursledon House

Bursledon House has two classrooms, both are on ground level and children in wheelchairs, or with other mobility needs are fully included within all teaching sessions, unless medically unable to (this will be discussed with medical professionals within Bursledon House).

Outdoor activities are also accessible to all, and we will work alongside the medical team to risk assess any such activities for each child. All children can access PE at least once a week, if their medical condition allows.

G3 Classroom

The classroom on ward G3 is a small classroom within the ward, fully equipped to be able to take a small number of children in wheelchairs or using mobility aids or medical equipment. Medical professionals will always be involved in ensuring access is suitable and fully risk assessed. In all classrooms we have equipment and furniture that allows for equal access for all young people. We ask that either a medical professional or yourself brings your child to school from their bed in the ward if possible. The floor is serviced by lifts if your child is in a ward on a different ward. If this is not possible, then please do request bedside teaching from our team.

Piam Brown Classroom

Piam Brown classroom is open to all children undergoing treatment for cancer and can facilitate the use of medical equipment necessary for this to continue whilst they are being taught. If children are in isolation in their rooms, we will follow the NHS infection control guidelines and provide education at the bedside.