Hazel Grove High School has high ambitions for all of its students and expects them to participate and achieve in every aspect of school life.

We welcome all students and staff, irrespective of race, colour, religion or impairment. Every member of staff shares in the responsibility to remove barriers to learning for all students, including those with a disability.

Hazel Grove High School is one of two ‘Resourced’ Secondary Schools in Stockport. This means that in addition to the full mixed-ability cohort in each Year Group, we also have 3 students in each Year Group who have Severe or Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties. Within the current school population of 1200 students, there are currently 50 students with a Statement of special educational needs, 28 students on School Action Plus and a further 150 on School Action of the SEN Register.

School staff have experience of working with a wide range of disabled students. Training is provided through a cycle of staff INSET to raise awareness of needs and also of strategies for effective classroom practice in meeting needs.

Every teacher is issued with a Learning Support File. This contains information on each pupil with special needs/disabilities and outlines their strengths, difficulties and strategies for supporting the pupil in the classroom. It also contains further information and guidance on a range of needs (ASC, ADHD, SpLD etc) and gives ideas of how to best support students with these disabilities. This information is updated annually and issued to staff on ‘Day 1’ of the school year.

There is regular liaison with a range of Outside Agencies who offer advice, guidance and support in meeting the needs of the students we support. These agencies include:

• The Learning Support Service
• The Educational Service for the Sensory Impaired
• Speech and Language Therapy Service
• Occupational Therapy Service
• Children’s Physiotherapy Service
• CAMHS; and the Psychology Service.

Robust systems are in place to ensure the smooth transition of students from Primary Schools to Hazel Grove High School. Liaison and the sharing of information regarding disabled students with a statement of SEN or on School Action Plus usually begins with either the SENCo or Resource Base Manager from HGHS attending the Year 5 transfer review at the Primary School. Further meetings are then arranged during Year 6 and additional visits to HGHS during the Summer Term prior to transfer are arranged for the pupil. HGHS staff also liaise with parents and the Primary staff to ensure that all relevant information is passed on and any appropriate adjustments and preparations can be made for the pupil.

All disabled students follow a full and balanced curriculum, appropriately differentiated according to their needs and are encouraged to take a full and active part in school life, including extra-curricular activities and off-site visits. Disability awareness training for all students is part of the Year 7 Citizenship programme.

Over the last two years, progress has been made in ensuring that the curriculum at KS4 is appropriate and accessible for all learners. This has included the development of NVQ courses accessed through Stockport College, Vocational GCSEs and alternative routes of accreditation - for example, AQA Units and ASDAN, Transitional Challenge, Bronze Award and CoPE.

The physical layout of the school presents some difficulties for non-mobile students. In particular it is not possible for them to access the first floor in South Building (Geography) and the second floor in North and South Buildings (Modern Foreign Languages). The first floor in East Building (housing History and English) is also inaccessible, but where necessary, the timetable has been adjusted to provide a ground floor room for these subjects. Ramps have been built around school to allow access to all buildings and adjustments have been made to certain classrooms in Science, Food Technology and Resistant Materials to ensure that students with physical disabilities can access the lessons (e.g. rise and fall tables etc.) Disabled toilets are available.

The SEN Policy is implemented across the school and is updated annually. There have been no changes to the Policy over the last year, but it has been augmented by the issue and implementation of the Disability Equality Scheme.