Special Education Needs
All young people, regardless of ability or need, have the right to an inclusive and caring environment and the opportunity to achieve their potential.
Inclusion
Our Inclusion Mission
Inclusion means creating an environment where every child feels welcome, valued and supported to succeed. We do this by removing barriers, recognising and meeting diverse needs, and ensuring all pupils can fully participate, belong and achieve. Above all, we want every young person to feel safe, happy and able to thrive.
Inclusion doesn’t happen by chance – it is everyone’s responsibility to cultivate kindness, equity and high expectations for all.
We recognise that every young person’s journey is different, and we celebrate every success – big or small – along the way as we nurture confidence, resilience and individuality as our students grow into their best selves.
Who are the key staff that support students with SEND?
We are fortunate to have a large team of dedicated and highly-trained staff that support students on a daily basis.
Each student has a form tutor, a Head of Year and an Assistant Head of Year.
In the SEND department, there is a team of experienced leaders who will also support your child, along with teaching assistants in and out of lessons.
Dan Evans - Assistant Headteacher: Special Educational Needs & Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo)
Claire Kane - Assistant SENDCo: lead teacher of resourced provision
Suzie Hellens - Interim SEND & Inclusion Manager
Debbie Phillipson - SEN Admin Assistant
Frequently Asked Questions
1) What provision do you have to support students at Co-op Academy Grange, including those with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND)?
Our universal offer is built on a strong ordinarily available provision. High-quality, inclusive teaching with adaptive practice forms the foundation of support for all students, including those with SEND. Lessons are carefully planned to meet individual needs, balancing accessibility with appropriate challenge and high expectations.
Teaching assistants support students across the curriculum and across the school, acting as trusted key adults. They provide guidance and support with academic work while fostering independence, helping students develop the skills and confidence they need to thrive.
Oasis, our inclusion hub, is a dedicated space that provides targeted support for pupils who need additional help to engage, learn and thrive. It offers a calm, nurturing environment where barriers to learning are addressed, wellbeing is supported and students are helped to build confidence, resilience and readiness for learning. Students can also access Oasis in the morning from 8am before tutor and at break and lunchtime, where there is an opportunity to play games to develop friendships and social skills.
Discovery is our resourced provision for students with Education, Health & Care Plans with a prime need for autism/those with communication & interaction (C&I) needs. The level of teaching and learning and curriculum reflects that typically found in a specialist setting. The provision has space for 24 students, and it is the Local Authority's responsibility to place students here. Our resourced provision is not a stand-alone entity and students benefit from access to mainstream lessons and the support offered by Oasis.
Elevate has been developed to support emerging needs in Key Stage 3 for students who require additional help with cognition and learning (C&L) and/or social, emotional and mental health (SEMH). Delivered by specialist colleagues with primary-trained expertise, the part-time provision focuses on embedding key knowledge and skills, enabling students to make sustained progress and close gaps with their peers.
We have a small number of young people in KS4 who are accessing RISE, a highly-bespoke arrangement for students with an Educational, Health & Care Plan where the mainstream isn’t meeting their complex needs. RISE is intended to be a stepping stone between Grange and a post-16 setting, focussing on Maths, English and preparation for adulthood.
2) I think my child may have a special educational need or disability – what do I do next?
The first step is to get in touch and discuss your concerns. We identify potential needs through a range of assessments and screens and can refer students to external professionals for potential diagnoses and additional, more specialist support.
As per the SEN Code of Practice, we follow an Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle. If you have information from a previous school/other service, please do bring it along to a meeting so we can ensure we have all the pertinent information.
3) I am interested in more specialist support – where can I find out more information about your resourced provision?
If your child has an Education, Health & Care Plan and you believe they meet the Local Authority’s threshold to access the resourced provision, please contact us to discuss your child’s needs.
All enquiries regarding Discovery, our resourced provision, should be sent to gran-send@coopacademies.co.uk for the attention of Claire Kane - Assistant SENDCo: lead teacher of resourced provision.
4) How can I arrange a visit and meet the team?
We also welcome visits from prospective parents/carers and students.
To arrange a visit, please email gran-send@coopacademies.co.uk with information about the student and their needs and one of the team will get back to you to arrange a convenient date and time.
5) What help, support and advice is available for parents/carers?
Barnardo’s SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service) - https://www.barnardos.org.uk/get-support/support-for-parents-and-carers
Independent SEN information, help, support and advice including SEN law - https://www.ipsea.org.uk
One-minute guides from Bradford - https://localoffer.bradford.gov.uk/kb5/bradford/directory/oneminuteguides.page?oneminuteguideschannel=0
General information for parents/carers from Bradford -
https://localoffer.bradford.gov.uk/kb5/bradford/directory/localoffer.page?lo_persona=2
6) I am a professional and need to speak to the SENDCo/DSL - who can I contact?
If you need to speak to SENDCo, please email gran-send@coopacademies.co.uk, providing as much information as you can and one of the team will get back to you.
If you need to speak to a Designated Safeguarding Lead, please email gran-safeguarding@coopacademies.co.uk.
7) Where can I find out more information about SEND at Co-op Academy Grange, including the SEN Information Report and SEND Policy?
The SEN information report and SEND policy contain a wealth:
If you would like to discuss anything in more detail, please contact the team via gran-send@coopacademies.co.uk.
8) What is Bradford’s Local SEND Offer?
Information about Bradford’s Local Offer can be found on their website - https://localoffer.bradford.gov.uk/kb5/bradford/directory/home.page
9) Who can I contact if I have concerns around the support my child with SEN is receiving? We are dedicated to ensuring all students receive the support they deserve and require.
If you have a concern around your child’s provision, please contact Dan Evans (Assistant Headteacher: SENDCo) in the first instance via gran-send@coopacademies.co.uk.