SEND and Learning Support
Welcome to the Martin High School SEND Department.
SEND and Learning Support at the Martin High School
At Martin High, we have a clear set of proud beliefs that drive our school. Everyone works together to make the school a safe space and learning community where everybody is valued.
What is SEND?
The term Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) is used to describe learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for children and young people to learn compared to others of the same age.
According to the Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice 2015, a child or young person is considered to have a SEND if they:
Have a learning difficulty or disability that means they need special educational provision – this means additional or different help from what is normally available for all learners.
What are the main areas of need for SEND?
The law identifies four main areas of need:
1. Communication and Interaction – difficulties with speech, language, and communication.
2. Cognition and Learning – difficulties with learning, memory, or understanding.
3. Social, Emotional, Mental Health Difficulties – issues that relate to behaviour or emotional regulation.
4. Sensory and/or Physical Needs – this refers to anything impacting how a child or young person interacts with their environment, so it may include Visual Impairments, Sight Impairments, or physical disabilities.
What does SEND Support look like at MHS?
This list was compiled by our staff team at the start of the 2025-26 academic year.
Quality First Teaching
Quality First Teaching (QFT) is the first step in supporting learners with additional needs.
This support will look like:
✅ High expectations for all pupils
✅ Clear instructions and explanations
✅ Well-structured lessons that include different ways of learning (visual, verbal, hands-on)
✅ Adaptations to help learners who may struggle (e.g. extra time, simplified tasks, visual aids)
✅ Regular checks to see how well learners are understanding
✅ Positive relationships that support confidence and motivation
✅ Assertive Technology the use of Chromebooks to support learners to access tasks
Some learners with SEND may have a Pupil Passport that highlights the adaptations or checks to see how well they understand a task. However, if a child is still struggling despite this high-quality teaching, then extra help may be considered.
Additional Support
Additional support is the next step in supporting learners with additional needs.
This support may look different depending on what support a learner needs:
✅ Pupil Passports for learners with a recognised SEND. This support is provided through Beehive and outlines for all our teaching staff and families at home to see what support a learner requires to flourish to their very best abilities in our school. It is our teaching staff’s responsibility to ensure that the support on this is being implemented.
✅ Hub Pass for learners requiring 5-minute resets during lessons to support their emotional wellbeing
✅ Lesson Cards that learners who need to transition in between lessons earlier than the rest of school can use to support them
✅ Learning Support Assistance support from an additional adult in the classroom or through out-of-class interventions to help with learning support and emotional wellbeing check-ins
We have a range of out-of-class interventions that we use to support our learners. More information on these will be shared if a learner is identified as requiring additional support by our staff team.
Seeking Support from The Learning Support Team
As well as this, we also host a half-termly Coffee Morning, which you can find details of through our school Facebook [RB1] page and on Beehive. The location will always be at MHS. Our Coffee Mornings are designed to give you information on how we support our SEND learners and also information you mind find useful for SEND help outside of school.
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The Local Offer
The Local Offer is a guide to all the support and services available in your area for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and their families. You can find information about it here:
The Leicestershire SEND Local Offer - visit their website
Local offer for Leicester and Leicestershire - information video
MARTIN HIGH SCHOOL SEN NEWSLETTER
| Newsletters |
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| January 2024 |
| February 2024 |
| March 2024 |
| May 2024 |
| June 2024 |
| November 2023 |
| October 2023 |
| September 2023 |
| July 2023 |
| June 2023 |
| May 2023 |
| April 2023 |
DISCOVER MORE ABOUT YOUR LOCAL OFFER
The Leicestershire SEND Local Offer - visit their website
Local offer for Leicester and Leicestershire - information video
| Important INformation |
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| The SEN/SALCO Policy can be found on the Polices Page here |
| Local Offer |
| Letter for Parents on SEN Reforms (written by the DFE) |
| SEND Information Report for Parents |