SEND

Parents and Learners

All learners at Red Balloon of the Air are recognised as having special educational needs and disability (SEND) requirements. The curriculum is delivered via a learning platform which uses a hybrid model; this incorporates an online delivery method and face-to-face opportunities at RBAir’s Centre in Milton, Cambridge, and RBET’s Learning Hub in Danbury, Essex, for social re-engagement and enrichment, and other specific interventions.

A learner with their back to the camera is spray painting onto a board.

This model enables learners to engage with learning and reduces the stresses of a face-to-face class or group interaction. The pace of progress and delivery is tailored to the individual and each young person is given time to establish trust and security in order to begin to re-engage with learning.

We aim to assess each learner’s current skills and levels of attainment on entry, which will build on previous settings and Key Stages, where appropriate. Learners may have experienced considerable difficulty with assessments in the past and a careful balance is established between understanding learners’ current learning levels with the promotion of re-engagement in the learning process and making steady progress towards accreditation.

Our SEND provision aims to:

ensure that all learners are actively listened to and encouraged to have a meaningful voice around which learning approaches work for them;
ensure that individual approaches and adaptations are made to learning experiences to help re-engage them with learning and progress towards their academic potential;
utilise Link Mentors to support learners to engage with their learning and their wider development;
identify and intervene with any learning needs that may have been missed while a learner has been out of education.

The Individual Provision Plan (IPP)

RBAir follows the Special educational needs and disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years (2015) in relation to statutory procedures related to the EHCP. This will include holding a yearly Annual Review and monitoring and reporting progress via the Individual Provision Plan (IPP).

All teachers and staff who work with the learner will be made aware of their needs, via the IPP (see our SEND Policy, which can be found here). All staff will have access to the IPP, be aware of the outcomes sought, the support required, and any teaching strategies or approaches that are recommended.