How will my child be included in your school?

The Sensory Support Centre (SSC) at the school has places for students who have Special Educational Needs. These students all have a sensory impairment. The SSC is part of the Inclusion Department.

Hazelwick SSC aims to support students by meeting the ECM agenda:

• to promote inclusion and participation in all school activities
• to produce confident, independent young people who can communicate effectively
• to encourage independent learners in the mainstream curriculum
• to use a wide range of communication to suit individual learners
• to give a high level of support with the flexibility to encourage independence at the
• appropriate stage of the student’s development

Your son/daughter will be, first and foremost, a student at the school, fully included because of the support and access provided by the SSC and will have opportunities to participate in the wide range of activities, clubs and enrichment provided by the school. They will also have access to specialist careers advice through the West Sussex Careers Service. 

Students will have opportunities for withdrawal to work with a Teacher of the Deaf, or a  Specialist Support Worker, Speech and Language Therapist or Mobility Officer to match their individual needs all of whom have additional qualifications (such as BSL).

You will have regular contact in whichever method you prefer; email, phone or face to face; not only with all the teachers who teach your child but also with the specialist team of TAs, other professionals and the Teacher of the Deaf. 

Is a Special Support Centre suitable for my child?

Hazelwick SSC caters for Hearing and Visually Impaired students who have a Statement of Special Educational Need that indicates they need to have Specialist Support and access to a Teacher of the Deaf or Teacher of the Visually Impaired. 

We aim to provide the appropriate and personalised level of support to enable students to become independent, therefore levels of support will vary according to the age and related needs of the student. 

The staff team for the hearing impaired students consists of a qualified Teacher of the Deaf and dedicated communication support assistants. All staff within the department have training to Level 2 or 3 BSL. A Speech and Language Therapist for the Hearing Impaired visits the school to provide a programme of therapy for students, tailored to their specific needs. The local authority provides a wireless FM system for each student to support the maximum use of residual hearing in the classroom.  SSC staff liaise closely with local hospital audiology teams and cochlear implant teams in order to ensure that strategies within school are appropriate for the needs of the individual. 

Visually impaired students receive personalised support from a team of teaching assistants under the guidance and expertise of a link peripatetic Teacher of the Visually Impaired.  The local authority provides a range of technological aids to enhance students’ experiences of the curriculum. 

What Age Range does your school provide for?

Hazelwick School is a Secondary School with a sixth form catering for students aged 11-19.

How is the provision in your SSC different from a mainstream school?

The school provides a support network with a range of tools which may be used to address its students’ personalised needs. These include in-class support; small group work for literacy, numeracy and social skills; individual tuition by our intervention team; information, advice and guidance; Individual Education Plans; modified curricula; counselling; a medical team; mentoring and access to technological aids. 

Within the SSC we use, in addition to all the above, a communication method suitable to individual needs. Every student has an individualized timetable. We provide personalised withdrawal with a Teacher of the Deaf. We provide students with and encourage the use of a radio aid system.

Where necessary, students have access to differentiated worksheets in class and for homework, including Braille or enlarged format. We use book summaries with language adapted to student’s needs. We promote the use of subtitled DVDs. 

We arrange for modified examination papers and additional time in external examinations. We make signing classes available to hearing impaired students and their friends. We provide staff with Deaf Awareness and Visual Impairment Training Sessions. We provide support on school trips. We can arrange signed support for extra curricular activities if these are an individual need. Students have a variety of lunchtime options available to them and when appropriate are supported in planning their unstructured time. 

There is close liaison between SSC staff, Heads of Year and subject teachers. Hazelwick has on site counsellors and SSC students have access to these with support if required.

What special resources can you provide for my child?

Hazelwick School has an SSC resource area which is a suite of 4 rooms including an audiology room, one small teaching room, a large teaching room and an office. It has a large walk-in cupboard for storing equipment.  The room has been acoustically treated and conforms to BB93 section 6. 

Resources are stored in this room and on the school e-learning site for students with Hearing and Visually Impairments.

There is an experienced Teacher of the Deaf in the school. The team includes a number of full and part time Special Support workers who have Level 2 or 3 BSL.
 
Students have support in mainstream lessons, assemblies and if needed in extra curricular activities. Where necessary the timetable is adapted to provide additional curriculum in a withdrawal base from both teachers and Special Support Assistants. 

What links are there with the Sensory Support Team and other professionals?

Hazelwick SSC has close links with the Sensory Support Team, participating in regular meetings, training and liaison regarding induction for new students. In addition to this the Teachers in Charge of the Primary and Secondary SSCs work together to provide induction for Y6 students moving to Hazelwick. Specialist Teachers at Hazelwick SSC attend Y5 and Y6 Annual Reviews to meet with parents, as part of the Transition process.

Hazelwick SSC also maintains contact with the Speech and Language Therapy Service, the Education Psychology Service and the Hospitals that provide Audiology for students in the SSC.  Contact can be made with other Professional Services provided by the county such as CAMHS. 

Where can my child go when they leave your school?

After year 11 students can either continue into the sixth form, if they have achieved the entry requirements, or move on to a College of Further Education such as Mid Sussex College. Hazelwick SSC has links with Mid Sussex College and visits to the college can be arranged for parents and students. 

Who should I contact?

Teacher in Charge: Miss C Deacon
Tel: 01293 403344 ext 2306
Email: office@hazelwick.org.uk