Adapted Teaching, SEN & EHCP Provision
At FIC, small class sizes mean teachers quickly get to know students as individuals with different learning styles. Frequent interactions, conversations and tutorials help teachers adapt tasks to suit each student’s ability, so that every young person is supported and challenged at the right level.
Adaptation may take the form of modified work for different abilities, extra time or additional teacher input for some, and more challenging extension activities for others. Lessons weave together visual, auditory and kinaesthetic activities with open and closed questioning, and students work independently, with a thinking partner, or in small groups – partnerships that let students mentor and support one another while challenging the more able. Regular target setting after formative and summative assessment gives students time to reflect on their achievements and build on their prior learning.
Special Educational Needs & Disabilities
Felixstowe International College believes that all children are entitled to an education that helps them maximise their skills across every area of development – intellectual, physical, aesthetic, creative, emotional, spiritual and social. Every student has individual needs, which is why personalised learning sits at the heart of our teaching, and we are committed to supporting students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) as fully as our resources allow.
Some students may need a short-term boost of planned learning support to bring their attainment up to expected standards; a smaller number will have longer-term needs – academic, emotional, behavioural or physical – requiring more specialist support. Our approach is built on Quality First Teaching: high-quality, inclusive teaching, personalised for every child in the classroom.
Our Approach
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Identifying Needs Early identification matters. Using information from previous schools and from parents, alongside classroom observation and appropriate screening, we identify needs as early as possible and monitor every student’s progress through termly assessment. Where a fuller picture is needed, a specialist assessment for specific learning difficulties can be arranged, covering areas such as cognitive ability, reading, spelling, numeracy, handwriting and phonological skills, with a written report always made available to parents. |
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A Graduated Response Support is matched to the level of need. At the first level it may involve monitoring, a change in teaching style or additional time in examinations; at the next, targeted intervention such as small-group or individual work and in-class support, with liaison with outside agencies where helpful. Teachers follow the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle, supported by the SENCo, and students with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) receive support tailored to their identified needs. |
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SEN Profiles & Access Arrangements Students identified as needing support have an SEN Profile, drawn up by the SENCo in consultation with teachers, students and parents, setting individual targets that are reviewed regularly. Our Exams Officer arranges appropriate access arrangements in school and external examinations – such as extra time, or the use of a reader, scribe or transcription – so that every student can show what they know. |
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Working in Partnership Parents are equal partners in their child’s education, with a depth of knowledge no professional can match, and are involved throughout the planning, implementation and review of provision. Students, too, are central: their views shape their targets and they take a full part in setting and reviewing them. Our pastoral and boarding staff work closely with teachers and the SENCo, using their knowledge of each young person to build self-esteem, self-reliance and positive relationships. |
The Graduated Response at a Glance
| Level of Support | What It Looks Like | Who Is Involved |
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| UniversalQuality First Teaching | High-quality, inclusive teaching for every student: adapted tasks, monitoring of progress, flexible teaching styles and, where appropriate, additional time in examinations. | All teachers, overseen by the SENCo |
| TargetedSEN Support | Targeted intervention such as small-group or one-to-one work and in-class support, following the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle, with an SEN Profile setting individual targets that are reviewed regularly. | Teachers and the SENCo, with students and parents |
| SpecialistEHCP & External Agencies | Support tailored to the needs identified in a student’s Education, Health and Care Plan, with specialist assessment where needed and liaison with outside agencies where helpful. | SENCo, outside agencies, students and parents |
Admissions & EHCPs
In line with the Equality Act 2010, the school gives full consideration to every application and to any reasonable adjustments that would enable a student with SEND to access the curriculum. Any EHCP should be disclosed on application, and a place is offered once we have established that the school can meet the provision it specifies. Because we do not offer foundation-tier GCSE courses, students join our GCSE programmes at a starting point that reflects the higher-level curriculum, with an expected entry attainment of GCSE grade 4.
Occasionally, meeting a student’s needs requires additional support that carries a cost beyond reasonable adjustments, or which is not covered by an EHCP. In these cases fees may be adjusted — but never without prior discussion and agreement between the school and the family.