Catch22 College: SEND policy

Catch22 reserves the right to amend this policy, following consultation, where appropriate.

Date of last review: November 2025

Date of next review: August 2026

What is the policy about?

This policy outlines Catch22 College’s commitment to supporting learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and promoting equality, diversity, inclusion, and social mobility across all sites. It sets out how the college identifies and supports learners with additional needs, including those with and without Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), to ensure barriers to learning are removed and every learner can achieve their full potential.

The policy details the roles and responsibilities of staff, including Lead Teachers and the SENCo, and explains processes such as reasonable adjustments, financial support, and statutory EHCP reviews, in line with the SEND Code of Practice (2015) and Keeping Children Safe in Education (2025).

Who does this policy apply to?

All Catch22 College staff, learners, parents/guardians, governing bodies, volunteers and contractors.

Policy requirements

Our intention as a college at Catch22 is to offer the learners access to learning when or where they may find this difficult. Learners may be prevented from enrolling, fully participating, or completing courses. In some cases, learners may be prevented from progressing. This may be for a wide range of reasons including financial.

This document outlines the intention to promote equality, diversity, inclusion (EDI), and social mobility. Catch22 College aims to identify those learners with SEND and support their learning journey by removing barriers to learning. Catch22 recognise the positive impact of education on the lives of our learners, and it is the heart of what we do as a charity.

Key objectives

Catch22 College is aware of its statutory duties regarding SEND and the Code of Practice (2015), as well as Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025. For all learners it uses its best endeavours to secure and provide the special educational provision the individual learner needs. Catch22 College is an inclusive education provider and is also an alternative provision for some learners outside mainstream education. Many young people face significant barriers in their lives and can start Catch22 with a history of poor attendance at school and no qualifications. A high proportion of our learners have education and health care plans (EHC plans) or additional learning needs, therefore Catch22 aims to:

• provide high quality teaching and learning based on effective relationships which help young people to progress and succeed in sustained education or employment,
• offer an inclusive approach to teaching and learning, with high quality teaching which is differentiated for individuals where the course content and teaching allows,
• recognise that Learning Support requires a whole College approach and so all staff are made aware of the specific needs of learners through ILRs and the central data base (PICs),
• differentiated and multisensory teaching in the classroom to accommodate needs,
• offer support for exiting courses in the form of work experience, accredited vocational and career advice,
• provide opportunities for learners to be independent,
• interventions and extra teaching sessions to support learning outcomes, and
• work closely with Local Authorities to ensure the needs of young people with Education, Health and Care Plans are met. We have a range of support available for young people.

Definition of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND):

A child or young person has special educational needs and disabilities if they have a learning difficulty and/or a disability that means they need special health and education support, we shorten this to SEND.

– https://www.england.nhs.uk

What are the four types of SEND?

• Communication and interaction
• Cognition and learning
• Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
• Physical and/or sensory needs

Roles and responsibilities

Learning support at Catch22 College is planned to enable learners to work towards their full potential and be as independent within their lives as much as possible. Learners are enrolled at college after a lengthy consultation with families and the Local Authority. Where we feel as a college, we cannot meet need this is through consideration of all our members including staff and other learners.

The consultation process is considered by all members of staff including Lead Teachers, teachers, teaching support staff and the SENCo. It follows the direction of local authority policy.

Once enrolled learners are assigned to teams of further support and development. These teams continue to meet, plan, and liaise around the needs of the individuals throughout the year.

Those students with extra needs or EHCP also have access to keyworkers or mentors. Every Catch22 College site has at least one member of staff who is Mental Health First Aid trained. We work closely with outside agencies to provide the best support we can for our learners.

Lead Teachers work alongside the SENCo to provide targeted support for learners with additional needs. They are responsible for ensuring that the My Learning Story paperwork is completed, implemented, and regularly reviewed for learners who have an EHCP and further SEN needs

Please see separate EHCP process below for specific roles and responsibilities within Catch22 Colleges.

EHCP process:

• SEN department send consultation to Catch22 College via dedicated email account. This to be completed by Lead Teacher with advice from Senior Operations Manager and SENCO (consultation must come from LA SEN department, not parent).
• Catch22 College have 15 calendar days to respond.

• Send consultation/alert SENCO to view if required.
• Leads to read and discuss with SENCO if required.
• If time allows invite learner/family to Centre to meet and discuss needs and programme.
• Respond to consultation via pdf letter headed confirmation of whether you can meet needs or not.

• Update EHCP Tracking spreadsheet.
• Create folder for the learner containing documents.

• If you have responded that you can meet needs: young person decides if they accept place at Catch22 College.
• College will receive the learner’s EHCP with Catch22 named on the document. This is a legal document to which you have agreed to deliver all support, and interventions recorded.
• College receives confirmation of acceptance and is named on EHCP.

• College update EHCP tracking sheet.
• College begin transition programme, and My Learning Story documents.

• College complete the HNF spreadsheet if this is used (except NE as this is set from the LA).
• College to complete provision plans for each young person (if required).
• HNF forms to be reviewed by SENCO and finance.
• College request HNF from relevant local authority.
• College liaise with Finance to invoice LA once authorised.
• Once confirmation is sent from the LA, this then needs to be sent to Compliance and Administration in order to update/process on PICS (they can be copied into the email that is sent to Finance as per above).

• College deliver My Learning Story
• College hold annual review meetings before December (Maidstone) or within the academic year for all other colleges and email SEN department a copy of the document. It is the responsibility of the College to arrange and chair annual reviews and ensure all relevant parties are invited. (Please see separate process below.
• Emergency annual review meetings can be held at any time in year if the provision can no longer meet learner needs (poor attendance, poor behaviour, removal from programme etc.).

Identifying SEND needs for those learners without an EHCP

Currently learners without an Educational Health and Care Plan would self-identify a SEND need at the point of enrolment. This would not usually be formally diagnosed but based on difficulties they have faced within their education. This would be logged on PICS under the relevant category and colleges would meet needs based on this.

Reasonable adjustments

Catch22 follows its policy for access and fair assessment policy, and the reasonable adjustments policy and procedures. Where learners are eligible the SENCo will apply to examination bodies for special consideration where candidates meet the published criteria. This is to help learners to achieve formal recognition of their achievements. Reasonable adjustments are made to ensure that learners who are disabled under The Equality Act 2010 are not disadvantaged in any way. Learners must declare their needs prior to the assessment period and all necessary reasonable adjustment arrangements must have been implemented before the time of their assessment. Special considerations are available to ensure that learners are not disadvantaged by any exceptional circumstances that may arise prior to, or during the assessment – Please see the reasonable adjustment and access arrangements policy for further information.

Eligibility for financial support

Catch22 works internally and externally to support learners financially who are eligible. Careful consideration is taken when assessing any young person attending our colleges who needs financial support.

Criterial for eligibility could include but is not extensive to the following list:

• learner attends a Catch22 College,
• annual household income,
• dependent children,
• direction from EFSA,
• a learner in LA care.

For all applications an individual financial assessment will be made, financial need must be established for an allocation to be approved, and evidence of such will be retained.

This policy should be read and viewed in conjunction with other relevant college documentation:

• Admissions Policy
• Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy
• Reasonable adjustments and Access Arrangements policy
• Access and fair assessment policy

EHCP annual reviews

Annual reviews are a statutory requirement and therefore should be carried out (As per below process). This is an opportunity for professionals, parents/careers, learners, and local authority SEN caseworkers to come together to review the progress made against EHCP outcomes. This would include supporting transitions of learners into new placements.

EHCP annual review process

1. Date of annual review to be agreed by the college, EHCP tracker to be updated, and invite to be sent by admin (Lead Teacher, FS tutor, young person, parent/carer, LA SEN officer, social worker (If applicable), SENCo (if required).
2. All review paperwork to be completed in advance of the annual review – This should be detailed and capture current progress etc.
3. EHCP annual review to take place as agreed with the Lead Teacher as chair. Comments to be added and updated in annual review paperwork and any actions/next steps agreed.
4. Lead Teacher to ensure that annual review paperwork is sent to the LA within the required time frame (usually two weeks after the review).

Related policies

This policy should be read in conjunction with the following documents:

• Admissions Policy
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy
• Reasonable Adjustments and Access Arrangements Policy
• Access and Fair Assessment Policy
• Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy
• Data Protection and Confidentiality Policy