“When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.”
— Alexander den Heijer
Mrs Sarah Howell-Jones
Director of Inclusion and Safeguarding
Mrs Howell-Jones leads our Inclusion Department which serves to ensure every child has the support to thrive and reach their full potential.
Rougemont School ensures its Universal Classroom Provision focuses on creating the right conditions for everyone to thrive, regardless of their starting point or differences. We know that support, inclusivity, and adaptability are key in helping our children and young people grow and reach their full potential.
All teachers at our School are committed to ensuring that everyone has the resources, support, and opportunities they need to succeed in their unique circumstances. We recognise that some children and young people may also require additional learning provisions in the form of structured support away from the mainstream classroom.
Categories of Needs
There is a wide range of learning difficulties or disabilities, but they can be broadly classified into the following four areas:
a) Communication and interaction;
b) Cognition and learning;
c) Behaviour, emotional and social development;
d) Sensory and/or physical.
Not every child with additional need will fit perfectly into one of these categories and there will be considerable overlaps with many conditions.
Communication and Interaction
Some children and young people might experience difficulty in one, some or all aspects of speech, language and communication. This area of need may encompass children and young people with speech and language delay, impairments or disorders, specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and dyspraxia, hearing impairment and those who demonstrate features within the autistic spectrum; it may also encompass some children and young people with moderate, severe or profound learning difficulties. The range of need will include those for whom language and communication difficulties are the result of permanent sensory or physical impairment.
Cognition and Learning
Some children and young people who demonstrate features of moderate, severe or profound learning difficulties or specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia or dyspraxia, may require specific programmes to aid progress in cognition and learning. Some of these children and young people may have associated sensory, physical and behavioural difficulties.
Behaviour, Emotional and Social Development
Some children and young people will demonstrate features of emotional and behavioural difficulties. They may be withdrawn or isolated, disruptive and disturbing, hyperactive or lacking concentration; they may have underdeveloped social skills; or present challenging behaviours.
Sensory and/or physical needs
This area of need includes the wide spectrum of sensory, multi-sensory and physical difficulties. The sensory range extends from profound and permanent deafness or visual impairment through to lesser levels of loss, which may only be temporary.
Identification of Additional Support Needs at Rougemont School
Our school is committed to helping pupils with learning needs to find strategies to overcome their difficulties while building confidence and self-esteem, enabling them to become independent learners. To ensure early identification and assessment of a child or young person’s learning needs we work with them and their families to provide appropriate support. To help us identify students with learning needs we make use of the following:
- Screening Assessments – COPS, Rapid, LASS, WellComm
- Information from parents about existing learning needs
- Teacher / Parent observations
- Cognitive Ability Tests (CAT) and Progress in English and Maths Tests (PTE & PTM)
- Year 7(MidYIS)
- Analysis of New Group Spelling Test (NGST) and New Group Reading Test (NGRT)
Rougemont School’s Graduated Response for Additional Support Needs
Following identification, appropriate intervention is arranged by Mrs Sarah Howell-Jones, Director of Inclusion and Safeguarding, as outlined below. Reasonable adjustments to timetables and strategies for support are arranged on an individualised basis, taking into account individuals’ strengths and areas of need. Person Centred Practices are a fundamental element of the Rougemont Approach to developing ambitious, caring and curious learners. Parents are consulted and kept informed of recommended support and of any additional costs that may arise as a result of this. Advice is also sought in partnership with parents from outside agencies for assessment, advice on planning, delivering and monitoring appropriate programmes as necessary.
Rougemont Universal Provision – Effective whole school practice and inclusion of all pupils, classroom differentiation for all, scaffolding, modelling, pupil voice and groups, visual timetable, engaging curriculum, awareness raising assemblies, positive relationships, whole school approach to emotional wellbeing, chunking of work, parents’ evenings, restorative approaches, access to interventions with class TAs as appropriate.
Rougemont Universal Plus – Child or young person is making some progress in the classroom which require ‘reasonable adjustments’ at any given time – These pupils will be provided with a ‘One Page Profile’. Support will include short term intervention (usually between 6-18 weeks), including DANS and First 4 maths numeracy support, Toe by Toe and The Power of 2, Lexia, 1-1 phonic sessions, touch typing, Counselling, 5-point scales, bespoke timetabling, Talkabout groups. These pupils are expected to ‘Catch Up’ with their peers given these adjustments.
Rougemont Targeted Intervention – Child or young person is making progress in some, but not all areas of learning and has identified barriers to learning. Additional Support Provisions (ASPs) delivered by Inclusion team members/external specialist staff in the form of interventions, small group teaching etc. A school based Individual Support Profile (ISP) will be drawn up with the child and their parents using person-centred practices and incorporating a one-page profile, detailing the ASPs in place for the child or young person. The child or young person will be placed on the School’s ASN (Additional Support Needs Register) register. All ISPs are individual, and support will be based on the presenting needs of the child/young person at that time. ISPS for all pupils with ASN are reviewed twice annually (at the end of the Autumn and Summer Terms). Reviews of ISPs will be made in conjunction with the child or young person, parents, Inclusion team, Class Teachers, Heads of Year, SLT as appropriate. Pupils in the Sixth Form have an ISP based on a document used in university which is reviewed, when necessary, as at this stage of a young person’s Rougemont School career ASPs usually remain constant as they would in a university setting.
Exam Access Arrangements
Pupils identified with learning difficulties, physical difficulties or a medical condition may be eligible for additional support during examinations and the School will make any reasonable adjustments.
Recommendations are submitted to the Joint Qualifications Council by the School, based on an assessment carried out by the Director of Inclusion and Safeguarding, Mrs Sarah Howell-Jones, or a medical letter confirming that the candidate has persistent/significant difficulties and is disabled within the definition of the Equality Act 2010, eg. a letter from:
• CAMHS
• a HCPC registered psychologist
• a hospital consultant
• a psychiatrist
• a Speech and Language Therapist (SaLT)
• Local Authority Specialist Service (eg. Sensory Impairment Service or Occupational Health.
The responsibility to request access arrangements lies specifically and exclusively with the Director of Inclusion and Safeguarding, Mrs Sarah Howell-Jones. Privately commissioned assessments carried out without prior consultation with the School cannot be used to award access arrangements and cannot be used to process an access arrangements application.
A Guide to Access Arrangements
The Inclusion Team – Key Contacts
Mrs Sarah Howell-Jones Director of Inclusion and Safeguarding
Email: sarah.howell-jones@rougemontschool.co.uk
Ms Kate Horsfall – Inclusion HLTA
Ms Kathryn Jones – Inclusion HLTA
Mrs Bethan Cobner-Matthews – Inclusion HLTA
Miss Bella Lewis-Bailey
Red our Resident Rougemont Cavapoo
Email: red@rougemontschool.co.uk
Inclusion Coffee Morning Dates
Enjoy a coffee, tea or juice and a conversation in a supportive atmosphere with the Inclusion Team and fellow parents in our school community. This is a fantastic opportunity to share insights and experiences.
Recommended Reading From Coffee Mornings:
- Odd Girl Out by Laura James
- Strong Female Character by Fern Brady, which is an excellent account of autism in women, although it does contain quite a bit of strong language
Whole School Initiatives to Develop Our Understanding of Neurodivergence 2026-27
Our whole Rougemont School Family achieved the Learning About Autism Award for Early Years, Primary and Senior School during 2025-2026. This year we will continue to develop our understanding of neurodivergence with ADHD Awareness becoming our specific focus area for all our staff, pupils and wider community.
We will participating in Neurodiversity Celebration Week 15th-19th March 2027.
INTRODUCTION – NEURODIVERSITY CELEBRATION WEEK
