Additional Educational Needs

SENCO: Mr Tony rogerson

Associate Assistant Head for SEN - REBECCA Humphris

Deputy SENCo - Melissa Oldham 

Key policies

Special Educational Needs & Disability Policy 

SEN Annual Report 

The Cooper School's SENCo, Tony Rogerson, is proud to lead a dedicated and skilled team who ensure that our school is a truly inclusive environment. Our Associate Assistant Headteacher for SEN, Bex Humphris, leads on ensuring that our students with additional educational needs (AEN) in the classroom excel through the skills and expertise of our teaching staff,  HLTAs, TAs and other practitioners.  

The ACE (Achieving and Creating Excellence) Centre is a learning environment for all of our students who have any AEN. The ACE is based in the heart of the school, right next to the Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team’s offices, because supporting students with AEN to achieve success is at the heart of the ethos of The Cooper School.  Managed by Mrs Oldham, the ACE is a crucial part of our support for AEN students.

The ACE comprises three teaching spaces, one large space that can accommodate up to 16 students and two smaller spaces. These spaces are available for students to use throughout the day, providing them with a safe, quiet space to learn, socialise and thrive. The staff in the ACE are highly skilled and trained to support students to achieve their full potential, not only in their academic abilities, but also in their social and emotional interactions. 

We aim to support students in whichever way is necessary to help them to succeed in school life. Some students only come in for social times, some for targeted interventions, some for social and emotional regulation training and some who are option light and need overteaching or support with homework. 

The ACE team works closely with Heads of Year, Departments Heads, Form Tutors, the Pastoral Team and parents to ensure that we are providing a clear and cohesive approach to each student’s learning, mapping out a path for success that is regularly reviewed and assessed.

Students report that they love coming into the ACE as can be evidenced by the following quotes:

“The Ace has helped me with my confidence and stress around school, the team allow you to stop and have a brain break. If you start to get overwhelmed or stressed, all the teachers are lovely, don’t hesitate to ask for help, remember they are there to help.” Year 10 student.

“The Ace is a peaceful place to catch up on your work - not to mention you also get more one to one teaching experiences with the teachers - which can help a lot if it’s hard to function in the classroom.” Year 11 student

“When I doubt myself the Ace is always the place to go to cheer me up!” Year 8 student.