Additional Policy Documents

Pearl Barnes, Founder and Executive Director



SENDISS has full liability and indemnity insurance through HISCOX, part of the Alan Boswell Group. 1, Great St. Helen's, London, EC3A 6HX.

The opinions expressed in the SENDISS website are those of the publisher, Pearl Barnes. The publisher cannot be held liable for incorrect information, omissions or the opinions of third parties.



Mission Statement

1.0.

The goal of SENDISS is to enhance outcomes for children and young people who are experiencing special educational needs and/or disabilities which act as barriers to their development and learning and impedes them from developing their potential to the full.



2.0. This is achieved by:



3.0. The Goal:

The ultimate aim of assessments is to offer holistic, detailed and accurate assessments of children and young people, offering judgements and advice based upon extensive experience within the field of best practice and effective support strategies.



4.0. Key Principles

SENDISS believes that:



5.0. SENDISS Promise to you



Updated August 2022, Pearl Barnes, Founder and Executive Director, SENDISS



Safeguarding Policy

1.0. Introduction



2.0. Confidentiality



3.0. Code of Conduct: Safe Working Practice



4.0. You should always:



5.0. Report to the Head teacher / (or in the case of an allegation concerning the Headteacher the Chair of Governors):



6.0. You should never:



Updated August 2022, Pearl Barnes, Founder and Executive Director, SENDISS



Privacy Policy

1.0. Introduction:



2.0. What data do we collect?



3.0. How We Use Your Personal Data:

SENDISS collects and uses the Personal Data we collect in a manner that is consistent with this Privacy Policy. We may use the Personal Data as follows:



4.0. Sharing Information:

SENDISS will not share any personal information with a third party without the written consent from the client.

However, we may disclose your Personal Data, if required to do so by law, in order to (for example) respond to a subpoena or request from law enforcement, a court or a government agency (including in response to public authorities to meet national security or law enforcement requirements), or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to (a) comply with a legal obligation, (b) protect or defend our rights, interests or property or that of third parties, (c) prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Services, (d) act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of Users of the Services or the public, or (e) protect against legal liability.

SENDISS is often contracted to conduct services which process personal information relating to children and families. SENDISS reserves the right to share personal information with these children and families upon their request in writing. SENDISS reserves the right to inform the commissioning service user when this personal data is requested.



5.0. Assessments commissioned by schools and colleges:

Where SENDISS is requested to conduct either short or diagnostic assessments within schools, paid for by the setting, it is the responsibility of the setting to inform the child’s parents of the assessment where the child is under the age of 16 years. SENDISS also recommends that the setting informs parents of commissioned assessment for all children and young people under the age of 19 years.



6.0. How We Store Your Personal Data:

SENDISS will take every reasonable steps to protect your data from loss, misuse, unauthorised use, access, inadvertent disclosure, alteration and destruction. However, no network, server, database or Internet or e-mail transmission is ever fully secure or error free. Therefore, you should take special care in deciding what information you send to us electronically. Please keep this in mind when disclosing any Personal Data.



7.0. How can you access, update, correct or delete your personal data?

You can request in writing access to your Personal Data being stored by SENDISS. You can also ask us to correct, update or delete any inaccurate Personal Data that we process about you. You can do this by writing to SENDISS directly.

Since SENDISS processes personal data relating to children and young people, SENDISS reserves the right to disclose information directly to that individual once they turn 18 years old.

Where information is held relating to children and young people which is commissioned by schools, this data can be accessed by the children/young person and/or their family upon request in writing. However, SENDISS reserves the right to inform the setting which commissioned the services in the first place, if necessary.

You can opt out of bulletins and email communications by clicking on the unsubscribe link embedded within the email. It may take up to 72 hours for the unsubscribe to be updated.

SENDISS will consider and respond to all requests in accordance with applicable law.



8.0. How Long We Retain Your Personal Data:

We may retain your Personal Data as long as is necessary and will vary according to the service.

Typically, data relating to a diagnostic assessment will be kept until the child or young person is aged 19 years. Where an assessment has been conducted for a young person aged 19 years, the data will be held for a period of 5 years.

Data collected for training will typically be kept for no more than 5 years.

Data collected for auditing provision will typically be kept for 5 years.



9.0. Changes To This Privacy Policy:

The Services and our business may change from time to time. As a result, at times it may be necessary for us to make changes to this Privacy Policy. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time (collectively, "Modifications"). Modifications to this Privacy Policy will be posted to the Site with a change to the "Updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy.

Please review this policy periodically, and especially before you provide any Personal Data. This Privacy Policy was updated on the date indicated above. Your continued use of the Services following the effectiveness of any Modifications to this Privacy Policy constitutes acceptance of those Modifications. If any Modification to this Privacy Policy is not acceptable to you, you should cease accessing and using the Services.



10.0. Legal grounds for processing your Personal Data:

The GDPR requires SENDISS to tell you about the legal ground we're relying on to process any Personal Data about you. The legal grounds for us processing your Personal Data for the purposes set out in this policy will typically be because:


Personal information will be held securely in accordance with our internal security policy and the law. Protectivity will try to ensure that the information it holds will be accurate and up to date. You can check the information that we hold about you by contacting us. If you find any inaccuracies SENDISS will delete or correct it promptly.



Updated August 2022, Pearl Barnes, Founder and Executive Director, SENDISS



Terms and Conditions

SENDISS reserves the right to amend details, prices and withdraw services without prior notice.



Our contract:

By placing an order for booking a place/places for a training/audit/assessment product you ('you' being the purchasing organisation, or 'you' being the purchasing individual) are entering into a legally binding contract. Your order or booking, and thereby the contract with SENDISS, can be made by various methods; for example: online via our website(s), email, order form, letter, verbally on the telephone or verbally during a face-to-face conversation. By placing an order or booking, and thereby entering into a contract with SENDISS, you agree to be bound by our terms and conditions.

For all commissioning of services, whether commissioning an assessment, training or audit of provision, the initial consultation (usually 30 minutes) is free. Sometimes ongoing advice is requested, and this shall be provided, within reason, for a maximum period of 3 months from the assessment, training or audit taking place.

Where ongoing advice and support is requested, an additional hourly charge may be incurred. SENDISS is unable to offer a free service of advice and will endeavour to refer you on to the relevant organisation where advice continues to be sought.



1.0.

It is the policy of SENDISS to endeavour to determine a mutually agreeable date for services to be delivered, and to ensure this date is adhered to. It is recognised, however, that complications sometimes arise, where an agreed date needs to be re-scheduled, postponed or cancelled by either party.



2.0.

SENDISS always aims to deliver the service as agreed; however, SENDISS reserves the right to cancel services of assessment, training or audit at short notice. In the unfortunate event that services are cancelled, a refund in full will be given.



3.0.

SENDISS accepts that the Client may also require to alter or cancel services. In the event of alteration or cancellation, SENDISS requests that the Client does so at the earliest possible opportunity. There are specific cancellation terms and conditions according to the service being provided.



4.0.

Where transport (e.g. train fare) or room hire have been made prior to this date, SENDISS reserves the right to charge the client in full for these charges upon the client’s cancellation, where these additional charges cannot be refunded to SENDISS.



5.0. Training:



6.0. Diagnostic Assessment and School Commissioned Access Arrangement Assessments:



7.0. Audit and Consultancy:



8.0. Payment:



Updated August 2022, Pearl Barnes, Founder and Executive Director, SENDISS



Assessment Policy

1.0.

SENDISS is commissioned to conduct assessments by parents of children and young people, and by schools or colleges.

All assessments are conducted with full integrity and in accordance with the Code of Practice as set out by the British Psychological Society.

No test will be used which is not suited for the individual, for instance, which is not standardised for the particular age group.

All assessments will use fully norm-referenced, standardised tests, which are the most recent editions.

Most tests are suitable for application for exam access arrangements, and can be tailored to the needs of the assessment.



2.0. Request for assessment by parents:

Where a full diagnostic assessment has been requested by parents, the following will be the protocol:


Where access arrangements are requested, the school must forward the completed Form 8 Section A prior to the assessment.

SENDISS will only forward a Teacher Questionnaire to the setting, where there is a close and established relationship with the setting and the assessor, prior to the assessment taking place.

It is the responsibility of the setting to make the application for access arrangements in good time and in accordance with the current JCQ Regulations.

The final decision relating to the access arrangements being applied for lies with the setting.

See cancellation policy under 'Terms and Conditions' for information regarding cancellation of the assessment.



3.0. Request for assessment by Schools/Colleges:

When SENDISS is requested to conduct assessments by the school or college setting, it is the responsibility of the setting to:


SENDISS reserves the right to not communicate with the parents of a child or young person directly, where services have been commissioned by schools or colleges, in order to prevent mis-communication. It is the responsibility of the setting to substantiate to the parents, the request for assessment, at all times.

Following receipt of the completed Form 8 Section A, Pearl Barnes will complete the Form 8 Section C following the assessment taking place. A short Profile report will also be issued.



4.0. Access arrangements:

It is the responsibility of the setting to make the application for access arrangements for any student who has been assessed by SENDISS in good time and in accordance with the current JCQ Regulations.

Pearl Barnes, the specialist assessor for SENDISS, will conduct assessments which are suitable for exam access arrangements.

No more than 5 assessments will be conducted within a day (short assessments) due to the time taken to complete the tests and the devaluing of the assessment, if not conducted in full.

The setting is required to complete Form 8 Section A prior to the assessment, unless they request the completion of Form 8 Section A by the specialist assessor. In this circumstance, the school/college must provide the specialist assessor with information from the student’s teachers in order for the completion of Form 8 Section A.

The setting is responsible for making the final decision regarding the access arrangements to be applied for and to liaise with the students’ parents.

It is the responsibility of the setting to ensure students and their parents are fully informed of the assessment taking place.

The specialist assessor for SENDISS will always complete the Form 8 Section C, where it is needed.

SENDISS will forward the appropriate documents for application for access arrangements to the setting, in good time.

SENDISS will provide details of the specialist assessor’s qualifications, prior to assessment.

The specialist assessor for SENDISS will liaise closely with the setting to ensure applications for access arrangements reflect the student’s normal way of working.

The specialist assessor will follow safer working practices and will report any concerns directly to the Head, in accordance with SENDISS Safeguarding policy.

The information held within this assessment policy is not mutually exclusive, and where specific circumstances arise, which are out of the ordinary, SENDISS reserves the right to make a judgement regarding the most appropriate approach.



Updated August 2022, Pearl Barnes, Founder and Executive Director, SENDISS



Accessibility Policy

1.0.

SENDISS recognises the Equality Act (2010) and operates within an inclusive framework. SENDISS aims to make its services as accessible as possible.

SENDISS works within a range of settings including:


SENDISS is not responsible for the accessibility of services where SENDISS is commissioned to conduct assessments, audits or training by schools and colleges in their settings.

Where assessments are commissioned by parents directly with SENDISS, SENDISS will endeavour to do everything that is reasonable to enable parents and their child/young person to access the information available. This might include: enlarged information, changing the colour of the paper or font, or providing a sign language interpreter.

The client will provide reasonable notice of the requirement for reasonable adjustments, in order for them to be arranged.

Where training is provided in a training centre or conference centre, SENDISS will ensure the setting is disability accessible, with lift access and a hearing loop (where possible). SENDISS will request information from clients relating to any specific need before delivering services, and in order to be able to provide the adjustment. In a similar way, any dietary requirements will be requested prior to the delivery of the training.



Updated August 2022, Pearl Barnes, Founder and Executive Director, SENDISS