St Michael’s C of E Primary School is committed to meeting the needs of children with special educational needs and those with disabilities to the best of our ability. We aim to work closely with parents and carers to ensure the child’s needs are met. We are approachable and have the interests of all children at the forefront of all we do.

In school we provide for many kinds of special needs, including learning needs, emotional and behavioural difficulties, physical needs, speech and language difficulties and severe learning needs. These needs may be short term or life long

The following information aims to answer some of the questions you may have about St Michael’s and covers details of what we can offer as a school.

Special Educational Needs Disability Coordinator (SENDCO) - Mrs J Henshaw 

 

What kinds of special needs does St Michael’s provide for?

In school we provide for many kinds of special needs, including learning needs, emotional and behavioural difficulties, physical needs, speech and language difficulties and severe learning needs. These needs may be short term or life long needs.

How will St Michael’s know if my child needs extra help?

Children who may need extra help are generally identified by the staff working with them through monitoring of their learning and regular assessment.

How will my child be supported if extra help is necessary?

Extra help may take place in class, through extra support from the teacher or the use of a Teaching Assistant. Or it may be necessary to work with your child individually or in a small group outside of the classroom in another area of the school. The learning and teaching will be adapted to meet the needs of your child.

If further help is needed the class teacher will then work with Mrs Henshaw, the SENDCo, to look at ways forward. If necessary your child may be placed on our school Special Needs Register and they may then carry out some work with our Higher Level Teaching Assistant with a special responsibility for SEND, Miss Austin.

Because many children on our SEND Register have a key person whom they work with closely, often year after year, we find we are able to foster close and open relationships between these pupils and members of staff. This is particularly beneficial in enabling the children to discuss any worries they may have, perhaps not connected to their learning, in a comfortable and safe environment.

Is this any different for child in the care of the Local Authority?

All children who are in the care of the Local Authority have a Personal Education Plan (PEP) which details the progress they are making and how things are going for them from an educational viewpoint. For children who are in care and who are also on our SEND Register we link their PEP closely to their IEP targets, and funding they receive through Pupil Premium will be used to support these targets.

If my child is placed on the SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) Register, how will I know what is happening?

At St Michael’s we work closely with parents to ensure children are supported both at school and at home. Children on our SEND Register have an Individual Education Plan written for them every term in consultation with class teachers, support staff and parents. This details specific targets and how we are going to work towards these targets.  These plans are shared with parents and children (where appropriate). The targets on the plans are monitored weekly and progress towards these targets is reviewed termly.

During Parent Evenings, Mrs Henshaw, our SENDCo, is available to meet with parents, discuss progress and address concerns. However should questions or issues arise at other times in the year Mrs Henshaw can be contacted through the main school office.

What sort of expertise do you have in school and will anyone from outside of school be involved with my child’s education?

We are fortunate at St Michael’s to have a team of extremely dedicated and experienced staff.  Staff regularly attend training linked to various aspects of SEND and whole school training is regularly organised to address key issues.

In addition to our SENDCo, we also have a Higher Level Teaching Assistant who is responsible for working with some of our pupils on our SEND Register and monitoring the weekly progress they are making towards their targets.

It may be necessary to call on the expertise of specialists outside of school, in order to help us to best support your child.If this is the case we will discuss this with you beforehand and you will kept fully informed of any outcomes. We are fully committed in school with working closely and openly with all outside agencies, and time and training is given to this to ensure the best outcomes for all of our pupils.

Is St Michael’s fully accessible?

St Michael’s is fully accessible for students and staff. We are fully committed to making sure that wherever possible the school is accessible to all students whether their needs are long or short term. Parents and carers are welcome to visit the school.

We regularly adapt the curriculum and the learning environment to ensure they are suitable for pupils with SEND. We are committed to removing barriers to learning wherever possible.

How will St Michael’s allocate resources to ensure my child’s need is met?

All pupils on our SEND Register will be allocated some individual or group time with either our SEND Higher Level Teaching Assistant or another Teaching Assistant in school to work on their targets.  This will be overseen by the SENDCo. This time will be determined by the need of the child and will be arranged together with the Class Teacher. Where necessary and appropriate, extra resources may be purchased by school to support your child.

For some of our pupils extra financial support is received and this will be used to support the child in a variety of ways to best meet their needs. Decisions about how this is used will be made together with parents and will be reviewed on a regular basis.

What about meeting the needs of pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties?

Some of our children in school have particular difficulties in this area. We work closely and openly with pupils and families to support them, providing clear boundaries and expectations and also focussing on the reasons behind the behaviours. We have highly skilled and experienced staff who are able to work with and support individuals and we also have excellent links with external agencies who can offer support such as Banardo's, our Local Authority Behaviour Team and the local Pupil Referral Unit.

Our SENDCo also has overall responsibility for pastoral issues in school.  Long and short term support can be given to pupils and families, either through school resources or in conjunction with an outside agency.

When the time comes for my child to move on to secondary school what support will we receive?

Moving on to secondary school is a huge step and we appreciate it can be quite a stressful time for pupils and parents alike. Our aim is to make the process as smooth and worry free as possible.  With this in mind, it may be appropriate for a transition program to be put in place for some of our pupils on the school’s SEND Register. This may be as simple as setting aside some time to discuss hopes and worries with a trusted member of staff.  However a more extensive program may be needed by some. We are happy to discuss your thoughts about secondary school with you. We could accompany you and your child on a supported visit to a secondary school or extra supported visits for your child may be arranged.

For those children with Education Health and Care Plans secondary colleagues will be invited along to review meetings from Year 5 to ensure they are fully informed about your child’s needs and prepared for their transition to secondary.

Transition for every child on our SEND Register will look different, but rest assured we will work closely with yourselves and the secondary school to ensure it is right for them.

How does St Michael’s know that they are working with effectively with children who have SEND?

Because we monitor the progress of our SEND pupils closely we are able to see what is working and what needs to be adapted. We have an ongoing program of monitoring.

We also try and encourage an open dialogue with parents and carers and welcome their feedback on how we are doing and very much take into account their views about what is happening in school.

What do I do if I have a concern or complaint about the provision for my child?

In the first instance you could discuss your concerns with Mrs Henshaw, our SENDCo. You may feel it is necessary to take matters up with Mrs Smith, our Acting Headteacher. In very rare circumstances it may be necessary to speak with Mrs Hogarth or Mrs Somerville, our (Joint) Chairs of Governors, who can be contacted through the main school office.

Click here to access to our school's Special Educational Needs policy, which will give further information.

Details of the Local Authority’s Local Offer can be found here  

For further information, any queries or if there is anything you wish to discuss, our SENDCo, Mrs Henshaw, can be contacted on:

01228 711544 or jhenshaw@st-michaels.cumbria.sch.uk