SEND
SENCo
Mrs Benson is our SENCo (special educational needs coordinator). If you would like to contact her, please e-mail schooloffice@stmaryscofe.org.uk
Miss Mohammed is our SEND Support (special educational needs support). If you would like to contact her, please e-mail schooloffice@stmaryscofe.org.uk
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
At St Mary’s, we are proud of our inclusive and nurturing approach. We support all pupils to achieve their potential, personally, socially, emotionally and academically in all areas of the curriculum and help them prepare for the future. We have high expectations of all our children and put support in place at the earliest possible stage when required.
We work in partnership with children, parents/carers and other agencies to provide a secure, caring and happy environment that ensures the best possible outcomes for all children.
All children have access to all school activities including trips and residential visits.
Children may have special educational needs that require additional support when progress has slowed or stopped or they need additional support to be fully included in school life. They may have a learning need or disability that calls for additional or adapted learning provision to be made.
We implement a graduated approach as recommended by Leeds Local Authority. This is based on an Assess-Plan-Do-Review structure. There are varying stages of SEND which help us decide what support your child needs:
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Quality First Teaching |
This is where teachers recognise that a child needs access to a range of resources in the classroom to help them learn alongside their peers and continue to make good progress. |
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SEN Support |
When children are at this stage, they will access some interventions to ensure they continue to make good progress. |
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SEND Support + |
Children working at this stage are gaining access to a greater number of interventions. This may be done in in small groups or as 121. It may be that provision is adapted and a child has a bespoke timetable to ensure they are still able to make progress and be successful at school. |
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Education Care and Health Plan |
Children who have an EHCP usually have a greater level of SEND. It is recognised by professionals that they need a greater level or support in order to continue to be success in mainstream school. Some children who have an EHCP may have someone working with them to support them but this depends on the level of need. |
We have a number of documents that may help you understand SEND both at St Mary’s and across the city.
Key Documents
Useful Contacts / Websites:
Information from Leeds Authority on what is offered to support SEND
Information and advice, for parents/carers, children, and young people with Special Educational Needs.
MindMate offers information for parents, carers, young people and professionals about emotional wellbeing and mental health issues.
Free, independent and impartial information, advice, support and various services for disabled people and their families.
STARS are a team of autism specialists who offer advice and training for schools. They also offer drop-in sessions and workshops for parents at Leeds City Library.
Other Useful Information for Parents
Special education needs and disabilities (SEND) information for parents can often be hard to find or difficult to access. To help parents and carers we have bought together some useful national information on key topics and parental support in the following links:
Neurodiversity Charity – https://www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/
Family Action SEND Support for Parents – https://www.family-action.org.uk/what-we-do/children-families/send/send-info/
Free Webinars for ADHD, Autism, speech delay and more. https://www.witherslackgroup.co.uk/support-and-events/webinars/
BBC Bitesize SEND Support for parents. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zh9v382
Therapeutic Services. https://beaconhouse.org.uk/resources/
Airedale and Wharfedale Autism Support – https://aware-uk.org/
Bradford SENDIASS – Support with SEND and EHCPs. https://www.barnardos.org.uk/what-we-do/services/bradford-sendiass
National Autistic Society - https://www.autism.org.uk/
