SEND

Full details of our SEND provision can be found below.

SEND Reports and Policies

Contact SENCo

Mrs. J. Colley is our school SENCo and Mrs M Walker is our EYFS/KS1 SENCo.

To contact either of the school SENCOs, you can either email school office@stmarysjarrow.co.uk, phone the school office 01914898336 or feel free to call in and make an appointment.

Finance for SEND

How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?

The SEN budget is allocated each financial year in agreement with the Local Authority. Money allocated for SEND is used to provide additional support or resources dependant on an individual’s needs. The additional provision may be allocated after discussion with the class teacher at pupil progress meetings or if a concern has been raised by them at another time during the year. Resources may include deployment of staff depending on individual circumstances. How this money is utilised is monitored each term by the Governing Committee.

If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

Transition

How will the school prepare and support my child when joining St Mary’s Catholic Primary School or transferring to a new school?

Many strategies are in place to enable your child’s transition to be as smooth as possible. These include:

Discussions between the previous or receiving schools prior to the pupil joining/leaving.
All pupils attend a transition session where they spend some time with their new class teacher.
Additional visits are also arranged for pupils who need extra time in their new school.
Mrs Colley and Mrs Walker are always willing to meet parents/carers prior to their child joining the school.
Secondary school staff will visit pupils prior to them joining their new school.
Mrs Colley liaises with the SENCOs from the secondary schools to pass on information regarding SEN pupils.
Where a pupil may have more specialised needs, a separate meeting may be arranged with Mrs Colley, Mrs Walker, Mrs Tumelty, the secondary school SENCO, the parents/carers and where appropriate the pupil.

If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

Local Offer

What is the local offer?

The Local Offer provides information for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their parents or carers in a single place.

It gives information on what services children, young people and their families can expect from a range of local agencies, including education, health and social care. Knowing what is out there gives you more choice and more control over what support is right for your child.

The Local Offer provides information on a number of things, including:

special educational provision
health provision
social care provision
other educational provision
training provision
travel arrangements for children and young people to schools, colleges and early years education
preparing for adulthood, including housing, employment and leisure opportunities

The Local Offer has been produced jointly by South Tyneside Council, Social Care and Health Services in partnership with parents and carers. It aims to help us to make sure that we are providing the sort of services that families have told us they need.

Agencies and Partnerships

What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?

At times it may be necessary to consult with outside agencies and partnerships to access their more specialised expertise and ensure the pastoral, medical and social needs of SEND children are met.

The agencies used by the school include:

Speech and Language Team
Social Services
Educational Psychologist
CYPS (Child & Young People’s Service)
Occupational Therapy
School Nursing Team
AO (Attendance Officer previously known as Educational Welfare Officers)
Sensory Support to support pupils with hearing/visual Impairment

At St Mary’s, we work closely with the Educational Psychologist (EP). The EP normally only works directly with pupils whose needs are felt to be quite considerable and have not responded well to the interventions previously put in place for them. This involvement is generally planned at an in school review meeting. Please note that there is a waiting list for an EP assessment.

The aim of this meeting is to gain an understanding of and try to resolve a pupil’s difficulties. In order to help understand the pupil’s educational needs better, the psychologist will generally meet with the parent and give feedback after an assessment has been completed.

They will offer advice to the school and parent/carers on how to best support the pupil in order to take their learning forward.

If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

Supporting Parents

Below are links to some useful websites that may assist you in helping your child who has a special educational need. (By clicking on the icon you will be taken to the relevant website)

The National Autistic Society are the leading UK charity for people on the autism spectrum (including Asperger syndrome) and their families. They provide information, support and pioneering services, and campaign for a better world for people with autism.

Dyslexia affects approximately 10% of the population. The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) aim to help those living with this hidden difficulty. The BDA aim to provide support and advice to those living with dyslexia.

Dyspraxia, a form of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a common disorder affecting fine and/or gross motor coordination, in children and adults. While DCD is often regarded as an umbrella term to cover motor coordination difficulties, dyspraxia refers to those people who have additional problems planning, organising and carrying out movements in the right order in everyday situations. Dyspraxia can also affect articulation and speech, perception and thought.’
(Dyspraxia Foundation 2013)

There are many learning difficulties and disabilities that our children live with. Mencap provides support and advice a wide range of disabilities and learning difficulties.

Compliments & Complaints

Compliments are always greatly received and can be passed on either directly to staff and the SENCO, or formally recorded via our regular questionnaires to parents or in the form of a letter to the Head Teacher.

We hope that complaints about our SEND provision will be rare, however, if there should be a concern the process outlined in the school Complaints Policy should be followed.

Parent/ carer/ family coffee morning

We host regular coffee morningS. This is an informal session where you can meet with the School SEND team. The sessions involve: guest visitors, work sharing, sessions with the children or looking at school resources that support your child. Dates will be sent out in advance of the meetings.