Christ Church CE Primary School
'Let your light shine' Matthew 5:16
SEND stands for special educational needs and disabilities.
A child or young person aged from 0 to 25 years has special educational needs or disability (SEND) if they:
Christ Church is an inclusive school which supports children with a variety of needs. We value the importance of communication between parents, staff and children. Within Christ Church, we have an Inclusion Team to support you and your child:
Miss Bryant (Special Needs Co-ordinator), Mrs Bagnall (Learning Mentor and DDSL), Mrs Harper (SEND Governor) and Mr James (Headteacher and DSL) as well as your child's class teacher and teaching team. Supporting your child with their SEND needs is everyone's responsibility.
What do I do if I think my child has SEND?
If you think your child needs extra support, you should talk to their class teacher. They will be able to advise you on the next steps and support we offer. The staff at Christ Church have a fantastic understanding of SEND and this is reflected in the amount of support that we put in for ALL of our children
How will you support my child if they are identified as having SEND?
We believe that each child has individual and unique needs, and recognise that some children may require more support than others. Every child at Christ Church, regardless of special educational needs, is entitled to a successful and positive learning experience in order to 'let their light shine'.
The support we offer will depend on the needs of your child. Our SENDCo, Miss Bryant, is on hand to advise and implement the best way to support SEND children. This means that children may receive a higher level of scaffolding to complete learning, work in small groups with adult support, receive a personalised curriculum delivered on a 1:1 basis with an adult. From time to time, they may be supported out of the classroom to undertake a specific intervention.
Inclusion
Inclusion is about equal opportunities for all. We are a reflective school, who continually adapts their practice on order to meet the needs of all our school community. We believe strongly that all children should play a positive role in society where diversity is recognised and respected, where every person is valued equally and should have the same opportunity to realise their full potential.
Monitoring
We carefully monitor the achievements and well-being of all our learners in order to ensure that we provide appropriate provision that is adaptable to meet their changing needs. We use a variety of teaching styles to ensure that all pupils are provided with an appropriate and accessible curriculum with the scaffolding in place to ensure they are able to be ambitious with their learning. All children within the school, regardless of their level of ability and any disability or special educational needs they may have, are valued for their individual contributions.
External partnerships
What support from outside does the school use to help my child?
The school works with a number of external agencies to seek advice and support to ensure that the needs of all children are fully understood and met. These include:
Educational Psychology Service
Speech and Language Therapy Service
Early Help Team
Community Paediatricians
Occupational Therapists
Visual Impairment Team
Hearing Impairment Team
CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)
Specialist Advisory Teachers
Inclusion Panel (formed by many expert professionals)
Alternative Provisions
Transition
How will the school help my child to move between year groups and schools?
Children and young people with SEND can become particularly anxious about ‘moving on’ and changes, so we seek to support their well-being through successful transition and ensure consistency of support:
When joining our Reception Classes:
The Early Years Lead or SENDCo will contact the pre-school setting to seek information regarding the nature and level of needs for pupils identified with SEND and the provision that has already been offered to overcome these barriers. Discussions will be held with parents/carers to share information. If the pupil has more significant needs and/or has support from other professional agencies, more formal transition meetings will be arranged and documented.
When moving to/from another school:
We will contact the School SENDCo and share information about support currently in place to help your child achieve their learning goals.
We will ensure that all records are passed between schools as soon as possible, securely.
When moving between classes and phases
An information sharing meeting will take place with the new teacher.
Opportunities will be provided for your child to visit the new class and meet the teacher and other key staff.
When moving to secondary school:
Our SENDCo will encourage parents and carers to visit a range of secondary schools and make contact with the Year 7 leader or SENDCo once a school has been named to start planning for transition.
Multi-agency meetings may be arranged to create a more detailed transition plan. Successful arrangements and interventions currently used to support your child can be shared with the receiving school and additional visits to the new setting may be planned to help your child become familiar with the new setting and to reduce any anxieties.
Your involvement in this process will be critical to supporting a successful move.
Support for families
North Somerset Parents Carers Working Together (NSPCWT)
NSPCWT is support group for parents of children with SEND.
Access a network of support through our forum, ask questions and raise issues. Here you can be heard by those who understand what it’s like to be a parent carer.
SAY provides support, information and advice to parents on SEND, EHCPs and support that you are may be eligible to receive.
All services within North Somerset are listed on the Local Offer. This includes services that are specific to SEND and the support your child may receive (clubs, respite, activity days)
Parents/Carers are able to sign up (free) to register your child. This allows you to access support specific to your child's SEND. This could be for trips, clubs, activity days (some activities will have a cost).
Family Fund provides families raising a child with SEND or medically ill children in a low income household with a wide-range of grants for essential items. This could be a kitchen appliance, clothing, bedding, sensory/play equipment or technology for your child.
Information from the School Nursing Service with a 'chat' function to discuss your concerns regarding: sleep, eating, toileting, wellbeing and much more.
Outlining the support your child may receive if they need additional help from a professional in the team.
Outlining the support your child may receive if they need additional help from a physiotherapist.
A new Autism pathway to work towards reducing the waiting list. Information about referral criteria, signpost for support and next steps for people awaiting assessment.
Community Children's Health Partnership
A selection of information, leaflets and videos to support a variety of needs. For example:
THE SEND INFORMATION REPORT
The governing bodies of maintained schools and maintained nursery schools and academy schools must publish information on their websites about the implementation of the governing body’s policy for pupils with SEN.
See below for a link to our SEND Information Report.
If you have any queries, questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact Miss Bryant. If you wish to contact us via email, we will aim to get back to you within 5 working days. However, if you would prefer to make an appointment or speak to us over the telephone, please call: 01934 620738