At  St Joseph’s  we uphold every child’s right to education and recognise the diverse educational needs within our community. We acknowledge those needs may change and require a range of provision. We believe we have a duty to offer that provision where we can, to foster inclusion and provide full educational access to all children.

Some children need increased support to access learning because:

1. they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age;
2. they have a disability as defined under the Equality Act, which affects their ability to access and benefit from the educational opportunities generally enjoyed by children of the same age.
3. SEND is categorized into four areas and we use the 2014 Code of Practice to help us identify the need and then follow the graduated response provided by Rotherham LA which states how to best support different needs. The four areas are Physical, Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Cognition & Learning
4. Communication and Interaction.

To ensure that any barriers to equal access in our school are removed or overcome we monitor and track the progress of all children so that the support provided is as effective as possible.  We welcome the full engagement of parents and carers and will,  where necessary seek support and advice from specialists outside school to ensure we develop and maintain a range of flexible resources to meet the needs of all our children.

What Should I Do If I Think My Child Has Special Educational Needs?

• Talk to their class teacher about their progress and raise your concerns
• If your concerns continue, arrange a meeting to talk to the SENDco about next steps – e-mail or ring the school to make an appointment to meet with Mrs Gaunt

How Does St Joseph’s Identify SEND Pupils?

• Because we track the progress of all children half termly, we quickly notice if there is an area where a pupil is struggling and can then
• Class teachers will raise the concern with the SENDCo and your child’s progress will be monitored and different strategies and support used
• Should we have a concern then we will contact you as parent/carer to discuss it and agree the next steps
• Our staff have up to date training so that they are able to raise concerns

How Does St Joseph’s Support A Child With SEND?

1. A) Quality First Teaching – this is from the class teacher who’s responsibility it is to target teaching to meet the needs of each child in their class

They will use different styles and approaches so that your child is fully involved in their learning.

1. B) Specific group work – this is targeted to support children who have struggled with a particular area of learning. These are delivered by the Teaching assistants who are specially trained in either Literacy or Numeracy Your child will be closely monitored you will be involved in setting targets for their monitoring plan.
2. C) Implementing Strategies from outside agencies – . These agencies will carry out specific assessments and then suggest extra strategies which can be used to support your child in class. You will be asked for permission before they work with your child and the work that they do will be shared with you. School will implement these and their effectiveness will be reviewed termly, along with new targets being set.
3. D) One to One support- should your child need constant support, they will have an Education, Health and Care Plan. This will state exactly what their needs are and how best to support them to access the curriculum fully. Outside agencies will be involved and the support will be fully reviewed yearly, with ther review meetings in between
4. E) Whatever your child’s need, support is available from the appropriate agency and SENDCo and adjustments will be made for them to access school fully alongside their peers. To enable this, regular review meetings will be held as we welcome insights and support from parents so that we can work in partnership with them

We draw on advice and support from a range of agencies:

• Learning Support Service
• Educational Psychology
• Early Help
• Autism Communication Team
• Visual Impaired Team
• Hearing Impaired Team
• Occupational Therapist
• School Nurse
• Speech and Language
• Child Development Centre
• CAHMS (Mental Health Services

What Support Do We Have For You As A Parent With A Child With SEND?

Regular meetings are held to discuss how your child is progressing at school, both academically and socially. Progress and strategies from outside agencies will be shared and reviewed.  Your views and your child’s views will always be included to ensure that we are working in partnership. Should you need additional support at home we can refer you to Early Help for a Family Support Worker.

How is St Joseph’s School Accessible to children with SEND?

Currently, we have a three-year accessibility plan which we are following to ensure that the whole school is available and safe to all pupils. This plan is in line with schedule 10 of the Equality Act and the SEND Code of Practice.

Pupils who have a physical disability will have bespoke individual care plans in place to identify how they will be supported to move around the site. We work closely with outside agencies and parents to develop these.

The school is equipped with disabled toilets with a changing bed should they be needed.

How will children be included on school trips and activities outside the classroom.?

All children are entitled to be included on school trips. We will provide the necessary support to ensure that this a trip is both safe and successful. A risk assessment is always carried out before any off-site trip to ensure that we can out in place the necessary support and provide appropriate equipment.

What Support Does St Joseph’s Have For Children With Medical Needs?

Should your child need regular medicine, then we can administer this provided you complete the necessary forms available at reception. If your child needs a care plan, this will be drawn up with the school nurse, parents and SENDco and regularly reviewed