SEND

Here at St Mary’s we recognise that every child is a ‘unique child of God’ PSLAMS 139, and each child has its own unique character, its own gifts and individual needs. We aim to meet these needs of all our pupils. We recognise that some individuals may have barriers that others do not, we aim to identify and beak these barriers down to create a fully inclusive and accessibly school for all who attend St Mary’s.

Any child with Special Educational Needs and/or Disability (SEND) will still gain a high-quality broad, balanced and rich education, as all of our children will. All of our SEN children will be challenged with our same high expectations for achievement. We have developed a SEN policy to meet the needs of all pupils with learning difficulties. Our pupils are assessed and level of attainment is ascertained upon entry, the class teachers will make regular assessments of progress for all pupils and be able to identify those whose progress:

• Is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline.
• Fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress.
• Fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers.
• Widens the attainment gap.

This includes progress in areas of personal and social development as well as academic needs. Slow progress and low attainment will not automatically mean a pupil is recorded as having SEND but will receive targeted interventions. We are aware that there may be other factors that can impact on progress and attainment.

We believe that it is essential to maintain communication between parents/carers and any other outside agencies that may need to be involved, and just as important is the voice of the child and we will have early discussions with pupils and their parents/carers to identify any provisions that may be required. Through use of targeted intervention and regular assessments, we will ensure that provisions for each child will be as unique as they are.

Should you have any concerns for your child please feel free to contact our Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) Peter Kyles on 01455 318277 to discuss matters.

“Pupils with special educational needs/or disabilities (SEND) follow the same curriculum as other pupils. Teachers use ‘pupil profiles’ effectively to adapt their teaching so that pupils with SEND can access the learning. Staff then provide pupils with effective, targeted support to help them successfully improve their learning.”     

Ofsted January 2023 

Below you will find our SEN policy and some helpful links for advice and further support: