Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
At St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School and Nursery we are committed to offering an inclusive curriculum to ensure the best possible outcomes for all our pupils whatever their needs or abilities. We follow the Cheshire East SEND Toolkit.
Provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities is co-ordinated by Mrs. L Hemming. The governor responsible for Special Educational needs is Mrs. N Povey.
The Equality Act 2010 describes a disability as ‘…a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. This includes sensory impairments such as those affecting sight or hearing, and long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, and cancer. Children and young people with such conditions do not necessarily have SEN, but there is a significant overlap between disabled children and those with SEN.’
As an inclusive school, St Mary’s Catholic Primary School makes reasonable adjustments to meet the needs of disabled children and fulfill the requirements of disability equality legislation- please also refer to the Special Educational Needs Disabilities Policy
For most children, the universal provision available in every class will enable them to make progress. Children with special educational needs and disabilities [SEND] may need more targeted provision to make progress. Some children may need a School Support Plan (SSP) with outlines targets termly. Parents and external agencies are consulted with at this process. As, are the children, as pupil voice is extremely important.
A small number of children may have significant complex needs and the Local Authority may have agreed an Education, Health and Care Plan [EHCP] detailing their needs and provision.
- St. Mary’s liaises with many external agencies where further advice is needed to support children with special educational needs and disabilities. These include:
- Educational psychology service
- Community paediatrics
- School nurse service
- Speech and language therapy service
- Occupational health service
- Physiotherapy service
- Sensory impairment service
- The Autism Team
School shares any concerns with parents and asks for consent before any of the above agencies are consulted. If parents or carers have any concerns about their child, they should contact the class teacher in the first instance, who will then refer to the SENDCo if required. We work, very much in collaboration with parents and external agencies to meet an individual child’s needs. We ensure that parents are informed at all stages of the SEND process to ensure a positive relationship.
Our policy is constantly reviewed and monitored and our practise and provision is also monitored regularly, and adjustments are made if required. As a school the provision for any child with SEND is the responsibility of the whole school staff. As a school, we use the graduated approach and use all paperwork from the Cheshire East Toolkit.
SEND Information booklet for parents
Agencies to Support SEND Pupils
