SEND

Our school is an inclusive school where every child matters; we aim to address children’s needs and support their development in the most appropriate way possible and celebrate effort as much as achievement. Our school’s SEND policy document is available on this website, detailing our philosophy in relation to SEND.

Additional and/or different provision is currently being made in school for children with a range of needs, including:

1. Cognition and Learning – Moderate learning difficulties; Specific learning difficulties - dyslexia, dyspraxia.
2. Sensory, Medical and Physical – hearing and sight impairment and sensory processing difficulties
3. Communication and Interaction – autistic spectrum condition, Asperger’s Syndrome, selective mutism, speech and language difficulties.
4. Social, Emotional and Mental Health – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

• Our Inclusion Leader and SENCo has a broad experience in the field of SEND and both hold the SENCO accreditation. The members of the Inclusion Team all specialise in different areas: Pastoral, EAL, Specific Learning Difficulties.
• Our team of 20 1:1 Teaching Assistants have extensive experience and training in planning, delivering and assessing intervention programmes.
• All our staff are trained each year on the needs of new pupils joining the school – this can include training from specialist agencies or consultants, as well as from our Inclusion Leader or other staff with relevant expertise.
• SEND training forms part of the continuing professional development of all teachers and TAs and is organised in accordance with the needs of our children.
• The school works closely with other local schools, sharing training opportunities including INSET days and outside experts.
• The Inclusion Leader meets with the senior leadership team once per half term to review and plan the training, guidance and advice that staff across the school need to ensure they meet the additional learning requirements of our children.

Inclusion

Bishop Aldhelm’s Church of England Primary School’s Inclusion Team is headed up by Miss Sharpe (our Deputy Head Teacher and Inclusion Leader) and Lucy Strickland (our SENCo).  Working closely in the team are Miss Stickland (Inclusion Champion), Miss Piwowarska (EAL Champion), Mrs Martin (ELSA trained TA) and Jo Farmer (Pastoral Care Worker). The team work together to develop all aspects of Inclusion including SEN, English as an Additional Language (EAL) and Pupil Premium.

We know how vital working in partnership with parents is, if children are to find school a positive and rewarding experience.  With this in mind please do not hesitate to contact us via the school office for an appointment to discuss your child’s needs.

Our Inclusion Governor is Su Spence. 

 

Inclusion Presentations

The Inclusion Team do presentations to parents every term. Links to each of the presentations can be found in the 'Downloads' section below. 

A recording of the November Presentation 'Supporting children with traits of Dyslexia' can be found on our YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/q4veMO-5flw

 

Useful Websites

Parenting Support

Our goal is to deliver evidence-based programs and materials that develop positive parent-teacher-child relationships and assist in preventing and treating behavior problems and promoting social, emotional, and academic competence before a child becomes an adult.

http://www.incredibleyears.com/

Contact a Family (CaF)- support families with guidance and information. They bring families together to support each other.

www.cafamily.org.uk

Cerebra - help to support parents/carers with children who have sleep issues. Useful parent guides on a range of different areas.  

http://w3.cerebra.org.uk/

Learning Support

Hungry Little Minds- a website with lots of fun, practical activities to do with 0-5 year olds to help them be ready for school. 

https://hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk/

Ideas for how to help your child with their reading and maths at home. 

https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/

265 free educational interactive teaching resources and activities for primary children.

www.crickweb.co.uk

ICT activities linked to the English National Curriculum. All games are designed, made by and © copyright 2012 of James Barrett.

www.ictgames.com 

Mental Health

'Where's Your Head At?' is split into four different zones for children Kids Zone, teenagers, parents, carers and professionals. The site provides helpful information and advice about young people's mental health and emotional well-being. 

http://www.wheresyourheadat.co.uk

Young Minds – a national charity committed to champion children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing across the UK.

www.youngminds.org.uk

Mental Health Foundation has on-line information about anxiety, depression, ADHD etc.

www.mentalhealth.org.uk

Dyslexia

Support for children with dyslexia. 

http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/parent

Dyspraxia

Offers information and supports individuals and families affected by developmental dyspraxia through books, suggestions, a teen newsletter, and an adult support group.

http://dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk

Autism

The UK's most comprehensive directory of services and support for people on the autism spectrum, their families, and people who work with them. 

http://www.autism.org.uk

A comprehensive site with a useful resource library.

www.autismspeaks.org

Free social stories covering everything from behaviour to toilet training. They also have included stories showing sequential processing, the steps for what to expect in a variety of activities. Some are text only and others include pictures.

www.oneplaceforspecialneeds.com/main/library_social_stories.html

Speech and Language

Speech and Language Services – Talking Point gives parents/carers and practitioners the information they need to help children develop their speech, language and communication skills.

www.talkingpoint.org.uk   

Poole SEND Information Advice Support Service (SENDIASS)

SENDIASS offer free, impartial and confidential advice, information and support on special educational needs and disability, including social care and health issues.

http://www.poole.gov.uk/education-and-learning/parental-support/poole-send-information-advice-and-support-service/

What does it mean?!...

In the area of special needs, there are a number of different acronyms which can be very confusing if you don’t know what they stand for. The list below will hopefully help you decipher some of the acronyms that are used!

ADD: Attention Deficit Disorder

ADHS: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ASD: Autism Spectrum Disorder

CAMHS: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

EHCP: Education, Health & Care Plan

EP: Educational Psychologist

EWO: Education Welfare Officer

FOW: Family Outreach Worker

HI: Hearing Impairment

IEP: Individual Education Plan

LA: Local Authority

MLD: Moderate Learning Difficulty

MSI: Multi-Sensory Impairment

ODD: Oppositional Defiant Disorder

OT: Occupational Therapy/Therapist

PD: Physical Disability

PMLD: Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties

PR: Parental Responsibility

PT: Physiotherapy/Physiotherapist

SALT/SLT: Speech & Language Therapy/Therapist

SC: Social Care

SEN: Special Educational Needs

SEND Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

SENCo: Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator

SLCN: Speech, Language & Communication Needs

SLD: Severe Learning Difficulties

SpLD: Specific Learning Difficulties

TA: Teaching Assistant

VI: Visual Impairment

Multi-Sensory Room

A Multi-Sensory Room is a place where children with special needs can explore and develop their senses and skills and we have such a room at Bishop Aldhelm’s! Our Multi-Sensory Room has many different features ranging from soft play areas, padded floors and interactive equipment.  The latter enables us to make dramatic changes to the Multi-Sensory Room environment using sound, lighting and fragrancing. 

The Multi-Sensory Room can engage children whose learning is through play, for example from following bright lights, shapes and patterns with their eyes to pressing buttons to make the Multi-Sensory Room change colour. Users become interested in their environment. Furthermore due to the flexible functionality of the Multi-Sensory Room it can also be used to calm and de-stress.  The concept of the Multi-Sensory Room is quite simple ... place a person with special needs in a pleasant environment where the distractions of the outside world are completely absent, present them with music and attention-grabbing moving colours and shapes and then add the ability for the person to actually make things happen that are so dramatic that they cannot be missed and you have the building blocks of real progress.

We strongly believe that achievement and enjoyment go hand in hand and have high expectations in all areas, especially behaviour, progression and attainment.  We want the children who attend Bishop Aldhelm’s to leave with the skills, values and attitudes they need to be successful in their next stage of education and beyond.