Welcome to St Mark's Special Educational Needs and Disability  page.

Miss Hambleton is our school SENDCo. as well as our Deputy Head. She works alongside Mrs Catto who is our SENDCo. Support Assistant (Tue-Thurs).

Mrs Coldwell, our Family Support Advisor (FSA), works alongside Mis Hambleton and Mrs Catto and supports both parents and children with the social and emotional aspects of learning.

St Mark's Vision for children with SEND

At St Mark’s, we aim to be an inclusive school that develops the self-esteem and independence of all our learners. We recognise that each child has individual and unique needs and encourage all children to develop a positive attitude towards their learning and behaviour. All staff have high aspirations for all the pupils in their care. We ensure that all children have access to a broad and balanced curriculum that is adapted to meet individual children’s needs ensuring high expectations for all so that all pupils are encouraged to realise their full potential and to, “Let Their Light Shine”.   

We provide a learning environment that is accessible to all children and, where required, tailored to individual needs. The children are provided with high quality teaching opportunities and a curriculum which is structured to allow them to remember and do more through deepening their understanding of the world around them.  

We believe that a team approach is key to children’s success. We place the child at the centre of decisions ensuring that their voice is listened to and acted upon. All teachers are teachers of SEND and we work collaboratively with parents and carers recognising the valuable and unique insight they have into how their child learns and behaves. Children are given challenging but achievable targets which are suited to their own individual needs. Parents are invited in for regular meetings and there is an open-door policy to both the class teacher, SENDCo and Headteacher at other times. 

By the time that children leave St Mark’s Primary School, we aim for all children, including those with additional needs, to be confident, independent, and empowered learners who can communicate their needs and how they learn best. We want them to recognise the power and impact of their own voice and for them to feel ready to move on to the next stage of their learning with the belief that they can succeed.  

Our school St Mark's BLOG is regularly updated with links to courses and information which would support parents.

Additional Support for Children with children with Special Educational Needs or who have Disabilities (SEND)

What is SEND?

Some children find learning more challenging than others and may need extra support to achieve their full potential. Some children have physical difficulties and may need more support to access the curriculum.

For example, they might have difficulty with:

• Expressing themselves
• Interacting with others
• Reading, writing and maths
• Following lessons
• Controlling their emotions
• Sensory or physical mobility

These difficulties can be barriers to learning. At St Mark’s we assess all children to identify their strengths and needs and how we can best support them.

Children who need extra help with their learning may receive additional support under one of the following categories:

• SEN support 
• An Education Health Care (EHC) Plan

What is SEND support?

SEND support describes the additional help which assists children to access the curriculum.

All children receive high quality differentiated teaching.

Children making slower progress may need high quality teaching plus extra short term support. For example extra help in the classroom or small group support.

For children who despite the short term additional support are still making less progress than their peers may need additional long-term individualised support and/or support from specialists such as speech and language therapists or educational psychologists.  

We will work with you, as parents, when agreeing what support we can provide and the impact the support should have.

What is an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP)?

Children who have complex learning and/or physical needs may need an assessment for an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP).

Graduated Approach to Additional Support for your child.

We use a four part cycle of Assess, Plan, Do, Review to support the children’s learning. This means the teaching staff and Miss Hambleton, SENDCo, identify that extra support is needed in order for a child to make progress. Appropriate support is then put in place and checked regularly so the amount and kind of support can be changed if necessary. We will share information about the support and progress with you regularly through formal and informal meetings and Pupil Passport meetings.

FAQs

How do I know if my child needs SEN support?

If your child is not making expected progress for his/her year group, he/she may need SEN support.

Class teachers and Miss Hambleton, SENDCo, assess each child’s progress and needs closely and they will always discuss this with you before placing your child on SEN support.

How will the school decide what type of support my child receives?

We understand that every child’s needs are different, and that these may change over time.

We assess each child’s needs closely to identify which support suits them best.

We regularly review the support your child receives to see what is working and what isn’t, and we welcome your views on this also.

What if I think my child needs further support?

Please speak to your child’s class teacher or Miss Hambleton, SENDCo, who may recommend carrying out further assessment or an EHC needs assessment.

Where to go for more information

Contact the school

If you have any questions about the support your child is receiving or about SEND more generally, please speak to your child’s class teacher or Miss Hambleton, SENDCo.  

See our SEN policy

The school’s SEND policy sets out more detailed information about the support available for children with SEN and disabilities.

You can access the policy on our website below.

External Links

The government’s SEND Code of Practice and the related guide for parents have more information about the topics outlined here.

SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years, GOV.UK – DfE 

SEND: a guide for parents and carers, GOV.UK – DfE 

Supportive Parents

Support for parents, children and young people about SEND

IPSEA                

IPSEA is a charity that helps parents and professionals to support children with SEN and disabilities: