SEND
Mrs Suzanne Aston is the school's SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) as well as being Deputy Head. She oversees the provision of learning for children with SEND.
She is available to discuss your child's needs by arranging an appointment with the school office:
01132 717206.
Universal offer
Leeds Local Offer: Special Educational Needs & Disability
Information on what the Leeds Local offer is and how to access the different services provided.
Special Educational Needs and Disability Information
Within our school, all children are given the support and encouragement they need to progress well and reach their full potential. To achieve this some children need extra additional support due to having Special Educational Needs within a specific area of learning such as: literacy, mathematics, speech and language development, social communication and behaviour, emotional behaviour development and physical/medical needs. Other children might have a mixture of needs from these different areas of development and therefore also need additional support using a variety of strategies to enable progress.
How Does the School Identify if a Child has SEND?
The decision that a child has special educational needs within an area of development is reached through use of the school tracking and assessment system, discussions with parents, discussions with the child and the school SENCo Mrs Aston. Assessment and discussions may need to happen with support agencies such as: speech and language therapy, educational psychologist, ASD advisory team, the advisory teacher in specific literacy difficulties, school nurse and behaviour outreach teams. If a child is then identified as having specific needs a full Individual Educational Plan devised by staff with support from the SENCo and management team will be set up, stating the overall outcome the plan is aiming for and the targets and strategies to be used to work towards achievement of this outcome. Individual Education Plans are reviewed and updated at least twice a year. Parent and school partnership is vital in identifying a child’s full needs, therefore parents are fully involved in the assessment of needs procedure and are informed of all targeted outcomes and possible provision to be provided.
How the School Supports SEND Needs
To assist progress and attainment for all at Middleton St Mary's, the school has fifteen mainstream classes, this includes a nursery class and all classes are taught by experienced teachers who provide carefully differentiated work to match pupils’ needs. Multi-sensory approaches to teaching i.e. visual imagery and prompts, listening and discussion and practical experiences are used in whole class teaching to support the different styles of learning needs within our pupils. All learning is regularly assessed using the Early Learning Goals and national curriculum expectations to track personal progress. This rigorous tracking of all children, including those with SEND needs, then informs staff on the impact of any interventions used and future targeted outcomes to work towards. The Headteacher, class teacher, SENCo and if required the Cluster are involved in overseeing, planning and reviewing the type and quantity of provision needed to meet specific needs. Targets and interventions are discussed with parents by the class teacher and when necessary the SENCo. Class teachers also discuss targets with children and children have visual reminders/prompts in the class to aid motivation. The school’s governing board are fully informed of SEND support and provision within the school, through the use of school documentation and regular meetings.
Working in Partnership With Parents
The views and participation of all parents in their child’s educational and pastoral development is supported and encouraged at Middleton St Mary's. All parents are invited to a formal parents’ evening twice a year to discuss their child’s progress and are welcome to make additional appointments with their child’s teacher throughout the year – a full written report on progress and attainment is given at the end of the school year. Parents whose children have SEND are a part of this process - they are invited into school to discuss their child’s progress, attainment and needs and to discuss the Individual Education Plan set up for their child twice a year – again additional meetings with the class teacher and SENCo can/will be arranged by either the school or parent when necessary. Within these meetings a child’s progress will be discussed and the class teacher or Senco will advise on how a parent can support their child’s needs and learning at home, also if required, there may be discussion on the involvement of external agencies and the use of their assessment and support. Children with a Statement of Needs/Education, Health and Care Plan will also have an Annual Review meeting each year, to discuss and evaluate their specific provision and the impact this support is having – parents are always invited to this meeting.
If you are unhappy with the provision put in place for your child, please contact Mrs Aston in the first instance and follow the procedure outlined in the complaints procedure.
Autism
Autism is a lifelong, developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people, and how they experience the world around them.
Autism is a spectrum condition. All autistic people share certain difficulties, but being autistic will affect them in different ways. Some people with Asperger syndrome also have mental health issues or other conditions, meaning people need different levels and types of support.
World Autism Day Video
A video highlighting the sensory overload that can be experience by autistic children everyday.
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| Autistic Spectrum Disorder App Wheel.pdf | Download |
Aspergers Syndrome
Like other autism profiles, Asperger syndrome is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others.
People with Asperger syndrome see, hear and feel the world differently to other people. If you have Asperger syndrome, you have it for life – it is not an illness or disease and cannot be ‘cured’. Often people feel that Asperger syndrome is a fundamental aspect of their identity.
People with Asperger syndrome are of average or above average intelligence. They do not usually have the learning disabilities that many autistic people have, but they may have specific learning difficulties. They have fewer problems with speech but may still have difficulties with understanding and processing language.
Leeds SENDIASS
SENDIASS is an impartial, confidential, arm's length from the Local Authority and schools, free and accessible to all parents and carers of children with special educational needs and disability.
Leeds SEND Information Advice Support Service involve parents children and young people in discussions and decisions about their individual support.
Leeds SEND Information Advice Support Service will work with parents children and young people to ensure that they are fully involved in the planning of SEN support for their individual needs in early years settings, schools and colleges.
Speech and Language
Speech and language therapy is concerned with the identification, assessment and support of speech, language and communication needs of children.
Our school works closely with the Speech and Language Therapy from the NHS and pay for extra traded time within school.
We have 2 specific speech and language teaching assistants who work with children throughout school. They work using the recommendations from the qualified speech and language therapist.
Speech and Language Toolkit
Resources to support specific speech and language difficulties.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that primarily affects the ability to learn to read and spell. It often runs in families and stems from a difficulty in processing the sounds in words.
