SEND Support

We are an inclusive school where staff are committed to supporting the needs and aspirations of all our students.

All children have the right to a broad and balanced education, one which allows them to flourish, develop and grow as an individual.

Miss Pritchard, Executive SENCO

We feel that ensuring equality of opportunity and equity requires more than simply treating everybody in the same way. Our vision is to understand and tackle the different individual barriers and challenges a pupil may face.

As a school it is important to us that our students achieve academic success and also develop socially and emotionally to enable them to become confident and independent learners.

We invite you to read our school information report and policy (available in the Policies section) which describes in detail how we identify students who have Special Educational Needs and our use of the graduated approach to support their progress and development.

Areas of Need

We support students with a wide range of Special Educational Needs that fall under each of the four broad categories of need.

Communication and interaction: eg Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Asperger’s Syndrome

Cognition and learning: eg Specific Learning difficulties (SpLD) which includes Dyslexia Dyscalculia and Dyspraxia, Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD), Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) global developmental delay.

Social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH): eg Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Depression, Anorexia, Anxiety.

Sensory and/or physical needs: eg Vision Impairment (VI), Hearing Impairment (HI), Medical needs

Meet The Team

The Inclusion Team is comprised of staff with a range of skills, experience and knowledge. The team receive continuing professional development so that they are able to differentiate fully for the varying needs of a range of students on the additional needs register. To find out about their background and interests please click on their image.

SEND Staff (ID 1027)

Miss A Pritchard

Executive SENCO

Miss A Pritchard

Miss Pritchard is a qualified teacher with a National Award for SEN Co-ordination and a Masters Degree in Education and Special Educational Needs. She holds AMBDA, NPQSL and MRSC. Her areas of interest include Specific Learning Difficulties and Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs.
Mrs H Basri

SENCO

Mrs H Basri

Mrs Basri is a qualified teacher with significant experience working with SEND Students. She has just finished her Masters Degree in English Literature and is currently studying for her National Award for SEN Co-ordination. Her areas of interest include Cognition and Learning, Communication and Interaction, and green spaces to support neurodiverse learning.
Mrs E Allenby

Inclusion Learning Support Manager

Mrs E Allenby

Mrs Allenby is a qualified teacher with significant experience and expertise working with SEND Learners. She has recently completed training on the Alpha to Omega programme. Her areas of interest include Assistive Technology, Scotopic Sensitivity (Irlens) and Physical and Sensory needs.

External Support Agencies

The Inclusion Team maintains strong and productive relationships with a range of local services. These include STARS Autism Support Team, Medical Needs Teaching Service, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Mindmate Leeds, Visual Impairment Team and the Educational Psychology Service.

Working with Parents

We recognise the importance of building and developing supportive and effective relationships with the parents of children with SEND attending our school. Please do get in contact if you would like to discuss the needs of your child or any additional support you feel they may need.

send@stmarysmenston.org

Useful Links

British Dyslexia Association http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/
National Autistic Society https://www.autism.org.uk/
ADHD UK https://adhduk.co.uk/about-adhd/