Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

Our school SENCO is Jessica Ferguson.

All pupils are welcome at St Levan Primary School regardless of any individual needs. We always aim to meet or adapt practice to suit all pupils’ needs.

We provide for pupils with needs in the following areas:

  • Communication and Interaction - this includes children with speech and language delay, impairments or disorders and those who demonstrate features within the autistic spectrum.
  • Cognition and Learning - this includes children who demonstrate features of moderate, severe or profound learning difficulties or specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia or dyspraxia.
  • Social, Mental and Emotional Health - this includes children who may be withdrawn or isolated, hyperactive or lack concentration and those who display disruptive or disturbing behaviour.
  • Sensory and/or Physical Needs - this includes children with sensory, multi-sensory and physical difficulties. This may include pupils with hearing or visual impairments or those who benefit from a sensory diet.

The SEND Code of Practice

The Code of Practice for Special Education Needs gives the school the responsibility of identifying children with special educational needs and ensuring appropriate provision is made.

It is the policy of the school to identify any child with a special educational need at the earliest possible age in order that the appropriate provision can be made. Those experiencing difficulties will, after consultation with parents, be placed on the SEND register.

The role of the parents in identifying and helping their child with special difficulties is vital, and the school uses its policy of parental consultations to the full to maintain a close working relationship.

Not all children who are identified as having special educational needs have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). For these children, who often have language or reading difficulties, we endeavour to offer support in the classroom using non-teaching staff, and the advice of our SEN co-ordinator (SENCO). The support these children are given is often on a daily basis and is linked whenever possible with the planned work of the class.

For a very small number of children a formal assessment of educational need is made, and an EHCP written which identifies the help needed and recommends appropriate action. The procedure involves the School Doctor, the Educational Psychologist, the teaching staff and other professional bodies who may be able to offer advice. This can be a lengthy process and the school will offer as much support to parents as possible.

The provision that is made for children with an EHCP is varied and may consist of short periods of specialist teaching, ancillary support, physiotherapy, or possibly a place in another school offering specialist provision. The EHCPs of the children are reviewed annually, and parents are fully involved in this process.

SEND Information Report
School Offer

Our school offer is to be understood alongside the local offer. This comprises a directory of services that parents can access. Cornwall’s local offer can be found here:

https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/education-and-learning/schools-and-colleges/special-educational-needs-file/cornwall-send-local-offer/

Strategies for Supporting Pupils with SEND across the Curriculum
Mental Health Support Team
 
To meet the needs of pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, we are very lucky to be working with the local MHST. Here's a welcome from our School's Educational Mental Health Practitioner (EMPH), Sarah.
 
Hi my name is Sarah Sejahtera. I am the Education Mental Health Practitioner for St Levan school.
 
I spend every Wednesday morning in school and support the school to embed emotional wellbeing into the school community. This includes delivering workshops to your children on topics such as the transition to secondary school. My role also includes supporting families whose children might be struggling with worries, feeling sad or some behavioural difficulties through delivering low intensity cognitive behaviour therapy (LI-CBT).
 
If you think I might be able to help your family, please feel free to discuss this with Jessica Ferguson, your school Mental Health Lead, or I’m happy to give you a call to discuss things further if you’d prefer. You can contact me via the school office.
We also have our very own ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant), Jackie Trembath, who supports pupils' emotional wellbeing throughout the week. 
 
Jackie can support pupils in a range of areas including:
 
  • emotional awareness
  • social skills
  • friendship skills
  • self-esteem
  • anger management
 
Please contact Jessica Ferguson if you think your child may benefit from ELSA or EMHP support.
Dyslexia Screening
 
The Dyslexia Screening Test (DST-J) is a method of checking whether a child is displaying signs of having dyslexia or related problems in reading. To help identify children who are experiencing these difficulties as early as possible, we screen all pupils when they are in Year Two. This allows us to put appropriate support in place before children move to the Puffins class (KS2). Please read the letter below for further information.
Quotes
 
"They are lucky to have such a dedicated and kind teacher. She has continued to thrive this year and we appreciate all the effort you went to, to treat her as an individual." - parent
 
"Just to let you know how deeply we have appreciated every extraordinary effort you have made to make the girls’ experience in school and at home as wonderful as possible. We have felt very supported through such a difficult year, in every way." - parent
 
"St Levan is an oasis of bespoke learning," - staff member
 
"I really like the differentiation tailored to the individuals. It is individual yet inclusive support." - Teaching Assistant
 
"In summary, children are immersed as individuals, with highly personalised learning... at all levels.... at St Levan School." School Effectiveness Consultant
 
 
Photos
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