Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator
Overseeing all of the provision for children with additional needs at St. Matthew's is Mrs Maria Van Dam, the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo). Please do not hesitate to make an appointment or pop in to speak to Mrs Van Dam if you have anything to discuss.
School Support
If it is felt that a more formal level of support would benefit the child, the class teacher, along with other support staff and advice from the SENCo, would plan an appropriately differentiated curriculum for the child. This ensures that the child continues to receive high quality teaching and learning, effective support and use of appropriate resources or interventions, as necessary.
The image below is a Provision Map detailing many of the interventions and/or provisions we provide for children at St. Matthew's:
A Pupil Support Plan (PSP) (formerly known as an Individual Education Plan-IEP or Individual Behaviour Plan - IBP) may be put in place to set achievable targets for each child. PSPs are reviewed regularly using evidence of the impact of any interventions. The class teacher tracks progress to ensure planning accurately addresses the individual needs of each pupil. The class teacher and SENCo meet each term to review strategies, interventions, progress and next steps. Where appropriate, children can be involved in setting their own targets and can review them alongside teachers. Parents are vital partners in the child’s journey through school and are invited to review their child’s progress at Parent’s Evenings and other drop-in sessions throughout the year.
The document below is an example PSP, based on a child with Developmental Co-ordination Disorder* (DCD *also known as Dyspraxia):
External Agencies
Support for children may also be sought from external agencies, where necessary, in order to increase learning potential. Our school works closely with a number of agencies, including: Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Health Services, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), STARS (Autism), the Deaf and Hearing-Impaired team (DAHIT), The Donkey Sanctuary, local authority services e.g. school improvement, Educational Psychologist, Complex Needs Team, as well as cluster services e.g. behaviour support, family outreach/counselling etc. We also liaise with High Schools during Year 5 and 6 in order to provide transition support for pupils with SEN moving onto the next phase in their school career.
To see what's offer across Leeds for children with SEN and their families, you can follow the link below to the Leeds Local Offer website: http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages/Leeds-local-offer.aspx
Reporting/Policies
The SENCo works in partnership with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Governing Body, who are responsible for monitoring and evaluating SEN provision throughout school.
Our school policies (including the SEN policy) reflect the school’s commitment to inclusion, safety and general well-being for all children and staff. Please follow the link below to get further information about our policies.
If you have any questions or comments, please email Mrs Van Dam using the contact form below: