St Mark's C.E Primary School - Organisations

What kinds of SEND does the school provide for?

Our SEN provision covers all four broad areas of need:

• Cognition and Learning: Difficulties with reading, writing, maths and thinking
• Communication and Interaction: Problems understanding or using language, speech or social skills.
• Social, Emotional & Mental Health: Issues with feelings, behaviour or mental wellbeing.
• Sensory & Physical: Difficulties with sight hearing, movement ot physical health.

The school provides for a range of needs within these areas. Some pupils may have needs in more than one area and needs can change over time.

How we identify a pupil’s SEND needs

1. Parent or teacher raises a concern – you can speak to the class teacher or SENDCO.
2. Information from previous school or professionals – e.g. medical diagnosis, speech‑language therapist report.
3. Observation of progress – if a pupil is not making expected progress, we investigate.
4. Formal assessment – carried out by the SENDCO or external specialists if needed.

How we support pupils

• Quality First Teaching for all – the first step for every pupil.
• Additional small‑group or 1:1 support– focused teaching for specific needs.
• Pupil passport – jointly created with parents and pupils, including SMART targets
• Intervention programmes tailored to the pupil’s specific needs.

Monitoring Progress

• Termly reviews of pupil passports
• Feedback from teachers and support staff
• Parent-teacher meetings twice a year
• Termly reports in autumn and spring term and an annual report in the summer term detailing progress and next steps
• Annual reviews for pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)

Specialist Services

We work with:

• Speech & Language Therapists (SaLT),
• Educational Psychologists
• Occupational Therapists
• Hearing and Visual Impairment support services
• CAMHS and other health professionals

Staff receive ongoing CPD to deliver interventions and meet medical or SEND needs.

Inclusion in Activities & Trips

• Risk assessments for all trips and extracurricular activities
• Appropriate adult-to-pupil ratios, including 1:1 support where necessary
• Accessible venues and resources for pupils with mobility or sensory needs
• Outdoor learning environments are adapted for all pupils

Accessibility

• Annual review of accessibility plan
• Disabled toilet facilities
• Accessible resources and staff trained to support physical needs

Transition Support

Within school:

• Handover meetings between teachers
• Transition visits for pupils with their new teacher

To another school / secondary:

• Liaison with receiving school’s SEND staff
• Transfer of records and support information
• Secondary school visits and familiarisation sessions

Resources & Support Allocation

• Additional SEND funding used for teaching assistants, interventions, and resources
• Highest support is given to pupils with the most complex needs

Decision‑making and Parent Involvement

• Pupil progress meetings – held each term with teacher, headteacher and deputy heads (One is responsible for inclusion)
• Inclusion meetings- held each term with class teachers and SENCO
• Joint decisions – parents, teachers, SENDCO and external professionals.
• Termly pupil passport review meetings ensure parents and pupils contribute to planning
• Education, Health & Care (EHC) plans reviewed conducted annually with all stakeholders– for pupils with an EHC plan, support follows the plan’s recommendations.

Pupils with medical needs

• Every pupil who has a medical condition receives a Health Care Plan.
• The plan is written by the school together with the relevant health professionals, the pupil’s parents and, where appropriate, the pupil themselves.
• All staff who give medication are trained and are signed‑off as competent by the school nurse.
• Medicine‑administration procedures follow the Local Authority policy and the Department for Education’s statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions (December 2015).

What do I do if I want to make a complaint?

1. Informal discussion – speak to the class teacher, headteacher or deputy head.
2. Formal complaint – write to the school office; the complaint will be handled according to the school’s complaints policy.

Local SEND support (SENDIASS)

For further information about the Local Offer in Stoke on Trent please visit:

https://localoffer.stoke.gov.uk