SEN / Local Offer
SEN/Local Offer September 2024
Staff training and expertise in Special Educational Needs (SEN)
The school’s Inclusion Manager, incorporating the role of Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO), is Sarah Palmer-Haynes. Sarah is a member of the school’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and works as SENCO four days a week. You can contact Sarah via email [email protected]. In addition to Sarah, we have a highly experienced Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) for inclusion who has worked in schools in Portsmouth since 2001. Shireen Hawkins works in school five days a week delivering support to individual children as well as supporting teaching staff and teaching assistants working with children individually, in groups and class.
The school’s SEN/Inclusion governor is Sarah Smy and can be contacted via the school office.
All teachers have general knowledge and understanding of SEN through their initial teacher training, with several undertaking specific undergraduate projects or placements on aspects of SEN, such as autism. Several teachers have previously worked in special educational needs settings. Through their continuing professional development and previous experience, the teaching staff at St Swithun’s has a knowledge and understanding of:
- The relationship between SEN and English as an Additional Language
- Literacy programmes such as Better Reading Partnership
- SEND in Maths
- Intervention strategies such as Precision Teaching
- Speech, language and communication issues including non-verbal
- Autism
- Dyslexia
- Dyspraxia
- Working memory
- Behaviour support
- A range of sensory Difficulties
- Down’s Syndrome
- Attachment disorder
Our Teachers and Teaching Assistants are trained in Read Write Inc (RWI) and deliver small interventions in phonics and reading to close the gaps. One of our teachers is a qualified communicator with the deaf. All teaching assistants have experience in supporting children with SEN within the classroom and in small groups or individual programmes. They have received training in specific intervention programmes and some have had training in aspects of SEN such as specific learning difficulties in literacy or numeracy. Several have specific graduate or post-graduate qualifications in aspects of SEN.
Measuring the effectiveness of SEN provision
At the start of specific SEN programmes, baseline measurements are taken such as reading or spelling scores and they are taken again every half term to ensure that progress is being made. The expectation is that, for the vast majority of children, progress via a specific programme will be double that of their age, so, over three months we would expect at least a six-month increase in scores. Class teachers and support staff discuss with the SENCO regularly the impact of SEN programmes on the child’s performance in class lessons.
Children’s engagement in whole-school activities
Mainly all children identified as having specific needs participate in all aspects of school life, such as PE, Sports Day, music, assembly and school trips. If attending any of these events is not possible due to challenging behaviour, children that are not yet able to follow simple instructions or these events are deemed unsafe for the young person, peers or adults, discussions with the Head Teacher, SENDCo and parents will be arranged.
Social and emotional development
Children experiencing social and emotional difficulties are supported through the general pastoral strength of the whole school staff, especially that of their class teachers. Specific programmes are available for aspects of social and emotional development under the supervision of the SENCO and, where appropriate, a speech and language therapist. These programmes will either be in small groups or set up for individual children.