INCLUSION AND SEND

 St Andrew’s C of E Primary School

Growing Learners to Live in God’s World

 ‘All are made in the image of God, and loved by God. Through the example of Jesus, all are called to live embodied, fulfilled human lives.’ (Genesis 1:27)

As a school, our inclusive approach to teaching and learning intends to develop, in all children, a love of learning, skills for life, good self-esteem and belief in their abilities. This is underpinned by our school principles of Wisdom, Grace and Hope.

Our school's inclusive vision

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Important Documents 

 

What it looks like at St Andrew's - Inclusion Policy Summary

Our policy outlines the inclusive education approach of St Andrew’s School, emphasising that all children, regardless of background or ability, are valued and supported. Our school fosters a nurturing environment where every child is encouraged to reach their full potential through an inclusive curriculum that accommodates diverse learning needs. Key aspects include:

  1. Inclusive Values: Rooted in the belief that all children are made in the image of God, our school promotes a sense of belonging and celebrates diversity, underpinned by the principles of Wisdom, Grace, and Hope.
  2. Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND): Our school ensures that all children, including those with SEND, have equal access to education through reasonable adjustments, targeted interventions, and collaboration with parents and external agencies. Teachers and staff share responsibility for supporting SEND students.
  3. Individual Support: Children’s unique needs are addressed through tailored strategies like Quality First Teaching, small group interventions, The Hive adapted English provision and, when necessary, personalised programs, with support from specialists and outside agencies.
  4. Collaboration: Our school works closely with parents, external professionals, and the local authority to provide the best possible educational experiences for children with SEND.
  5. Well-being and Inclusion: A key focus is on the well-being and emotional health of all pupils, with additional programs for those requiring further support in areas like emotional regulation and social skills.
  6. Accessibility: Our school environment and activities, including school trips, are designed to be accessible to all, ensuring that no child is excluded due to disability or special needs.
  7. Training and Expertise: Our staff are continually trained in areas such as autism, ADHD, emotional literacy, and trauma, ensuring they are equipped to support the diverse needs of all students.

Our school’s goal is to ensure that every child, regardless of their needs or background, feels valued, supported, and prepared for future success.

 The SEND Team

 All our staff at St Andrew's have an amazing understand and are supportive of those pupils who are neurodiverse or SEND. If you require further support our SEND team include: 

Mrs Lizzie Cooper

SENDCO 

 

Mrs Jennifer D’Urban Jackson

Emotional Literacy Support Assistant/Pastoral Assistant

 

 Mrs Kate Trolley

Inclusion Governor

Parents

The SEND team at St Andrew’s want to hear from you about what is working for your child and what could be better. Please remember to always ask: we want to help! You are encouraged to make appointments with us to discuss any concerns you may have about your child's progress or any issues you feel are relevant to school life. The SEND team will keep you informed about any concerns we have, or any important updates about your child.

Please see the SEND information report above to see our timeline for collaboration between parent, pupils and school. 

 Celebration of inclusive practice - West Sussex

We are incredibly proud to say that we have been awarded the Autism Aware Award (2024-2027) - Gold Standard for our Inclusive practice at our school. 


We have also had two Case Studies as part of West Sussex County Council's Inclusive Tools for Schools published.

1) As part of work on embedding the Zones of Regulation Approach, we devised and implemented a whole school system called 'Getting to Green', where children explore what their personal Green Zone looks like, as well as strategies to bring themselves back into a place of readiness to learn. We make sure to acknowledge that all feelings are important and none are 'bad'; celebrating children's resilience and ability to spot patterns in their responses to certain situations. As a school, we have designed 'Getting to My Green Zone' boxes for all children to access. In particular, children with sensory processing difficulties may need to use these regulating tools to help them to be ready to learn. Some children are provided with their own personalised table-top toolkits.

 

2) We have implemented a flexible seating approach across our whole school. This means all children, in all classes have access to standing desks, floor desks and a variety of different seating options best suited to their needs. This has allowed our pupils to have their sensory needs met during the day and are able to focus their full attention on their learning.  The case study is in our key documents above which explains the approach fully. 

If you feel that your child struggles to focus, sit still, communicate about their feelings or regularly becomes overwhelmed in demanding or busy environments, please contact the school SENDCO at sendco@stap.school for supportive strategies. 

Further Support and Services

If you would like to discuss any matters with us please do not hesitate to contact us. You can email or phone the school office to make an appointment.

 The Local Offer brings together information about the help and support available for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their families.

https://westsussex.local-offer.org/

For further information about how we support learners with a variety of needs, please look at the SEN Information report and the Intent, Implementation and Impact documents which can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

 Admissions

The arrangements for the admission of pupils with disabilities is in common with that for other pupils.  Please refer to our admission policy.  If you would like to discuss your child's needs, please telephone the School Office to make an appointment.

Complaints

 Arrangements for handling complaints from parents of children with SEND about the school’s support are within the scope of the school’s complaints procedure. Where parents have specific complaints about the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) procedures, they should contact the Local Authority at senat.north@westsussex.gov.uk