SENCO Contact

SENCO - Mrs Birch

head@st-marysgreateccleston.lancs.sch.uk

Disability Equality and Special Educational Needs

We recognise the definition of a disabled person as stated in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as being anyone who has “a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse affect on that person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities.”

At St Mary’s we believe it is the right of every child to receive an education appropriate to his/her needs. This includes the maximum possible access to the National Curriculum. Our approach to the education of children with Special Educational Needs/Disabilities is to:

• integrate each child in school as fully as is reasonably possible; 
• provide the opportunity for each child to experience and participate in each area of the curriculum as fully as is reasonably possible;
• provide the opportunity for each child to experience and participate in school life as fully as possible;
• enable each child to gain a sense of achievement and have no fear of failure or recrimination;
• nurture each child to reach their optimum potential.       

Our Accessibility Plan which outlines the arrangements St Mary’s School has in place to improve access to: the curriculum, written information and the school building is available from the school office or can be found on the school’s website.

Many children experience some problems or difficulties during the course of their school life. We seek to identify early those pupils who experience learning difficulties, either short term or long term, and to provide appropriate levels of support for them. This action gives the child the greatest possible chance of responding to additional help. With this in mind pupils with learning difficulties are taught according to individual need. A child identified with Special Educational Needs is given extra support by the class teacher and class teaching assistant. Support may be provided in a variety of ways for example: small group “in-class-support”, individual support, support away from class. Support is also offered, where appropriate, by the Lancashire Education Authority’s SEND Team, Children’s and Families’ Well-being Service and Educational Psychology Service.

The progress of children with SEND is carefully monitored and appropriate provision is provided at each stage of their development and individual learning plans of study (ILPs) are devised and implemented where necessary. Parents are kept involved and informed in this process and are encouraged to participate in the learning process and share in the decision making to give the child the greatest possible support.

In accordance with the aims expressed in our Mission Statement every effort will be made to accommodate children with disabilities. In such cases we would encourage parents to discuss their child’s disabilities with the Head Teacher and view the school.

The school is all on one level and work has been carried out to facilitate wheel chair access to the school building. 

The Governors have a nominated member who is specifically responsible along with the Head Teacher for all matters connected with special educational needs provision.