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Eden Academy Trust

Eden Academy Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust consisting of primary schools in Hartlepool, England.

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SEN Specialist Expertise

Our SENCO is Mrs Emma Allison.

Please contact her on 01420 880349 (option 3) or email eallison@bluebellmeadowprimary.org.uk

It is the SENCO’s jobs to:

  1. Oversee the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEN policy
  2. Liaise with the relevant Designated Teacher where a looked after pupil has SEN
  3. Advise teachers on using a graduated approach to providing SEN support
  4. Advise on the deployment of the school’s delegated budget and other resources to meet the pupil’s needs effectively
  5. Liaise with parents/carers of pupils with SEN
  6. Liaise with and be a key point of contact for external agencies
  7. Ensure that the school keeps the records of all SEN pupils up to date
  8. Work with the head teacher and school governors to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities with regard to reasonable adjustments and access arrangements by phoning the school  or sending an email. 

More details of the SENCO’s role can be found in the SEN Policy which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.

External Specialists and Other Bodies

The school enjoys good working relationships with a wide range of people who provide services to children with SEND and their families.

The external specialists may:

  • Act in an advisory capacity
  • Extend expertise of school staff
  • Provide additional assessment
  • Support a child directly
  • Suggest statutory assessment is advisable
  • Consult with all parties involved with the child

These include:

We work with the following professionals to effectively support children with specific needs in:

Social, emotional and mental health include: 

  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
  • Educational Psychologist (Helen Hackett)
  • Crisis Response (on occasion)

Communication and Interaction include:

  • Speech and Language Therapist (SaLT)
  • Autistic Spectrum Communication Team (ASC)
  • Social Communication Assessment Team (SCAT)
  • Occupational Therapist (OT)

Cognition and Learning include:

  • Cognition and Learning Team formerly the Special Education Needs and Disabilities Team (SEND)
  • Speech and Language Therapist (SaLT)
  • Educational Psychologist
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)

Sensory and Physical include:

  • Movement Difficulty Service
  • Physio Therapist Service
  • Occupational Therapist Service
  • Autistic Spectrum Communication Team (ASC)

The agency involved would depend on the area of concern and teaching staff would discuss this with the SENDCo and parents / carers before any action is taken.

Also, we would take into account any advice from other professionals and would put this into practice.  The child may then receive further differentiation of activities or more opportunities to participate in small group intervention activities.

 How are the school’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?

The schools Delegated SEND Funding ensures provision to provide appropriate support for pupils with Special Educational Needs. We aim to support pupils through early intervention.

Funding is used to facilitate:

  • Excellent targeted Quality First teaching
  • All teaching builds on what the child already knows, can do and can understand.
  • Whole school inclusive practice and initiatives including multi-sensory resources
  • Low pupil to teacher ratios to support smaller teaching groups
  • Target teaching groups and Nurture Provision
  • Teaching assistants to support the delivery of targeted interventions under guidance of the class teacher following assessment identify needs.
  • SENDCo role and that of the wider Inclusion team
  • Access to Forest School (SEMH support)
  • Parent Liaison
  • Liaison with external agencies including, additional Educational Psychology time, Speech Therapy provision and Therapeutic support.
  • Provide specific resources to support differentiation including ICT
  • Time to support staff in developing Individual
  • Staff training (CPD)
  • 15 (7.5 Nursery) hours of individual support

If a child has complex special educational needs, we could also receive additional funding from the Local Authority to meet the agreed outcomes.  Additional funding is prioritised for children with High Needs to access additional support over and above the support generally available to meet specific identified pupil needs. Pupils accessing this additional high level of support usually have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) or a top up fund for their Support Plan. At Bluebell Meadow Primary School those pupils with high needs have a Costed Provision Maps with details evidence of support and resources provided in school. This provides evidence of the support and the progress each child makes and can lead to additional funding and financial support applications to the Local Authority to meet the agreed outcomes.  Requests for additional support would always be discussed with parents/carers and discussed at an Annual Review Meeting.

This year our High Needs spend is approximately £100,000 This budget is used towards the provision of dedicated 1-1 enhanced support or small targeted teaching groups for pupils with complex education needs as well as access to a skills based wider curriculum and experiences.

At Bluebell Meadow we provide the best opportunities for all our pupils so provision for SEND pupils is further enhanced through our Pupil Premium funding allocation.