Special Education Needs
Welcome to Toddington St George SEND Page
School Ethos
Here at Toddington St George we recognise that each child has their own individual needs and diversity is embraced. As a staff we acknowledge the difficulties and complexities some children may have and how these difficulties may have an impact on their learning and a wider impact on family life. We work closely with parents and liaise with the appropriate professionals in order for us to do the very best we can for each child.
Our aim to is to break down the barriers of communication, social and interpersonal skills and learning to support and nurture each child in a safe and caring environment. We aim to give our children the necessary tools they may need to reach their full potential.
Our staff are committed to each child, their happiness, learning, well-being and health and safety is paramount. In our school “every child really does matter”.
Definition of SEN
The Children and Families Act 2014 section 20 (C&F Act 2014 s.20) defines when a child or young person has special educational needs (SEN). This is when they either have a learning difficulty or a disability and they need special educational provision to be made for them. Special educational provision is defined as any education or training which is additional to or different from that generally made for others of the same age in mainstream schools or post 16 institutions in England.
Special Educational Needs Team
Mrs Linda Tompkins – Assistant Head (Inclusion) and SENDCO Tel: 01525 872360 Email: inclusion@toddstg.co.uk
Miss Kirsten Ferguson – Interim SENDCo Tel: 01525 872360 Email: inclusion@toddstg.co.uk
Mrs Nicola Crellin – Teacher of the Deaf. Tel: 01525 872360
Ms Clare Murphy-Snape – SEND Link Governor
If you have any queries relating to your child’s Special Educational Needs, please contact us at school using the contact information above.
The SEND Team Qualifications and Staff with Specialist Training
The SEND team are committed to the children they support and wants each and every child to achieve their full potential. As a teaching staff we recognise that each child learns in a unique way and therefore we support each child accordingly. We have a number of children with a diverse range of needs and the school is known for its expertise and excellence is supporting these children. The SEND team between them have a vast range of experience and training.
The school Special Educational Needs and Disability Coordinator is:
Mrs Linda Tompkins and Miss Kirsten Ferguson (Interim)
SEND Administrator: Mrs Lynsey Froude and Miss Helena Benet
Stages of Intervention and Support
How children with SEND are identified and supported in our school
Class teachers monitor children’s progress on regular intervals and if they have any concerns regarding a child they will record their concerns and pass the information on to the schools SENDCO. These children are monitored quite closely and may be observed in their class environment by the Class teacher or SENDCO. If they are not making expected progress at the anticipated stage of their learning then the class teacher and SENDCO will have a formal meeting with the child’s parents to discuss their concerns. It maybe suggested that a personalised focus plan will be implemented to give specific tasks for the class teacher and teaching assistant to work on with the child. Outside agencies or other professionals may be contacted for their educational advice.
We support children in five different ways at TSG
Stage 1
Children requiring additional support in School
We review how children are getting on with their learning every day, and make regular specific assessments that show the stages of progress that children are working at. If children are not making the progress we hope and expect, we will offer extra teaching support in a small group in which the work will be targeted to enable progress. Some children may also have 1:1 targeted support, working on specific programmes to help them with their learning. Parents will be informed that children are receiving this extra support and their child will have a personal focus plan to set targets for progress which will be shared with parents/carers.
Stage 2
Children with specific needs receiving additional support from outside agencies
All the children supported will have teaching that meets their individual needs and they will also be receiving advice and guidance from an external specialist or agency (such as a speech and language therapist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist etc.). Again a personal focus plan will be written and shared with parents/carers.
Stage 3
Support for children with additional needs
Some children will have been identified as having a specific learning need, related to particular issues that mean they need specialist support to enable them to learn and access the curriculum .These children will have a statement for their Educational needs and from September 2014 these educational statements will be renamed an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP). The ECHP is a legal document ensuring that the very specific needs they have can be planned for and delivered by teachers and support staff effectively. The school will meet with parents and explain why a child might need an assessment of their needs and will explain the process that is required to access additional funding to support an ECHP for their child.
A number of children in school are supported by trained support assistants or hearing impaired communicators. These children will receive one to one support to enable them to access the curriculum and enjoy the opportunities of the school day with their friends in school. Currently children who have statements have been diagnosed as having, a hearing impairment, a visual impairment, specific medical needs, social and emotional needs, Down Syndrome and Autism, these children receive this support. The Local Authority anticipates that those children who have a statement will be transferred to the new ECHP by 2017.
Support for Hearing Impaired
The school co manages the contract for the hearing impaired children (see also the HI page H.I. Provision) having gained the contract to do so from the Local Authority. This is a county wide provision that is known for excellence. The staff who are available to support our children with additional needs are very skilled. They are extremely committed to giving the very best education possible to the children they have a responsibility for.
Mrs N Crellin Teacher of the Deaf
Mrs Crellin provides daily input for the hearing impaired pupils to develop their speech, language and communication skills.
Mrs S Watton NNEB for Hearing Impaired Pre-school and Reception Children
Mrs Watton supports the communication needs of nursery and reception hearing impaired pupils and also has an outreach caseload supporting hearing impaired pre-school children and their families.
Educational Communicators
Mrs. D Flowers, Mrs. M Smith, Mrs. D Pratten, Mrs. N Timson, Mrs L Anchor, Mrs J Haley and Mrs V Sperrin.
The team of Educational Communicators with qualifications in British Sign Language to Stage 2 provide one to one support for hearing impaired pupils to enable them to access the curriculum and enjoy the other opportunities of the school day.
Treetops Social Emotional Mental Health Needs
At certain times in their lives children may require additional support to cope with sadness, loss, grief, parent separation or illness. They may also need guidance on how to play happily with other groups of children, for these children we provide Social and Emotional help. Children’s play and well-being will then be monitored and support revised as necessary.
Our social and emotional help maybe offered in a number of ways through sunshine circles, social stories, play therapy, drawing and talking time, lunchtime clubs and groups.
In some cases we may seek outside agency involvement to help children with specific needs. Any such support or referral will be organised in agreement with Parents and Carers.
We invite some children to attend Treetops, this is a welcoming place to start the day for some children with opportunities to play, catch up on homework, have an extra reading time or be reminded of school events and activities, Treetops can help some children have a positive start to their school day.
Mrs. Stringer is SMILE mentor trained, which is part of the emotional and well-being service.
Our school SEND policy can be viewed under the Policies section of the website.
Site Accessibility
Toddington St George has one parking space for blue badge holders available in the school car park at the front of school, adjacent to the main school entrance.
Access to school is either through the car park, or through the gate into the playground. Both provide step-free access into main reception. If arriving through the playground, there is a gate from the playground which is secured at the top. For help opening the gate or please press the buzzer on the gate to request assistance.
There is an accessible toilet in reception.
From reception there is level access to the hall, library, kitchen, staff room, and head teacher’s office. There is also step free access to classrooms for Reception and Years 1, 2 and 3. Year 4 is up two flights of stairs. There is no lift. Any parent / carer who is unable to climb stairs will be offered a ground floor venue for all parent-teacher consultations or meetings.
The nursery class (Ducklings) also has step-free access either through the front playground, or through the dedicated gate from Manor Road.
To access the KS2 playground or the temporary classrooms from the hall, there is one step down as you exit the door at the back of the hall. A step free route is possible via the Year 2 corridor. At the end of the corridor a door opens up and a ramp leads you down into the playground.
Many of the staff are trained in British Sign Language and signing support can be provided upon request.
Toddington St George will do everything possible to make your visit to school as comfortable as possible. If you require any additional assistance or would like to discuss accessibility to the building please do not hesitate to contact us on 01525 872360
Website Links
We are in touch regularly with range of providers and services who support children and families with special educational needs and disabilities.
We will add to this page regularly and will review these links with our parents ,adding additional links as relevant. These links can be considered in conjunction with those on the local authority site (which is the first link below).
| Useful Websites |
| Central Bedfordshire Council Local Offer |
| Special Needs Action Panel (SNAP) Parent Forum |
| Down Syndrome Associations |
| Autism Bedfordshire |
| Relate |
| F.U.N (Families United Network) |
SEND Documents
| SEND Document | Download |
| SEND Accessibility Plan | View |
| SEND Equality Plan | View |
| SNAP Listen Flyer | Download |
| SEND School Information Report for Parents and Carers | Download |
| Central Bedfordshire SEND Support | Download |
| Beds and Luton Children’s Community Services – What is Occupational Therapy? | https://www.toddingtonstgeorge.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/OT-Strategies-Poster-Oct-2021-GPs-and-Stakeholders.jpg |
