A child is considered to have special needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special education provision to be made for them.

Your child might need extra support if they:

• find it harder to learn than other children their age
• have a condition which means their school or setting is not accessible to them
• struggle with social, emotional or mental health difficulties
• have sensory or physical needs
• have speech, language or communication needs, including autism

Class teachers continually assess children and track the progress they are making. If your child is having difficulties in a particular area of the curriculum, first we will talk to you about this and develop a plan to work collaboratively to support them. If they continue to have difficulties, your child may be identified as having special educational needs.

Children’s difficulties may fall into one (or more) of four broad areas:

• Cognition and learning needs
• Emotional and social development needs
• Communication and interaction needs
• Sensory, physical or medical needs

At St George’s we support children with a range of needs and we will work with you so that together we can meet your child’s needs!

Come and talk to us! Start by making an appointment with their  teacher. Together we can decide on the next step.

All staff have been trained in a variety of different approaches to teaching and learning. We are able to adapt our teaching to meet the needs of all children. If your child needs extra support we will work together with you to liaise with other professionals. We will listen to your child, and they will be fully involved and supported through every process.

There are four ‘Steps’ of support, ranging from in-class support to an EHCP. Different children have different needs – we will always work with you to try to find the best support for your child.

Resources and support are allocated according to need.

We assess children’s progress using a range of methods from observation, marking and feedback, discussion and independent work to diagnostic tests and sometimes involvement from outside agencies. We always try to  make sure this is not a stressful process for the children. We explain to the children that the reason for assessing is to identify the next steps to help them in their learning. It helps us know how to help them!

It is very important to us that you are fully involved in your child’s learning. You know your child better than anyone else and your support is crucial! All our families are sent reports and are offered parents’ evening appointments. If your child has special educational needs they will have a pupil passport which will be reviewed three times a year. If you have a question, the class teacher is always your first port of call. They will discuss targets and ways that you can help your child.

We provide high quality PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) and RSE (Relationships, Sex Education). We use the TenTen scheme to deliver PSHE and RSE sessions in a way that is underpinned by our Christian faith. Some children may also attend wellbeing sessions – these are run by teachers or teaching assistance who are highly experienced in supporting children’s emotional and social development.

Our admission arrangements for pupils with SEND are the same as for every child in school – for more information please see the full SEND report above and our Admission Arrangements page.

Parents of children with disabilities are invited to speak to us prior to admission to discuss any reasonable adjustments required so that we can plan accordingly.

At St George’s, transition meetings for all children with SEND are well established.

When your child is getting ready to move up to secondary school, staff from the relevant secondary school will visit St George’s to discuss your child’s needs with the SENDCO and Y6 teachers. Some children in Year 6 will have extra visits to their chosen secondary school. They may offer a transition meeting with you, as parents and carers, to make a careful plan to support your child’s needs and to make sure that they have the best possible start at secondary school. If your child has an EHCP, this process will begin in Year 5.

Nursery and Reception work closely on transition and the free flow set up – and our ‘magic door’ – supports this. In the Summer term children are invited to attend ‘New Starter’ days where they have the opportunity to practise being Reception children and meet their new class teacher. The same happens throughout school so that all children have transition days with their new teacher. Extra transition days can be included in an individual plan if needed!

At St George’s Primary School we operate an ‘open door’ policy. Parents and carers are encouraged to speak with the class teacher about any concerns they may have. They will be able to discuss additional support children are receiving. So again – come and talk to us!

We hope that we can all work together to see your child make good progress. If, however, you have a concern or complaint about the way we have supported and helped your child you will find details of what to do in the SEND report, and the Trust Complaints Policy is available on the website.

Sometimes the school will ask for some help from an outside agency. This is to get specific, targeted support that is unique for the individual child. We have established excellent working relationships with a wide range of professionals and agencies. We will always ask for your consent when involving other agencies in your child’s education, apart from in certain circumstances involving social care referrals.

The Local Authority offers a range of specialist support and outreach services. You can read all about this on the Local Offer website.

The Local Offer

York’s SEND Local Offer website will enable parents and young people to see what disability services are available in their area and how to access them.

SENDIASS (formerly Parent Partnership Service)

SENDIASS, York Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (formerly known as York Parent Partnership Service) provides information, advice and support (IAS) to parents, carers, children and young people in relation to Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability and related health and social care issues.

To contact SENDIASS

• Call 01904 555698 – Tuesday to Thursday (term time only)
• Call 01904 554312 – Monday, Thursday and Friday
• Email: [email protected]