SENDCo and SEN Staff
Our Federation Deputy Headteacher and SENDCo is Mr Richard Sains. Mr Sains has completed the National Award for SEN Coordination and also has a Postgraduate Certificate in Vulnerable Learners & Inclusion.
In our school the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCo):
- manages the day-to-day operation of the policy;
- co-ordinates the provision for and manages the responses to children’s special needs;
- supports and advises colleagues;
- maintains the school’s SEN register;
- contributes to and manages the records of all children with special educational needs;
- manages the school-based assessment and completes the documentation required by outside agencies and the LA;
- acts as the link with parents;
- maintains resources and a range of teaching materials to enable appropriate provision to be made;
- acts as link with external agencies and other support agencies;
- monitors and evaluates the special educational needs provision and reports to the governing body;
- manages a range of resources, human and material, linked to children with special educational needs.
More details of the SENDCO’s role can be found in the SEN Policy which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.
We have teaching and support staff experienced in:
- Supporting pupils with Specific Reading & Spelling Difficulties
- Supporting pupils with Speech and Language Development
- Supporting pupils with Specific Maths difficulties
- Supporting pupils with Visual Perception difficulties
- Gross and Fine Motor Development
- The use of Accessible Technology
- Supporting pupils with anxiety or anger issues
- Using Makaton, PECs and BSL
Staff are also committed to research to develop their knowledge and understanding of how to meet a child’s SEN as the need arises.
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:
- Durham SEND Information, Advice and Support Service
- Local Authority Special Educational Needs Inclusion Team
- Educational Psychology Service
- Bishop Auckland One Point Hub
- Health Agencies, particularly School Nurse Service and Health Visitors
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
- Speech and Language Therapists
- Behaviour Intervention / Crisis Response
- Durham Movement Difficulties Service
- Tree Tops Occupational Therapy Service for Children
- Virtual School for Looked After Children
- Learning Difficulties and Disability Support Service (LDDIS)
- Autism Spectrum Condition advisory team
- Specialist therapists – Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy
- Other specialist health services as required, e.g. hearing, speech, vision, diabetes
- Medical Practitioners – GPs, Pediatricians, Clinical Psychologists
- Family workers and One Point Children Centre staff
- Parent Partnership
How We Secure Specialist Expertise
Our Additional Needs Budget is used to support children and young people with SEN. In 2022/23 this amount is £7,395
This is used to support children and young people with SEND by:
- Specialist training for all staff
- Specialist training for SENCO
- Enabling the school to employ members of staff to support children and run programmes of intervention
- Resources to enable children to meet outcomes
- Buy in the services of specialists
- Buy into support packages
- Purchase assessment and intervention tools
If a child has complex special educational needs, we could also receive additional funding from the Local Authority to meet the agreed outcomes. The additional needs funding is monitored by the Senior Leadership Team and Governing Body to ensure support is secured to meet needs and has a positive impact on outcomes for children with SEND.
