SEND

L Stather

Our SENDCo (Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities Coordinator.)
You can contact them through the main school office or contactus@liftmeadstead.org

At Meadstead, we believe in the importance of every child achieving their ‘potential’, making good progress and enjoying their learning experience through 'Quality First Teaching'. As an school when we plan any learning opportunity, our children and their needs are the central focus.

However, for some of our children there are occasions when additional support is required to allow us to support the next steps in their learning journey. Additional support may be given for a set period of time or for a longer period to ensure every child can access our curriculum effectively and are fully included in learning opportunities and school events. Our parents/carers are informed, included and supported throughout such periods of provision.

If a child’s needs are significantly greater than the majority of children of the same age, or they have a disability which affects their ability to access the curriculum for the age group, then they may be considered to have Special or Additional Educational Needs.

At Meadstead, teaching and learning opportunities are adapted and continually evaluated (with the support of external agencies when required) to ensure the needs of all of our children are met. Parents/carers should not feel unduly anxious about such additional support, which at our school allows all children to receive the specific help they need to make the next steps in their exciting learning journey.

The SEND team consists of:
- Mr L Bell - Principal
- Mrs L Stather - SENCO and Vice Principal
- Mrs J Guest - Pastoral Lead & Thrive Practitioner
- Teaching assistants throughout the school who assist in classroom and extra curriculum delivery.

We provide for the following main categories of special educational needs:

Communication and Interaction
Cognition and Learning
Social, Mental and Emotional Health
Sensory and/or Physical Needs

The Government provides some advice for parents and carers about Special Educational Needs and Disabilities which you can access here https://www.gov.uk/children-with-special-educational-needs

View our SEND policies here

Students with medical needs

We are committed to ensuring that pupils with medical conditions are fully supported in school so that they can:

Play a full and active role in school life;
Access and enjoy the same opportunities at school as any other child, including school trips and physical education;
Remain healthy and safe;
Achieve their academic potential.

If a student has a medical need, they will have a Care Plan, which is compiled in consultation with parents and one of our medical assistants. The plan is discussed with all staff who are involved with the student and is added to the student’s profile, so staff can access it.

Staff receive regular medical training delivered by the school medical assistant and are aware of where they can access further information as required.

Where necessary and in agreement with parents, medicines are administered in school but only with signed parental consent and with medicines in the original packaging.

Our approach to special educational needs or disabilities

We welcome students with special educational needs or disabilities and support students across four teams. Students are organised into the teams during their transition from their previous school and it is based on the student’s main area of need. An Area of Need leader will monitor their academic progress and attendance whilst ensuring that the student’s needs were been met both through teaching and structured interventions.

The four areas of need are:

Cognition and learning support

For students with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, or moderate learning difficulties that affect students in a range of cognitive areas.

Social, emotional and mental health support

For students who struggle to engage in the social aspects of school, or who find it hard to cope with challenging emotions. This will range from students needing short-term assistance during a turbulent time in their life, to students with a recognised condition such as ADD or ADHD.

Communication and interaction support

For students who have speech, language and communication needs, a specific language impairment or a range of communication difficulties. Students who find it difficult to interact with others are supported within this area.

Sensory and physical support

Students whose need is primarily sensory and, or physical have their support overseen by the area of need leader in this team. This team would support students with hearing or visual impairments as well as students with physical needs.

More information

Pastoral support

Thrive
At Meadstead we support emotional and behavioural issues using a systematic approach called ‘Thrive’. Thrive supports young people with their emotional health, well being and social skills, all of which are needed for learning to take place. Thrive is based on up to date brain science and research into child development and helps staff in the school to adapt their approach to individual children to build self-esteem, well-being and behaviour. Over the last six months four of our school staff have undergone extensive training in the Thrive approach and they now form the core of our Thrive team.
The Thrive approach begins with a whole class computerised screening, which takes place each September, where teachers answer a series of questions about each child in the class. The software then identifies any scholars who would benefit from a more detailed assessment, which in turn suggests ideas, activities and strategies to support the individual child. We will of course let you know of any concerns revealed by the screening and you will be fully consulted and involved in any follow-up activities. Sometimes it may be useful to share the results with other agencies, for example our educational psychologist or behaviour advisor and we will discuss this with you before making any formal referral. You can find out more about Thrive by downloading the sheet from the bottom of the page and looking at their website here.
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Thrive - SEMH Interventions
Our approach is built within the theoretical landscape of relational connection and the comfort and emotional safety in feeling you ‘belong’ as part of a social group. We know that nurturing relationships create a safe and trusting connection and this is at the heart of Hamish & Milo for children to feel happier, heard and connected.
The framework for Hamish & Milo therefore comes from a range of theoretical contexts which hold the quality of relationship at the core of support work and togetherness with peers as a social group. Hamish & Milo is based on attachment aware theory and the importance of early social and emotional development, as well as understanding the emotional stress that many children with SEMH needs experience and the impact on the developing child.
The importance of co-regulation and emotional safety, having language and emotional vocabulary to help make sense of experiences and situations is crucial in the development of emotional literacy skills to enable social relationships, communication and emotional regulation. With this in place, our emotional wellbeing is enhanced and we can engage in learning and the wider world.
Our programmes offer emotion themes that include creative enrichment activities designed to enable discussion about children’s life experiences and emotions. Each activity includes a psychoeducation element to help children understand what is happening in their bodies and minds so that they can begin to regulate and reflect with an empathic adult in a way that supports their emotional wellbeing.
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