SEN Specialist Expertise

SENCO and SEN Staff

Our SENCO has 6 years’ experience in this role and has worked in a specialist setting teaching children with Autism.  They have completed the National Award for SENCOs and gained a post graduate degree in Supporting Children with Specific Learning Difficulties.

They are allocated one day a week to manage SEN provision.

We have a team of teaching assistants, including higher level teaching assistants (HLTAs) who are trained to deliver SEN provision.  In the last academic year, staff have been trained in Zones of Regulation, sensory needs and speech and language.  We also have a dedicated speech and language therapist that delivers sessions on a weekly basis.

Training in supporting SEND is a feature of the on-going rolling programme of professional development for our staff throughout the school year which forms part of the continuing professional development of all teachers and TAs and is organised in accordance with the needs of the pupils.

• Our large team of Teaching Assistants (TAs) have varied and extensive experience and training in planning, delivering and assessing intervention programmes.
• All staff are trained each year on the needs of new pupils joining the school – this can include training from specialist agencies or consultants, as well as from the SENCO or other staff with relevant expertise.
• The school works closely with other local schools, sharing training opportunities including INSET days and outside experts. Opportunities to develop this aspect of local expertise are actively sought throughout the school year.

Our SENCO is Miss S Common 0191 373 4701

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 works closely with any external agencies that are relevant to individual pupils’ needs, including:

• Health – GPs, school nurse, clinical psychologists and psychiatrists (accessed through Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services – CAMHS), paediatricians, speech & language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists.
• Social services – locality teams, social workers, child protection teams, family intervention programmes.
• Durham Educational Psychology Service.
• Emotional Wellbeing Team
• ASD Team
• Cognition and Learning Team

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

How We Secure Specialist Expertise

Our Additional Needs Budget is used to support children and young people with SEN. This is used to support children and young people with SEND.  If a child has complex special educational needs, we could also receive additional funding from the Local Authority to meet the agreed outcomes.