The SENCo liaises with nursery providers schools, parents and relevant agencies prior to children starting at St. Thomas’. Information is gathered and shared with teaching staff and learning support assistants. Any children identified as needing additional support prior to starting in September may be invited to attend additional transition sessions. All reception children receive a comprehensive induction programme in the summer term. Upon entry, we collate data from the reception baseline assessment which again helps to identify any children with additional needs.

All Pupils at St. Thomas’ are provided with a broad, balanced curriculum with high quality teaching that is differentiated to the learning needs of all Pupils. High quality teaching is monitored and ensured through: classroom observations; termly work sampling; work scrutiny of exercise books; moderation of assessments and examinations; teacher meetings with SENCO; SEND class meetings; school data and progress tracking.

All Pupils are assessed for progress by class teachers each half term. All Pupils are set individual curriculum targets based on national criteria and school based data. Targets are revisited termly and discussed with Pupils and parents at parent consultation evenings. Where a Pupil is failing to meet expected levels of progress, interventions will be put into place and the outcomes of these monitored at data points, in meetings with the class teacher and with the SENCO. Slow progress and low attainment will not automatically mean that a pupil is recorded as having SEND.

We know when learners need help if:

• Concerns are raised by the child, parents/carers or teachers.
• Tracking of attainment outcomes indicate a lack of progress despite differentiation and interventions.
• The results from Standardised testing for reading and spelling indicate the child is working below the expected level.
• The child receives a diagnosis from an outside agency.
• Observations of the child indicate that they have an additional need in one of the four areas:

1. Communication and interaction
2. Cognition and learning
3. Social, mental and emotional health
4. Sensory/physical.

All Pupils with a disability will be provided with “reasonable adjustments” to facilitate their access to the curriculum.

Pupils may be placed on the SEND register under code M and progress monitored. If it is necessary to provide support which is additional to and different from the core curriculum, the Pupil will be placed on the SEND register under SEND support code K. Those Pupils who have an Educational Health and Care Plan are automatically placed on the SEND register as code E.

The school SEND register is shared with all staff at the start of each academic school year and is updated throughout the year and at each census point. Pupils ‘Support’ and all those with an EHC Plan will have a Pupil Passport. These are shared documents and are drawn up in consultation with the pupil and their parent/carer. Pupil Passports have clear information, strategies and targets for the Pupil. Staff use the information in the Pupil Passport to inform their lesson planning, teaching and Pupil learning activities. Progress is monitored and reviewed termly at a meeting with parents, the pupil and the teacher. The document is held centrally on the school shared area and updated regularly.

High quality first teaching and additional intervention ensures that the needs of pupils with special educational needs are met within the mainstream setting. All teachers are responsible for every child in their care, including those with special educational needs.

Assess: The school will assess the pupil’s needs using teacher assessment, experience, previous attainment and data tracking against peer and national data.
Plan: Parents/carers will be invited to a meeting to plan support and intervention. The Pupil will receive a pupil passport/profile and all teachers who work with the Pupil will be made aware of the child’s needs and support required.
Do: Teachers will implement the plan in their daily teaching and retain responsibility for the pupil if 1:1 or small group support is needed.

Review: The parent will be invited to a review of the impact of the support and this will be evaluated at a termly meeting. The teacher will revise support in line with the outcome of the meeting.

If progress rates are deemed to be inadequate, despite additional support and interventions, advice will be sought from external agencies with the permission of the parents/carers.

Such agencies may include:
SEND and Inclusion hub
Autism Outreach Team
Hearing Impairment Team
Visual Impairment Team
Educational Psychology Service
CAMHS
Occupational Therapy
Educational Welfare Workers
School Nurse

For pupils who may have significant or more complex needs or who fail to make expected levels of progress despite SEND support, the school or parents may consider requesting an Educational Health Care plan (EHCP) that will be undertaken by the Local Authority.

The Class Teacher is the initial point of contact for responding to parental concerns. Information communicated with the Class Teacher may then result in a referral to the school SENDCO, Mrs Gidman.

Parents may contact the school SENCO- Mrs Gidman. She can also be contacted through the main school office via email office@st-thomas-tean.staffs.sch.co.uk or phoning 01538 722378.
All parent's concerns will be listened to and parent's views and aspirations for their child will be regarded within the assessment and provision process provided in school.

All of St Thomas’ Policies are on our website.

St Thomas’ is an inclusive school where every child is valued and respected as a child of God. We work to support all our Pupils to make progress in their learning, their emotional and social development, and their independence including those with SEND.

All teachers are teachers of special educational needs. The SEND Code of Practice is followed and all teachers receive training in the SEND Code of Practice. St. Thomas’ recognises that it is the teachers’ responsibility to meet the needs of all children in their class through high quality teaching, classroom organisation, seating arrangements, carefully planned lessons, a range of teaching styles, teaching materials and differentiation.

St. Thomas’ supports the recommendations made by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) in their support and teaching of Pupils with SEND. See link below:
https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/send

Within St. Thomas’, the SEND team is made up of Mrs Gidman is the SENCO and Mrs Baxter. We have a school counsellor who is able to offer support for Pupils in school. The teachers and TA’s within school provide support in the classroom, out of class in 1:1 and in small groups. They have a received a range of training, have excellent subject knowledge and provide outstanding levels of support for academic learning and emotional support.

Some pupils require targeted intervention. These are planned onto a provision map and interventions are delivered by Teaching Assistants. Interventions may include small group or individual work.

A wide range of interventions are provided for all areas of SEND and may involve bespoke packages or a programme developed and personalised specifically for a Pupil or group of Pupils. Current interventions include One-to-one Read write Inc phonics tutoring, Plus 1, power of 2, Toe by toe, daily reading, handwriting programmes, SNIP, RWI fresh start.

Social Skills/behaviour interventions may include for example: Social Stories, ELSA work and Rainbows.
Additional support may be offered for homework, touch typing, handwriting, counselling, lunch time and break time support, meet and greet in the morning and time out.

We provide information for parents through: newsletters, information on the website, information evenings; parents’ evenings; text message service and letters home.

Pupil progress is shared each half term with parents through reports on attainment and effort. Parents can arrange an appointment to discuss progress with the child’s class teacher or SENCO. There are 3 parent consultation evening3 held each academic year.

We welcome parents to support us by encouraging your child to fully engage with their learning and any interventions offered by: helping them to be organised for their day (including wearing the right uniform, bringing required equipment and books;) ensuring full attendance and excellent punctuality; checking that they have completed their home learning; attending parents’ evenings and review meetings. We will make our best endeavours to take your views, and those of your child, into account.

All Pupils with an EHC plan will meet at least once a year with the SENCo to review progress and provision.
The SENCo reports termly to the SEND governor who monitors and reviews the work of the SEND department.
Where a Pupil is failing to meet expected levels of progress, interventions may be put into place and the outcomes of these monitored at termly meetings, in meetings with the Pastoral lead and with the SEND team.

When action is required to support increased rates of progress, this will follow a graduated a response model: Assess, Plan, Do, Review.

Assess: The school will assess the pupil’s needs using teacher assessment, experience, previous attainment and data tracking against peer and national data.
Plan: Parents/carers will be invited to a meeting to plan support and intervention. The Pupil will receive a pupil passport/profile and all teachers who work with the Pupil will be made aware of the child’s needs and support required.
Do: Teachers will implement the plan in their daily teaching and retain responsibility for the pupil if 1:1 or small group support is needed.

Review: The parent will be invited to a review of the impact of the support and this will be evaluated at a termly meeting. The teacher will revise support in line with the outcome of the meeting.

If progress rates are deemed to be inadequate, despite additional support and interventions, advice will be sought from external agencies with the permission of the parents/carers.

Such agencies may include:
SEND and Inclusion hub
Autism Outreach Team
Hearing Impairment Team
Visual Impairment Team
Educational Psychology Service
CAMHS
Occupational Therapy
Educational Welfare Workers
School Nurse

For pupils who may have significant or more complex needs or who fail to make expected levels of progress despite SEND support, the school or parents may consider requesting an Educational Health Care plan (EHCP) that will be undertaken by the Local Authority.

All teachers at St. Thomas’ have high expectations of all Pupils. All Pupils are provided with a broad, balanced curriculum with Quality First Teaching that is differentiated to the learning needs of all Pupils.

High quality teaching is monitored and ensured through: classroom observations; termly work sampling; work scrutiny of exercise books; internal and external moderation of assessments and examinations; teacher meetings with SENCo/Deputy SENCo; termly SEND Passport review meetings; academy data and progress tracking.

Teaching staff and Teaching Assistants use a range of methods to support the learning needs of all Pupils including: modelling; scaffolding; questioning; sentence starters; storyboarding; chunking information; use of writing frames; cloze procedures; guided reading; mind mapping; use of ICT e.g. laptops and other communication devices.

Staffing and resources are adapted to accommodate the needs of Pupils.
Pupils with a disability will be provided with “reasonable adjustments” to facilitate their access to the curriculum. The school may provide specialised equipment to support pupils in the classroom, for example: coloured overlays, larger font size, laptops, pen grips, specialised seating and exercise books with coloured paper.

Outside agencies are invited to work closely with our Pupils with additional needs. We work with a range of agencies including for example: the Educational Psychology Service; Autism Outreach; Occupational therapy and Physiotherapy services.

The Curriculum is continually monitored to ensure that it meets the needs of all Pupils. The curriculum is personalised to accommodate those Pupils with more complex needs eg: 1:1 Physiotherapy; 1:1 tuition; small group support; counselling.

All Pupils, including those with SEND, are assessed on a regular basis in accordance with the School’s Assessment Policy. We aim to develop the Pupils’ knowledge and skills to enable them to build subject knowledge and apply what they know with increasing confidence and fluency.

Where a Pupil is failing to meet expected levels of progress, interventions are put into place and the outcomes of these monitored at data points, in meetings with the teacher.

Some Pupils may require a more personalised curriculum dependent on ability and need and a reduced curriculum may be required for a short period of time to allow a Pupil to settle.
Some Pupils who are currently unable to manage the school environment due to medical or mental health reasons may have access to alternate provision through online live lessons in the home or in a study room in school. Medical evidence is required to access this provision.

Staffing and resources are adapted to accommodate the needs of Pupils. The notional SEND budget is used to ensure that Pupils on the SEND register or those who are being monitored receive the support that they need. The budget is used to fund the cost of Teaching Assistants, interventions and the purchase of resources.
Pupils requiring additional funding are idenitfied through the assess,plan,do ,review cycle. The school may apply for either AEN funding or look at applying for an EHCP.
Pupils with an EHCP receive support as specified in their individual plans.

At St. Thomas’ we aim to support the needs of all Pupils in our care. Pupils do not require a specific diagnosis or label to receive support in the form of reasonable adjustments.

The SENCo works with the Pupils, their parents/guardians, teaching staff, support staff, caseworkers, and external agents to develop support packages for individual Pupils.

Assessments, observations, book scrutiny, classwork and homework as well as more formal standardised assessment support this process. Regular reviews, discussions and meetings take place to keep parents informed of progress.

The notional SEND budget is used as well as additional top up funding allocated to Pupils with EHCPs to purchase equipment and facilities such as specialised seating, cutlery, PE equipment, coloured reading rulers/overlays, mini whiteboards, laptops and software etc.

The teacher works alongside the SENCo to carry out assessments of need.

The following information may be used:
assessments, observations, book scrutiny, classwork and homework, standardised tests, comparative school data, advice/reports from external agencies, the views of the Pupil, the views of parents.
We will follow the graduated approach and the four-part cycle of review: assess, plan, do, review.
Learning Passports are reviewed termly, amended and signed by parents.
Regular meetings and discussions are held with parents. Information is share in phone calls, virtual meetings, face to face meetings and emails as required.

At St. Thomas’, we encourage our parents to be involved in the education of their child. We use the school website and class dojo to keep parents up to date with classwork.
We encourage parents to support our homework policy and to support organisation of books and equipment to help their child become an independent young person.

We welcome parents to support us by encouraging your child to fully engage with their learning and any interventions offered by: helping your child to be organised for their day (including wearing the right uniform, bringing required equipment and books;) ensuring full attendance and excellent punctuality; checking that they have completed their home learning; attending parents’ evenings and review meetings. We will make our best endeavours to take your views, and those of your child, into account.

Reading and talking about a text alongside your child has huge benefits and we encourage you to read together every night.

Each child’s Pupil Passport is co-produced with the parent and child and is reviewed termly with the pupil and parent, teacher and/or the SENDco. Parents’ and Pupil views may be sought at these meetings and recorded on written forms.

All Pupils with an Education, Health Care plan will meet more formally at least once a year with the SENCO to review progress and provision and at two additional review meetings to review targets and progress towards the outcomes on the EHC plan.

All Pupils are encouraged to attend parent evenings, coffee mornings, passport review meetings and EHCP annual review meetings.

All Pupils, including those with SEND, are assessed on a regular basis in accordance with the School’s Assessment Policy and assessments take place every half term for all Pupils. Each Pupil’s progress is monitored in comparison to their peers and against national data. Termly reports outline achievement and targets.

On receipt of a report, parents may wish to discuss their child’s report further with their teacher. There are 3 parent consultation evenings held each academic year. Other meetings can be arranged on an individual basis with the SENCo.

Pupils with SEND are screened annually to track progress each Autumn term using standardised assessments.

Pupil and parent voice are captured at regular intervals.

External agents involved with the young person may provide regular progress reports which are sent out to parents.

The academy follows the graduated approach and the four part cycle: assess, plan, do, review.

Termly meetings are arranged to discuss progress and amend targets on the Pupil Learning Passports.

Termly meetings are arranged to discuss progress and amend provision against the outcomes for those Pupils with an Educational Health Care Plan

Class teachers collect children from the yard at the start of the day and then bring them out at the end of the day to handover to parents. Where deemed appropriate, some children have personal meet and greet staff in a morning and at the end of the day.

Staff are always on duty at lunch and break time and some Pupils may have 1:1 support during these times too to support social and emotional development.

Where necessary, individual risk assessment are carried out for pupils e.g. wheelchair users, to ensure that they are safe This is accrued out be appropriately trained staff and with advice from outside agencies such as occupational health.

Staff, including teaching assistants and support staff accompany Pupils on a range of school trips.

Some Pupils require early movement between lessons to avoid crowded corridors and staff will be aware of these Pupils.

Social and emotional development support is delivered across the school following the graduated response with the SLT, teacher, Inclusion Officer and Safeguarding team to support the wellbeing of pupils at St Thomas’.

We have a school counsellor who is a qualified practitioner.

Intervention support takes place at Be Kind to your mind club, Rainbows, meet and greet during the morning and buddy support.

Staff work with pupils on specific social and emotional targets.

A structured PSHE programme is delivered to every class which encourages development of self-esteem and confidence in each child.

Medical and care plans and the administration of medication are managed in compliance with the Academy policy.

Medical care plans, Pupil medication and informing staff of an individual’s care needs is carried out by the office staff.

Where personal care is needed, a care plan is drawn up with staff, parents, pupils and any medical staff whi may need a input. This is then shared with the necessary staff.

At St. Thomas, we work closely with parents to develop honest, open working relationships which enables us to work together for the best outcomes for pupils.

We communicate with parents at the earliest point to put support plans in place for those children having difficulty with behaviours.
Where appropriate, external support is sought to support pupils with behaviour needs within school. This may be in the form of the Autism Outreach team, the enhanced AOT team, the SEND and inclusion hub, the educational psychologist, CAHMS or other appropriate agencies.

Pupils who are looked after are supported by the designated Teacher for LAC, Mrs Gidman. Those Pupils who are looked after and who have SEND are also supported by Mrs Gidman, SENCo and Mrs Baxter. Both staff work closely with Pupils, their carers and the virtual school/relevant local authorities.

All pupils have a main class teacher who is their first level of support. The class teacher will work with the SENCo is writing, assessing and reviewing the pupils passport targets.

Within the classroom, they may then receive additional support from a teaching assistant both within the classroom and in working on their own pupil passport targets.

All new staff receive dedicated SEND training at the start of each academic year. The SENCo provides training and liaises with external agents to provide training on a range of needs.

Pupils with EHCPs and who are on the SEND register have a raised profile and additional information is provided to staff at the start of the academic year through internal emails. Information is shared with staff following the annual review of a Pupil who has an Educational Health Care Plan, and following review meetings of Learning Passports.

The SEND register is placed on the SEND area of the staff shared platform for staff access.

Pupil Passports and Support Plans are placed on the Whole School area of the staff shared platform for staff access.

All Pupils with medical needs are listed and this information is shared with staff on the staff shared platform.

The SENCo leads a team of teaching assistants who share information pertaining to Pupils with SEND with staff.

Risk assessments are shared with teaching and support staff.

The SENCO, Mrs Gidman and the principal, Mrs Baxter and Mrs Gidman have both attained the National SENCo Award.

Whole school training also takes place, where appropriate. The SENCo attend courses on SEND issues in order to keep up to date with local and national issues and to share good practice.

There is on-going sharing of good practice through regular staff meetings and feedback/ advice provided by the senior leadership team, subject leaders and the SENCO following lesson observations.

All staff receive regular updates on Safeguarding and PREVENT training.

St. Thomas’ has access to Autism Outreach and the school team regularly meet each half-term with those pupils in school who have a full diagnosis.

We have close links with our Educational Psychologist who provides information for staff training on a range of issues.

The school nurse and medically trained professionals deliver training on issues such as asthma, epilepsy and physiotherapy programmes.

The school has regular access to advice from a range of service providers including the local district SEND and Inclusion hub.

We work with speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and other health professionals who are involved with Pupils attending school and a wide range of external agencies which include:

Autism Outreach Team
Hearing Impairment Team
Visual Impairment Team
Educational Psychologist Service
CAMHS
Occupational Therapy
Educational Welfare Workers
School Nurse

The class teacher is the first point of contact should you have any concerns
Mrs Gidman, the SENCo can be contacted on 01538 722378 Lgidman@st-thomas-tean.staffs.sch.uk
Mrs Baxter, the principal can be contacted on 01538722378 headteacher@st-thomas-team.staffs.sch.uk

Mrs Gidman, the SENCo can be contacted on 01538 722378 Lgidman@st-thomas-tean.staffs.sch.uk
Mrs Baxter, the principal can be contacted on 01538722378 headteacher@st-thomas-team.staffs.sch.uk

The SEN governor is Mrs Claire Bates. The role of the governor is to:
Help raise awareness of SEND issues at LG meetings.
Monitor the quality and effectiveness of SEND provision in the academy.
Work with the SENCo to develop SEND policy and provision in the academy.

There are two MAC SEND governor meetings held each year.
Termly meetings are held between the SEN governor and the school SENCo.

We recognise that all pupils have the right to be involved in making decisions and exercising choice in their education where that is possible. Pupils are encouraged to take part in Pupil Voice activities in school; to regularly evaluate their work and learning in lessons; attend review meetings and contribute to setting targets.
Pupil views are sought during learning walks.

We welcome parents to support us and parents are frequently asked to provide their views and feedback at Passport review meetings, annual review meetings and in parental surveys.

Mrs Baxter meets regularly with families to offer support and signpost services. The SENCo works with families of Pupils with SEND and other families to provide support and guidance. Referrals are made to external services eg CAMHS, Early Help, SEND and Inclusion hub, Autism Outreach when required.

All pupils are encouraged to take part in a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities and all clubs, activities and trips are available to all pupils.

All pupils are encouraged to fully immerse themselves into the school life by participating in workshops, enrichment days, transition days, school productions, sports day, camps and residential trips.

Reasonable adjustments are made to facilitate any additional needs and no Pupil is ever excluded from taking part in activities because of a special educational need or disability.

In line with statutory guidance, the school has an Accessibility plan which is regularly reviewed to ensure that pupils are able to access the curriculum and the physical environment. All pupils, including those that have sensory or physical disabilities, have the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of the life of the school. Some pupils, with an EHC plan, receive support from a Teaching Assistant to access the buildings, practical subjects and the full range of learning opportunities thereby facilitating integration into the life of the school. There have been modifications to the buildings in order to make the academy more accessible to those pupils with a physical disability. These improvements include ramps, handrails and disabled toilets.

There is a disabled spot marked and located on the staff car park. Further educational equipment can also be obtained through the SEND department and the med equip through occupational health.

Sensory needs are met according to individual requirements e.g. use of ear defenders, early movement between classes, access to safe spaces.

In line with statutory guidance, the school has an Accessibility plan which is regularly reviewed to ensure that pupils are able to access the curriculum and the physical environment. All pupils, including those that have sensory or physical disabilities, have the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of the life of the school. Some pupils, with an EHC plan, receive support from a Teaching Assistant to access the buildings, practical subjects and the full range of learning opportunities thereby facilitating integration into the life of the school. There have been modifications to the buildings in order to make the academy more accessible to those pupils with a physical disability. These improvements include ramps, handrails and disabled toilets.

There is a disabled spot marked and located on the staff car park. Further educational equipment can also be obtained through the SEND department and the med equip through occupational health.

Translators would be sought should they be needed where English was not a first language. Newsletters and communications can be translated.

Should you have any enquiries regarding admissions then please conatct the school office in the first instance office@st-thomas-tean.staffs.sch.uk or 01538 722378

Open days and evenings are available at usual transition times e.g. for reception for a September start. Should a parent require a school place outside of usual admissions then a visit can be arranged through contacting the school office on office@st-thomas-tean.staffs.sch.uk

St. Thomas work closely with pre-school, nursery and parents to identify pupils who may be needing more support in start the school. All children have a comprehensive induction programme and, where necessary, pupils may be offered enhanced induction to ensure that they are ready for a September start. Some pupils may also need an individual induction programme in the September where additional needs are identified.

St. Thomas’ has close links with its feeder high school and many sporting and musical events take place at the high school. Pupils from as early as Year 3 take part in a host of events including religious retreat days, science days, PE days, maths days and MFL days.
All Year 6 go to the school for an Induction period in July prior to starting the school in September. The Pastoral Lead for Year 7 and the SENCO or Deputy SENCO will visit the us in the Spring and Summer terms.
Early transition visits may be arranged for more vulnerable Pupils at the request of the primary school and these commence in January prior to the autumn transition point.
Where practicable, the high school SENCO will attend the Annual Review of a Year 6 pupil who has an EHCP to ensure a smooth transition is made. For children identified with additional needs, regular transition visits take place throughout the spring and summer terms.
Additional early transition visits may take place from Year 5, depending upon the additional need of specific pupils, and where the SENCO and Year 5 staff feel this will benefit a child’s transition.
During early transition, vulnerable Pupils will have access to the SEND Year 6 information booklet.
Parents/carers are invited to a meeting at the academy and are provided with a range of information to support transition between key stages.
Relevant information is disseminated to teaching staff before transfer to ensure a smooth transition.

You may wish to contact the SENCo if you feel that your child needs the support of a specialist service.
Some support services available to parents include:

The SENDIASS Staffordshire Family Partnership is for parents and carers of children and young people ( aged 0-25 ), with special educational needs and disabilities and children and young people ( up to 25 ) with SEND can be contacted on www.staffs-iass.org. They offer information, advice and support about education, health and social care issues to support Staffordshire’s SEND Local Offer.
The Staffordshire Local Offer can be found: https://www. staffordshire.gov.uk/Children-and-earlyyears/hildcare-providers-and-professionals/SENDD-Local-Offer.aspx

Independent Parental Special Education Advice (IPSEA) http://www.ipsea.org.uk/
British Dyslexia Association http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
https://combined.nhs.uk/

Staffordshire Autism Outreach Team
https://www.facebook.com/Staffordshire-Autism-Outreach-Team-112695317037942/

The St. Thomas’ SEND Information report is updated annually. The latest update was November 2024.

Dialogue between parents and the school is actively encouraged in order to resolve any problems at an early stage.

Initially, all complaints from parents or carers about their child’s provision is made to the SENCo or Deputy SENCo, who follows this up with the relevant staff. However, if a parent or carer is not satisfied with the response given, the complaints procedure outlined on the school’s website may be followed.

The school Complaints Procedure can be found on the website: