Initially, through daily and termly assessments and observations, a Class Teacher may approach the SENDCo with a concern for a pupil. An appropriate course of action is discussed and the parents are consulted. This may initially be through the Class Teacher, or through the SENDCo (Mrs Dickins). The school may put in place ‘reasonable adjustments’ within the classroom. If necessary, school will liase and seek advice from other professionals outside of the educational setting.
All students at Blessed Mother Teresa’s are provided with a broad, balanced curriculum with high quality teaching that is differentiated to the learning needs of all students. High quality teaching is monitored and ensured through: classroom observations; work scrutinies; joint work with subject hub schools; moderation of assessments and examinations; teacher meetings with SENCO and with the senior leaders.
All students are assessed for progress by class teachers each half term. Targets are revisited termly and discussed with students and parents at parent consultation evenings. Where a student is failing to meet expected levels of progress, interventions will be put into place and the outcomes of these monitored at data points and with discussions 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, and teachers at Blessed Mother Teresa’s.
• Tracking of attainment outcomes indicate a lack of progress despite differentiation and interventions.
• The results from Standardized testing for reading and spelling –NGRT, NFER, Read Write Inc assessments- 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 students with a disability will be provided with “reasonable adjustments” to facilitate their access to the curriculum.
Students 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 student will be placed on the SEND register under SEND support code K. Those students 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 with support code ‘K’ 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 student. Staff
use the information in the Pupil Passport to inform their lesson planning, teaching and student learning activities. Progress is monitored and
reviewed termly at a meeting with parents and class teacher. The document is held centrally on the school shared area and updated regularly.
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 student will receive a pupil passport/profile and all
teachers who work with the student will be made aware of the child’s needs and support required.
Do: Teachers and Teaching Assistants will implement the plan in their daily teaching and retain responsibility for the pupil if 1:1 or small group support is needed outside the subject.
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 subject
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:
Autism Inclusion Team
Hearing Impairment Team
Visual Impairment Team
The School Psychology Service
CAMHS
Occupational Therapy
Educational Welfare Workers
School Nurse Hub SEN
Hub
Specialist provisions.
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.

If you wish to raise a concern with regards to your child please consider the guidance below:
• If the concern is subject-related, contact the class teacher.
• If the concern is related to social aspects of school, contact Mr Fantauzzo ( Home School Link Worker)
• If the concern is regarding SEND contact Mrs Dickins Contact via the school office- 01785 413276 or email office@blessedmotherteresas.staffs.sch.uk

Should a meeting be arranged with the SENCo, please consider the following prior to the meeting:
• Bring any medical paperwork which may be appropriate.
• Points which you may want to consider before meeting with the SENCo:
• Why you think your child has SEN/disability
• Whether your child learns at the same rate as other children their age
• What the school can do to help
• What you can do to help

The link for all of the Blessed Mother Teresa’s (Painsley Academy)
Policies on our website is: https://www.blessedmotherteresas.staffs.sch.uk/policies/

Blessed Mother Teresa’s is an inclusive school where every child is valued and respected as a child of God. We work to support all our students 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. Blessed Mother Teresa’s 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.

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

Blessed Mother Teresa’s has a team of qualified teaching assistants including higher level teaching assistants and a school SENDCo. We also have a Home School Link Worker who can provide social and emotional support for pupils in school as well as support and signposting for parents out of school. The team 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. All EHC students have a link TA who provides close support for the student.

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 student or group of students. Current interventions include Read Write Inc catch-up, Precision teaching (maths and English) Speech and language, Maths mastery programme.

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 term with parents through reports/ parents evenings focusing on attainment and effort. Parents can view
subject units on the website. Parents can arrange an appointment to discuss progress with the child’s class teacher or SENCO. There are two
parent consultation evenings 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 students with an EHC plan will meet at least once a year with the SENCo and other staff 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 student is failing to meet expected levels of progress, interventions may be put into place and the outcomes of these monitored at
termly meetings.

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 student will receive a pupil passport/profile and all
teachers who work with the student will be made aware of the child’s needs and support required.
Do: Subject teachers will implement the plan in their daily teaching and retain responsibility for the pupil if 1:1 or small group support is
needed outside the subject.
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 subject
teacher will revise support in line with the outcome of the meeting.

SEND support will be recorded on the child’s ‘Pupil passport’ and ‘provision map’ which will have clear expectations and targets for the
student. Progress will be monitored and reviewed termly at a meeting with parents, the pupil, the Pastoral lead and where necessary, the
deputy SENCo or SENCo.

Students with SEND are placed on the SEND register, with the consent of parents and this register is accessible to all staff in the
academy.
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:
Autism Inclusion Team Hearing
Impairment Team
Visual Impairment Team
The School Psychology Service
CAMHS
Occupational Therapy
Educational Welfare Workers
School Nurse Hub
SEN Hub
Specialist provisions
For pupils who may have significant or more complex needs or who fail to make expected levels of progress despite SEND support, the
academy or parents may consider requesting an Educational Health Care plan (EHCP) that will be undertaken by the Local Authority.

All teachers at Blessed Mother Teresa’s have high expectations of all students. All students are provided with a broad, balanced curriculum with Quality First Teaching that is differentiated to the learning needs of all students. 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/; termly SEND Passport review meetings; data and progress tracking.
Teaching staff and Teaching Assistants use a range of methods to support the learning needs of all students including: modelling; scaffolding;
questioning; sentence starters; storyboarding; chunking information; use of writing frames; cloze procedures; guided reading; mind mapping;
use of ICT eg chrome books
Staffing and resources are adapted to accommodate the needs of students.
Students 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, reading rulers, pen grips
and exercise books with coloured paper.
Students may be assessed for Examination Access Arrangements in school and this information is shared with staff at each assessment
point. Some students may require additional processing time or access to a reader or prompter.
Outside agencies are invited to work closely with our students with additional needs. We work with a range of agencies including for example:
the Educational Psychology Service; Autism Outreach; the Hearing impairment team and communications support workers; the Visually
impairment team; Occupation therapy and Physiotherapy services.
The Curriculum is continually monitored by the Leadership Team to ensure that it meets the needs of all students. The curriculum overview
can be viewed on the school website. The curriculum is personalised to accommodate those students with more complex needs eg: 1:1
Physiotherapy; 1:1 tuition; small group support;
All students, including those with SEND, are assessed on a regular basis in accordance with the School’s Assessment Policy. Parents and
students are provided with assessment timetables which are emailed in advance of the half term assessment point. We aim to develop the
students’ knowledge and skills to enable them to build subject knowledge and apply what they know with increasing confidence and fluency.
Where a student 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 Senior Leadership Team
Some students 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 student to settle.
Some students 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.
The Accessibility Plan, Examination Access Arrangement Policy and Equality Policy are all available on the school website:
https://www.blessedmotherteresas.staffs.sch.uk/policies/

Staffing and resources are adapted to accommodate the needs of students. The notional SEND budget is used to ensure that students 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. Students with an EHCP receive support as specified in their individual plans.

At Blessed Mother Teresa’s we aim to support the needs of all students in our care. Students do not require a specific diagnosis or label to receive support in the form of reasonable adjustments. The SENCo works with the students, their parents/guardians, teaching staff, support staff, caseworkers and external agents to develop support packages for individual students. 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 students with EHCPs to purchase equipment and facilities such as reader pens, coloured reading rulers/overlays, mini whiteboards, laptops and software etc.

The class 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 student, 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 shared in phone calls, virtual meetings, face to face meetings and emails as required.

At Blessed Mother Teresa’s, we encourage our parents to be involved in the education of their child. We have a virtual learning platform, Century Tech and a variety of rewards to recognise achievements to acknowledge high levels of achievement and conduct as well as sanctions to support inappropriate behaviours. Parents receive notification of the rewards and sanctions via school newsletters, phone calls and through the home/school planner. We encourage parents to support our homework policy and to support organisation of 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 the school’s English and Phonics leads encourages wider reading in school and out of school with lists of suggested age-appropriate texts (available on class pages).

Each child’s Pupil Passport is co-produced with the parent and child and is reviewed termly at three meetings with the parents and class teacher. Parents’ views may be sought at these meetings and recorded on written forms.

All students with a Statement of Educational Need or Education, Health Care plan will meet more formally at least once a year with the SENCO and other members of staff and external professionals to review progress and provision and at two additional review meetings to review targets and progress towards the outcomes on the EHC plan.

Pupils views are sought through the parents or during discussions within the school setting.

All students, 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 students. Teachers monitor progress throughout the year. Pupil progress is shared each half term with parents through reports on attainment and effort. Each student’s progress is monitored in comparison to their peers and against national data.
On receipt of a report, parents may wish to discuss their child’s report further with their class teacher. There are two parent consultation evenings throughout the academic year. Other meetings can be arranged on an individual basis with the SENCo and/or Home School Link Worker.
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 school 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/provision maps
Termly meetings are arranged to discuss progress and amend provision against the outcomes for those students with an Educational Health Care Plan.

Pupils are monitored by staff during morning break and lunchtime. If necessary, ‘reasonable adjustments’ are made to support transition and non-structured times throughout the day.

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

Where appropriate, risk assessments are carried out to ensure the safety of the students in our care. These are discussed at length with parents and their advice sought.

At Blessed Mother Teresa’s, we have a buddy system to help our youngest pupils to settle into the routines of the classroom.

Our home school link worker, Mr A Fantauzzo works with our young people to overcome any social, emotional development of well-being issues. These are discussed with the pupil as well as the parent. Where necessary, Mr Fantauzzo will reach out to external agencies for support.

Where external support is sought, plans may be put into place for both home and school and reviewed at regular meetings.

At Blessed Mother Teresa’s, we have a buddy system to help our youngest pupils to settle into the routines of the classroom.
The link to the anti-bullying policy can be found: https://www.blessedmotherteresas.staffs.sch.uk/policies/

Medical and care plans and the administration of medication are managed in compliance with the school’s policy. A Pupil’s medical care plans are kept centrally and all teaching staff have access to them.
Any long term medication, such as inhalers, are kept in the pupil’s class room and administered as needed.
Any short term medication (antibiotics) should be given to the office where you will be asked to sign a slip. This slip will be filled in daily after the pupil have received the necessary dose of medication.
All medical related policies are shared on the school website: https://www.blessedmotherteresas.staffs.sch.uk/policies

The school’s Behaviour and Attendance policies can be found on the school website: https://www.blessedmotherteresas.staffs.sch.uk/policies/

Attendance across the Academy is monitored by the Home School Link Worker, Mr Fantauzzo, Mrs Horton, Headteacher, Mrs Spruce, Vice Principal and Mrs Pilgram Administration Assistant

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

All students have a Class Teacher who is responsible for the education and welfare of the student during their time in school. In addition to this, some classes may have a Teaching Assistant who supports learning within the classroom.

All students with an EHCP will have a designated link Teaching Assistant who supports the implementation of the EHCP plan’s outcomes. The Home School Link Worker can become involved with issues surrounding the family. The SENCo and can be contacted for specific queries related to SEND.

All new staff receive personalised SEND training throughout the academic year and this is needs led. The SENCo may provide training and
liaise with external agents to provide training on a range of needs.

Students 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 and when information is updated. Information is shared with staff following the annual review of a student 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 and is disseminated to staff at the beginning of each term.

Student Passports and Support Plans are placed on the Whole School area of the staff shared platform for staff access and can be found in class files.

For students with Examination Access Arrangements, this information is shared with the year 6 teacher.
All students with medical needs are listed and this information is shared with all staff on the staff shared platform.

The Senior Leadership Team direct a team of teaching assistants and share information pertaining to students that they may be supporting
both in and out of the classroom.

Risk assessments are shared with teaching and support staff.

The SENCo, Mrs Dickins is currently undertaking her NPQ SEND award and has experience of many SEND pupils with both global and more specific complex needs.

There is an ongoing programme of In-Service training for all members of staff. Whole school training also takes place, where appropriate.

The SENCo attends courses on SEND issues in order to keep up to date with local and national issues and to share good practice. This includes termly updates and attendance at the SEND inclusion hub and termly SEND meetings within the Academy setting.

Teaching Assistants are always keen to perfect their practice and as a result, they identify areas of professional development. Relevant training is then sought by the SENCo and SLT. All staff receive regular updates on Safeguarding and PREVENT training.

Blessed Mother Teresa’s has access to Autism Inclusion Team who meet students with a full diagnosis as and when needed. 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.

The SEND department work with speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and other health professionals who are involved with
students attending school and a wide range of external agencies which include:
Autism Inclusion Team
Hearing Impairment Team
Visual Impairment Team
Educational Psychologist Service
CAMHS
Occupational Therapy
Educational Welfare Workers
School Nurse Hub

Please contact your child’s class teacher with any concerns

Please contact the SENCo for concerns related to SEND:
Mrs H Dickins- 01785 413276 -office@blessedmotherteresas.staffs.sch.uk

Mrs H Dickins- 01785 413276 -office@blessedmotherteresas.staffs.sch.uk

The SEN governor is Mrs Gill Venables. 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 school.
Work with the SENCo to develop SEND policy and provision in the school.

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

Whilst writing their personalised learning passports, children will be asked questions as part of their ‘child voice’ section of their report. This will include questions such as ‘What do you find difficult?’ and ‘What would help you in school?’

Each class has daily check-ins and a named key adult for regular 1:1 “pupil voice” time.
We use visual timetables, choice boards, and emotion-regulation supports (zones of regulation, sensory breaks, quiet spaces) so pupils can express needs safely.
We check in on targets at least termly with the pupil present (or represented) and adapt support quickly if something isn’t working.
We have a school council that week once every two weeks to discuss and this is then fed back to each class.

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

The Home School Link worker meets regularly with families to offer support and signpost services. The SENCo works with families of students 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, Community Paediatrics when required. Ultimately, all staff are here to support you and your children.

All students 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 students. All students are encouraged to fully immerse themselves into the school life by participating in eg workshops, enrichment days, transition days, school productions, sports day, camps, residential trips. Reasonable adjustments are made to facilitate any additional needs and no student is ever excluded from taking part in activities because of a special educational need or disability.

There are accessible toilets available at Blessed Mother Teresa's.
There are parking areas for pick-up and drop-offs.

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 academy. Some pupils, with an EHC plan may 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 academy. There have been modifications to the buildings in order to make the school more accessible to those pupils with a physical disability. These improvements include ramps, handrails and disabled toilets.

The school is fully accessible with yellow strips on stairs for visually impaired students, handrails, a lift and toilets for the disabled. There is a disabled spot marked and located next to Reception. Further educational equipment can also be obtained through the SEND department and from the local authority and other external provisions.

Sensory needs are met according to individual requirements e.g. use of sensory snack breaks, visible timetable

Please find the link to the Schools Admissions Policy: https://www.blessedmotherteresas.staffs.sch.uk/admissions/

School regularly has open days throughout the year for perspective parents to come and find out about us. Families have the opportunity to tour the school site, meet with the staff and with other pupils in school.

To arrange a visit to school contact: office@blessedmotherteresas.staffs.sch.uk

Blessed Mother Teresa’s has a close link with our feeder High School Blessed William Howard. Pupils from Key Stage 2 take part in a host of events including religious retreat days, science days, PE days, maths days and Design and Technology days.

All Year 6 visit Blessed William Howard for an Induction period in July prior to starting the school in September. Members of the High school team will visit Blessed mother Teresa’s in the Summer term to meet with both the pupils and staff. Early transition visits may be arranged for more vulnerable students.

Where practicable, the SENCO of the High school 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.

Parents/carers are invited to a meeting at Blessed William Howard and are provided with a range of information to support transition between key stages.

Relevant information is disseminated to High School 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/childcareprovidersandprofessionals/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 Blessed Mother Teresa’s SEND Information report is updated annually. The latest update was September 2025.

Initially, all complaints from parents or carers about their child’s provision is made to the Headteacher, 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’s Complaints Procedure can be found on the website: https://www.blessedmotherteresas.staffs.sch.uk/policies/