At St Nicholas, we have an open door policy where we encourage parents to discuss any worries they may have about their child. In addition, your child’s class teacher will have a good understanding of how your child is progressing in school. They will make observations and monitor your child’s holistic development and progress. From this, your child’s class teacher will have an honest and supportive conversation with you to establish whether you see any difficulties at home. If your child’s class teacher feels your child will benefit from some additional support within the classroom this will be planned by their teacher and shared with you:
Your child’s class teacher will:
- Check on the progress of your child and identify, plan and deliver any additional help your child may need in the classroom, this could be targeted work or additional support from a class based teaching assistant.
- Create plans which outline any additional provision which may be required. The class teacher will monitor this additional support and if needed, they will consult with the SENCO as necessary.
- Write Individual Education Plans (IEPs) which will be shared and reviewed with pupils (where appropriate) and parents each term.
- Personalise teaching and learning for your child.
- Ensure that the school’s SEND Policy is followed in their classroom and for all the pupils they teach with any needs.

St Nicholas SENCO, Mrs Walton:
Mrs Walton is the school’s SENCO. Mrs Walton supports children, staff and families in accessing additional support needed for a child to access school life. Your child’s class teacher or a parent may contact Mrs Walton to ask for some support. Mrs Walton will hold meetings to establish a clear picture of your child and if she feel’s necessary will observe your child in class and during break times. Using this information, Mrs Walton will establish the best plan to support your child in getting the support they need. Mrs Walton will share this with you and your child’s teacher and in some cases with the child themselves (if we feel it is appropriate)
The SENCO:
- Will support teachers and families to understand and plan the right path for your child should they believe your child requires additional support outside of that provided within the classroom.
- Annually develops and reviews the school’s SEND policy and SEND Information Report.
- Co-ordinates the support for children with SEND
- Ensures that you and your child are: 1) involved in supporting your child’s learning. 2) kept informed about the support your child is getting 3) involved in reviewing how they are doing.
- Liaises with other professionals who may come in to school to help support your child’s learning.
- Updates the school’s SEND register (a system for ensuring that all the SEND needs of pupils in this school are known) and make sure that records of your child’s progress and needs are kept.
- Provides specialist support or training for teachers and support staff in the school, so that they can help children with SEND in the school to achieve the best progress possible.

At St Nicholas, we have a robust SEND Flow Chart (found on our school website under SEN) which clearly shows the steps taken within school to identify and support children with SEND.

At St Nicholas, we have an open door policy where we encourage parents to discuss any worries they may have about their child. We aim to work in partnership with all our families and ask that should they have any concerns they contact the school to discuss as soon as possible.
You may choose to contact:
- Your child’s class teacher
- The SENCO, Mrs Walton – SENCO@st-nicholas.staffs.sch.uk
- The Head Teacher, Miss Parker – headteacher@st-nicholas.staffs.sch.uk
Alternatively you can contact the school office by email: office @st-nicholas.staffs.sch.uk, or telephone: 01902842998 to ask for a member of staff to contact you.

All our policies and related documents can be found on our school website. If you require any further information, please contact the school office who will happily provide an electronic or a printed copy – office@st-nicholas.staffs.sch.uk.

Targeted Classroom Teaching
For your child this would mean:
183; That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class.
183; That all teaching is built on what your child already knows, can do and can understand by assessing children both formally and informally.
183; That different methods of teaching are in place, so that your child is fully involved in learning in class and teaching styles are matched to your child.
183; That specific strategies are in place to support your child to learn.
183; Your child’s teacher will have carefully checked on their progress and will have decided that your child has a gap or gaps in their understanding/learning and needs some extra support to help them make the best possible progress.

Specific Group Work or Interventions
For your child, this may be:
183; Delivered in the classroom or another area.
183; Delivered by a teacher or a trained teaching assistant (TA).
183; Specialist sessions run by outside agencies, e.g. Speech and Language therapy.
183; Local Authority services: such as the Educational Psychologists, Occupational Therapy, Autism Outreach Team (AOT), Early Years Forum (EYF), Special Educational Needs Hub (SEN Hub) or Special Educational Needs Support Service.

Specified Individual Support:
This type of support is available for children whose learning needs are severe, complex and may be lifelong. This is usually provided via an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This means your child will have been identified by professionals as needing a particularly high level of individual support or small-group teaching. This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through high quality class teaching and intervention groups. An EHCP is developed using the child's voice, the parents voice and professionals voice.

If the learner is identified as having SEND, they may require support that is ‘additional to’ or ‘different from’ the approaches which are provided as part of high quality, personalised teaching seen at St Nicholas First School. It is important to always consider, how can we support all children in becoming independent learners, whether they have a SEND or not? This will knowledge, in addition to having a clear understanding of each child’s individual needs, allow us to plan personalised provision that facilitates access to the curriculum for all children.
As part of the SEND Code of Practice, we will engage in the four stage graduated approach process: Assess, Plan, Do and Review.
Assess - take information from parents or carers, class teachers and their assessments and the child where appropriate.
Plan – identify barriers to learning, intended outcomes and details of support. This information can be recorded on a child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) (reviewed alongside children and parents termly) or within their EHCP (reviewed annually).
Do – provide the additional support. The class teacher is responsible for working with the child on a day to day basis, which includes overseeing interventions undertaken outside of the classroom. Teachers work closely with the teaching assistant delivering the intervention to discuss progress and to ensure links are made with classroom teaching.
Review - measure the impact of the support provided and consider any changes which may need to be made. All of those involved with the child will contribute to this review, which will happen at least termly.
This additional support will be tailored to meet the child’s needs and will target the area of difficulty.
These interventions may be within class, with a small group of children with similar needs or on a one to-one basis. The support provided, and its impact, will be monitored closely and shared regularly with child and with their parents or carers.

For a small number of learners, their needs may require further review and we may ask for outside agencies to support us in identifying a child’s specific needs. Other professionals may include Education Psychologists, Occupational Therapists or professionals from Autism Outreach Team. Professionals from outside agencies will observe a child and in some cases, carry out specific assessments, write a report and detail recommendations of how the best to support a child moving forwards. This information is then reviewed by the SENCO, Head Teacher and Class Teacher before sharing with parents. A meeting will plan the provision, facilities or resources needed for the child. This will then signal another cycle of Plan, Do, Review.

While the majority of children will have their needs met in this way, some may require an EHCP assessment or review to determine whether it is necessary for the Local Authority to make provision in accordance with an EHCP.

All resources and extra support will be assessed and provided for if required, for individuals based on their needs.

The school budget, received from the Education Funding Agency, includes money for supporting children with SEND. The Governors, Head teacher and SENCO decide on the deployment of resources for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities on the basis of needs in the school. The Head Teacher and the SENCO discuss all the information they have about SEND in the school including; the children getting extra support already, the children needing extra support, the children who have been identified as not making as much progress as would be expected. From this information, they will decide what resources, training and support are required. The school identifies the needs of pupils on a provision map. This identifies all support given within each class and is reviewed at least termly; changes are made as needed, so that the needs of children are met, and resources are deployed as effectively as possible.

Additional funding can be secured through the SEND Hub. The SEND Hub is a group of educational and medical professionals which includes SENCOs, Head Teachers and professionals from support services, such as Educational Psychologists, Local Support Team professionals, Speech and Language therapists. They meet every half term to talk about children who are finding school difficult for a variety of reasons. At the meeting, actions and strategies are agreed to support the child or young person. The relevant professionals will then go away and put these in place. At the next meeting, they review the actions and discuss if they have worked. Should the professionals in the hub think additional funding would support the school in providing essential provision we can apply for SEND Inclusion Funding.
If your child is discussed at the SEND Hub, all information is held confidentially and you must give your consent.

Should the SENCO, Head Teacher and other professionals (such as an Educational Psychologist) think it necessary, the school can apply for an Educational, Health Care Plan (EHCP). An application will provide details of a child’s additional needs, the support currently in place and the impact this is having on the child’s development and progress. This information is then discussed and considered by a panel of professionals within the Local Authority. If an EHCP is secured, the panel will decide on how many hours funding that child will receive in order to support their needs within an educational setting, they may also detail specific agencies / professionals that must work with the child e.g. Occupational Therapy (OT).

Once a child has been assessed as needing additional support, the class teacher and SENCO will decide whether the support can be provided through the quality first teaching of the classroom with additional differentiation. If additional support is required, a meeting will be held with the class teacher, SENCO and Head Teacher. During this meeting, a plan will be made based on classroom observations, progress being made by the child and in some cases, reports made by professionals from outside agencies. Once the type and of quantity of support has been decided upon, a meeting will be held with the child’s parents to discuss the proposed support the child will receive at school. During the meeting, the parent’s view of the support in place will be taken into account and a plan will be agreed.

Specialist equipment, adaptations and extra support is initially secured through the school’s budget. If a child requires very high levels of specialist support and resources then school will seek further assistance from external professionals, as well as accessing further support via the local authority’s funding process. This requires the school to make an application for extra funding, for a short period to enhance what is being provided for the child to enabling them to continue accessing education and making progress. Decisions regarding support are bespoke and based on a child’s needs and what school can reasonably provide without causing detriment to other children’s learning. We are always happy to discuss the support in place with parents and explore any changes which may be required to further meet a child’s needs.

Ongoing assessment of progress and provision ensures all children access effective learning opportunities. Assessment procedures include:
• - Feedback from the child
• - Feedback from support staff
• - Day to day teacher observations
• - Discussions with parents
• - Discussions / observations by SENCO / external agencies
Your child’s progress will be monitored continually through formative assessment and those working closely with your child making observations of strengths and weaknesses. This information will then be shared with parents either to celebrate the progress being made, or to plan how we can adjust support to allow more progress to be made.
We appreciate the need for many parents of children with SEND to have open channels of communication with school. We have different methods of ensuring school and parents can share information about how their child’s day/evening has been to understand the impact this might have on a child’s behaviour.
Specialist services work with school to ensure children receive the support needed. In many circumstance, specialist services will want to discuss a child with their parents to build a holistic picture of the child at home and in school.

We recognise the integral part parents play in a child’s development, as such, we aim to support all families in helping their child at home. We ensure school and home share strategies that work well for a child with SEND through regular meetings.
If parents request additional support / training then we can:
- Signpost to outside agencies providing training for families
- Liaise with outside agencies to support families at home
- Refer families to the Local Support Team
- Signpost parents to the Local Offer

This is dependent on a child’s age and level of understanding. All children receive verbal feedback from teachers in school, this will include praise for something they have achieved or progressed well in and areas that they can continue to practise. When appropriate, we share a child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) with the child, we share their target, how they can achieve their target and how we will help them achieve their target. Children are then encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas of what they want to be better at and encouraged to reflect on how they might do that. The IEP is then reviewed alongside the child and parents and new targets are set.

We have a robust system in school to monitor, assess and review the progress of all our children.
- Your child’s progress will be continually monitored by their class teacher. The class teacher will also ensure that progress in intervention groups is closely monitored through discussion with the teaching assistant and those specialist teachers who may deliver interventions for your child.
- All children with SEND have their targets assessed and reviewed on at least a termly basis, this will then form the basis of future planning and targets for your child. This information is also shared with the Senior Management Team in pupil progress meetings.
- The progress of children with an EHCP will be formally reviewed at an Annual Review with all adults involved with the child’s education.
- The SENCO will also check that your child is making good progress within any individual work and in any group that they take part in.
- Regular book scrutinises and lesson observations will be carried out by the SENCO and other members of the Senior Management Team to ensure that the needs of all children are met and that the quality of teaching and learning is high.
- Governors review reports on the progress and attainment of SEND pupils as a group within each year and compare the gap between them and non-SEND peers.

Student safety is of the upmost importance at all times. Information about students with SEND or vulnerable students is communicated to relevant school staff by the SENCO or Head Teacher. Where there is a need identified, measures will be put in place to ensure your child is safe. These measures include:
- A planned handover at the start and end of each day. This may include asking a parent to wait at the back of the queue on arrival to school. This allows staff to support your child effectively to enter the classroom in a safe and settled manner ready to begin their day. At the end of the day, parents may be asked to ensure they arrive at the front of the queue, this will allow your child to be handed over to you in a calm, controlled way. If deemed necessary, a plan may be put in place for parents to drop off or collect their child from the school. For some children, this reduces unnecessary stress and anxiety during busy parts of the day (this will only be done in agreement with parents and when school feels this will keep the child safe).
- For some children, they may require adult support during playtime and lunchtime, not only to keep them physically safe, but also to ensure their emotional and social needs can be supported. Staff on duty during playtimes will have a good knowledge of your child and will support them as needed. If a child shows increased anxiety during these unstructured times, a plan will be put in place specific to that child’s needs.
- During PE or school trips, a child’s needs will be considered and a plan put in place. Where necessary a child will receive direct adult support to ensure they are safe throughout and a risk assessment completed by staff.
- Risk assessments are carried out for any child who may need one whilst in school. This will then be shared with appropriate staff and in most cases, with a child’s parents.

We are sensitive to the fact that some children have emotional and social needs that need to be developed and nurtured. As a school, we follow a structured PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) curriculum to support this development. However, for those children who find aspects of this difficult we offer:
- Additional lunchtime support delivered by teaching assistants.
- A buddy system as required to support children during playtimes.
- Playtime and lunchtime support through play leaders with planned group activities.
- Class specific nurture groups.
- Outreach support when appropriate through Child Adult Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
- Family support in the home through the Local Support Team.
- Support from school nurse service.

We are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all of our pupils so they can learn in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. We believe that all people are made in the image of God and are unconditionally loved by Him. Everyone is equal and we treat each other with dignity and respect. Our school is a place where everyone should flourish in a loving and hospitable way. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at our school. If bullying does occur, all pupils should be able to tell and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively. We are a TELLING school. This means that anyone who knows that bullying is happening is expected to tell a member of staff. More information about Anti-bullying can be found on our school website - https://st-nicholas.staffs.sch.uk/

Administration of medicines is covered by our medical policy, which is available on the school website. We have a dedicated team of staff responsible for managing the storage of medicines and medical information. They will coordinate individual health care plans for children and ensure that all members of staff have access to the right information. Where a child’s medical needs have a profound effect on their education and/or they are at risk within school, a meeting is arranged with the relevant members of staff, parents and external professionals to ensure that we are equipped with the right information to support the child, and training is organised where necessary.
All staff are well equipped to provide personal care, following our Toileting and Intimate Care Policy. In addition to this, all relevant staff have an up to date manual lifting and handling certificate.
In the event of a medical emergency, the school would follow the Medical Policy and the individual health care plan for the child. Across the school, we have a number of staff trained in paediatric first aid and full first aid. We ensure we always have staff on site that are trained and equipped to manage any medical need.
Medical appointments are recorded by our school office and in exceptional circumstances, where the appointment spans more than 48 hours, teachers are asked to provide work for children.

Our aim is that every member of our school community (whether a child has SEND or not) feels valued and respected, and that each person is treated fairly and well. We are a caring and inclusive church school, whose values are built on Christian belief, mutual trust and respect for all. Our school behaviour policy is therefore designed to support the way in which all members of the school can live and work together in a supportive way. Our behaviour policy is not a system to enforce rules; it is a means of promoting good relationships, so that people can work together with the common purpose of helping everyone to learn. This policy supports our school community in aiming to enable everyone to work together in an effective and considerate way. The school expects every member of the school community to behave in a considerate way towards others. We treat all children fairly and apply this behaviour policy in a consistent way.

Should a child be at risk of exclusion due to consistently unacceptable behaviour, meetings will be held with the child’s parents, the Head Teacher and in some cases the SENCO. A plan will be put in place to avoid exclusion.

Should a child’s attendance be of concern, an initial meeting will be held with the child’s parents, the Head Teacher and in some cases the SENCO. A plan will be put in place to provide support at home in order to increase a child’s attendance. In some cases a family will be offered support by the Local Support Service or our Attendance Service.

Looked After Children (LAC) identified with SEND receive high quality teaching and support. At St Nicholas First School, we recognise the need for educational success and subsequent life chances for all of our pupils. LAC require extra understanding, additional support and careful monitoring to ensure their educational progress and wellbeing. They deserve the best possible educational experiences that we can offer, as well as excellent care.
The school will work with other agencies to share information securely. The SENCO and teacher will involve parents/carers in target setting and reviews. The SENCO and designated teacher will ensure that LAC are supported in line with the SEND policy.
Any changes in attendance, exclusions, and behaviour management strategies will be shared. Actions in the PEP will be initiated without delay. The designated teacher, social worker and virtual head teacher will discuss and exchange information effectively.

Involved in your child’s education are:
- Your child’s class teacher – It is their responsibility to ensure that all children have access to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum in which children with SEND can thrive and make progress. To monitor children’s progress. To implement any additional support needed by the child to support them in making progress against their targets.

- The class teaching assistant and/or one-to-one – It is their responsibility to work with the child’s class teacher and SENCO and provide directed support for a child. They will work with a child to support them in meeting their targets and support any additional medical needs.

- The SENCO – Mrs Walton will oversee the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEND policy. Co-ordinate provision for children with SEND, including liaising with and advising fellow teachers. Oversee the records of all children with SEND. Liaise with parents of children with SEND along with the class teacher. Liaise with local Middle schools so that support is provided for Y4 pupils as they prepare to transfer. Liaise with external agencies support and educational psychology services, health and social services and voluntary bodies. Co-ordinate and develop school based strategies for the identification and review of children with SEND. Oversee the school’s maintenance of its Dyslexia Friendly Status, ensuring that appropriate strategies are employed throughout the school and that staff training is kept up to date. To support families as needed through meetings, open communication and signposting support. The SENCO can be contacted via email – SENCO@st-nicholas.staffs.sch.uk

- The Head Teacher – Miss Parker has a hands on approach with all children’s education. She will work closely with parents, a child’s class teacher and the SENCO to ensure all children, including those with SEND have access to the support they need to be able to access an inclusive curriculum where a child with SEND can thrive and make progress. The Head Teacher can be contacted via email – headteacher@st-nicholas.staffs.sch.uk

- The governing body, including the designated SEND Governor – Miss Griffiths as SEND governor will support and challenges the school and its members to secure necessary provision for any child identified as having SEND. She will ask probing questions to ensure all teachers are aware of the importance of providing for these children and ensure that funds and resources are used effectively. The governing body ensures that children with SEND are admitted to school in line with the academy admissions policy. The Governing Body reviews the SEND policy annually and considers any necessary amendments. The SEND Governor can be contacted via email – louisa.griffiths@st-nicholas.staffs.sch.uk

- Outside agencies - A range of services may become involved if a child continues to make limited or no progress despite considerable input and adaptations. They will use the child’s records in order to establish which strategies have already been employed and which targets have previously been set. The external specialists usually act in an advisory capacity to provide additional specialist assessment and recommendations for targets and interventions.

All teachers are teachers of children with SEND and therefore have a good understanding of different SEND. The SENCO and Head Teacher will meet with all relevant staff to ensure they full understand a child’s needs and how the child is best supported in school. All staff understand that at any point that they feel they need assistance to support a child, it is their responsibility to make that known to the SENCO or Head Teacher who will ensure the correct support/CPD is provided when needed.

All SEND information is held confidentially and only shared with teachers and relevant staff as required.

We are committed to delivering high quality Continuous Professional Development to staff on all aspects of SEND. This is built into our CPD calendar. Training is regularly provided on:
- Autism spectrum condition
- Social Emotional and Mental Health
- Dyslexia
- Hearing impairment
- Speech and Language
This is not an exhaustive list, and appropriate training is undertaken where necessary to ensure that our knowledge remains up to date and appropriate to the needs of our children. We have a dedicated team of support staff who will often look to increase their knowledge and awareness of specific SEND in their own time to support the children in their care.

The SENCO and Head Teacher have over 30 years of combined experience working with children with SEND and have supported many children with SEND and their families in that time. In addition the academy has a designated SENCO who is available to support as needed.

The school rely on the expertise of external agencies to provide support and guidance where necessary. Currently we has access to support from;
- Educational Psychology Service
- SaLT (Speech and Language Therapy)
- SEND Family Partnership Services; offers impartial support and advice for parents of children with SEND.
- Autism Outreach Team (AOT)
- Parent Support Services
- Child Adult Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
- Occupational Therapy (OT)
- Physiotherapy
- Early Years Forum (EFY)
- Early Years District SENCO
- Children’s Services including Social Workers, Family Support Workers
- School nurse

A referral to an outside agency would always be made in consultation with, and with consent from parents. Outside agency support not listed would be sought where necessary.

If you have concerns about your child, your first point of call should be your child’s class teacher. However, should you wish to, you are welcome to contact the SENCO or Head Teacher.

If you are new to St Nicholas school, we would encourage you to contact the SENCO to discuss your child and their needs.

The SENCO is Mrs Walton
Email: SENCO@st-nicholas.staffs.sch.uk
Telephone: 01902842998.

The governing body and the designated SEND Governor will support and challenges the school and its members to secure necessary provision for any child identified as having SEND. The SEND Governor will ask probing questions to ensure all teachers are aware of the importance of providing for these children and ensure that funds and resources are used effectively. The governing body ensures that children with SEND are admitted to school in line with the academy admissions policy. The Governing Body reviews the SEND policy annually and considers any necessary amendments. The SEND Governor can be contacted via email – louisa.griffiths@st-nicholas.staffs.sch.uk

Where appropriate to do so, children are encouraged to attend meetings, which discuss their progress and plan for their future. This includes children being involved in reviewing and setting targets for their IEP and the annual review of their EHCP. Children are continually encouraged to express their concerns and views to any member of staff with whom they feel comfortable with.
Each year, children with SEND are encouraged to contribute to a One Page Profile that is shared with their next teacher / new school. Children are encouraged to share their views on themselves as learners, including what they like learning about and how they like to learn. They will also detail more personal information about themselves, including what their favourite reading book is, their favourite game/toy or what they want to do in the future.
We have an active School Council and Eco Council, which children can contribute to.

St Nicholas CE First School is one of the founder members of Codsall Multi Academy Trust (CMAT, established October 2016)) along with Codsall Middle School. CMAT is governed by it’s Trustees and Members and operates within the confines of the Memorandum and Articles of Association.
Each school within the MAT is supported and governed at local level by a Local Academy Board (LAB), which is led by a Lead. Our LAB Lead is Miss Louisa Griffiths who can be contacted by email on louisa.griffiths@st-nicholas.staffs.sch.uk
Parents have the opportunity to join the LAB or CMAT Board when vacancies arise. Vacancies are made known to parents or you may register your interest by contacting the school office: office@st-nicholas.staffs.sch.uk.

We have an ‘open door policy’ at our school and you are welcome to come and speak to your child’s class teacher, the SENCO or the Head Teacher at a time that is suitable. We will always listen and do our best to support your child and family.
We can ensure that:
- School staff are available to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns you may have and to share information about what is working well at school and strategies you may try at home. Please let us know if you have strategies that may be useful in school.
- The SENCO is available to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns/worries you may have.
- Targets and IEP’s will be reviewed with you and your child’s involvement every term.
- A home-school book may be used to support communication with you when this has been agreed to be useful for you and your child.
- An ‘Early Help Assessment’ can be put in place to support families who may require additional support.
- All families can be supported in accessing help from outside agencies and support groups upon their request.

We aim to ensure that all children are able to attend enrichment opportunities such as after school clubs wherever possible. We work creatively and flexibly to make the relevant adaptations to enable children with SEND to attend. However, participation is discussed based on a child’s individual needs and whether we can ensure a child is safe and secure at all times. In order to do this, a risk assessment will be carried out and a meeting held between the parents, SENCO and in some cases Head Teacher when necessary.

When planning school trips, all children's needs will be taken into consideration and a trip will only be considered if it can be inclusive for all children. The trip co-ordinator may contact parents to carry out a risk assessment and understand whether there would be any limitations to the child attending. From this, we will be a plan in place to support all children in being able to attend and experience this learning opportunity.

- St Nicholas school is partially accessible to wheelchair users. The school is on a split-level with easy access ramps accessible from outside.

- We have disabled toilet facilities in the main school, nursery and year 4 buildings, with changing facilities within the main school building.

- There are no disabled parking spaces available for drop off/pick up.

- The school is on a split-level with easy access ramps accessible from outside.
- We have disabled toilet facilities in main school and in the nursery and year 4 buildings.
- We ensure, wherever possible, that equipment used is accessible to all children.
- We believe that all children are entitled to participate in extra-curricular activities and will make reasonable adjustments to support those with SEND when possible. This is discussed on an individual basis where a risk assessment is required to ensure a child’s safety is always maintained.
- Our breakfast and after-school provision is accessible to all children, including those with SEND where possible. This is discussed on an individual basis where a risk assessment is required to ensure a child’s safety is always maintained.

For children with SEND, alternative communication methods may be used to support their understanding and inclusivity. These methods include use of body language, facial expression, eye-pointing, objects of reference to indicate choices, communication aids, photographs, pictures and symbols, print and the spoken word.

For children and families where English is an additional language, we will use similar methods to support communication as those above. We can also access outside agency support to ensure that children and their families feel included in life at St Nicholas and have a good understanding of their child’s education

Information, including the admissions policy, can be found on the school website.

Please Contact the school office should you need further information on 01902842998 or email office@st-nicholas.staffs.sch.uk to discuss further.

To arrange a visit please contact the school office should you need further information on 01902842998 or email office@st-nicholas.staffs.sch.uk.

Visits will be conducted by a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).

If your child is joining us from another school:
- The SENCO will contact your child’s school to discuss your child’s needs.
- Your child will be able to visit our school and stay for a ‘taster session’ to meet their new teacher and classmates.
- If your child would be helped by a book/passport to support them in understand moving on, then one will be made for them.
- A 1-Page-Profile may also be used to help others understand your child and their needs.

If your child is moving to another school:
- We will contact the school SENCO and ensure that they know about any special arrangements or support that need to be made for your child. Where possible, a transition meeting will take place with the SENCO from the new school, which parents are encouraged to attend.
- We will make sure that all records about your child are passed on as soon as possible.
- If your child would be helped by a book/passport to support them in understand moving on, then one will be made for them.
- A 1-Page-Profile may also be used to help others understand your child and their needs.

When moving classes in school:
- You and your child will be able to meet with their new class teacher and should you or the SENCO wish to, the SENCO will discuss your child’s needs in a specific meeting.
- All children spend a session meeting their new teacher in their new classroom, further opportunities for children with SEND will take place through specific transition activities.
- If your child would be helped by a book/passport to support them in understand moving on, then one will be made for them.
- A 1-Page-Profile may also be used to help others understand your child and their needs.

Where a parent wishes to access another support service, the school are more than happy to support them or direct them to the appropriate professional.

This document was updated in January 2022 and will be reviewed in January 2023.

We do our best to ensure that all our children have the opportunity to flourish and achieve to the very best of their ability. Inevitably, there may be times when, parents feel we have simply not been able to do that. If you feel that things are not going as well as you had expected, you can:
- Arrange to speak to your child’s teacher, the SENCO or Head teacher.
- Contact the Parent Partnership Service for support and advice.
- Write an email or letter explaining your concerns to the Leader of the Local Academy Board; Miss Louisa Griffiths – louisa.griffiths@st-nicholas.staffs.sch.uk.