Inclusion & SEND
St John’s C of E Primary and Nursery is proud to be a very inclusive learning environment. We are committed to providing an appropriate, relevant, meaningful and high quality education to all our children.
We believe that all children, including those identified as having special educational needs and disabilities, have a right to a broad and balanced curriculum and should be fully included in all aspects of our school life.
We believe that all children should be equally valued in school and we will strive to eliminate prejudice and discrimination and to develop an environment where all children can flourish and feel safe and happy.
We are fully committed to inclusion.
The Inclusion Team
Our inclusion team is led by Ann Hutchinson our Special Educational Needs and Disability Coordinator (SENDCO) and includes our Teachers, ELSA, our Forest School staff, outside professionals and our Learning Support staff.
Getting in Touch
If you have any concerns about your child and want to discuss their needs, please in the first instance, talk to your class teacher. Our SENDCO is always available for a chat about your concerns.
Nurture
Nurture is embedded throughout our curriculum and everything we do here at St John's, including throughout the Early years (Reception and Nursery) as part of EYFS practice.
Nurture helps children to:
-
Understand and regulate their emotions
-
Build their confidence by positive reinforcement
-
Raise self-esteem
-
Empower resilience to become a better learner
-
Make and sustain positive relationships
Those children identified as needing extra support are referred to the SENDCO
Zones of Regulation
Zones of regulation is embedded throughout all areas of school life. The Zones of Regulation is a complete social-emotional learning curriculum, created to teach children self-regulation and emotional control.
Forest School and Alternative Provision
Our Forest School and Alternative Provision are led by Stephen Simpson and Sam Taylor-Colls. They are supported an number of Behaviour Support Mentors
Forest School
Children are referred to us by their class teacher or the school SENDCO. We use a specialised outdoor learning approach, following the six principles of Forest School. This allows all our children regular opportunities to achieve, to develop confidence, to boost self-esteem, and enjoy a hands-on learning experience in a woodland and natural environment with trees. We have created a safe nurturing space which allows individuals to explore their feelings and behaviours at their own pace. We challenge them, through play-based activity, and support them through their decisions and processes to help them recognise how different choices and use of their emotional resilience “toolkit” may lead to different outcomes.
Forest School 1:1 Sessions
We offer 1:1 sessions to children identified as needing support in addition to our Forest School program. These are no longer than 45mins and usually comprise of Play Therapy/Zones of Regulation
Our Forest School Alternative Provision
As part of our Forest School, we host a 1:1 personal program for individuals that need extra support away from the traditional classroom environment. This provision is open for identified children from St John's and other schools in the borough. Local schools can refer pupils here.
Our school pets
We are visited each week by very special dogs, Sam & Merlin, accompanied by their owner Caroline from Pets as Therapy. Sam and Caroline work with individual children in ones or two's. Sam & Merlin help calm the children and allows them to explore their feelings whilst taking them for a play and walk.
Our chickens and rabbits give opportunities for children to chat, away from our main building, in a safe calm environment.
Educational Psychology Service
We work closely with the Educational Psychology Service to provide additional professional support to those children with additional needs. We have an assigned Educational Psychologist (EP) who meets regularly with the SENDCO to discuss the varying needs of children. Meetings will be held with staff and families to suggest strategies and to give advice on next steps. Our EP will carry out individual work with children to support their learning in school. We access training for staff through our EP.
Mental Health Support Team (MHST)
We have access to the MHST who can meet and provide advice to staff and parents. This can be through coffee mornings and training sessions and for the children, whole class or group workshops. Our school can make referrals to the team for individual children not already on the CAHMS pathway.
Interventions
The Inclusion Team and our team of Teaching Assistants across the school are trained to deliver a wide range of approaches to support children’s social, emotional and mental health. These include: ELSA, Lego Therapy, social skills groups, and Zones of Regulation
The Speech and Language Therapy Service (SALT)
We work closely with the Speech and Language service who will come into school to assess children that staff and parents are concerned about. We have highly experienced staff who are trained to deliver language packages and speech and language recommendations from therapists.
The Educational Service for Sensory Impairment (ESSI)
We work closely with ESSI to support our children with a hearing or sight impairment. Specialist teachers will regularly come to school to give extra support and advice to staff and children.
The Education Inclusion Support Service (EISS)
The EISS work with the school to support us with challenging behaviour in children. They are on hand to offer advice to make every child’s experience of school a positive one.