Special Educational Needs
Supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) at St Helen's
At St Helen's Primary, we are committed to providing a high-quality, inclusive education to all children. We believe that all of our pupils, including those identified as having special educational needs, have a right to a broad, balanced and accessible academic and social curriculum and to be fully included in all aspects of school life as far as possible.
Working in collaboration with families and external professionals, our staff work hard to adapt their teaching and classroom environment to meet the needs of their classes and identify children who require additional support. Children identified as having Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) are supported through an Assess, Plan, Do, Review process to set targets, plan provision and review.
Our SENCO, Helen Hardy, oversees provision for pupils with SEND across the school, organises training for staff and liaises with external professionals.
If you child attends St Helen’s and you have a question or concern relating to SEND, please first speak with your child’s class teacher. Following this, if you would like to speak with the school SENCO, please contact the school office on 01454 866530 or email sthelensprimary@sgmail.org.uk.
For more information, please see our SEN Information Report, which explains our approach to SEND provision in more detail. There are clickable links on the contents page to help you find the information you need:
St Helen's SEND Information Report for families
Staff at St Helen's follow our SEND policy, which is linked below:
St Helen's SEND policy for staff
The Local Authority is required to outline to families the provision they expect to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people in their area who have SEND. This is called the Local Offer and South Gloucestershire’s can be found here:
South Gloucestershire SEND Local Offer
Support for parents
There are a range of agencies and websites that parents can access to find out more about SEND and seek support. Some are linked below:
SEND and You provide the information, advice and support service for children and young people with SEND and their families in Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.
JIGSAW Thornbury is a charity that works with all children and young people with additional needs or disabilities, and their families. They offer support groups and other events for families and have a lending library for specialist items.
Advice and signposting for neurodiversity
Neurodiversity refers to the concept of natural variations in the way that our brain works. The term neurodivergent often refers to a range of differences, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia. This page has a range of links that provide further information.
School Nurses work with children, young people, and their parents/carers to maximise their health and well-being. School Nurses can meet with children and young people in groups or individually, in school, at home or at another venue in your local community. School Nurses provide information and support on several topics that children or young people come across that can affect their health. The school SENCO can make a referral to this service.
School age Speech and Language Therapy Service
This website details the Speech and Language Therapy service available to school age children in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. Our link Speech and Language Therapist visits school three times a year to briefly see children or discuss them with staff and provide advice about next steps.
The British Dyslexia Association website provides information about dyslexia.
The National Autistic Society website provides information about autism.
The Downs Syndrome Association website provides information about Downs Syndrome.