What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the school?
What training have the staff supporting SEND had or what training are they having?
Every teacher is accountable for all children in their class, including the children with SEND.
The SENDCO (Mrs Johnstone) is responsible for co-ordinating the additional provision for pupils with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities at the school. As part of this role, she is the line manager for the SEN Teaching Assistants. She is also responsible for managing the school’s responsibility for meeting the medical needs of pupils. Mrs Johnstone is fully qualified with the National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-ordination (NASENCO).
All staff receive appraisals and through this, the training needs of staff are identified and planned. All staff are encouraged to partake in training to develop their awareness and skills for supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Teaching Assistants and teachers benefit from a regular programme of training provided by the SSSEN service. Further training is also provided by other outside agencies as required. These include:
Other agencies, charities and voluntary groups may be contacted for support in a situation where a child has needs beyond the experience of school staff.
All of the teachers at Ashbrook Junior School are qualified and our school strives to provide high quality teaching and learning for all children, including those with SEND. Training needs are continually being identified and addressed. This may include whole school training on SEND issues or to support identified groups of pupils in school, such as autism, dyslexia, etc. Teachers and support staff also attend training courses run by outside agencies that are relevant to the needs of specific children in their class. Our Teaching Assistants also have a range of expertise in a variety of specialised areas including autism, complex needs and behavioural needs.
We are members of NASEN (the ‘National Association for Special Educational Needs’) and make use of their resources to keep staff up to date with changes and developments within SEND.