Special Educational Needs

At St Mary’s inclusion is at the heart of our Mission Statement and underpins the way that we relate, the way that we teach and the way that we learn.

Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in the core values that we share including:

love and mutual respect
justice and fairness
high expectations of each other

As set out in our Inclusion Statement our aim is to enable each child to reach his/her full potential. As a Catholic school we aim to build a caring and supportive Christian community where each individual is able to grow in faith and understanding. We recognise that each child is a unique individual with his/her own contribution to make to the life of the school.

Help us to improve the service and support we offer to people of all ages with autism

Yesterday, the Lambeth Council launched their All-Age Autism Strategy consultation, and they want to hear from a range of stakeholders including people with autism, their families, and experts in the field. They need your views to help shape their new strategy to improve their services and support for people with autism regardless of age. The strategy was launched in 2023 and will include several initiatives aimed at improving diagnosis and support for people with autism, as well as raising awareness about the needs of people with autism.

To find out more and have your say, please visit the Lambeth website.

Consultation

The consultation runs from 23 January to 5 March 2023

If you have any queries, please contact asccommisioning@lambeth.gov.uk

Meet with the SENCO

If you have any questions regarding your child and their SEND requirements, please feel free to arrange an online meeting or telephone conversation via the office with our SENCO Mr D Rodger.

Interventions

At St Mary’s we offer a range of strategies to support children in addition to the work they are doing in class. These can be informal and determined by the class teacher; for example if your child has found a particular concept difficult in class they will be given further support in this area.

Some interventions run on a more formal and regular basis. These are led by a teaching assistant and may include help with speech and language, social skills, self esteem or an area of learning such as phonics. If your child is in a regular group, you will be informed by their class teacher. Occasionally, other children may also be invited to take part in an intervention group in order to support their peers by modelling good speaking and listening skills or modelling positive behaviour strategies.

We are also fortunate enough to have help and support from some outside agencies such as a trained Speech and Language Therapist (SALT). If your child meets with someone from an outside agency, you will be informed by the school.

Interventions start straight away at the beginning of the school year, though we do allow pupils to adapt and settle back into the routines of school and a chance for teachers to identify any gaps in their learning or any other support that the children may need.

Some of the interventions that we have used:

Social Skills
Positive people
Lego Therapy
Speech and Language Therapy
Counselling
Catch Up Literacy
Catch Up Numeracy

If you have any questions about this information, please do not hesitate to speak to your child’s class teacher or to our SENCO, Mr D Rodger.

Websites offering SEND specific resources and information

Speech and Language

We are very lucky to have our speech and language therapist supporting our staff and pupils regularly. Our pupils who require support with speech or communication can be referred to the service via the school.

There is training available to parents from the speech and language therapist. Find out more.

Please see the Communication Trust website for more information.

Counselling

We are very lucky to have our Therapists Magda and Lucia continue to work with us at St. Mary's.

Magda and Lucia has been provided to us from the Catholic Children's Society and will be working with selected children.

Parental Support

Parents whose child may be identified as having a special need are directed to Young Lambeth Parent Information and Advice Service.

Please check the Local Offer to see what is available to you as a parent of a child with SEN.

Parents with children on the Autistic Spectrum are advised to go to contact the Lambeth Autism Group. Lambeth Autism Group is the local branch of the National Autistic Society. They are a group which provide a wide range of support and information and raise awareness of autism on a local and national level. The group can provide information and resources, including a comprehensive information pack 'Did You Know' for parents and carers in Lambeth. They send regular email updates to parents and professionals. The group works in partnership with professionals and liaises with health, education and social care professionals.

To join the mailing list and request the guide please contact lambeth@nas.org.uk.

Telephone: 08088001050

Contact Information

Mr D Rodger is our SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator), can be contacted via the main office phone number: 020 7622 5479.

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Information Report for Children with SEND

Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy

St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School

St Mary'sRoman Catholic Primary School