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                   Our SENDCo

                                       Our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo) is Miss Lucy Stoker,

                                       📧 Contact: sendco@stthomas.org.uk

                                       📞 Phone: 01484 226557

                                        If you have any questions about your child’s needs, please first speak to your child’s class teacher.

                                        They can then liaise with the SENDCo for further advice and support.

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The St Thomas Offer​

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At St Thomas CE Primary School, we are committed to enabling all children to thrive and succeed, regardless of any barriers to learning or starting points. Every teacher at St Thomas is a teacher of pupils with additional needs and disabilities, and we provide an inclusive, nurturing and welcoming environment where all children can flourish.

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Our curriculum is “deliberately ambitious for all learners” and is designed to “give all

pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils and including pupils with SEND, the

knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. We recognise that

“ambitious learning, particularly knowledge acquisition, should be an entitlement for

all children, regardless of their starting points or prior learning.” With this in mind,

teachers “carefully adapt and remove any learning barriers within lessons, with the goal

of ALL learners leaving the lesson having learnt the same.”

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For pupils with SEND, this may mean “help that is in addition to, or different, from the support generally given to all children of the same age.” In some cases, we also recognise that “some pupils may need a bespoke curriculum offering which meets their specific needs.” The impact of this approach is that “progress can be measured and evidenced for all children, regardless of their starting points or specific needs.” Our inclusive and ambitious curriculum ensures that every pupil is prepared for the next stage of their education and for life beyond St Thomas.​

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As part of our commitment to high expectations for all, St Thomas follows a highly structured, transparent and rigorous approach to identifying, supporting and reviewing the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. 

This ensures families, staff and external agencies work cohesively, and that pupils' needs are monitored, reviewed and met effectively.

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One parent of a child in Year 5 said "The school have been very helpful, they have helped my child to settle into his new school" 

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The Graduated Approach 

We use a four-stage model, as set out in the SEND Code of Practice (2015):

 

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This cyclical approach ensures support is dynamic, responsive and evidence-based, and that children receive the right help at the right time.

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"Staff are always willing to listen and meet to discuss things that could change." Year 4 child's Parents.

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How We Adapt Our Curriculum for Children with SEND

At St Thomas, we believe that every child should access an ambitious and knowledge-rich curriculum.
Teachers use a consistent range of adaptations to ensure all pupils can succeed. These may include:

• scaffolding and modelling new learning

• breaking tasks into smaller steps

• pre-teaching key vocabulary

• using visual timetables, widget symbols or objects of reference

• flexible grouping and targeted adult support

• concrete apparatus and hands-on materials

• chunked instructions and repetition

• additional processing time

• low-arousal working spaces

• sensory breaks, regulation plans or access to structured sensory activities.

Adaptations are planned and purposeful, ensuring that wherever possible all pupils learn the same curriculum content with success.

Further subject-specific information about how we adapt teaching can be found on each Curriculum Subject Page, where leaders outline the steps taken in each subject to ensure pupils with SEND thrive in their learning.

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We asked parents how they felt about the communication of child's needs and adaptations need. 

One parent said "Very well".

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Provision Mapping & Interventions

We maintain a detailed whole-school provision map that tracks:

• all interventions offered

• entry and exit criteria

• expected outcomes

• frequency and duration

• the pupils accessing each intervention

• impact over time

Interventions may include:

• phonics / reading catch-up (ELS/Reading Fluency)

• numeracy or fine motor support

• social communication programmes

• sensory regulation plans

• SEMH mentoring and emotional literacy sessions

• targeted vocabulary instruction

• handwriting and gross motor development sessions

• therapeutic input delivered in our specialist spaces

Provision is updated termly so that support remains effective and tightly matched to need.​​​

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                  Our SEND Governor

                                       Our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Governor is Mrs Sarah Simmonds,

                                       📧 Contact: sarahsimmonds@stthomas.org.uk

                                       

                                        ADD IN QUOTE ABOUT SARAH

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Our Provisions

At St Thomas, we recognise that children’s needs are unique, and that some pupils require highly individualised provision to access learning and thrive in school. We have developed a range of specialist pathways to ensure all children receive the right support at the right time.

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A nurturing, small group environment for children with complex communication, interaction, sensory,

and learning needs. Blossom follows a personalised curriculum rooted in the Engagement Model and

EYFS principles, with a focus on communication, independence, sensory regulation, and social

development. The children in Blossom all have a bespoke timetable where they work between the

Blossom provision and their class. 

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                                     A dedicated provision for Key Stage 2 pupils with significant social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH)                                         needs. Roots & Shoots provides a safe, structured space with access to therapeutic interventions,                                                     targeted emotional regulation support, and small group teaching.

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Our Key Stage 1 SEMH pathway offers younger children a nurturing and supportive environment where

they can develop strategies for self-regulation, build positive relationships, and engage in tailored learning

activities designed to build confidence and resilience along side work done in the classroom. 

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                              A calm and supportive nurture provision that helps children with school based anxieties, that may have                                            suffered bereavements or find the transition into school difficult. The Nest is designed as a safe “stepping                                      stone” environment, offering time and space for children to regulate, practice social skills, and receive                                              targeted intervention before reintegrating back into class.

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​​​​This is what the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (2014) states regarding provision;

 

''Schools should assess each pupil’s current skills and levels of attainment on entry, building on information from previous settings and key stages where appropriate. At the same time, schools should consider evidence that a pupil may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 and, if so, what reasonable adjustments may need to be made for them.'  

 

Please read our SEND policy and  Information Report below. There are also many documents mentioned within it, which are attached also. If you have any queries, please contact Mrs Meade (Headteacher), Mrs Goddard (Deputy Headteacher/Acting Headteacher) or Miss Stoker (SENDCo). We will be happy to talk to you.

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