SENCO and SEN Staff
Our SENCO is Mrs Clare Laidler
At St Anne’s the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) does the following:
- Oversee the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEN policy
- co-ordinates the provision for children with SEN
- liaises with the Designated Teacher where a looked after pupil has SEN
- supports and advises colleagues
- liaises with parents/carers of pupils with SEN
- liaises with and is a key point of contact for external agencies
- ensures that the school keeps the records of all SEN pupils up to date
- manages resourcing and teaching materials which support SEN provision
- works with the head teacher and school governors to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities with regard to reasonable adjustments and access
More details of the SENCO’s role can be found in the SEN Policy which you can find in the school polices section of our website.
Staff Training will vary each year depending upon the needs of the children. Recent staff training has covered- ‘SEND Outcomes –good quality outcomes, SEN Support Plans and Primary Areas of Need’, Supporting children with ASD, Sensory Specialist Training – Sensory Issues for Pupils on the Autistic Spectrum, Trauma and how it impacts upon children.
External Specialists and Other Bodies
The school enjoys good working relationships with a wide range of people who provide services to children with SEND and their families.
The external specialists may:
- Act in an advisory capacity
- Extend expertise of school staff
- Provide additional assessment
- Support a child directly
- Suggest statutory assessment is advisable
- Consult with all parties involved with the child
These include:
- Durham County Council Local Offer
- Durham SEND Information, Advice and Support Service
- Local Authority Special Educational Needs Inclusion Team
- Educational Psychology Service
- Emotional Well Being Team (EWEL)
- Cognition and Learning Team
- Bishop Auckland One Point Hub
- Health Agencies, particularly School Nurse Service and Health Visitors
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
- Speech and Language Therapists
- Crisis Response
- Virtual School for Looked After Children
- Specialist therapists – Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy
- Other specialist health services as required, e.g. hearing, speech, vision, diabetes
- Medical Practitioners – GPs, Paediatricians, Clinical Psychologists
- Family workers and One Point Children Centre staff
How we secure specialist expertise
Our Additional Needs Budget is used to support children and young people with SEN.
This is used to support children and young people with SEND by:
- Buying in the services of external specialists
- Buying resources to support children
If a child has complex special educational needs, we could also receive additional funding from the Local Authority to meet the agreed outcomes.
