Pocklington CE Infants is an inclusive school. We ensure that each and every child is secure in the knowledge that they are a special and valued member of our school community. We celebrate diversity and embrace the opportunities that this brings to enrich the experiences of adults and children alike. Our strong Christian ethos is visible and apparent throughout the school; adults and children have a great deal of respect for each other and relationships are accepting and supportive.
All of our children, regardless of their needs, are offered a teaching and learning experience that enables them to make the best possible progress educationally, socially and emotionally. All children are highly valued and fully included in all that we do. We strive to enable each and every one of our children to become confident, secure, independent and resilient learners.
Our School Offer
We have a detailed SEND Policy, which explains clearly how our practice reflects the statutory requirements set out in the new SEND Code of Practice: 0-25 Years (April 2014). It is important to us that parents are aware of the procedures that we, as a school, have agreed to follow in order to support pupils with SEND.
Our School Offer complements our SEND Policy and, we hope, provides information that we believe is helpful to parents who have concerns about an aspect of their child’s learning, well-being or conduct in school.
We would like to ensure that our School Offer remains useful and relevant to all who use it. Your feedback and suggestions are most welcome and will go a long way towards helping us to achieve this.
The East Riding local offer comprises a directory of services that parents can access.
Organisations that support parents and families of children with a special educational need or disability
What is Special Educational Need and Disabilities?
The term Special Educational Need and Disabilities (SEND) covers any learning difficulty or disability that requires provision that is additional to, or different from, that which can be provided through normal classroom teaching. It covers a range of needs, including communication and interaction, cognition and learning difficulties, social and emotional, health or sensory difficulties or physical needs.
How will the school adapt to meet my child’s needs?
- We spend time together as a school devising a curriculum that is stimulating, engaging, appealing and accessible.
- Our teachers deliver high quality teaching, which is carefully differentiated or personalised to meet the needs of individuals.
- The learning environment is rich in multi-sensory resources including models, images and equipment to support the learning process for each of our pupils.
- We provide access to a range of individual and small group-based intervention programmes as appropriate. We often adapt/amend/devise our own highly individualised programmes using elements of the above, and/or specialist resources to match the needs of specific pupils.
- We promote independence in learning.
- We plan activities that promote taking responsibility and building on individual strengths to promote success.
- We make physical adaptations as necessary to allow our pupils full access to the school buildings and grounds.
The Sensory Room
What is a sensory room?
A sensory room is a specially designed room which combines a range of stimuli to help individuals develop and engage their senses. These can include lights, colours, sensory soft play objects, and aromas all within a safe environment that allows the person using it to explore and interact.
What are the benefits of a sensory room?
There are a whole host of benefits of a sensory room for those who require them, some of these include:
Sensory stimulation – encouraging children to engage and explore the environment can have a positive effect on their ability to react and interact with the larger world around them
Enhanced learning and play – sensory stimulation can engage different areas of the brain, helping children absorb and retain more information a better meeting the needs of the individual
Improve balance, movement and spatial orientation – sensory rooms can help develop users’ visual processing abilities as well as their fine and gross motor skills, facilitating day-to-day living.
Tackle problems with behaviour – sensory environments can be highly absorbing, providing a moment of comfort and calm for overactive and distressed individuals. This improves focus and supports children to regulate their behaviour.
Sensory rooms also help those who have learning difficulties, developmental difficulties or sensory impairment learn how to interact with the world around them, but in a safe environment that builds up their confidence and their ability. The sensory room allows a child to explore, this helps staff understand what calms a child and to discover what they like or don’t.
These are just a handful of the benefits of a sensory room. We are very grateful to have a sensory room at Pocklington Infants. A grant from Awards for All and support from Governors and the Friends of Pocklington Infant School made this possible and is benefiting pupils’ mental health and well-being.
Speech, Language and Communication Support
At Pocklington Infants we recognise the importance of children having early and regular support if they are struggling with speech, language or communication. We assess pupils in Nursery and Reception. If we have concerns about a child’s speech, language or communication we discuss these with parents and with parental agreement we will make a referral to both the NHS speech and language department and to Bridge SLT who the school contracts with. The speech and language therapist from Bridge SLT works alongside classroom staff and our SEND TA to provide regular therapy sessions tailored to the child’s needs individually or in group sessions.
Who can I speak to if I am concerned a child may have a special educational need?
We are a receptive, approachable team here at Pocklington Infant School, and we appreciate that issues surrounding SEND can sometimes be difficult to talk about. We will always make time for you; to listen, advise and discuss the next steps for your child. We welcome and actively encourage parental involvement, so please do not hesitate to get in touch:
- If you are concerned about your child’s learning, well-being or conduct in school, we advise that you talk through with their class teacher initially.
- For concerns regarding a SEND, you can contact– our SENDCo, Dr Lynn Bartram.
SEND Contact Information
Our SEND Team:
- Dr Lynn Bartram, SENDCo
- Mrs Saltmer, ELSA
- Miss Husband, SEND TA
You can contact us via:
- School Office Telephone – 01759302699
- SEND email – head@pocklington-infants.org.uk
Moving to junior school or a specialist setting
The move to junior school represents a significant life experience for every pupil. It can be both an exhilarating and terrifying time; and, for some children with SEND in particular, we understand that it can also be overwhelming and unsettling. We tailor our transition support to closely match the needs of each individual.
Our support at this time may include:
- A programme of exploratory ‘transition’ sessions, usually one adult to one or two children.
- Extra visits to the new setting; additional opportunities to become familiar with new routines, key places and key people.
- Working on a ‘Transition Book’ or similar.
- Liaison with key staff in the new setting
- Encouraging parental involvement – we believe that, by working collaboratively, we can instil a sense of security that will enable the child to explore their feelings surrounding this time with confidence.
If your child has an Education Health Care plan (EHCP), and you are considering investigating a move to a specialist setting, we will support you with this. We will be able to ensure that we are working within the deadlines set by the Local Education Authority (LEA) for the various parts of the process that is involved.