We want the children who attend George Mitchell to complete their education with us with the skills and positive thinking needed to achieve their ambitions and to lead happy, successful lives. Our intention is that all children meet their potential and exceed their own expectations. We hold this as true for every child who attends our school, regardless of background or special need.
Inclusion Managers
Our Inclusion Manager (SEND Coordinator) in the Secondary Phase is Ms Amanda Hind. She can be contacted at amanda.hind@georgemitchellschool.co.uk.
Our Inclusion Manager (SEND coordinator) in the Primary Phase is Ms Sophia Francis. She can be contacted at sophia.francis@georgemitchellschool.co.uk.
You can also contact the Head of Primary, Samantha Hill, about any Primary SEND issue: samantha.hill@georgemitchellschool.co.uk
The Four Areas of SEND
There are four broad areas of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), as defined by the Department for Education:
-Communication and interaction
-Cognition and learning
-Social, mental and emotional health
-Sensory or physical
School House
School House is a newly renovated SEN hub on the grounds of the Secondary Phase, providing specialist support and small group tuition for children who attend mainstream classes but still need particular care, support or a highly differentiated curriculum.
Concerned about Your Child?
If you have any concerns about your child, please:
-Speak to the class teacher or Year Lead. You can arrange a formal or informal meeting to discuss your concerns together and to look at your child’s latest assessments and support arrangements in depth. Often this will allay your concerns altogether, but we also recognise that a parent knows their child best of all and we will always take what you say seriously.
-Meet with the SENCO to discuss any continuing concerns and next steps.
-Request an observation of your child. The SENCO will arrange to observe your child in class and at play and will discuss what was observed with you.
-Request additional assessment or support for your child. This might be within the school structure, for example an intervention or some additional support, and may include a referral to an outside agency such as CAMHS, to our in-house Speech and Language Therapist, to an occupational therapist, to our Educational Psychologist, or other support agency.
-The school will continue to update you and to meet with you to share arrangements and plans with you.
EHCPs
Sometimes a young person may have educational or health needs which require more support than is usually available in a mainstream setting. An Education Health Care Plan is a support plan which puts your child at the cente of the planning process. This document is drawn up by the local authority and can be requested by the school, the parent or by the local authority. The request will need to be accompanied by specialist reports and documents and, if granted, a more thorough assessment will then take place. The finalised EHCP will describe the young person’s special educational needs, what support is needed to meet those needs and help the young person to achieve their own ambitions.
An EHCP is reviewed and updated annually in a meeting known as an Annual Review.
Special Needs Interventions and Support
We are an inclusive school and believe that the majority of need can be met within carefully planned and differentiated quality first teaching. We do, however, provide a range of additional interventions and specialist support at both George Mitchell Primary Phase and in the Secondary Phase. This includes:
-Language support, including specialist ELKLAN trained adults throughout the school, an EAL programme, our own speech and language therapist and regular use of Bucket, Makaton, PECS and other techniques to help children to communicate.
-1:1 and small group support where needed, with an emphasis on gaining independence
-Support for social and emotional challenges, including our own learning mentor and behaviour support where needed
-Use of external professionals such as the Educational Psychologist, Occupational Therapy, CAMHS, Speech and Language Therapy and more
Assessment, Curriculum and Planning
Children with additional needs are assessed using the appropriate tools for their stage of learning. This includes the phonics and bookband assessments used throughout the Primary Phase and for certain children at Secondary, the EYFS Goals and the PIRA, PUMA and end of unit mini tests used to identify and close any gaps in learning.
The Engagement Model is an assessment framework for children with complex needs who may not be working consisently within the mainstream assessment frameworks.