SEND Special Educational Needs and Disabilities at St.Mary's
"There is a strong focus on the health and wellbeing of pupils within the context of rights so that children feel supported and protected. Children have been involved in developing a Mental Health Toolkit and the school also offers Place2Be to support children with their mental health. Children spoke about Refelction Corners, Zone of Regulation, and the strategies they use to help them regulate their emotions such as yoga and deep breathing. Members of staff have also developed a SEND Pledge which describes how children with SEND will be supported to access their rights."
UNICEF Gold 2023
Mindfulness sessions, Reflection assemblies, as well as learning strategies which support independence and resilience, all contribute to nurturing emotionally secure and resilient pupils and staff.
IQM Report July 2023
At St. Mary’s, adults support for pupils’ personal development and the many strategies and tools they have in place to promote the wellbeing, resilience, safety, and positive attitudes of children is one to be proud of.
IQM Report July 2023
Respect, Friendship, Courage, Inspiration, Excellence, Equality, Determination
St Mary’s is a very special place. St Mary's is a Gold 'UNICEF Rights Respecting School. We are committed to ensuring children's voices are heard at our school. We strive to ensure that all 42 rights of the child are unconditional, inalienable and indivisible. Some children at our school have barriers to learning that mean they may require provision that is additional to or different from others. This may be termed as Special Educational Needs.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child:
Article 23
Children who have any kind of disability should have special care and support, so they can lead full and independent lives.
Article 12
Children have the right to say what they think should happen when adults are making decisions about them.
My child has learned so much from St. Mary's which he has taken into high school. He is making lots of right choices now. He says he wants to take care of his education and behave, as well as he can, all the time. I can not thank St. Mary's enough. I feel it will reflect positively on him through his future. Parent
"I don't know what I would have done without school and am so grateful for the support we have had." Parent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg6hvvzhnEM
Information for parents and carer leaflet
Our St. Mary's SEND Pledge
Welcome to The Pod
Leaders are totally committed to ensuring that every member of the school family is welcomed and supported so that they can ‘be the best they can be as God intends’. As a result, the level of support for all pupils and their families is exceptional. This is demonstrated by the extensive work undertaken by senior leaders and the pastoral support team, who work tirelessly to support vulnerable pupils and their families. This reflects the school’s passion which ensures that ‘no child is left behind’, because all are loved by God. The extent to which the school promotes community cohesion cannot be overstated
St Mary's SIAMS Report 2019
What if my child has or develops needs around their social, emotional or mental health?
We all have mental health. Sometimes our mental health can be good, sometimes our mental health isn't so good and sometimes people can have mental illness. We all have small feelings and emotions that can come and go. Having these feelings is completely normal.
Small feelings and emotions can sometimes turn into big feelings that can leave us feeling overwhelmed. This is when it is really important to talk to someone about how you are feeling. This can be your family, a member of staff at school or one of your friends.
Please see the link below to the Anna Freud "Talking Mental Health"
The children were very enthusiastic about their learning and the value they place on their right to an education came through strongly. Learners requiring additional support have an ‘Article 12 target’ on their Access to Learning Plan to ensure that they have their say properly in the process.
Rights Respecting Schools Award © Unicef UK 2018 unicef.org.uk/rights-respecting-school
