SENCO - Mr P Doherty
Contact Details - senco@stcatherine.co.uk

The school is proud of the provision it offers for children with a wide variety of Special Education Needs and Disabilities.  Children with special needs, whether short or long term are entitled to the same access to the curriculum as other children. We fully support each child’s rights to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum and promote access to the curriculum through the implementation of individualised learning programmes that focus on particular areas of difficulty for the child. All Hillingdon schools are supported by the Local Authority to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school. St Catherine School is supported to be as inclusive as possible, with the needs of pupils with a Special Educational Need/s and or Disabilities being met in a mainstream setting wherever possible and where families want this to happen.
 
The school will meet the needs of children with the following SEND:

• Communication and interaction
• Cognition and learning
• Social, mental and emotional health
• Sensory /physical

STEP ONE

Early Identification

It is the aim of school, working in partnership with parents, to identify any difficulties that your child may be having.  This could take many forms:

• Delayed development of, or problems with speech
• Difficulty understanding others speech or making themselves understood
• Problems with sight or hearing
• Problems with gross motor skills such as balance and ball skills
• Problems with fine motor skills such as gripping a pencil, handwriting and cutting
• Generally falling behind peers in literacy and maths
• Pronounced difficulties with reading,   writing and spelling
• Behavioural problems

Raising Concerns

Once concerns have been raised, by parents or school, we will review and monitor your child’s progress and carry out any necessary assessments to determine the nature and  severity of the difficulty.

STEP TWO

Special Educational Needs Register

Once a difficulty has been identified and if it is felt that a child requires extra support beyond what the school currently offer through our interventions, a specialist assessment from an outside agency may be required.
 
If a more specialist assessment from an outside agency is required then, with parental permission, a referral will be made to one of the following agencies:

• SaLT - Speech and Language Team.
• Occupational Therapy - who deal  with physical difficulties.
• Hearing Impairment Service.
• CDC - Child Development Centre - who deal with more global issues such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD/ADD) and Autism (ASD).
• Educational Psychologist - assess for more specific learning difficulties such as Dyslexia.
• Behaviour Support Team.

 
These referrals are either made directly by school or through your GP by means of a letter from school.
 
Once their specific need has been identified, a child, with parental permission, will be put on the Special Needs Register and receive an IEP (individual education plan). This plan will be reviewed termly with parents and pupils.

STEP THREE

Education, Health and Care Plan

In a minority of cases it may be necessary for school to seek, in partnership with parents, An Education Health and Care Plan. This would only be necessary if:

• The extra intervention provided is not having the necessary impact.
• A child has a severe need in one area or  requires the intervention of a number of different outside agencies.
• A child is dramatically behind age related expectations.
• In order to make sufficient progress or  access the National Curriculum, 1:1 support or specialist provision is needed.

If an EHCP is required the school will work closely with parents, and the child, to work through the many stages of the application process.

If you require further support or would like some advice externally to school support, please contact SENDIASS Hillingdon. This Service provides information, advice and support for parents of children and young people with SEN or disabilities, about education, health and social care. The Service provides legally based, impartial, confidential and accessible information, advice and support and will be able to offer face to face, telephone advice as well as casework and representation when needed.
 
01895 277001
sendiass@hillingdon.gov.uk

If you have any further questions please contact your child’s class teacher or the SENCO (Special Needs Co-ordinator) Mrs Bishop
​If you want to make contact with her you can call the school office or email senco@stcatherine.co.uk

The documents below give detailed information for parents about this.  The policy outlines the school's procedures and provision for SEND pupils, know as the school's local offer.