Local Offer
As a federation we are always seeking better ways to support all children in our care. We realise that from time to time children may require some additional provision within school to help them with specific areas of learning, or perhaps, a social or emotional need or change in family circumstances. We put children and families at the heart of this approach and understand that communication and clarity are key when planning for individual needs.
We know that outstanding schools have teachers who have the skills to meet the needs of all pupils and support staff who are included in the planning process and develop specialisms across the curriculum that support all learners.
Across the federation, in addition to the next steps learning that is planned for by our teachers every day to ensure that all children make progress, we also have many well developed interventions and partnerships with specialists who work in tandem, from time to time, with the schools. These interventions and the additional support given are driven by data and by a clear evidence base to ensure all children’s needs are catered for.
These include:
- Local authority and independent EP support that provides clear strategies for teachers and support staff to use when planning for specific children
- Behaviour support from Harrow Tuition Service that can provide both outreach support for children, families and staff within the schools campuses and respite time within the services facility, The Helix. This facility supports children who need very small class sizes in order to attain successfully
- Partnership with Harrow Camhs who offer support for children and families who may need additional expertise in diagnosing specific Special Educational Needs
- Autism support through the local authority team who work with children and families both in and outside of school offering services such as Early Bird
- Mentor support for children who may need additional adult guidance through Harrow Mentoring Services. We have been able to negotiate with the service to include children who are younger than 11 for the first time in 2012/13
- We have Speech and Language support from the local authority and an independent speech and language therapist within school and a cadre of trained support assistants with specific qualifications in this area who run daily interventions across the schools to meet the children’s specific targets
- Targeted reading intervention, led by an accredited teacher of Reading Recovery, that addresses the need of those falling behind in reading in key stage 1. In addition to this a group of highly trained support assistants in both schools run a programme of reading support through the Fischer Family Trust intervention, in addition to these we also run early literacy support, additional literacy support ,further literacy support and the catch up programme
- Numicon and First Class @ Number interventions that target children with gaps in their understanding of number. These are highly focused, short term interventions that are planned and lead by accredited staff who specialise in this area. The approaches used in these programmes are embedded at whole school level through ongoing CPD
- Place2be has been is now installed successfully in school, giving several different counselling opportunities to children ranging from time to talk at lunchtimes to continued support from a councillor, this could be to address a short term problem or a more complex issue
- Art therapy that supports children with more complex social and emotional needs to find a way to express their emotions in a safe environment
- A daily Nurture Group that supports children who have not, for many reasons, met the developmental milestones that we would expect in relation to their chronological age. Staff are trained to assess the level of development and start from the point that the children most need. This Group has been bench marked by both our local authority and independent EPs in line with the nationally agreed guidelines for Nurture Groups. This group has been extended to provide an opportunity class for our older pupils to have a weekly session in a nurturing environment
- Learning Mentor support that provides targeted support for, amongst other things, children with ADHD and ADD. Our excellent Learning Mentors also running parenting groups and drop in sessions for parents and children
- Lego Therapy for children with social and communication needs that helps build confidence and social skills
- Forest School, that is supported by the Travellers Achievement Service, that enables children from all backgrounds to problem solve in an outdoor environment and challenge themselves physically and as part of a team
- Liaison with Harrow’s Early Intervention Team to support vulnerable children and families within the schools
- 100% attendance at all core groups and case conferences, LAC reviews and PEP meetings to ensure that the schools have the fullest picture of the young person’s needs
- Regular Team around the family meetings that involve all professionals and the children and families to ensure a joined up approach and clear communication of their needs
- Close links with the Educational Welfare Service to support children and families with attendance and punctuality
- 1-1 tuition is offered to all children in upper key stage 2. Our tutors are adept at working with teachers to assess the exact needs a child might have in English and maths and to find effective ways to plugs those gaps
Have a question or concern about inclusion at Whitefriars School?
Our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator is Ms Helen Payne and our Assistant Headteacher (Inclusion) is Ms Mandeep Sharma. If you have any questions or queries in relation to inclusion or SEND support at Whitefriars School please feel free to contact them:
Phone (via the school office): 020 8427 2080
Email: office@whitefriars.harrow.sch.uk
SEND Offer (Information Report)
Please click here to download
