Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

Welcome to the St Matthew’s SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) page. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your child further, please do not hesitate to contact Miss Keates (SENDCo) by emailing sendco@stm.bdat-academies.org. 

St Matthew’s C of E Primary School and Nursery values the individuality of all pupils; we are committed to giving pupils an equal opportunity to achieve the highest standard of education whilst having access to a broad and balanced curriculum. We do this by taking account of pupils varied interests and needs. We intend to provide education that meets the specific needs of all individuals and groups of pupils, with the aim to eliminate discrimination. 

The ultimate purpose of inclusion is to enable pupils to flourish in adult life. St Matthew’s C of E Primary School and Nursery aims to increase the level and quality of inclusion within school, while protecting and enhancing specialist provision for those who need it.

Below you can find our 'SEND Information Report' which details our SEND offer.  

What do we want for our children?

Inclusion means all children no matter their ability, disability, race or gender be taught a broad and balanced curriculum that is pertinent to individual experiences and fosters a love of learning. Our aim is to ensure that all our children flourish and thrive. Teaching and learning approaches are at the heart of this; where we ensure equality of opportunity is upheld and both intrinsic and extrinsic barriers to learning are broken down. At St Matthew's, we are committed to the inclusive education of children with SEND and the progressive removal of barriers to learning and participation in mainstream education, (SEND Code of Practice 2015).

To that end, we believe that personalising and adapting learning and meeting the needs of all pupils forms part of our moral duty and purpose, and that this is embedded in our curriculum design. We support all our children to access the curriculum through our three areas of provision – universal, targeted and specialist provision.

How do we deliver this effectively?

At St Matthew's, we identify and support children with SEN through a four-part (assessment for learning) recurrent cycle known as ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review,’ as set out in The SEND Code of Practice 2015. We ensure that children and families are at the heart of this process, and the cycle allows us to obtain a growing and comprehensive understanding of individual children’s needs and the tailored support that allows for good progress and outcomes.

At St Matthew's, the graduated approach starts at the universal level, whereby teachers are continually assessing, planning, implementing, and reviewing their approaches to teaching all children. When a child has been identified as having SEND, this recurrent process becomes progressively personalised.

What does this look like for our children?

We acknowledge that the outcome of meeting the requirements of the National Curriculum are imperative but will also differ depending on each unique child. Early intervention is key at St Matthew's and through our robust graduated approach, we ensure children are assessed and plans that are specific to each child’s profile of need is implemented early on.

At the universal level of provision, children learn in the classroom alongside their peers and quality first teaching approaches that are differentiated and personalised ensures we meet the individual needs of our children and young people.

At the targeted level of provision, our highly skilled and trained learning support assistants (LSA) conduct evidence-based interventions to bridge gaps in learning, through one-to-one or small group teaching sessions.

Bradford Local Offer

The Local Offer sets out the support available in the local area for children and young people with SEN and/or disabilities (including those without an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan).

Local authorities (LAs) have a statutory duty to develop a local offer and publish it on their website.

This is so they can:

• Provide clear, comprehensive, accessible and up-to-date information about available provision and how to access it.
• Make sure the provision responds to local needs and aspirations.
• Involve the local community, children and young people with SEND, and service providers (including schools).

All schools must co-operate with the LA for its development and review of the local offer.

This is explained in chapter 4 of the SEND Code of Practice.

You can access Bradford’s Local offer by following the link below:

https://localoffer.bradford.gov.uk/

Information for Parents and Carers

• adhd-mind-map
• attachment-disorder-mind-map
• autism
• dyscalculia-mindmap
• dysgraphia-mind-map
• dyslexia-mindmap
• dyslexia-mindmap 1
• oppositional-defiance-disorder-odd-mind-map
• pathological-demand-avoidance-mind-map
• sensory-processing-disorder-mind-map

Useful Links 

• https://uk.tobiidynavox.com/products/td-snap TD Snap software offering a choice of AAC solutions to help people with communication disabilities
• https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/splingo/id1564235790  Educational games to develop Speech and Language
  https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/my-colourful-words/id1547203193  Colourful Semantics

Autism Support

• Blue Star Hub Provision Offer
• Bradford Matrix of Need v2 2
• EY SEN Progress Grid
• School Age Progress Grid with ARE
• SEN-Information-Report 2024