Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)
SEN Inf
ormation Report 2024-2025 Here we explain how St Thomas a Becket meets the needs of children with Special Educational Needs. A shortened, interactive version can be accessed below:
Interactive SEN Information Report Jan 2024
Universally Available Provision: This is the provision that should be available to all children and young people so they can thrive in their setting. Universal provision provides strategies and interventions to support all children including those identified with special educational needs and disabilities.
PINS Project
DfE and NHS England-led Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools.
We are delighted to be able to share with you that we have been selected to be part of this project.
Outline of Project:
Meeting the needs of children with SEND in mainstream schools is the cornerstone to improving outcomes (across attainment, attendance and wellbeing), parental confidence and delivering the financially sustainable SEND system, as envisaged in the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan.
The PINS Project will bring health and education specialists and expert parent carers into our school to:
• Help shape whole school SEND provision.
• Provide early interventions at a whole school level.
• Upskill school staff.
• Support strengthening of partnerships between schools and parent carers.
Working with Parents and Carers
Collaboration with parents and carers is critical to the success of the PINS programme. Parent carers are key partners in the delivery of PINS and there will be parent carer representation at all levels.
This parent carer survey is part of the PINS programme. The survey is for all parents and carers of children attending the schools participating in the project. If you have more than one child attending the school, then you may complete the survey for the number of children you have attending the school. The information from the survey will be used to understand the current strengths and potential areas of improvement in each school. The survey will stay open until mid-July 2024.
Please complete the survey here: https://forms.office.com/e/KcfpKtuYuf or you can use the QR code if you prefer
There will be a parent carer event at St Thomas a Becket in the new school year. During this session we will share the survey results with you. More information about this event will follow after the summer holidays.
East Sussex Support
East Sussex CZONE for Schools: https://czone.eastsussex.gov.uk/send https://czone.eastsussex.gov.uk/inclusion
East Sussex SEND Information Hub for Families: http://localoffer.eastsussex.gov.uk/
Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) -Support for Parents
East Sussex Exclusion Guidance
Here is Marco our Canine Concern Therapy Dog! Watch this space for details on his visits to St Thomas a Becket....
Marco is enjoying some time in our Key Stage 2 library!
Parent Newsletters
St Thomas a Becket SEND Newsletter Sept 2022 Vol 1
St Thomas a Becket SEND Newsletter Oct 2022 Vol 2
St Thomas a Becket SEND Newsletter Nov 2022 Vol 3
St Thomas a Becket SEND Newsletter Jan 2023 Vol 4
St Thomas a Becket SEND Newsletter Feb 2023 Vol 5
St Thomas a Becket SEND Newsletter March 2023 Vol 6
St Thomas a Becket SEND Newsletter May 2023 Vol 7
St Thomas a Becket SEND Newsletter July 2023 Vol 8
St Thomas a Becket SEND Newsletter Sept 2023 Vol 9
St Thomas a Becket SEND Newsletter Nov 2023 Vol 10
St Thomas a Becket SEND Newsletter Jan 2024 Vol 11
St Thomas a Becket SEND Newsletter March 2024 Vol 12
St Thomas a Becket SEND Newsletter May 2024 Vol 13
St Thomas a Becket SEND Newsletter July 2024 Vol 14
East Sussex Parent Carer Forum (ESPCF): forum for parent carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in East Sussex.
Coffee Mornings
CLASS + Coffee Morning
Thank you to those of you who attended the coffee morning on the 20th September.
For further local coffee mornings run by CLASS + please visit their Facebook Page.
Term 3 SEND Parent Drop in Session
We are looking forward to trailing this session on the 7th February 2024 2.30pm-4.30pm. Further details are now on our flyer which you can access here. You will also see copies of the flyer appearing around on doors and window. We look forward to seeing you.
Term 6 Transition Coffee Morning
Wednesday 19th June 2024 8.30-10am Thank you to those of you who were able to come along. We really hope you found it useful. Here are the slides from the session:
Supporting Children with Successful Transitions
Here is the link to Emotion Coaching UK The Zones of Regulation resources are below.
Here are some of the resources we spoke about during the session
Social Narrative Sensory Sensitivity Checklist Parent Voice
Further Information
The East Sussex SEND Prospectus aims to provide parents with information about the excellent local provision that there is across East Sussex for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
AMAZE is a charity that gives information, advice and support to families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Brighton & Hove and Sussex. 
http://amazesussex.org.uk/ See also Information Leaflet
AMAZE explains what to do if you are worried about your child at school here
OPEN FOR PARENTS: The East Sussex Parenting Team If you are worried about managing your child’s behaviour, supporting their development or their emotional wellbeing or you want support and advice to help build a positive relationship with your child Open For Parents can help.http://www.openforparents.org.uk/ They can offer help and support directly to parents, free of charge, as part of East Sussex’s Early Help 0-19 Services provision. They provide a variety of online parenting courses, each with specific tips to help them deal with the most common behaviour problems. This service is all run online, so parents and carers can join in from the comfort of their own home. All they need is a laptop, tablet or phone and internet access. This guide contains all the course information, dates and how to book. Open For Parents Parenting Guide: Jan-March 2024
Are you concerned about your child's Speech and Language? Use the Speech Link Parent Portal website for information and activities for developing your children’s understanding, talking and listening. If you require further support or want to know whether a referral to the Children’s Integrated Therapy and Equipment Service (CITES) is required, then contact: Therapy One Point on 0300 123 2650
kentchft.citesonepoint@nhs.net Or complete an online enquiry form.
Phone Therapy One Point to:
- progress your child’s programme
- access advice and signposting for therapies
- discuss whether or not a referral to our service is needed.
The CITES Website also has extensive information on topics such as sleep, sensory processing, language and online safety. You can find advice and strategies to start using straight away. To find out more about 'What is Therapy? A Guide for Parents to Explain Children's Therapies click here.
Spurgeons Counselling Service are now offering free 'Real Parenting' support for parents. Real Parenting is a four-week parenting skills course for parents of children from birth up to the end of primary school age. The course helps you to build positive relationships and find greater happiness in your family life. Courses and parenting skills workshops are running across the UK, with more added all the time. For more information click here. They also offer a 'Parent Support Service'. This programme is flexible according to the family's needs. They will work with a family for between 3-8 sessions, via 1:1 intensive support. Each session will have a focus looking at building relationships, identifying any difficulties, and working with the family to find solutions and strategies to improve their current situation. Each session for this support service costs £40.
East Sussex School Health Service (School Nursing Team) School nurses can support with a range of concerns e.g. sleep patterns, hearing, bedwetting and diet. Please see Mrs Grayson or Mrs French for a referral or contact them directly on 01323 446983 https://www.kentcht.nhs.uk/service/school-health-service-east-sussex/ #
Special Needs Jungle Parent-led information, resources and informed opinion about children and young people 0-25 http://www.specialneedsjungle.com/
The Igo Leisure Card provides discounted leisure activities for SEND children. Click on the link for more information. Igo Leaflet
- i-go is a register and FREE leisure discount card for 0-25s with additional needs in East Sussex
- The i-go card gives you offers and discounts for over 100 venues and activities, including free taster sessions, discounts, and free entry for carers.
- i-go also provides information about accessibility for each i-go venue to help you plan a visit. This includes details about features like toileting, wheelchair access and sensory information. And you can find details about SEND Sessions offered by i-go leisure partners on the i-go website i-go | Discover the East Sussex i-go scheme
Planet Golf SEND sessions: Planet Golf in Eastbourne are now offering SEND sessions each month. This is an amazing place and definitely worth a visit! See Information Poster and Social Narrative.
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The Zones of Regulation® is an approach used to support emotional regulation.
It’s great for children to use in schools but even better when the whole family use it as well so that children and their families can get used to the language of Zones in their everyday life!
The more people around a child who are familiar with the principles and language of Zones, the better.
How to use Zones at home Zones colour grid Zones Slides
Neurodevelopmental Conditions
ADHD: (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is defined as a neurodevelopmental condition, thought to be caused by differences in the way the brain develops, that affects the parts controlling attention, concentration, impulsivity, activity levels and memory. This means a child or young person’s behaviour can be anything from being ‘very dreamy’ (unable to pay attention) through to being ‘always on the go’ (hyperactive). Everybody is different, but a person with a diagnosis of ADHD has difficulty filtering out unimportant information coming into the brain, so may be easily overstimulated and distracted, struggle to identify and retain the important information, have memory difficulties, feel overwhelmed by their own thoughts, respond before considering things properly, and find it difficult to regulate their feelings and behaviours. If you are concerned about your child, please do come and speak to us. With your consent, we can refer children in whom there is prominent hyperactivity and difficulties with attention and focus to CAMHS for assessment for ADHD.
ASC: (Autism Spectrum Condition) is defined as a neurodevelopmental condition.
Autistic people may:
- find it hard to communicate and interact with other people
- find it hard to understand how other people think or feel
- find things like bright lights or loud noises overwhelming, stressful or uncomfortable
- get anxious or upset about unfamiliar situations and social events
- take longer to understand information
- do or think the same things over and over
To find out more about Autism visit the National Autistic society, the NHS Website or watch this short video clip Amazing things Happen
If you are concerned about your child, please do come and speak to us. With your consent, we can refer children to a Paediatrician at the Child Development Clinic for a neurodevelopmental assessment. For this we will complete a Multi Information Gathering Form. For more information about this process please click here.
Resources to help at home:
Post Diagnostic Support for Children with Autism
Mental Health Support Team Information
Introducing Vickie the new Parent & Carer Practitioner from Me & My Mind
Would you like to know how to help your child more with their fears & worries?
Or maybe you’d like help with something else like getting them to go to sleep or to go to school?
Vickie from the ‘Me and My Mind Team’ would like to set up some sessions to help parents & carers with supporting their child’s emotional wellbeing. She can offer drop ins, coffee mornings, workshops and short courses on specific subjects, but first would like to know what would be most valuable for you and your child just now. Please follow this link to complete a short 1-minute questionnaire.
The East Sussex Mental Health Support Teams work with 53 schools in East Sussex to provide short-term supportfor children and young people affected by mild to moderate mental health needs.
The evidence-based interventions are delivered by Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) and Senior Mental Health Practitioners (SMHPs) for children and young people aged 7 to 17.
The MHSTs also provide information and consultations with school Senior Mental Health Leads to support with the development of Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing (MHEW) Whole School Approach (WSA) plans.
For In
The Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) can support children and young people with:
- Sleep difficulties related to poor sleep routine, behavioural problems, anxiety-based night-time avoidance behaviours or problematic thoughts or worries at night
- Poor eating patterns or diet affected by and/or affecting mood
- Low mood, depression and low self-esteem
- Anxiety difficulties including phobias (e.g. animals, vomit, agoraphobia etc.), separation anxiety, social anxiety, school avoidance & excessive worry
For More Information on supporting your child's mental health:
Introduction to the MHST service
Recorded Webinars - Czone (eastsussex.gov.uk)
Parent and Carer Information Pack
Parent and Carer Leaflet (Russian)
Parent and Carer Leaflet (Arabic)
Parent and Carer Leaflet (Polish)
Parent and Carer Leaflet (Portuguese)
Parent and Carer Leaflet (Spanish)
Parent and Carer Leaflet (Turkish)
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At St Thomas a Becket Catholic Primary School we work to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school. Children who are identified as having special educational needs are therefore supported with this aim in mind, working in partnership with children and their parents/carers to find the best way of learning for each individual child.