SEN Specialist Expertise

SENCO and SEN Staff

Our SENCO is Mrs Kate Wimbury

More details of the SENCO’s role can be found in the SEN Policy which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.  The SENDCO role supports all families in the transition for all SEND pupils. It involves working closely with multi-agencies and partnerships to ensure that their learning journey is a happy and successful one.

It is the SENDCO’s job to:

1. Oversee the day-to-day operation of the school’s SEND Policy
2. Liaise with the relevant Designated Teacher where a looked after pupil has SEND
3. Advise teachers on using a graduated approach to providing SEND support
4. Advise on the deployment of the school’s delegated budget and other resources to meet pupils’ needs effectively
5. Liaise with parents/carers of pupils with SEND
6. Liaise with and be a key point of contact for external agencies
7. Ensure that the school keeps the records of all SEND pupils up to date
8. Work with the head teacher and school governors to ensure that the school meets its responsibilities with regard to reasonable adjustments and access arrangements.

The National Award for SEN Co-ordinator was achieved by Mr Everson in 2019.

External Specialists and Other Bodies

The school enjoys good working relationships with a wide range of people who provide services to children with SEND and their families,  particularly when a child is demonstrating further cause for concern or their learning need is more complex and persistent.  Byerley Park Primary School works closely with the following professionals, as required, in order to provide the highest level of support for pupils with SEND.

The external specialists may:

• Act in an advisory capacity
• Extend expertise of school staff
• Provide additional assessment
• Support a child directly
• Suggest statutory assessment is advisable
• Consult with all parties involved with the child

These include:

• Durham County Council local Offer
• Local Authority Special Educational Needs Inclusion Team
• Durham Educational Psychology Service
• One Point Hub
• Health Agencies, particularly School Nurse Service
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
• Speech and Language Therapists
• Durham Autistic Spectrum Team
• Tree Tops Occupational Therapy Service for Children
• The Service for the Hearing Impaired
• The Service for the Visually Impaired
• Educational Social Workers
• School Parent Support Advisor
• Looked After Children Team
• Learning Difficulties and Disability Support Service
• Occupational Therapy
• Medical Practitioners
• Mental Health Support Team

How We Secure Specialist Expertise

Our Additional Needs Budget is used to support children and young people with SEN.

The school funding formula is generated to include financial provision to specifically support pupils’ individual special needs. This funding is prioritised to ensure small steps of progress are continually made by all SEN learners.

Our notional funding for 2023-2024 is £102,681.

At Byerley Park Primary School, for those pupils with High Needs, Costed Provision Maps are created with detailed evidence of supporting resources provided in school. This builds a portfolio of the progress each child makes and additional funding and financial support can be applied for from the Local Authority. This funding is used to provide additional equipment and resources that may be required to help meet a child’s needs.  Detailed termly assessments and tracking of outcomes ensures that all learners achieve and make progress at Byerley Park Primary School.

If a child has complex special educational needs, we could also receive additional funding from the Local Authority to meet the agreed outcomes.