Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
At Thrunscoe Primary and Nursery Academy, we believe that by working in partnership with families and professionals we can ensure that all of our children achieve the best they possibly can, in an environment that stimulates and encourages a love of learning. Through strong relationships with various agencies, e.g. the Educational Psychology Service, the Specialist Advisory Service and The Speech and Language Outreach Service, we offer an inclusive pupil-led curriculum to ensure the best possible progress for all of our pupils - whatever their needs may be.
Our Academy prioritises the early indentification of possible needs, ensuring effective support for any child within the four broad areas of need: communication and interaction; cognition and learning; social, emotional and mental health and sensory and/or physical needs. All children are fully included within our bespoke curriculum, which is adapted effectively to ensure accessibilty and achievement for all learners.
Why not browse the rest of the these pages to find out more about SEND provision at Thrunscoe?
Special Educational Needs and Disability Coordinators
Our SENDCo at Thrunscoe Primary and Nursery Academy is Mrs A. Matthews (formerly Ms Reynolds).
Please note: Mrs E. Allen is undertaking the role of Academy SENDCo from November 2024, until Mrs A. Matthews returns from her maternity leave.
If you wish to contact us regarding any queries, questions or concerns you may have, please use the Academy telephone number 01472 320781, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
SEND Support Staff
Miss Whitfield is our SEND TA who delivers both specific and personalised programmes of support for our SEND learners across each of the four broad areas, for the whole of the academy. Miss Whitfield mainly supports learners who have specific, identified needs and/or targets identified from outside agencies. This also includes transitional packages and life skills, ensuring that our learners are prepared for the next stage of their education and wider life.
SEND Policies
SEND Information Report
Below you can find our SEND information report broken down into frequently asked questions. This is statutory document which explains how SEND is identified and assessed within our academy. It also explains how we plan a graduated response to SEND provision by following the assess, plan, do, review cycle when implementing additional support. It contain the details of all relevant staff members and how you can contact us to discuss any questions or concerns you may have. It also contain details of the Local Offer, which is the Local Authority's webpage that contains links to all the services available to support SEND from age 0-25 in our area.
SEND information reports
SEND Useful Information
Cognition and Learning
The Beat Dyslexia series is a step-by-step multi-sensory literacy programme for all pupils struggling to acquire literacy skills, especially those with dyslexia. It takes a multi-sensory approach that encourages the pupil to use many senses in order to learn letter-sound relationships. Here we are using a multi-sensory approach to learn our alphabet and phonemes.
Numicon can be used to help children order numbers, explore tens and ones, add and subtract, continue patterns, explore odd and even numbers, partition, and much more. Here we are using our numicon to learn our number bonds to 10, and colouring the corresponding colour.
Chatta- is a teaching approach which links images with language.
Mrs Goodguess- helping children develop crucial inferencing skills, designed to help children who are having specific difficulty acquiring the language skills needed for communication at home and school.
Rapid Maths is a KS2 maths programme designed to help SEN and struggling learners catch up in number skills. Small group or one-to-one sessions led by an adult help your children grasp essential number concepts whilst having fun and building their confidence in maths.
Sensory and Physical
Creating our own play dough to develop our fine motor skills Manipulating playdough helps to strengthen hand muscles and develop control over the fingers. There are also specific activities that can also promote skilled use of the tripod fingers, which can help develop pencil control and better handwriting.
The Sensory Systems- working together to develop our 8 senses:
- Auditory- hearing
- Visual- sight
- Tactile - touch
- Olfactory- smell
- Gustatory- taste
- Vestibular- balance
- Proprioceptive- body awareness
- Interoception- internal senses
Our crazy trail -balance is the ability to maintain a controlled body position during task performance, whether it is sitting at a table, walking the balance beam or stepping up onto a kerb. To function effectively across environments and tasks, we need the ability to maintain controlled positions during both static (still) and dynamic (moving) activities.
There are many benefits to cutting with scissors, including:
- Independent movements of each finger
- Strengthens hand muscles
- Bilateral coordination skills (two-handed coordination)
- Visual motor skills (eye-hand coordination)
- Visual perceptual tasks (directionality)
- Fine motor skills (separation of hand, finger dexterity)
- Promotes grasp pattern
- Focus and attention
Communication and Interaction
Using physical objects and Nuffield resources to differentiate between words containing target sound and an alternative sound.
Using physical activity to imbed knowledge of multi syllabic words. Eg “un-der-pants”
Pupil jumps on a spot for each syllable, while reciting the word.
Use of flip chart and Nuffield cards to develop use of blends in speech. Playing a game to keep child motivated, and keep session enjoyable.
Using physical objects and Nuffield resources to differentiate between words containing target sound and an alternative sound.
Building a puzzle with familiar TV show characters to engage pupil. Mrs Robinson overuses correct pronouns in speech, using this as a model for the pupil who is using incorrect pronouns in independent speech.
Practical activity to encourage the use of target sound/word production. Pupil has opportunity to use own speech, and listen to Mrs Robinson modelled speech through turn taking during the game.
Use of Nuffield picture cards to create a CVCV sequence. Pupil uses ability to produce this sequence, to develop ability to blend each sound together.
Use of Nuffield picture cards to create a CVCV sequence. Pupil uses ability to produce this sequence, to develop ability to blend each sound together.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Game adapted to be played with a child to develop an understanding of positive reactions to the truth, and negative reactions to fibs.
Pupils enjoyed spending 3 days using clay, papier Mache and paints to make a volcano model. They used coloured strips of paper to write down each of the emotions they experience, and what causes them, eg “I feel happy when…” “I get angry when…” “I get excited about…” “I feel anxious because…” etc.
Activity used to make a visual representation of our explosive emotions and to show if we keep them all kept up, they will explode and make a huge mess! It’s best to let each emotion express itself in a healthy and helpful way. It’s okay to feel each of these emotions, as long as we recognise what has caused each one, and we can handle them in safe and positive ways.
Foundation stage children, introduction to SEMH sessions. Creating faces with play-doh. Making emotions they are familiar with, commenting on and noticing the features of each emotion, eg smile, frown, cry etc. Pupils then had a go at using a mirror to copy the emotion they had made from play-doh and naming it, eg happy, angry, sad etc.
Here we are focusing on developing life skills through cooking activities which the application of skills from mathematics such as time, hygiene and nutrition from science and safety awareness skills.
SEND Useful Links
Please follow this link for the Local Authority SEND Offer:
https://sendlocaloffer.nelincs.gov.uk/
Find local information, events and training, and regular updates relating to SEND on the Council’s SEND Local Offer website.
The Local offer website is developed in conjunction with everyone who uses it. To work with them on the website please contact Lauren Thompson, SEND Local Offer Engagement Coordinator and Communications Officer at lauren.thompson2@nelincs.gov.uk.
All NEL SEND Newsletters can be found on the Local Offer CLICK HERE
You can sign up to the mailing list by emailing Lauren Thompson, SEND Local Offer Coordinator at sendlocaloffer@nelincs.gov.uk.
SENDIASS
SENDIASS North East Lincolnshire is a free service for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and their parents and carers. It’s impartial and we give confidential information, advice and support in relation to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and related health and social care matters.
Learn more about how SENDIASS can help you. SENDIASS – NELC (nelsendiass.org.uk)
NELPCF
Get involved with NELPCF’s activities:
These links have been forwarded by the Local Authority to offer further support during this time
- National Autistic Society – guidance and helpline for parents’, young people and staff: CLICK HERE
- The Autism Education - A social story about coronavirus that has a good level of specificity about the effects of social distancing e.g. not being able to go to favourite place. CLICK HERE
- Mencap - Easy Read guide to Coronavirus: CLICK HERE
- Place2Be – Guide to helping parents answer questions from their children and to support family wellbeing: CLICK HERE
- Young Minds - Talking to your child about Coronavirus and 10 tips from their Parents Helpline to support family wellbeing: CLICK HERE
- Carers UK - Guidance for carers: CLICK HERE
- Covibook – an interactive resource designed to support and reassure children aged 7 and under, designed to help children explain and draw the emotions that they might be experiencing during the pandemic: CLICK HERE
- Amaze - information pack for parents Fags about the coronavirus for parents carers and children with send CLICK HERE
- Public Health England have produced an easy read version of their advice on the coronavirus for places of education. You can download it DOWNLOAD HERE.
- Information for those with sensory difficulties who struggle with handwashing CLICK HERE
- Information for those struggling with OCD, OCD and coronavirus survival tips CLICK HERE
- General information for young people about managing their mental health, What to do if you are anxious about Coronavirus CLICK HERE
- National deaf Children’s Society covid-19-coronavirus-support-for-deaf-children CLICK HERE
- British Deaf Association - for the latest news to CLICK HERE
Please see the below link for further resources available to support your children at home from Gov.uk publications: CLICK HERE
Young Minds Matter
Young Minds Matter for North East Lincolnshire in partnership with Lincolnshire NHS Foundation Trust have provided easy to use Online Training Workshops aiming to increase understanding and build confidence when supporting children and young people.
Learn about common mental health topics such as:
- Anxiety
- What is Mental Health?
- Low Mood Depression
- Self Harm
- Health Anxiety
- Social Anxiety
- ADHD
- Autism
Online Workshops can be accessed with the following link https://www.lpft.nhs.uk/young-people/online-workshops
Parent and Carer Online Training Poster
Newsletters
For a direct link to NEL SEND newsletters click on the following. https://sendlocaloffer.nelincs.gov.uk/category/newsletter/
As at December 2023 the SEND newsletter is no longer available in pdf format. Please use the link above to find the latest newsletters.
