SEND Support

We are an inclusive school where staff are committed to supporting the needs and aspirations of all our students. 

All children have the right to a broad and balanced education, one which allows them to flourish, develop and grow as an individual.

Miss Pritchard, Executive SENCO

We feel that ensuring equality of opportunity and equity requires more than simply treating everybody in the same way. Our vision is to understand and tackle the different individual barriers and challenges a pupil may face.  

As a school it is important to us that our students achieve academic success and also develop socially and emotionally to enable them to become confident and independent learners.

We invite you to read our school information report and policy (available in the Policies section) which describes in detail how we identify students who have Special Educational Needs and our use of the graduated approach to support their progress and development.

 Areas of Need

We support students with a wide range of Special Educational Needs that fall under each of the four broad categories of need.

• Communication and interaction: eg Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Asperger’s Syndrome

• Cognition and learning: eg Specific Learning difficulties (SpLD) which includes Dyslexia Dyscalculia and Dyspraxia, Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD), Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) global developmental delay.

• Social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH): eg Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Depression, Anorexia, Anxiety.

• Sensory and/or physical needs: eg Vision Impairment (VI), Hearing Impairment (HI), Medical needs

Meet The Team 

The Inclusion Team is comprised of staff with a range of skills, experience and knowledge. The team receive continuing professional development so that they are able to differentiate fully for the varying needs of a range of students on the additional needs register.  To find out about their background and interests please click on their image.

We are committed to supporting our students with any additional needs they have. If you having any queries relating to SEND at St Mary's please get in touch with the SENCO, Mrs Basri via send@stmarysmenston.org.

External Support Agencies 

The Inclusion Team maintains strong and productive relationships with a range of local services.  These include STARS Autism Support Team, Medical Needs Teaching Service, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Mindmate Leeds, Visual Impairment Team and the Educational Psychology Service.

Working with Parents 

We recognise the importance of building and developing supportive and effective relationships with the parents of children with SEND that attend our school. The parental support package includes enhanced communication throughout their child's time in school and dedicated parent information evenings.  Please do get in contact if you would like to discuss the needs of your child or any additional support you feel they may need to continue to be successful with us.  The best way to do this is to email send@stmarysmenston.org.

 Transition to St Mary's Menston

The move to high school is an important milestone for young people and we recognise that this can be more challenging for pupils who have additional needs.  At St Mary's we run an extended SEND transition programme from March. One of the highlights of this is the weekly SEND Masterclasses where students attend St Mary's and participate in fun and engaging activities which aim to help them feel familiar, comfortable and confident in their new environment.   If you would like more information on this programme then do get in touch and we would be happy to answer your queries.

Useful Links 

• British Dyslexia Association  http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/
• National Autistic Society https://www.autism.org.uk/
• ADHD UK https://adhduk.co.uk/about-adhd/