The school takes the personal development and well-being of children very seriously. We know that children are unlikely to flourish unless they are developing positive relationships, feel safe and are adopting healthy life styles. We also know that some children with SEND are particularly vulnerable when it comes to making and keeping friendships. We address many of these issues in our PHSE (Personal Health and Social Education) curriculum.
We encourage children to develop confidence and resilience through teaching, social play opportunities and through more targeted support where this is needed. We promote positive behaviour as part of our philosophy of learning – for example, through group and paired work. We firmly believe that behaviour is communication, and when presented with challenging behaviour we work with families to develop a plan of support for the child, drawing on their strengths, motivations and interests. You can read more about our approach to behaviour in our Behaviour Policy.
We have a zero tolerance of bullying and talk about all aspects of bullying in assemblies and lessons: we have very little bullying in our school but when it does occur we work with the children involved to make sure that it does not happen again. Please refer to our Anti bullying policy for more information.
We provide expert help for any child who is experiencing any difficulties with behaviour or relationships from well-trained staff: for example the deputy head or SENDCo. We will always consult and involve parents in the decision to offer this support. Our specialist help includes:
| Specialist Support | Available | Examples of what they do |
| Tavistock Outreach Project(TOPS)
An under 5’s service (4 therapists altogether) | 1.5 days a week | Works with children and sometimes parents, for example, at times of crisis such as bereavement |
| Primary Learning Support Service
(behaviour specialists) | As needed through referral | Work with children, staff and parents |
We have a “playground champions” system where older children help younger children in the playground to join in games and activities. We make sure that our School Council and Rights Ambassadors are representative of the population of the school and we encourage and support children with SEND to take on whole school responsibilities.
We support all children to attend school regularly, for example thorough providing an enjoyable and stimulating curriculum and through home support where this is needed. We provide specialist support and up to date training for staff on safeguarding, keeping children safe and meeting children’s emotional needs. All of our staff and governors have an up to date DBS check (formerly CRB).
We have an up to date plan on how we manage medical needs. Children with serious medical needs have an Individual Health Care Plan which sets out
- The medical condition and resulting needs, e.g. medication and treatment; environmental issues
- Support for educational and emotional needs
- Who provides support: their role and training and who needs to be aware
- Arrangements for working with parents/carers
- Support for long term absence
- Support on School trips and journeys
- Emergency procedures
- When a child with medical needs is absent long term from school we make sure we keep her or him in touch with learning and friendships. Our school nurse provides advice and guidance on managing health difficulties. She also meets with parents, monitors the children, supports with sex and relationship lessons in Y6 and delivers training to staff e.g. epipen training.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SAFETY
Q. Who will watch out for my child at playtimes to make sure they are safe and well?
A. We have a well-trained team of playground assistants who organise games and activities. A very important part of their role is to keep a close eye on everything that is happening at lunch and break times and intervene if any child is feeling stressed or sad.