SENCO and SEN Staff
Our SENCO is Mr. M. Turner, Tel: 0191 3847284, or email: gilesgateprimary@durhamlearning.net
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.
In our school the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCo):
- manages the day-to-day operation of the policy;
- co-ordinates the provision for and manages the responses to children’s special needs;
- supports and advises colleagues;
- maintains the school’s SEND register;
- contributes to and manages the records of all children with special educational needs;
- manages the school-based assessment and oversees the completion of any documentation required by outside agencies and the LA;
- acts as the link with parents;
- maintains resources and a range of teaching materials to enable appropriate provision to be made;
- acts as link with external agencies and other support agencies;
- monitors and evaluates the special educational needs provision and reports to the governing body;
- manages a range of resources, human and material, linked to children with special educational needs
We have teaching and support staff specially trained in:
- Elklan Speech and Language Therapy
- Movement support and the delivery of sensory programmes.
- Team Teach
- Counselling and Play Therapy
- Therapeutic story writing
- Lego Therapy
- Precision teaching
- Relax kids
- Maths and English support, including phonics
- Emotional wellbeing
- Moving and handling
- Hearing loss including signed supported English and British Sign Language (BLS)
- Autism
Our Enhanced Mainstream Provision has the following specialist staff:
- Teacher of the Deaf: (Mandatory Qualification) Debra Proctor
- Teacher of the Deaf: (Mandatory Qualification) Ali Gray
- Specialist Speech and Language Therapist: Rachel Millward
- Education Audiologist: (Mandatory Qualification) Melanie Jones
- Deaf Worker: Lyndsay Tatters
- Communication Support Worker: Kay Temple
- Specialist teaching assistants trained in the support of hearing impaired children.
Staff are also committed to research to develop their knowledge and understanding of how to meet a child’s SEN as the need arises.
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.
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 SEND Information, Advice and Support Service
- Durham County Council Local Offer
- CAMHS
- Crisis Response
- Education Psychology Service
- Future Steps
- Learning Difficulties and Disability Support Service
- Movement Difficulties Service
- Specialist therapists – Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy
- Health Agencies, particularly School Nurse Service and Health Visitors
- Social Care and Health Team
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Tree Tops
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Support Group
- One Point Children’s Service
- Positive Futures Advisor – Mrs Lily Morris
- The Sensory Support Service
- Local Authority Special Educational Needs Inclusion Team
- Emotional Well Being Team (EWEL)
- Cognition and Learning Team
- Virtual School for Looked After Children
How We Secure Specialist Expertise
Our Additional Needs Budget is used to support children and young people with SEN.
This is used to support children and young people with SEND by:
- Buying in the services of external specialists
- Buying resources to support children
- Paying for support assistants who can work with and support children with additional needs by running a range of provision.
If a child has complex special educational needs, we could also receive additional funding from the Local Authority to meet the agreed outcomes.