SEND & Inclusion

St Michael’s Academy is an inclusive school and all staff use their best endeavours to ensure that necessary provision is made for any individuals that have additional needs.

A child or young person has special educational needs and disabilities if

• they have significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or

• they have a disability which makes it difficult for them to use the facilities normally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools.

Special educational provision is that that is additional to or different from that made generally for others of the same age. This means provision that goes beyond the differentiated approaches and learning arrangements normally provided as part of high quality, personalised teaching. It may take the form of additional support from within the school setting or require involvement of specialist staff or support services.

SEND stands for Special Educational Needs and Disability.

The SEND Code of Practice 2014 and the Children and Families Act 2024 give the legal framework to ensuring that social care, education and local authorities support the needs of children.

Our School has a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) who is responsible for leading provision and support for identified pupils with SEND. The SENCO works closely with other staff within the school, parents and external professionals to develop, implement and monitor individual support and learning plans for students with special educational needs. A SENCO is a qualified teacher who is responsible for leading the school’s provision for special educational needs and the support offered to students with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) – which can be disorders like autism, dyslexia and ADHD.

The SENCO works closely with other staff within the school, parents and external professionals to develop, implement and monitor individual support and learning plans for students with special educational needs.

We are committed to equity - that all of our pupils:

• experience highly effective teaching and learning and have a broad and balanced curriculum which is differentiated to meet individual needs

• can learn and make progress according to their individual developmental trends

• are assessed using appropriate assessment tools and guidelines, with an emphasis on early identification of needs through supportive and preventative strategies to reduce barriers to learning

• have equal access to resources, provision and interventions as needed

All teachers are teachers of SEND pupils and as such provide high quality teaching which takes account of the particular individual needs of pupils with SEND within the classroom.

If you would like to contact our SENCo, Ms Estelle Casey, please speak with the School Office on 01935 423863.

SEND and Inclusion Resources Across St Michael's Academy

The Loft

The loft is an additional needs space at St Michael's Academy and is situated on the first floor of the school. Whilst we celebrate inclusive classrooms, these spaces provide additional support for our highest needs. It is a resource base and space for individual and small group learning.

Star Pods

We have 6 star pods that are booked for a range of activities by teachers and teaching assistants. There are few distractions in the pods as the space is quiet. Sometimes screens can be used to offer more focus and privacy for pupils. The variety of pods are well resourced. Each pod is resourced with a whiteboard, red chairs and light wood desks that give a uniform and cheerful feel to the place. Some have laptops and headphones, e.g. the Literacy Gold Station, and all have access to stationary and additional resources, e.g. now next, white boards, sound cards and phoneme frames.

Sensory circuit

Our sensory circuit is used by pupils with sensory needs who need more than regular classroom movement breaks. Whether it is tip toeing along the snake, hopping over logs in the crocodile swamp or high fiving along the corridor, these alerting activities are recommended by the integrated therapy service for children and young people. Despite being a new addition to the space it is well used and enjoyed by pupils and (and adults!) alike.

Sensory and Therapy Room

Our new sensory room is a well equipped space for a calming experience in the school. It is always ready to welcome pupils with an adult who need to have this provision. It is a bookable space in order to ensure the room is beneficial for an individual with specific needs in that area. Within the sensory room we have a range of lights and projections on the walls and ceiling. There are weighted blankets and cushions that have a variety of textures. Our soft rug is a firm favourite along with the egg chair where you can gaze at the dreamy projector images around the room listening to the gentle sounds of nature. Shoes off outside the sensory space mean that it is all kept in mint condition. Sessions can last up to 30 minutes and are effective provision for our highest sensory needs.

Star Base

The Star Base is the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) area for the whole school.

We are extremely well resourced to cater for all aspect of SEND at St Michael's. Here, teachers and teaching assistants will find a range of resources, support and direction on various needs within the classroom and for interventions.

Here, we allocate resources, meet parents and outside agency professionals, carry out assessments and oversee interventions in our extensive range of intervention pods.

We also monitor pupils of concern, ensure high standards of provision in the classroom and across all curriculum areas.

The Star Base is a welcoming space and we are very lucky to be able to offer the extensive range of support that we do.

Have a look at our pictures to see our Star Base provision.

Read Write Inc Station

Our Read Write Inc (RWI) station has a fantastic range of phonics resources. RWI is our school's chosen synthetic phonics programme. Here, teachers and TAs can stock up on phonics flash cards, all stages of RWI reading and writing books, ready printed green and red words (common and tricky words associated with a particular book) and guidance on using them.

Reading Station

We have a wide selection of books that we use to teach children to read. We have titles at all stages until they become confident readers. Usually, these books are used for our ILI (Individual Literacy Intervention) and reading box interventions - taken out and returned on a library style system.

The Viewpoint

We have a unique school and we embrace outside-of-the-box thinking when it comes to using strategies that support our pupils at their time of greatest need. Part of our loft has fantastic window - it looks out across the whole school, the quad, the rooftops and right across to Wyndham Hill.

Wyndham Hill is an iconic landmark in Yeovil with four mature lime trees standing on the summit. The climb to the top is worth the effort for 360 degree views of the surrounding town and countryside. It's a reminder that good things happen when we put the effort in. The shared path along the bottom also reminds us that we aren't alone on our journey. There have been many meaningful conversations at the viewpoint, often being pivotal in thinking a bit

differently about a problem, feeling ready to start again.

The Blob Tree

There are many Blob Person and Blob Tree resources around that can offer a way to communicate from where we are or how we are feeling at a particular point in time. Especially when heightened emotions prevent us from expressing things verbally. However, St Michael's has it's very own HUGE Blob Tree!

It's about 5m high and 3m across. You can't miss it as you walk around the school. This is another unique resource that we use to support conversations, explore feelings or identify and name emotions. Often sitting on the top stair gives you the best view to look at the tree in full and a perfect spot for that connection with a key adult or quiet reflection.

Elsewhere in the school we have some excellent resources to support our children who may have SEND or additional needs:

The Hive

The Hive is a quiet and well-resourced base where pupils can be supported by an adult. It is staffed all day from 8.30am until 3.30pm. Pupils can exhibit many types of behaviour and our Behaviour Lead, Mrs Cole, is always on hand to offer support to those who need it.

Hive pods

We can offer an alternative space for a pupil to do their work. For many reasons a pupil may need to have a space to work outside of the classroom and the hive can offer this, at times, for up to 4 pupils.

Listening station

We have a collection of talking books and music CDs that pupils can sit and listen to on our big cushions or the soft sofa.

Hive break and lunch time

The Hive is open throughout all breaks. Lunch can be eaten in the Hive if a child is finding it tricky in the hall.

Someone to talk to

The Hive is a warm and friendly place where problems about friendships, home and school life can be discussed in a safe space. We use many strategies within the Hive to help pupils manage their emotions and teach them how to manage them on their own in the future. We have a variety of resources that the pupils can use to explore feelings, help with relaxation and prepare them for returning to the classroom. Strategies are encouraged to support pupils in creating friendship groups if they are having difficulty making or maintaining friendships. We can target many different emotions through specific games and activities that can help pupils manage any troubles they may be experiencing. Sometimes pupils just need to sit and relax after a particularly tricky time or as a result of sensory overload.

Rainbow room

The hive has a whole other space attached to it. The Rainbow room offers a further space for calmness and desensitising. It is a useful space for pupils that need immediate and often discreet support.

The Wardrobe

At St Michael's Academy we have spare uniform for those unforeseen situations. It is very important for us to ensure support in all kinds of circumstances so that pupils don't feel upset or embarrassed, for example, if clothing ripped or became soiled.

Therapy Dog

Mrs Cole also brings in her dog, Dougie. He is a very calm dog who enjoys the company of children. He loves a cuddle and is always on hand to snuggle up to if someone is feeling sad. Dougie comes in twice a week.

Have a look at our photos to see what our Hive provision looks like!

Life skills and Wellbeing Hub

Our multi purpose Life Skills and Wellbeing Hub is an exciting new space that will be opened in 2024. Here we will have our thrive and ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) sessions, Play Therapy, cooking and sharing sessions and life skill themed interventions such as keeping safe in the kitchen or home, using cutlery, shopping as will as many other potential ideas to engage with. It will be a bookable space so that the wider school can use the resources to support adapted teaching and learning e.g. cooking in maths to look at measuring or making national dishes to support a geography or EAL theme.

Thrive and ELSA are about improving children’s social and emotional skills, by cementing and filling the emotional gaps they may have whilst on their life journey so far. We offer thrive and ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) sessions to pupils who display significant and evidenced needs in social, emotional and mental heath. These can be 1:1 sessions or small groups with a common theme e.g. transition. During the sessions, pupils are encouraged to be curious and creative, helping them develop their confidence. Pupils can work with the adult to help support their emotional needs or within a group to benefit their social skills. This can be organised through games, art, being creative, sensory interests or just having fun in an unrestricted environment. Thrive and ELSA could also be a means of talking, to allow pupils to share their worries. There are many different ways to support children at our setting using Thrive and ELSA.

EAL Hub (English as an Additional Language)

Every year we welcome a large number of pupils who have English as an Additional Language. We know that we are very fortunate to have such a rich cultural community here in Yeovil. We have an EAL Coordinator who ensures that pupils arriving at our school with a different first language are able to access the school day, friendships and learning as soon as possible.