SEND & Wellbeing Support
Definition of SEND
A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability, which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.
A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty if he or she:
- Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or
- Has a disability, which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions. SEN Code of Practice (2014, p 4)
Definition of disability
Many children and young people who have SEND may also have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 – that is '…a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. This definition provides a relatively low threshold and includes more children than many realise: ‘long-term’ is defined as ‘a year or more’ and ‘substantial’ is defined as ‘more than minor or trivial’ SEN Code of Practice (2014, p5)
The local authority’s local offer is published on https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/special-educational-needs
Parents without internet access should make an appointment with the SENCo for support to gain the information they require.
If you have any concerns or questions, please speak to your child's class teacher or Adele Solomides (Inclusion Manager) - asolomides@inspiream.org.uk
Please also look at our newsletter below, which signposts you to a range of different places depending on your child's needs.
Autism & PDA
ADHD
Emma Watson (Hermione in Harry Potter), Will.i.am, Albert Einstein, Simone Biles (Olympic gymnast), Richard Branson all have ADHD... (see powerpoint below)
ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviours (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.
A child with ADHD might:
- daydream a lot
- forget or lose things a lot
- squirm or fidget
- talk too much
- make careless mistakes or take unnecessary risks
- have a hard time resisting temptation
- have trouble taking turns
- have difficulty getting along with others
Types
There are three different types of ADHD, depending on which types of symptoms are strongest in the individual:
- Predominantly Inattentive Presentation: It is hard for the individual to organise or finish a task, to pay attention to details, or to follow instructions or conversations. The person is easily distracted or forgets details of daily routines.
- Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation: The person fidgets and talks a lot. It is hard to sit still for long (e.g., for a meal or while doing homework). Smaller children may run, jump or climb constantly. The individual feels restless and has trouble with impulsivity. Someone who is impulsive may interrupt others a lot, grab things from people, or speak at inappropriate times. It is hard for the person to wait their turn or listen to directions. A person with impulsiveness may have more accidents and injuries than others.
- Combined Presentation: Symptoms of the above two types are equally present in the person.
Because symptoms can change over time, the presentation may change over time as well.
What is ADHD? Video
How does ADHD medication work?
Support for parents
NHS advice for parents
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/living-with/
Young Minds
https://www.supernanny.co.uk/Advice/-/Health-and-Development/-/Special-Needs/Your-ADHD-child.aspx
Getting Support
Please see below useful links to websites and organisations who offer support:
Kent Educational Psychology Service
Due to school closures relating to the coronavirus, for a limited period of time Kent Educational Psychology Service are offering free consultations via video/phone call for 30 minutes, where parents/carers can talk to an educational psychologist.
The aim of this service is to provide advice and guidance to support children’s wellbeing and learning during the time of school closures. Topics or areas that you may wish to discuss could include:
- Anxiety around the current situation and its impact on your children and family. Supporting your children’s emotional needs.
- Concerns about family relationships.
- Concerns about friendships, learning, daily structure and sleep routines.
- How you can best look after yourself to support your children.
- Preparing for the transition back to school.
If you would like to make use of this service, please contact: kepscommunitysupport@kent.gov.uk
When you e-mail, please give: - your name; - phone number; - the time of day that would be most convenient to be called back (i.e. morning, afternoon, early evening); - a brief description of what you wish to discuss.
They will do their best to respond within two working days but this may be subject to availability.
Young Minds offers free support to children young people struggling with isolation, coronavirus and the impact on their mental health.
Young minds parent helpline 0808 802 5544
Text the YoungMinds Crisis Messenger for free 24/7 support across the UK if you are experiencing a mental health crisis.
- If you need urgent help, text YM to 85258.
- All texts are answered by trained volunteers, with support from experienced clinical supervisors.
- Texts are free from EE, O2, Vodafone, 3, Virgin Mobile, BT Mobile, GiffGaff, Tesco Mobile and Telecom Plus.
Trauma Council
Contact- Free helpline and website for families
0808 808 3555 contact.org.uk
Mind UK- Charity supporting mental health Mind.org.uk
Family Action- Free helpline for families 0808 802 6666 2
Kooth- Counselling app for young people
The Samaritans 116 123
National Autistic Helpline 0808 800 4104 www.autism.org.uk
Mental Health
The mental health and wellbeing of our pupils is a core thread that runs through every facet of school life at Four Elms Primary School. This is driven by our leadership team and school governors and is supported by every member of staff in school.
Social and emotional skills can improve academic attainment, enhance pupils' motivation as well as promote wellbeing and help prevent mental health difficulties from developing. When children have good levels of mental health and wellbeing it helps them to:
- ·learn and explore the world,
- ·feel, express, and manage the full range of emotions,
- ·form and maintain good relationships with others,
- ·cope with and manage change, setbacks and uncertainty,
- ·develop and thrive.
As a school, we aim to help develop the children's mental health and wellbeing through our curriculum and the opportunities we provide all of our pupils. We actively teach them to develop their social skills, understand what wellbeing is and how to maintain it, manage their emotions, build and sustain relationships, be confident, be self-aware and to work in a team.
Below you will find a wealth of information and resources a variety of areas of wellbeing.
Kent SEND Update - Mental Health
Young Minds – Parents’ guide to supporting an anxious child
Useful article from The Child Mind Institute on dos and don'ts for anxious children
Background info on what causes anxiety and strategies for supporting your child.
Click here for some general information from the NHS about anxiety
We value the mental well-being of all the adults in our school community just as much as we do the children's! Adults may find the following websites and resources helpful:
Reducing Anxiety
Below is a link for night-time anxiety with useful resources and further links
'The Invisible String' is a reassuring story for younger children who are worried about being alone:
Strategies for Dyslexia
Here are many easy, practical strategies that can support children with dyslexia both at school and at home. Small adaptations to day-to-day practice can make a huge difference and ensure that they are learning effectively:
- Sit your child where they can see you and ask for help easily
- Give your child ‘thinking time’ to process information and respond
- Make instructions short and simple.
- Break tasks down into small manageable steps (My Task Board- see below)
- Explain and present information many times in various ways (pictures, flow charts, diagrams)
- Ask your child to repeat instructions so you can check their understanding
- Display prompts and reminders about what to do, where to find things, useful words
- Label equipment - always keep this in the same place, indicate items when mentioned
- Provide alphabet strips, word banks, numbered prompts of what to do
- Provide - and demonstrate how to use - practical aids (calculator, number/tables squares)
- Use multi-sensory approaches to ensure that information is absorbed and stored.
- Many children with dyslexia are kinaesthetic learners (they learn by doing). Engage them in purposeful movement, using rhythm and visual activities to stimulate memory and trigger recall
- Encourage alternatives to writing - respond by drawing or dictating/recording answers.
- Check your child’s learning by non-written responses - draw, act out, sing, dictate answers
- Give plenty of time to complete written work- encourage typing skills
- Encourage the use of books in audio/digital format to support individual access to texts
- Minimise the number of errors you highlight – perhaps only one of each type. Suggest how to avoid these in the future.
(Dyslexia: How Teachers Can Help)
https://www.dyslexiascotland.org.uk/sites/default/files/page_content/howteacherscanhelp.pd
Strategies to support concentration and focus
Set up a good routine and get resources ready first. A cushion on a chair is a good way to help sitting still and a fiddle toy like blu-tack can also help. Say your child’s name use eye contact before giving instructions.
Check in with the Zones of Regulation – choose two of each colour activities from the menu in order: blue, green then yellow to get ready for learning!
A visual timetable will help structure the day. Encourage your child to choose the order of the tasks and activities to help them feel in control and motivated.
Use the ‘Now and Next’ board to put the first task on ‘Now’ and you might want to agree how much time or how many questions to do. This needs to be clear. A timer is useful here.
You might want to break up the task into smaller chunks using the ‘My Task Board’. After each section a small learning/movement break for 5 minutes might be needed. (Drink, snack, run around)
‘Next’, is a reward activity for completing the ‘Now’ work and can be Lego, colouring, movement etc.
Repeat the ‘Now and Next’, until the activities for the day have been completed.
Build in snack/ break and lunch times into the timetable. Repeat the ‘Zones of Regulation’ after lunch.
Use a reward chart to work towards an end of the week goal or treat.
Use the zones of regulation if you child is feeling ‘blue’ or ‘yellow’ to get back to ‘green’
