At Hendal Primary we strive to support all children and enable them to achieve their full potential at school. In order to do this, many steps are taken to support them through their learning journey.
Quality first teaching is vital, however for some children, there are some occasions when further additional support is needed to help them achieve their targets. This support can be given through intervention programmes which are tailored specifically to suit the children’s needs.
Our School SENCO is Rachel Knowles, Assistant Headteacher. You can contact Mrs Knowles by contacting the school office or emailing rknowles@hendal.wakefield.sch.uk
At Hendal Primary School we work closely with parents and external agencies to provide a wide variety of interventions. The interventions can take part as a small group or can be targeted to individual pupils following programmes provided by external agencies. The Learning Mentor and Behaviour Support worker carry out assessments to ensure they plan, do and review children’s progress over time. They also work closely to ensure the interventions support the academic and emotional development of children when in their classroom.
The interventions that take place include:
Talk About– An intervention aimed at primary school children for developing self-awareness and self-esteem. It also promotes children’s communication interaction through group activities.
Lego Therapy– Social development programme for young people with social communication difficulties. It focuses on working as a team, developing team working skills, cooperating, social and communication interaction and the development of language skills.
Teadorescu– A programme for the development of fine motor skills to promote handwriting. Beneficial for children with visual perception problems.
Fit To Learn– A programme for developing fine and gross motor skills to support children with motor coordination difficulties.
Specific Learning Programme– A programme to help with handwriting, spelling and English language.
Zones of Regulation– An intervention to support the development of strategies for children to be able to use to help control and regulate their emotions.
Self Esteem– Groups to promote children’s self-esteem and confidence to develop their engagement within their classroom, work and peers.
Mindfulness for children – The purpose of teaching mindfulness to our children is to give them skills to develop their awareness of their inner and outer experiences, when we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future.
Meditation for children– using breathing techniques to promote a state of calm whilst developing children’s own emotional control which then impacts on themselves and others.
What is the Local Offer?
The Local Offer was first introduced in the Green Paper (March 2011) as a local offer of all services to support disabled children and children with SEN and their families. This easy to understand information will set out what is normally available in schools to help children with lower-level SEN as well as the options available to support families who need additional help to care for their child.
To visit the Wakefield Council Local Offer website click on this link LA Local Offer
Occupational Therapy
Children’s occupational therapists can support children with sensory processing, self care, dyspraxia, developmental coordination disorder and fine motor skill development.
Mid Yorkshire Children’s Occupational Therapy Team have created a series of videos to help you understand and support your child’s sensory processing needs. It is a comprehensive resource, which explains what me mean when we talk about sensory processing difficulties, what happens in the brain and why a child with sensory processing difficulties responds and behaves in a certain way. Please see the link below:
Support your child’s sensory processing needs | Mid Yorks