Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
At Sinai Jewish Primary School we strive to support all children to enable them to achieve at school. In order to do this, many steps are taken to support them through their learning journey. For some children there are occasions when further additional support may be needed to help them to make the best possible progress in school.
Sinai is a fully inclusive school and aims for all pupils achieve their potential, personally, socially, emotionally and academically in all areas of the curriculum (regardless of their gender, ethnicity, social background, religion, sexual identity, physical ability or educational needs).
Children are identified as having SEND when they have a significant learning difficulty or disability which calls for provision to be implemented that is additional to, or different from, the provision that is typically in place for other children of the same age in a mainstream setting. The school then have specific needs based plans that help support their development and accelerate progress.
The four broad ‘areas of need’ are Communication and Interaction, Cognition and Learning, Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties, and Sensory and Physical Needs.
What is the Local Offer?
- Local Authorities and schools are required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for the children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) aged 0-25. This is the ‘Local Offer’.
- The intention of the Local Offer is to improve choice and transparency for families. It will also be an important resource for parents in understanding the range of services and provision in the local area.
The School SEND Information Report
This utilises the LA Local Offer to meet the needs of SEND pupils as determined by school policy, and the provision that the school is able to meet.
If your child has Special Educational Needs, what can Sinai Jewish Primary School offer you?
We embrace the fact that every child is different, and, therefore, the educational needs of every child are different; this is certainly the case for children with Special Educational Needs.
If you would like to speak to someone about the department or your child/ren please contact our SENCO
Mrs Lisa Facey – 020 8204 1550 or email ldwyer@sinai.brent.sch.uk
SEN Information Report
Attached below is an outline of how Special Needs Provision is managed at Sinai, this is called our SEN Information Report. It is designed to help parents see how we manage the provision of children who may have a special or additional need. If you are unable to find the information you need in our local offer then please don’t hesitate to contact our school.
SEND Documents
Art Therapy at Sinai School
Since September 2013, Sinai School has been delighted to be able to offer in house Art Therapy to children with emotional / behavioural difficulties.
What is Art Therapy?
According to the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) “Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of communication. Clients who are referred to an art therapist need not have experience or skill in art. The art therapist is not primarily concerned with making an aesthetic or diagnostic assessment of the client’s image. The overall aim of its practitioners is to enable a client to change and grow on a personal level through the use of art materials in a safe and facilitating environment”.
How do children benefit from Art Therapy?
Art Therapy is usually a very effective way of working with children who may be going through a difficult time. This may be due to specific changes in the child’s life, for example, divorce, bereavement, trauma, bullying, arrival of a new sibling etc. What may be difficult to put into words, or even unknown in spoken language, can be expressed through the artwork.
Who are the Art Therapists that work at Sinai?
Sinai School have a close relationship with the University of Hertfordshire, who provide Sinai with MA Art Therapy students. In return, Mr Anders, A qualified Art Therapist and supervisor, supervises and mentors the students to ensure they provide effective and professional intervention.
What systems do we have in place to ensure good practice?
- Mr Anders interviews and takes references on MA students who want to work at Sinai.
- Prior to working with any children, the school runs a DBS check on every therapist.
- Prior to working with Children, each therapist spends two weeks, discreetly, observing Children in class and at break, so that they can ascertain how the child’s “issues” manifest at school.
- The Therapist then meets with the child’s form teacher to complete a “baseline” form which quantifies where the child’s form teacher feels they are at emotionally and behaviourally, prior to the therapeutic intervention.
- Following a couple of weeks of Therapy the therapist meets with the parent(s) of the child to complete a full developmental history, so that they have the “complete picture” of the child’s world. This meeting also provides parent(s) with an opportunity to ask any questions.
Supervision
Mr Anders meets with every MA Student once a week for an hour Supervision.
Mr Anders then meets with his Supervisor every two weeks for Supervision.
How do we know if it works?
Sinai has created its own “baseline” forms which are completed by teachers prior to therapy and then completed again following the year’s intervention. From September 2013 until June 2014, eight out of nine children who received therapy had a significant improvement in their emotional well-being and behaviour at school.
Most significantly, we hope that you as a parent will see a positive change in your child!
Confidentiality
All Art Therapists are members of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) www.hcpc-uk.org which clearly states regulations about confidentiality. Whist the SENDCO, SLT and form teacher will be aware that a certain pupil is receiving therapy; any information discussed between the therapist and child or parent is strictly confidential and will only be passed on to parents / teachers with the child’s consent.
Should a child disclose any information which we feel puts them at risk, Mr Anders will immediately liaise with the child protection officer at school.
Any breach of confidentiality is taken extremely seriously.
Referrals
If you feel that your child could benefit from Art Therapy please liaise with your child’s form teacher who will liaise with Mrs Petar the SENDCO at school.
Additional information:
Sessions last for 50 minutes and take place once a week at a fixed time. Therapists liaise with form teachers to try and agree upon a time which causes as least disruption as possible.
Should you require any further information on Art Therapy please look at the web site www.baat.org
The Art Therapy Room
