Our Mission:

At St Bernadette’s we try hard to live as Jesus wants us to, so that together we grow in faith, loving each other and loving God. We do this by: Treating one another fairly; listening to everyone’s ideas; treating each other equally and showing respect for others.

Therefore, at St Bernadette’s we believe that all children should be equally valued. This does not mean that we will treat all learners in the same way, but that we will respond to learners in ways that take account of their varied life experiences and needs.  In this way we will strive to eliminate prejudice and discrimination to develop an inclusive environment where there are equal opportunities for all learners whatever their age, gender, ethnicity (including children with English as a second language), impairment and attainment so that all children can flourish.

At St Bernadette’s we aim to identify these needs as they arise and provide teaching and learning contexts which enable every child to achieve their full potential by following a ‘notice, check and try’ model.

Our Aims:

The Head, Governors and Staff at St Bernadette’s RC Primary have high aspirations for all the children identified as having SEND in our school. We strive to ensure that all the children achieve their best, that they become confident individuals living fulfilling lives, and make a successful transition into adulthood. At St. Bernadette’s we aspire to ensure that all children are part of a fully inclusive environment where the whole community adapts to the needs of the individual. The school has accessibility to all.

 Our aims are:

• To create an atmosphere of encouragement, acceptance, respect of achievements and sensitivity to individual needs, in which all children can thrive.
• To enable each child to take part and contribute fully to school life,
• To develop individuals’ self-esteem.
• To work in partnership with parents to support children’s learning and health needs.
• To identify at an early age, individuals who need extra help and support.
• To provide access to and progression within the curriculum.
• To involve children in planning to address and monitor their special educational needs and or disability.
• To provide quality training for staff that suggests strategies that help them to support children with special educational needs and disability

A child has special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision made for them. At St Bernadette’s we recognise the definition of Special Educational Needs described in the Special Needs Code of Practice 2014

A child has a learning difficulty or disability if they:

• Have significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or
• Have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream school

Children are not considered to have a special educational need if they speak English as an additional language.

Special educational provision is educational or training provision 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 in the classroom.

Areas of Special Educational Need

Special educational needs and provision can be considered as falling under four broad areas:

1. Communication and interaction

2. Cognition and learning

3. Social, mental and emotional health

4. Sensory and/or physical

Many children and young people have difficulties that fit clearly into one of these areas; some have needs that span two or more areas; for others the precise nature of their need may not be clear at the outset and as a school we strive to work with our families to identify any specific needs.

Behavioural difficulties do not necessarily mean that a child or young person has a SEND and will not automatically lead to a pupil being registered as having SEND. However, consistent disruptive or withdrawn behaviours can be an indication of unmet SEN, and where there are concerns about behaviour, there will be an assessment to determine whether there are any causal factors such as undiagnosed learning difficulties, difficulties with communication or mental health issues.

Communication and interaction

Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty in communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of communication. Children and young people with ASD, including Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism, are likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication and imagination, which can impact on how they relate to others.

Cognition and learning 

​Support for learning difficulties may be required when children and young people learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of needs, including moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), where children are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum and associated difficulties with mobility and communication, through to profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD).

Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), affect one or more specific aspects of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.

Social, emotional and mental health difficulties 

​Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder.

Sensory and/or physical

Children and young people with sensory and/or physical needs may have a disability or impairment which prevents or hinders them from making full use of the educational facilities generally provided. This may include visual or hearing impairments, multi-sensory impairments, physical disabilities, or sensory processing difficulties. Some children may require ongoing support, specialist equipment or adaptations to the environment to enable them to access learning and participate fully in school life.

SENCO – Mrs T Stevenson
Special Educational Needs Governor – Mrs Michelle Stanbank
Special Educational Needs Support and Wellbeing – Mrs Chris Holt

• manages the day-to-day operation of the policy
• co-ordinates the provision for and manages the responses to children’s SEN
• supports and advises colleagues
• maintains the school SEND register
• oversees and manages the records (provision maps) of all children with SEND
• acts as the link with parents and carers
• acts as the link with external agencies and other support agencies
• completes documentation required by outside agencies and the Local Authority
• monitors and evaluates the SEND provision and reports to the governing body and Senior Leadership Team
• manages a range of resources, both human and material, to enable appropriate provision to be made for children with SEND
• contributes to the professional development of all staff

The SEN reforms place a statutory requirement on schools from September 2014 to make information available to young people and parents about how the school supports children and young people with SEND. This information forms the basis for the school’s Local Offer.

• To view our Special Educational needs and disability policy click here
• To view our  send School Information Report, detailing the provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities click here
•  To view our school’s accessibility plan click here
• To view the Department for Education’s ‘Guide for parents and carers’ please  click here
• To view Bury’s SEN Bury Offer  click  here
• To view ‘Contact a Family’s fact sheet on SEND reforms click here
• To view Bury’s Information & Advice Support Service (SENDiass) click here
• Contact a Family provides support for families with a disabled children

Please click here for Bury’s offer for Children’s mental health.