Special Educational Needs

At St Thomas More Catholic Primary School the Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator/ Inclusion Lead is Mr C Johnson.

chrisjohnson@st-thomasmore.gloucs.sch.uk

Admission arrangements for pupils with SEN or disabilities

The school’s admissions arrangements are determined by the Governing Board, having regard to parental preference. No pupil will be refused admission to the school on the basis of his or her special educational need. In line with the SEN and Disability Act, we will not discriminate against disabled children and we will take all reasonable steps to provide effective educational provision.

How our school will prevent disabled pupils from being treated less favourably than others.

St Thomas More is a very inclusive school and we welcome all children into our community regardless of race, religion or disabilities.  We will strive to support and welcome any child wishing to become a pupil at St Thomas More and will follow the Admissions policy set by the schools Governing Body.

Facilities that help disabled pupils access our school.

The school is built on one level from Reception up to Year 6 and currently has ramps at either end of the school building to allow adequate access for wheelchairs and walking aids. Steps are highlighted with florescent paint for those children who may be visually impaired and will need support to see hazards in the playground and outdoor area.

The school also has a disabled toilet facility that allows addition space for children that may have physical impairment and limited movement. We have changing facilities and disposal bins for supporting children with intimate care. Each child would be given an intimate care plan that would detail the requirements and the support from the school.

Recently the school has built a new inclusion unit that has access to a sensory tent to allow children with autistic and sensory needs to access calm and quite time out of the classroom. Our forest school area has also been extended to allow addition space for all needs.

EAL Pupils

It may seem quite daunting to go to school where the language spoken is different from the one you are used to speaking at home. However, there are many recognised benefits of being bilingual and a large number of children at St Thomas More speak another language in addition to English, reflecting the diverse nature of our school. 

The EAL staff (Mr Johnson as Inclusion Lead and Mrs Deighton as our EAL TA) work closely with class teachers to produce individualised programmes of support to ensure that the needs of children with English as An Additional Language are met.  The needs of these pupils are reviewed through meetings with teachers and Parents/Carers.  Specific meetings are arranged to support parents such as ‘Welcome to school’, ‘Secondary Transfer Meeting’ and ‘Helping your child with SATs’, in addition to workshops to increase parents’ awareness of the English and Mathematics curriculum as appropriate. 

There are many ways you can support your child at home and we have provided some useful links which you may find useful.  Sharing books and stories is a very simple, effective and enjoyable way of supporting your child.  This can either be done in English, or in your family’s first language which will help maintain and develop it alongside his or her acquisition of English.

If your child primarily speaks a language other than English, we are here to help and if you would like to talk to one of the members of staff on the Inclusion team, please get in touch via the school office.