SEND

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) at St Thomas Cantilupe Cof E Primary School

The staff at St Thomas Cantilupe are committed to providing care and education to all children, including those with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND).
A child has special educational needs if he or she has difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for him or her to learn than most other pupils of a similar age. Many children will have a special need of some kind during their education. Some children will need extra help and support from us, for some or all of their time at our school.

Mrs Laws is the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo) at St Thomas Cantilupe and she works on a Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Mrs Laws can be contacted on 01432 268400 or via email: KLaws@st-thomascantilupe.hereford.sch.uk

If you have any concerns regarding your child, it is helpful to chat to their class teacher in the first instance, prior to speaking to the SENDCo.

St Thomas Cantilupe has been praised for its work on inclusion, becoming the first school in Herefordshire to receive the Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM). The Inclusion Quality Mark recognises schools that go above and beyond to ensure every child thrives, irrespective of differences.

St Thomas Cantilupe was described by the assessor as “a delightful place to learn and work” where “there is a thoroughness to detail which is almost tangible.”

The report praised the school’s “forensic” approach to meeting individual needs and noted the school’s “clear strategic vision” and “calm energy.”

The assessor noted “everything in the school emits a sense of high quality and extensive thought has been put into the creation of an ethos of inclusion.”

The panel has decided the school’s inspirational practice warrants the award of IQM Centre of Excellence status. Only 240 schools in the UK have met the standard required to become an IQM Centre of Excellence for outstanding levels of inclusion best practice.

Early Help Offer

Providing Early Help to our children and families at St Thomas Cantilupe primary school means we are more effective in promoting support as soon we can. Early Help means we can give help as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child's life, beginning with the foundation stage.

We want all our children, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), to achieve the best possible outcomes and receive the support they need when they need it most.

We can offer support or signpost parents and carers to agencies for a wide range of issues and concerns for example:

Family relationships
Behaviours that are challenging
Housing and financial issues
Emotional and mental health
Safety in the community
Any other issues affecting your family

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), SENDCo and Senior Mental Health Lead is Kahlia Laws KLaws@st-thomascantilupe.hereford.sch.uk

The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads are Asha Begley, Emily Taylor and Justine Tighe.

Our Family Learning Mentor is Carrie Higgins admin@st-thomascantilupe.hereford.sch.uk

The early help hub

This is a confidential service open to all families living in Herefordshire with a child or children aged 0-19 years.

Their friendly and professional team will listen to your worries, offer advice and guidance and look at how best to support you to access the right help to meet your needs. This may include access to: