SEND Coordinator: Tracy Macfarlane – SEND@rosherville.kent.sch.uk
At Rosherville Church of England Academy, our aim is to ensure that any Special Educational Needs or Disabilities a child may have been identified, and as a school, we ensure that we do everything possible to break down barriers to learning to meet their specific needs in a supportive environment.
Our staff are extremely proud of our inclusive learning environment and our broad and balanced curriculum which aims to bring out the best in all learners.
Children are at the heart of all we do and to ensure this, we work in partnership with them, their parents and carers, school staff and any outside agencies that may be involved to ensure that they fulfil their potential and achieve their best while engaging fully in the activities of the school.
Type of Support Offered at Rosherville
In-class support
- quality first teaching
- support from teaching assistants for every class
- additional adult support for children with high levels of need
Classroom Support
- quiet areas
- access to sensory breaks where needed
- specialist equipment where needed
- visual timetables and other task management tools
- individual workstations where required
Interventions include:
- Rapid phonics
- Sounds linkage
- Precision teaching
- Personalised Maths and English interventions and catch-up programmes
- Active listening for active learning
- Talking partners at primary
- Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI)
- Speech and Language Link interventions
- Balance, education and movement (BEAM)
- Fizzy Fingers
- Lego therapy
- Emotional Literacy Support (ELSA)
- Drawing and Talking
- Dog mentoring
- School counsellor
Mental Health and Wellbeing
As a school, we recognise that good mental health and well-being are important for helping children and young people to develop and thrive. We aim to create a safe and calm environment through our curriculum and school activities to equip pupils to be resilient and help them manage their own well-being. We also understand that some children and their families will require additional support with this and offer a range of early support and interventions in school as well as working with external agencies where appropriate. Support includes:
- Explicit teaching of mental health and well-being through our PSHE curriculum and assemblies
- Celebration of special events such as Children’s Mental Health Awareness week
- Access to whole school Worry Boxes
- Play leaders
- Time for children and families with our SENDCo/Mental Health Lead and/or Family Liaison Officer
- Support from our Emotional Literacy Support Assistant
- Working with one of the therapy dogs who visit the school
- Drawing and Talking Therapy
- School counsellor
- Referral to external services
Dog Mentor
Buddy, our poodle-cross, has proved invaluable to the children of Rosherville educationally, developmentally, emotionally and socially. Buddy has received training and passed all her assessments in The Dog Mentoring programme.
The dog mentor helps teach and engage children with educational needs to work on self-esteem, behaviour, peer relationships and better engagement skills. It builds upon the benefits of the human/animal bond. Buddy has proven to be very popular with pupils and staff alike at Rosherville C of E Academy, especially when he meets and greets at the gate in the morning and comes in class when classes have achieved attendance awards.
Contact Information
If you have any concerns about your child the best place to start is by talking to their Class Teacher who will know your child well and will usually be able to help or will seek advice on how best to provide support. If you continue to have concerns I am happy to discuss these with you. The best way to contact me in the first instance is by email: SEND@rosherville.kent.sch.uk
SEND Newsletter
Further Information and Resources
Kent and Medway Integrated Care System Learning Disability, Autism and ADHD
On these pages you will find information and links to local and national support for children, young people and adults living in Kent and Medway.
View our Rosherville’s SEND policy and Information Report here
You can also find information and resources on SEND on our Trust website here