SEND

Special Educational Needs & Disability

Our Inclusion Leader is: Kelly Clarke

She can be contacted via the school office admin@novaprimaryprimaryschool.co.uk

At Nova Primary School, we are committed to offering an inclusive curriculum to ensure the best possible progress for all our pupils, whatever their needs or abilities. Our aim is to enable all pupils to enjoy a broad and balanced curriculum, supporting the development of the whole child.

We are a friendly and welcoming school that embeds a fully inclusive approach to education for all. Our school’s SEND Policy and Information Report adheres to the 2014 SEND Code of Practice and has been written in collaboration with all stakeholders; It is reviewed annually to ensure compliance.

At Nova Primary school, our inclusive ethos aims to encourage high expectations for all children and our school motto “No Star Too Far” permeates throughout daily life. The School Information Report and SEND Policy below will help you to understand how we support the needs of children with additional needs at Nova Primary School. You will also find further information in our ‘Graduated Response’ document on the different levels of support we offer to children depending upon their needs.

Nova Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Policy Autumn 2023 – Autumn 2024

Nova Primary School Special Education Needs and Disabilities information report – 2023

Graduated Teaching Response

Glossary of terms

Dyslexia Friendly Classroom

Further information on Bristol Local Authorities offer for children with Special Educational Needs, as well as support for parents including information on parenting courses, can be found on their local offer website Bristol City Council’s Local Offer.

Interventions at Nova Primary School

Interventions are specific additional activities that children take part in to support their continued development. These can be in a range of areas such as Reading, Writing and Maths, but also in areas to support children’s Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Interventions can take many forms: groups of 10; small groups of 4; 1:1. All interventions focus on the need of one or more children and are specifically planned to help develop a child’s skill in that area. At Nova Primary School we run a range of evidence-based interventions that are chosen based on their proven impact on Children’s development. We also run a range of bespoke interventions to meet specific needs of children: times tables; fluency; focused spelling support.

Please click on the link below to find out what interventions we run at Nova Primary School and a brief description of what they entail.

Interventions at Nova Primary School

For more information on how you can support your child’s wellbeing and social, emotional and mental health needs, be sure to visit our Wellbeing Page on our website here.

Please keep an eye our for our “CAN corner” on the School’s newsletter for some interesting tips, facts and information linked to Children with Additional Needs (CAN).

Please follow this link for information and support for families during the coronavirus:

Information & Support Services for Families During Coronavirus

Senior Mental Health Lead & ELSA Practitioner

Janet is our Senior Mental Health Lead & ELSA Practitioner at Nova Primary School.

As Senior Mental Health Lead & ELSA Practitioner, Janet is able to support pupils by providing a diverse range of learning opportunities. Janet works with pupils, families, school staff and other professional agencies to help pupils to develop their potential by removing barriers to learning which may be in the school or in home.

Barriers to Learning
A barrier to learning is any factor that prevents a child from being in a suitable/emotional, physical or psychological state to engage in their lesson and learn.

Some examples of these barriers are:

  • Low self esteem
  • Lack of self confidence
  • Friendship difficulties
  • Lack of social skills
  • Medical needs
  • Absence from school
  • Lateness to school
  • Feeling vulnerable
  • Bullying
  • Family difficulties
  • Bereavement

If a child experiences one factor or a combination of the above barriers to learning, then this may lead to low self esteem, disruptive behaviour or a negative attitude to learning which can result in the child not fulfilling their potential. A Learning Mentor helps the child to develop strategies and skills to enable them to make positive choices and learn.

Learning Mentors work with pupils on a one to one or group basis outside the classroom to address the barriers to learning.

Learning Mentors are also involved in running different activities which include:
• Liaising with parents/carers and other agencies to support pupil progress
• Mediation work between peers, pupils, staff and parents/carers
• Supporting pupils transferring from primary to secondary school
• Setting weekly achievable targets for individual children who may be underachieving due to confidence, friendship difficulties and inappropriate behaviour in and out of the classroom.

Attendance and Punctuality
Good attendance and punctuality are clearly linked to children making good progress in their learning. It ensures that children settle into school and experience the stability and security that they need in order to achieve their best.

Your child needs to be in school everyday during term time unless he/she is ill or attending a medical appointment.
A letter will be sent from Janet if there are concerns about your child’s attendance.

If you find you are having difficulty with your child’s attendance or punctuality then please come and speak to Janet and she can offer support where appropriate.

Janet aims to provide non-judgemental support for all children and their families. If you would like an informal chat or have any issues or concerns you would like to discuss, then please do not hesitate to contact her.