Inclusion
Swiss Gardens is an inclusive school that enables all pupils, including those with additional special educational needs and disabilities, to reach their full potential. By working in partnership with pupils, parents and carers we are continually developing our provision.
Our practices and procedures are embedded into school life to ensure pupils’ special educational needs are identified swiftly. We consider each of the pupils when planning and provide a curriculum which is accessible to all, whatever their individual needs. We acknowledge that some pupils require additional support to ensure access to a full curriculum and, where appropriate, a range of support strategies are implemented.
Please read our SEND Information Report and Local Offer below for more information about our provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
Our Accessibility Plan also outlines how we ensure our school is accessible to all learners, parents, staff and visitors.
If you wish to talk to us about your child’s needs or the provision in place, please speak to your child’s class teacher or contact any member of our SEND and Inclusion Team through the school office the special educational needs team directly.
The SEND and Inclusion team at Swiss Gardens Primary School are:
- Mrs Older (Assistant Head for Inclusion and Safeguarding)
- Mrs Bolton (Interventions Lead)
- Mrs Taylor (ELSA - Emotional Literacy Support Assistant)
- Mrs Halfpenny (Mental Health and wellbeing)
- Mrs Horne (Play therapist)
For further information please contact the Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion and Safeguarding Mrs Older or any member of our SEND and Inclusion Team through the school office.
Telephone: 01273 453176 Email: office@sgprimary.co.uk
Dyslexia and Processing
What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is actually about information processing. Dyslexic people may have difficulty processing and remembering information they see and hear, which can affect learning and the acquisition of literacy skills. Dyslexia can also impact on other areas such as organisational skills.
Top Tips to support children with Dyslexia:
- It is important to encourage children to recognise and pursue the areas in which they excel (do more of what they enjoy) and support them with the areas they find difficult.
- Allow children to use a word processor to complete some written tasks. This highlights spelling errors and offers alternatives. If they can’t type, encourage them to learn, so that they are able to use a Word Processor with more speed and fluency.
- Play games to support memory and retention e.g. pairs, Go Fish
- Enable children to access age related audiobooks to develop a love of reading. Encourage them to share what’s happening in the story and share their excitement, wondering aloud what will happen next. This will also develop their vocabulary and comprehension, without them even realising that they are learning.
- Encourage children to read one page and you read the next page. Read some books to them for pleasure and invite them to read a section if they want to. By developing a love of books and stories children will naturally want to learn how to read, so make the experience as pleasurable as you can.
Parent Resources
https://stories.audible.com/start-listen
SOS spelling is a dyslexia friendly approach to learning spelling. A step by step guide can be found here: http://bettertuition.co.uk/simultaneous-oral-spelling/
www.timestables.co.uk is a great alternative to TTRockstars. You do not need a login and it does not have the time pressure that some pupils find tricky.
https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/advice/children/how-can-i-support-my-child
https://www.weareteachers.com/working-memory/
Sensory Processing
The children's occupational therapy team from the Sussex NHS Team have produced a series of videos on YouTube that provide support to parents/carers and schools on how to support children with sensory processing needs. Please click on the link below to watch the videos:
https://youtu.be/T4DrVTvK2w8?list=PLj42uobe68oE_5YFDPv8q58BlzxhM2mzT
Autism
The Autism and Social Communication Team have produced a series of small videos, please see links for ‘Bite Sized’ training videos:
- Declarative Language: https://youtu.be/--YR-4ihWKk
- Autistic Demand Avoidance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnbtCchvhSk
- Interoception: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sb59i2TIXI
- Regulation: https://youtu.be/Utxd0eqf5zo
Resources to support learning at home.
Social stories explained... https://www.autism.org.uk/about/strategies/social-stories-comic-strips.aspx
www.timestables.co.uk is a great alternative to TTRockstars. You do not need a login and it does not have the time pressure that some pupils find tricky.
ADHD
What is ADHD?
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people's behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse.
Symptoms of ADHD tend to be noticed at an early age and may become more noticeable when a child's circumstances change, such as when they start school.
Most cases are diagnosed when children are 6 to 12 years old.People with ADHD may also have additional problems, such as sleep and anxiety disorders.
Top Tips to support children with ADHD:
- Offer routines and structure
- Create a quiet space for them to learn with no distractions.
- Give them something to fiddle with whilst you are talking to them or you want them to focus. It can also be helpful to let them move around whilst they listen.
- Ask them to do one task at a time
- Provide checklists or visual timetables to support organisation.
- Use timers to help with time management and build in frequent movement breaks.
- Suggest rather than criticise (children with ADHD can often have low self-esteem)
- Provide lots of opportunities for exercise and movement.
- Set up a reward scheme to encourage them and support them with their behaviour.
- Build on success and help children to pursue more of what they enjoy.
- Put clear boundaries in place.
Further Support:
You can find further information and support at the websites below.
School Nursing Service
Zones of Regulation
At Swiss Gardens Primary School, we recognise the importance of promoting positive mental health and emotional wellbeing to our children and their families. We aim to create an open culture around the discussion of mental health and wellbeing and to empower our children be able to regulate their emotions. We use the Zones of Regulation programme across the school. We aim to teach our pupils to identify emotions in themselves and others and provide them with a bank of strategies to help regulate their emotions and improve their wellbeing.
The Zones of Regulation is based around the use of four colours to help children self-identify how they’re feeling and categorise it based on colour. It helps children better understand their emotions, sensory needs and thinking patterns. The children learn different strategies to cope and manage their emotions based on which colour zone they’re in. Additionally, the Zones of Regulation helps children to recognise their own triggers, learn to read facial expressions, develop problem-solving skills, and become more attuned to how their actions affect other people.
For more information:
https://www.zonesofregulation.com/index.html
https://www.zonesofregulation.com/learn-more-about-the-zones.html
Suggested reading for children:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QjS5zvGC98GKZUldSTR3C4VjuShwx6akroKQL3FxGe8/edit
SEND Coffee Mornings
Come and join us for our new friendly and informal termly coffee mornings:
The coffee mornings will give you a chance to ask questions and meet other parents of children with SEND. Led by Mrs Older (Assistant Head for Inclusion). Our pastoral team: Mrs Halfpenny and Mrs Bolton will also be available to discuss any worries you or your child might have.
For each event, we will invite guest speakers from local support services to share information about what they can provide.
All fuelled by tea or coffee and cake!
The Coffee Mornings this year will be held on:
Friday 14th March 2025 - postponed. It will now be held on Tuesday 25th March at 9.00am in the library. Helen Norton from the Autism and Social Communication Team, will be doing a workshop on anxiety.
Friday 27th June 2025 at 9am in the Library