Provision for children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities)

At Healey we work hard to ensure that all children are supported to make the best possible progress in school. Our SEND offer is very much a team approach; we work in partnership to share good practice with involvement from teaching staff, parents/carers, and specialist services, ensuring that all of our learners are able to Believe, Achieve and Succeed.

Mrs. Widdop, SENDCo (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator)

Mrs. Widdop began her SENDCo career in 2013 and achieved the Postgraduate Certificate in Special Education Needs Coordination in 2014. She has a passion for supporting young people with special educational needs by working closely with staff, parents/carers and other appropriate professionals and this passion underpins everything.
 

Mrs. Widdop ensures that the SEND offer at Healey is inclusive of all learners, and that all learners are able to enjoy shared experiences. A key aspect of the SENDCo role is working to raise educational achievement of SEND learners through this bespoke provision.  Mrs. Widdop is also Healey School's Mental Health champion and has undertaken extensive professional development to support mental health in school. 

Mrs Knapton and Miss Carr - ELSAs (Emotional Literacy Support
Assistants)

ELSAs are teaching assistants who have had special training from educational psychologists to support the emotional development of young people in school.  ELSAs are warm, kind and caring people who want to make children feel happy in school and to reach their potential socially, emotionally and academically. They understand the barriers to learning that some young people might have and can help them with this.
 

Mrs Knapton and Miss Carr support our learners' emotional development and help them to cope with life’s challenges. Our ELSAs also help our young people to find solutions to problems they might have.
Mrs Knapton and Miss Carr are here to help our learners find their own solutions, rather than fix their problems, and offer that important support.

Mrs Keogan, Drawing and Talking

Mrs Keogan is a trained Drawing and Talking practitioner and works with children in school to support their emotional wellbeing through the drawing and talking intervention. Drawing and Talking is a safe and gentle therapeutic approach, which provides an effective way for young people to process emotional pain or trauma they may be experiencing. The technique is intended to allow the child to play, by drawing a picture, and process any emotions they are holding internally in a safe and no confrontational way, working at their own pace.

The Retreat

Relationships are key in helping children and young people to feel safe and nurtured. We have created a safe, nurturing reflective space called The Retreat to support our children.

As well as being the home of Mrs Widdop and Mrs Knapton, many of our wellbeing activities take place in here. Our children can take time out of their busy day to relax and recharge in our lovely room, relaxing on our sofa and bean bags, or watching our solar light show.

To view our SEND Policy, please see the Policies page.