At Gainford Church of England Primary and Pre-School, we are an inclusive school ,we consult with a wide range of agencies and partnerships to ensure the Emotional and Social Development needs of SEN children are met. Inspired by Christian values staff believe that high self-esteem is crucial and aim to support and promote the emotional wellbeing of all children. On a daily basis the class teacher is responsible for the pastoral and social care of every child in their class, therefore this would be the parents’ first point of contact should further advice or support is required.
At Gainford we have strong links with St Mary’s Church ; Reverend Eileen Harrop works with many children, to provide additional support.Eileen works with the school community to support links with the wider community and local churches. She also offers a variety of opportunities for children to develop social skills thorough activities such as Teen Beat.
Gainford Church of England Primary and Pre-School has and maintains close links with External Partnerships; In order to access the best professional advice, we also link with Local Authority and Private Providers of additional services, such as Occupational Therapy, CAHMS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) School Nursing Service, Social Services and Medical Professionals. We have one large meeting space and hold multi-professional meetings in school so that parents are comfortable in the school environment and the child can join us easily, if it is appropriate.
As a school we have a very positive approach to behaviour with a clear reward system ( star system)that is followed by all staff and pupils The children can gain a star for every morning and afternoon session where they exhibit good behaviour . This is also rewarded on a Friday during a celebration assembly
We have used Educational Psychologists via the behaviour support service, to administer Health and Well Being Assessments for some children in school ; these are carried out in partnership with school ,parent and child and are preceded and followed up my meetings with all concerned parties. This process helps all parties to identify strategies that can be used to support emotional health and well -being at home and at school.
We have a School Council and its regular meetings help pupils in school to have their own voice . The school has its own Anti- Bullying Policy and have a Buddy Scheme where by older children act as a buddy or mentor for other children at break times . They help to identify problems and seek adult support when required .The school also holds an Anti Bullying Week in the Autumn term where the Anti Bullying message and use of useful strategies are further promoted .
Intervention programmes such as ‘Getting Along’ and ‘Time to Talk’ are used with specific groups of children where an aim is to help develop their social skills or to raise self esteem.
We employ Rachel Stevens as our Parental Support Advisor. Rachel is available on a weekly basis to talk with any parents, staff or children who may need additional support or advice . Rachael is very good at signposting both staff and parents to other useful agencies that can be of use.