"Inclusive approach ensures that all students, irrespective of their individual learning needs, make progress in line with their peers."
Catholic Schools Inspectorate July 2024
Accessibility
At The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School we are committed to providing a fully accessible environment and curriculum which values and includes all children and enables them to achieve their very best regardless of their educational, physical, sensory, social, spiritual, emotional and cultural needs.
We aim to remove all barriers to ensure that every child can enjoy and fully participate in all aspects of school life and benefit from the full breadth and richness of the opportunities we provide. We are further committed to developing a culture of awareness, tolerance and inclusion within our school.
We encourage all pupils to build up their own self-esteem and respect for other persons regardless of differences in race, gender, religion or social and economic background. We seek to foster amongst pupils a pride in their own culture and in other cultures which they will encounter in the community and the outside world.
The school’s Accessibility Plan identifies the on-going actions to increase access to education for disabled pupils by increasing the extent to which disabled pupils and parents can participate in the school curriculum, improving the environment of the school to increase the extent to which disabled pupils and parents can take advantage of education and associated services and improving the delivery of information to people with disabilities.
Please get in touch with Mrs Thomas if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s learning or development. She can be contacted by email: office@tgs.nor.olicatschools.org, by phoning 01604 714399 or by arranging an appointment with the school office.
Special Educational Needs
Whatever the ability of each pupil, the school seeks to provide a suitable teaching programme. As far as possible, all our children with Special Educational Needs are totally integrated within the school.
Each teacher has the responsibility of providing a differentiated curriculum for the whole ability range, through the effective match of learning tasks to pupils differing abilities. Progress is carefully monitored by the Class Teacher. If a child is thought to require planning and monitoring beyond this level, an individual education plan will be drawn up in consultation with the Special Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCO). Such programmes are designed to overcome specific learning needs or behaviour problems and are regularly monitored and reviewed. In all cases parents are informed and regular discussion with them is encouraged.
Nationally, one fifth of all children may need special educational support at some point in their school career. Children with learning, social, emotional or behavioural problems are sympathetically helped by the staff in partnership with parents. In certain cases it may be felt that outside professional help is needed, which would be sought only with parents’ prior permission and co-operation.
A separate Special Needs Policy is available from the school. The Governor who is responsible for SEN monitors the school policy and its implementation.
The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School works with a number of external agencies to support our children’s learning, social and emotional needs. If you think that your child has additional needs the following information may help you.
Support for Parents of Children with SEND
IASS Northamptonshire is a service offering impartial information, advice and support to parents of children and young people with SEN and disabilities. You can get in touch via phone 0300 126 1039 or email: sendiass@westnorthants.gov.uk or you can visit their website: https://iassnorthants.co.uk/
SEND Code of Practice
Below is a link to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years. This is a statutory code which explains duties of local authorities, health bodies, schools and colleges to provide for children with special educational needs and is published by the Department for Education.
If you have any questions or queries regarding how the Code of Practice is followed at St Gregory’s, please do not hesitate to contact us, we will be happy to discuss this with you.
Click here for Special educational needs and disability code of practice.
Northamptonshire Local Offer
The link below will take you to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Local Offer provided by Northamptonshire County Council.
This site contains details about Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, how the local authority implement statutory practice and the support parents and schools can access regarding children with SEND.
If you have any questions or queries regarding Northamptonshire’s Local Offer, please do not hesitate to contact us, we will be happy to discuss this with you.
Click here for the Northamptonshire SEND Local Offer website.
Click below to download copies of the Accessibility Policy and Special Educational Needs Policy.