Principal – Mrs Carly Ellis
SENDCo – Miss Sarah Fitzsimmons
Pastoral and Safeguarding Lead – Suzanne King
ALL children should have access to learning and there should be no barriers to their learning.
But it can be worrying if you feel that your child has a special need and/or disability. To help with your concerns we have listed some frequent worries and questions below.
If you’re worried about your child’s progress, here’s what to do:
Start by having a chat with your child’s class teacher. You can also book a meeting with the school’s SENDCo (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator). Together, we’ll look at how your child is doing and decide if they might need extra support.
We may observe your child in class and carry out some simple checks to see if they’re finding anything difficult. After that, we’ll meet with you to talk through what we’ve found and agree on the best next steps to help your child.
We pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive school, who strive to meet the needs of all of our children, responding to the needs of each individual child to devise the best package of support for them. Needs are usually broken down within four broad categories:
There will be some children who have needs across more than one of these areas, and support is always tailored to the individual child.
Teachers and staff regularly do assessments. We follow how the children are doing as soon as they arrive in reception. The teaching staff makes sure that all of their pupils understand what they have to do in class, make lessons fun, interesting and teach in ways so that everyone can understand. For example they use:-
At Priorswood Primary School, we believe that high-quality teaching is the foundation for helping every child succeed. Our teachers use inclusive approaches that remove barriers to learning and make sure all children feel supported.
We use a helpful guide called the Somerset Graduated Response Tool to plan support. This tool helps us understand your child’s needs and choose the best ways to help them.
The Somerset Graduated Response Tool looks at four main areas:
Some children may need support in more than one area, and that’s okay. We always tailor support to suit each child.
You can explore the Somerset Graduated Response Tool here: https://www.somerset.gov.uk/children-families-and-education/the-local- offer/education/what-to-expect-from-education/
Sometimes children need extra help for a longer period of time. If we notice that your child’s classwork or test results aren’t where they should be for their age, we take a closer look to understand what’s going on.
This could be through classwork, assessments, or how your child is behaving or learning in class.
The class teacher will speak to our SENDCo (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator), who will observe your child to understand their needs better.
As a parent or carer, you’ll be kept informed and involved from the start.
This helps us give your child the right support:
If the support is working, we continue. If not, we look at why and try something different. This cycle helps us make sure your child gets the help they need.
This process is called the Graduated Response – it’s how we make sure support is tailored and effective.
At Priorswood Primary School, we believe in working closely with families to make sure every child gets the support they need.
Sometimes, children benefit from support from specialists. If this is needed, we will always ask for your permission first.
Support might come from:
Our Pastoral and Safeguarding Lead (Mrs Suzanne King) can help with:
We all work together to support your child, adding to the care and learning already provided in school.
This is a group run by parents for families with children who have additional needs. They offer:
Phone: 01458 259384
Website: Somerset Parent Carer Forum https://www.somerset.gov.uk/send/somerset-parent-carer-forum-spcf/
Somerset’s SEND Local Offer is our local hub of information and guidance for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), their families and professionals in Somerset. Explore services available to support you and how to access them.
https://www.somerset.gov.uk/children-families-and-education/the-local-offer/
At Priorswood, we know that all children have days when they feel sad or worried. We encourage children to talk openly about their feelings, and we always listen.
If your child is struggling because of something happening at home or at school, we will work together with you to find the best way to support them. We believe that looking after children’s wellbeing is just as important as their learning.
We offer special support through our ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) programme. This is an 8-week, one-to-one support session with Mrs Jan Tanner or Mrs Cheryl Morgan, who are specially trained to help children talk about their worries and feelings. After the sessions, we will talk with you about how things are going and how we can keep supporting your child.
If you have any concerns, please talk to us. We are here to help.
At Priorswood, we want every child to feel included and safe. We do our best to make sure all areas of the school are accessible for every child. We check that classrooms, playgrounds, and other spaces can be used safely, depending on your child’s needs.
When we plan school trips, we carefully check that your child can join in and be safe. We also work closely with everyone who supports your child, such as nurses, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists. This helps us make sure your child gets the right support and can take part in school life just like everyone else.
If you have any questions or want to talk about your child’s needs, please let us know. We are here to help.
We know that moving to a new class or school can be a big change for children. At Priorswood, we do everything we can to make these changes—called transitions—as smooth as possible.
Before your child moves to a new class or school, we meet with you and your child to talk about any worries or questions you might have. We listen carefully and help your child feel confident and happy about the change. We also talk to the new teacher or school, so they understand your child’s needs and any concerns.
After your child has moved, we check in with you and your child to make sure everything is going well and to see if any extra support is needed.
If your child is moving to a new school, we work closely with the new school to share important information and help your child settle in. For children moving from Year 6 to Year 7, we support them with special transition programmes run by the secondary schools.
If you have any questions or worry about your child moving classes or schools, please talk to us. We are here to help every step of the way.
If you are unhappy with how things are being done for your child, please talk to the class teacher first. We always want to listen to you and work together to make things right for your child.
If you still feel worried or upset after speaking to the teacher, you can contact our SENDCo, Sarah Fitzsimmons, our Pastoral and Safeguarding lead, Suzanne King or the Head Teacher, Mrs Carly Ellis. They will be happy to listen to your concerns and help find a solution.
Your child’s happiness and wellbeing are very important to us. Please let us know if you have any worries—we are here to help.
At our school, we believe that parents and carers are key partners in helping children with SEND thrive. Here’s how we involve you in every step of your child’s journey:
We keep you informed about your child’s progress, any concerns, and the support they’re receiving. You’ll be invited to parent’s evenings, regular meetings with SENDCo (if required) and encouraged to share your views, experiences, and ideas.
If your child has SEND, we’ll create an IEP that outlines their needs, goals, and the strategies we’ll use to support them. Your input helps us make sure the plan reflects your child’s personality and what works best for them. These are shared during parent’s evenings.
We’ll meet with you to review your child’s progress. These reviews are a chance to celebrate successes, discuss challenges, and agree on next steps together.
If your child receives support from outside specialists (like speech therapists or educational psychologists), we’ll involve you in those conversations too. We’ll make sure you understand what’s happening and how it fits into your child’s overall support.
We’ll share ideas and resources to help you support your child’s learning and development at home. Whether it’s strategies for reading, behaviour, or wellbeing, we’re here to help.
If you ever have questions or worry, you can talk to your child’s class teacher or the SENDCo at any time. We want to work closely with you to support your child’s learning and wellbeing.
At Priorswood, we work closely with you and your child to find out what helps them learn best and what might make things difficult. We talk together to understand any barriers your child faces in the classroom.
We also work with other professionals, like therapists or support agencies, to plan the best ways to help your child. Our goal is to make sure your child feels included, happy, and able to learn alongside their classmates.
Teachers carefully plan lessons and make changes to help each child. This might include:
We regularly check how your child is doing and talk with you about any changes or extra help they might need.
If you have any questions or ideas about what would help your child, please let us know. We want to work together to help your child thrive.
All our teachers and teaching assistants regularly take part in training to keep their skills and knowledge up to date. This training is sometimes led by experts from our school trust (CLF) or by specialist support agencies.
Our SENDCo, Sarah Fitzsimmons, has completed a special national qualification in supporting children with special educational needs (NASENDCo), which is required by law.
We can also get extra advice and support from specialist learning and health professionals to make sure we are doing the best for your child.
If you have any questions about staff training or support, please ask—we are happy to share more information.
All these policies can be found on our school website: Policies – Priorswood Primary School This report is written annually and will be reviewed in October 2026.
Electronically signed: S Fitzsimmons (SENDCo)
Date: October 2025
