Students, Staff and Families Support Team (known as our SSaFS Team).

 

Our SSaFS Team meets on a fortnightly basis and comprises Miss McCarthy (SSaFS Lead), Mrs. McCaghrey (our SENCo), Mrs. Jones (our Mental Health Lead) and Miss McCloskey (our Wellbeing Lead).

Students:

Most children will experience an additional need of some kind whilst they journey through primary school,  just a few examples would be:

• Bereavement (e.g. a grandparent);
• Friendship issues;
• Additional learning needs in reading, writing or maths;
• Adjusting to a new baby at home;
• Adjusting to their parents splitting up;
• Adjusting to moving house.

We have a level of training and experience in supporting children with the above needs (and many others too) and where necessary we can often signpost families to other agencies and support with making appropriate referrals (with parent and carer permission).

Our regular SSaFS meetings consider what else we can do and offer in school to further meet the needs of our children, families, staff and community.

Our SSaFS meetings also review the SSaFS referrals which have been submitted to the team.  Any member of staff can make a SSaFS referral, and parents and carers can request that a referral be made on their behalf.  SSaFS referrals highlight the emerging additional needs for a child, and outline the hoped for changes we will see in the child if the school’s subsequent work is successful - what we hope to achieve through making the referral.

Our SSaFS Team considers everything we know about the child and their needs, and then looks at what we can put in place to further support them – examples of possible outcomes are:

• A place in our Nurture Group;
• A place in one of our lunchtime Nurture Clubs;
• Daily 1:1 precision teaching;
• Regular small group intervention work (to support the child academically or socially, e.g. preteaching so that when the child receives their learning input with the rest of the class the following day they are already familiar with it, particularly the vocabulary, and are far more confident);
• The opportunity to work with the school’s Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA);
• Regular Wishes and Feelings work (this will be carried out with the same member of staff each week, supporting the child to build a trusting bond with a member of school staff…that member of staff will ensure that the child’s voice is listened to and any worries or concerns the child has voiced are addressed promptly);
• A soft start in the mornings…and following breaktimes and lunchtimes if necessary;
• Regular Keeping in Touch meetings for teachers with parents or carers (we call these KiT Meetings…they are usually fortnightly or monthly, and a written record is kept of the discussion and any resulting action points);
• Regular Pastoral Support Plan Meetings (we call these PSPs)…they are weekly or fortnightly and involve the child, their parents or carers and the class teacher.  They’re an opportunity to talk about what’s going well, what could be better, the next steps and appropriate rewards.  The child’s voice is key to this process.
• Pupil Specific Risk Assessments;
• Behaviour Support Plans;
• Intimate Care Plans;
• Temporary Reduced Timetables;
• Dyslexia screening;
• Dyscalculia screening;
• Speech and Language Therapy (known as SALT – in addition to NHS therapists, Glade Academy also buys into support from an independent Speech and Language Therapist, Hannah Sherwood);
• Support from EPSS (Glade Academy buys into Norfolk’s Education Psychology Support Service enabling us to access assessments from an Educational Psychologist, and a specialist advisory teacher).

Signposting and Referrals to external agencies:

• The School Nurse Team;
• Winston’s Wishes;
• Nelson’s Journey;
• The Emotional Wellbeing Hub;
• Suffolk’s Mental Health Practitioner;
• SES (Suffolk’s Specialist Education Services).

We regularly review all referrals which have been made, monitoring outcomes to ensure that all work is as effective as possible, and children’s needs are met.

Staff:

Our SSaFS Team also supports our Staff Team, looking at ways to further assist Staff Wellbeing; everything we do to support and develop our staff team will result in staff who are better prepared and better able to meet the needs of our children and their families.

Miss McCloskey organises regular opportunities to support staff wellbeing, including half-termly meetings which all staff are invited to.

Our team currently receives one termly staff development session from Melanie Davies – MIND Solutions (focused on supporting wellbeing), and every member of staff has access to 1:1 work with Melanie.

In addition, our Trust buys into ‘Health Assured’ which offers completely confidential support with a wide range of issues and topics.

Families:

We have an ‘Open Door Policy’ meaning that staff are accessible to parents and carers at drop off and pick up times, and throughout the day via messaging on Class Dojo.  Parents and carers can share questions and concerns with teachers, Mrs. George, Mrs. Hawkins and Mrs. Brooks-White in the school office, Mrs. McCaghrey our SENCo and Miss McCarthy (our Headteacher and SSaFS Lead).

Depending on the nature of the question or concern the appropriate member of staff will respond to the parent and offer support; Miss McCarthy is available to meet with parents and carers on a more regular basis to support with parenting strategies.

Miss McCarthy also facilitates access to the Solihull Parenting courses and resources, regularly publicising opportunities to meet and network with other parents and carers in school.

Mrs. McCaghrey (our SENCo) holds termly Coffee Mornings for all parents and carers of children with additional needs…these are opportunities to meet Mrs. McCaghrey, to have your questions answered, to find out about the support Glade can offer your child, and to network with other like-minded parents and carers.