Social, Emotional and Mental Health

SEND Code of Practice (2015):

• Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder.

 

Some of the things children and young people with these needs might find difficult are:

• Following rules set by others
• Sitting still for very long
• Listening to and following instructions
• Understanding how they are feeling
• Making friends
• Dealing with their difficulties in a way that does not cause harm to themselves or others
• Taking responsibility for the things they do

 

Types of support we currently offer:

Teachers may change what they are teaching and/or the way they are teaching to support a child, with these needs, within the the classroom. Children, with these needs, can benefit from strategies such as more frequent breaks from their work and visual prompts to help them concentrate independently.

We have a Learning Support Mentor and Assistant Learning Support Mentor, who may work directly with pupils.  This work can include opportunities for a child to talk about what is upsetting them and/or programmes of support designed to teach a child skills to support themselves e.g. coping with anger, or to cope with  specific events e.g. bereavement.

Our Learning Support Mentors also support our SENDCo in advising teaching staff on how to support children, with these needs, effectively within the classroom.

We have Teaching Assistants trained in a variety of interventions, such as social skills and confidence building groups.

Resources are available such as fiddle toys and motivational activities.

Individual targets are set, which show what the child needs help with.

 

How we monitor this:

Review pupil’s individual targets and assess if they have been achieved

Talk to adults who work with the child

Talk to parents

Talk to the child

Observations of the child or young person to see if, and how, they are coping within school

Where a number of strategies have been used, but concerns remain about a child’s progress, specialist assessment and support may be sought for the child and in some cases their family

 

External Agency in-School Support:

Family Support Worker

Educational Psychologist

http://beps.org.uk/index.php

 

 

External Specialist Support:

Our SENDCo can support with referral to Forward Thinking Birmingham, who can offer Mental Health Support: www.forwardthinkingbirmingham.org.uk

 

A Paediatrician referral is required for a diagnosis of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder or Attention Deficit Disorder, which can be made by your GP or through our SENDCo.

 

Pause is a free, mental health drop-in service, for 0-25 year olds, based in Digbeth in Birmingham city-centre.  Opening times are: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10am – 6pm, Wednesday: 12pm – 8pm, Saturday and Sunday: 11am – 4pm and no appointment is needed.  https://www.forwardthinkingbirmingham.org.uk/services/13-pause