SENCO and SEN Staff
Our SENCO is Mrs L Bell. More details of the SENCO’s role can be found in the SEN Policy which you can find in the School Policies section of our website.
A note from our Support Team
Mrs Slack
My name is Mrs Slack and I am a Learning Support Assistant at Lumley Junior School where I have worked since 2007. I thoroughly enjoy all aspects of my job but particularly enjoy supporting children with SEND with their literacy based work. I have training in delivering Read, Write Inc Phonics, Catch-up Literacy and Therapeutic Story Writing to children during intervention sessions. I have also received training in Speech and Language which I found very interesting and this has enabled me to support children with any difficulties they may have in these areas of learning. The most rewarding part of my role is seeing the difference that my input can make to the success of these children and how their confidence levels can soar.
Mr Whisker
My name is Mr Whisker and I am a Higher Level Teaching Assistant. I have worked at Lumley Junior School since 2009. Children have the capacity to surprise and amaze me with their work ethic, sense of humour and their determination. I learn something new about each child and my ability to help them achieve every day! I am trained to deliver interventions such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and I am a Connecting with Children Listener. I have recently developed a knowledge and understanding of gross motor development programmes which I enjoy very much.
Mrs Emmerson
My name is Mrs Emmerson and I am a Higher Level Teaching Assistant. I am passionate about supporting children with special needs. I strongly believe in inclusion and that every child should have the same opportunities, both in and out of the classroom. There is nothing that a child cannot achieve when given the appropriate support. I have lots of experience working with children with SEND and have done so for thirteen years, starting as a volunteer in a special school. I have several years’ experience working with children with Down Syndrome and Autism as well as a range of other disabilities and learning difficulties.
External Specialists and Other Bodies
The school enjoys good working relationships with a wide range of people who provide services to children with SEND and their families.
The external specialists may:
- Act in an advisory capacity
- Extend expertise of school staff
- Provide additional assessment
- Support a child directly
- Suggest statutory assessment is advisable
- Consult with all parties involved with the child
These include:
- Durham County Council Local Offer
- Educational Psychology
- Emotional Wellbeing Team
- Speech and Language Therapists
- Autism and Social Communication Team
- Occupational Therapists
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
- Cognition and Learning Team
- Movement Difficulties Service
How We Secure Specialist Expertise
Our Additional Needs Budget is used to support children and young people with SEN.
This is used to support children and young people with SEND by:
- Employing staff to support children
- Gaining input from external specialists
- Purchasing resources to support a child’s needs
- Staff training
If a child has complex special educational needs, we could also receive additional funding from the Local Authority to meet the agreed outcomes.
