At Brookburn, we believe all children are special, unique and should be valued equally. We are a community where everyone is given the opportunity to enjoy learning and achieve their full potential in an emotionally supportive, respectful and inclusive environment. We believe that every child should have access to a broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum. This should take account of their individual learning and emotional needs and should allow each child to fulfil their potential.
Our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) has day-to-day responsibility for the operation of the school’s SEN Policy and co-ordination of specific provision made to support pupils with SEN. The school recognises the importance of early identification of pupils with special educational needs and teachers follow a graduated approach, as set out by the SEND Code of Practice (0-25 years), to ensure pupils are identified and supported accordingly. Should a child be identified to have additional needs, teachers will observe, assess and monitor progress closely. This child may be placed on the special educational needs register which means they may need additional provision which could be in the form of an intervention; therapy or 1:1 support.
Teachers and the SENCO work closely with pupils and parents to ensure they are involved in the planning and provision of the child’s education. Brookburn always endeavours to be inclusive to all children and we have the same high expectations and aspirations for all.
Our SENDCo is Harriet Ikin-Tomkinson.
Tel: 0161 881 8880
Email: senco@brookburn.manchester.sch.uk
You can download our Special Educational Needs policy and our local offer via the buttons on this page. Information about the Manchester City Council Local Offer and what services you and your family can expect from a range of local agencies – including your statutory entitlements can be found here.
Dyslexia Awareness Week – “What’s your story?”.
The key messages from this year’s Dyslexia Awareness Week are:
Every story is different – showcasing the diversity of the dyslexic community and highlighting that everyone’s experience of dyslexia is unique. 10% of the population are dyslexic – that’s over 6.7 million stories to tell.
A strong opening sets the scene – raising awareness of the importance of early identification and intervention to ensure that every person with dyslexia can flourish.
It’s never too late to change your story – DAW can highlight how to access support and signposting to help people begin a new chapter.
What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a lifelong, genetic, neurological Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD). It affects all genders, ethnicities and social groups. It is not connected to intellectual ability and its impact ranges from mild to severe.
Dyslexia is best described as a set of processing difficulties that affect learning to read and spell. But its impact goes beyond this and children with dyslexia experience difficulty in becoming automatic in all aspects of their learning and need more explicit teaching in order to reach the standards expected.
There can be early indications of dyslexia such as slower development of speech and language skills, but it is usually first noticeable when a child starts school and struggles to learn to read and write.
Dyslexia affects everyone differently and each child will have their own strengths and challenges. Dyslexia often occurs with other SpLD such as dyscalculia or dyspraxia/DCD which can further impact upon learning and development.
Dyslexia can present daily barriers at school, and a child may find it hard to thrive. They may feel shame or anxiety because of their difficulties, and this can be compounded if their challenges are misinterpreted as a lack of ability, laziness or behavioural issues. When this happens, it can have a big impact on their confidence and self-esteem.
A diagnosis can be made by a specialist teacher with an Assessment Practicing Certificate (APC) but a diagnosis is not routinely carried out at school and a formal diagnosis is not needed for support to be put in at school.
The facts
1 in 10 people have dyslexia.
1,000,000+ school children in the UK have dyslexia. Many are undiagnosed.
Early indicators to look out for:
EYFS: Family history of dyslexia or literacy difficulties
Early speech and language difficulties
Muddled words, confusion between directional words
Difficulty learning nursery rhymes or songs
Likes listening to stories but shows no interest in letters or words
Difficult in following instructions, remembering names, colours, etc.
Primary aged children:
Slow progress in reading and writing
Written work does not reflect verbal ability
Inconsistent spelling
Confused letters which look similar- for example b and d
Difficulty blending letters
Confuses maths symbols eg + and x signs
Difficulty sequencing alphabet, numbers, days of the week
Useful Links for Parents and Carers:
https://simplebooklet.com/daw24parentspack#page=1
IAS MANCHESTER
IAS Manchester is the new name for the Parent Partnership Service. IAS Manchester
offers independent information, advice and support to parents and carers to increase
their involvement in the education of their children with Special Educational Needs and
Disabilities (SEND). The service also ensures that parents, carers and young people
have access to information and advice about issues relating to the child or young
person’s health and social care.
For more information on what the IAS does please click here.
Contact details for (IAS) Manchester
Parent Confidential Helpline: 0161 209 8356 (Monday to Friday 10am-3pm)
Answer phone available when lines are closed: 0161 209 8356
Email: parents@manchester.gov.uk
Address: Information, Advice and Support (IAS) Manchester
Westwood Street Centre
Westwood Street
Moss Side
M14 4PH