We are proud to provide a safe, stimulating and inclusive learning environment where every member of our community is valued and respected. Our broad, balanced, creative curriculum and enrichment activities provide opportunities for everyone to achieve and succeed.
We celebrate our achievements, gifts and cultural diversity, irrespective of individual differences within the protected categories of the Equality Act of 2010. Together, we take pride in making a positive contribution to our school and the wider community.
Within our school, every teacher is a teacher of every child, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.
We take pride in providing a fully inclusive practice as was noted by Ofsted during their most recent inspection: “Pupils with special educational needs and/ or disabilities are fully included in all aspects of school life.”
Our SEND Team
Rachel Evans-Cook
SENDCo/ Head of School
I have been part of Honeybourne since 2011 and took on the role of SENDCo in 2014.
I was accredited the National SENCo Qualification in July 2016, and was also accredited the National Professional Qualification in Senior Leadership (NPQSL) in 2020 and the National Qualification of Headship (NPQH) in May 2023.
My role as SENDCo is to work closely with teaching staff, pupils, parents, governors and other professionals to provide support, advice, guidance and training to ensure that pupils have their individual needs met.
Kate Drew
Nursery Manager/ Nursery SENDCo
I have been the Nursery Manager and SENDCo at the Honeybourne Nursery since September 2013.
I work closely with parents, nursery staff and external professionals to ensure we offer a caring and safe learning environment where every child is happy, nurtured and encouraged to grow, develop and achieve their potential.
Our nursery team is fully trained to deliver support to all children, ensuring individual needs are met.
Steve Martin
SEND Governor
I am the Chair of the Honeybourne Governors and the Link Governor for SEND.
I have one child already at the school and another who will start at Honeybourne Nursery soon.
I have lived in Honeybourne since 2016 and work at the University of Oxford as a Student Funding Manager, providing bursaries to students from low income households and financial assistance to students who find themselves in financial difficulty while at university.
Emma Checketts
Speech and Language Therapist
I work weekly at Honeybourne Primary School, in both the school and the nursery, as an NHS Speech & Language Therapist.
I carry out individual assessments and/ or therapy for children referred to the Speech & Language Therapy Service. I work closely with teaching and nursery staff; and strategies and targets are collaboratively developed to support children’s speech, language and communication skills.
Teaching staff work regularly on children’s targets and I am available to provide additional advice and resources to support implementation of targets. I also liaise regularly with parents to provide advice on supporting children’s communication skills at home. I am available to provide training in school to staff and parents.
Kevin Mackelworth
Educatonal Psychologist
I’ve worked with Honeybourne Primary since 2016 and currently visit the school approximately once a month. I’m an HCPC registered educational psychologist with over 20 years’ experience working within local authorities and in private practice.
Before training as an educational psychologist, I worked as a primary school teacher and taught across the age ranges from Reception to Year 6. As an educational psychologist, I’ve worked in a variety of schools and early years settings, specialist provision and children’s residential homes.
In addition to direct work with children, I work closely with teachers in the school and regularly contribute to training and professional development activities for school staff. Schools and parents sometimes ask if I can also contribute to multi-professional discussions about the needs of individual children.
Nicholas Appleton
Complex Communication Needs (CCN)
I have been a teacher for 30 years, and 18 years with the Autism team. I hold a degree in Theology & Music, a PGCE in Secondary Education plus a Post Graduate Autism qualification from Birmingham University.
I cover all the settings in Evesham, plus Martley, Upton-upon-Severn and Nunnery Wood High School pyramid in Worcester, from pre-school to post 16; approximately 50 schools and pre-school settings.
The local authority commission work that I undertake includes assessments for Pre-School Forum, EHCP, change of placement, Umbrella and tribunals.
Setting commissioned work includes support for pupils/ students with a diagnosis of autism or social communication difficulties.
The main aim of our work is to support schools to be able to meet the needs of their pupils/ students through assessment of need, interventions and staff training.
Meeting The Needs Of All Children: The Graduated Response
The aim of formally identifying a pupil with additional needs and SEND is to ensure that effective provision is put in place and so remove barriers to learning. The support provided consists of a four – part process called ‘The Graduated Response’.
This is an ongoing cycle to enable the provision to be refined and revised as the understanding of the needs of the pupil grows. This cycle enables the identification of those interventions which are the most effective in supporting the pupil to achieve good progress and outcomes.
Assess
This involves clearly analysing the pupil’s needs using the class teacher’s assessment and experience of working with the pupil, details of previous progress and attainment, comparisons with peers and national data, as well as the views and experience of parents. The pupil’s views and where relevant, advice from external support services will also be considered. Any parental concerns will be noted and compared with the school’s information and assessment data on how the pupil is progressing.
This analysis will require a regular review to ensure that support and intervention is matched to need, that barriers to learning are clearly identified and being overcome; and that the interventions being used are developing and evolving as required. Where external support staff are already involved, their work will help inform the assessment of need. Where they are not involved they may be contacted, if this is felt to be appropriate, following discussion and agreement from parents.
Plan
Planning involves consultation between the teaching staff, SENDCo and parents to agree the adjustments, interventions and support that are required; the impact on progress, development and/ or behaviour that is expected and a clear date for review. Parental involvement may be sought, where appropriate, to reinforce or contribute to progress at home. All those working with the pupil, including support staff, will be informed of their individual needs, the support that is being provided, any particular teaching strategies/ approaches that are being employed and the outcomes that are being sought.
Do
The class teacher remains responsible for working with the child on a day-to-day basis. They will retain responsibility even where the interventions may involve group or one-to-one teaching away from the main class teacher. They will work closely with teaching assistants and will plan and assess the impact of support and interventions, and links with classroom teaching. Support with further assessment of the pupil’s strengths and weaknesses, problem solving and advising of the implementation of effective support will be provided by the SENDCo.
Review
Reviews of a child’s progress are made regularly. The review process will evaluate the impact and quality of the support and interventions. It also takes into account the views of the pupil and their parents. The class teacher, in conjunction with the SENDCo, will revise the support and outcomes based on the pupil’s progress and development, making any necessary amendments going forward, in consultation with parents and the pupil.
Useful Information
For more information or if you have a complaint, please contact our SENDCo, Rachel Evans-Cook, on head@honeybourneprimary.org.
To find out more about our Early Help Offer, please visit our Supporting Families/ Early Help page.
For information about ADHD, visit www.hacw.nhs.uk/community-paeds-adhd.
For free parenting courses and support/ advice, visit www.startingwellworcs.nhs.uk.
For policies relating to SEND, please visit our Policies page.