SEND Support Structure

At Notre Dame Catholic College, we have a dedicated team that are in place to support our pupils. This includes three specialist teachers, Higher Level Teaching Assistants and Learning Support Assistants.

As a team, we believe that the pupil, your child, is at the centre of everything we do. Any member of the team can offer support and this is the way that we work here at Notre Catholic College, in a joined up way and in partnership with families.

Our team can be contacted directly through the Classcharts App or web browser and they will be more than happy to work with you and your child during the school day.

Alongside our team in school, we work with external agencies very closely. This includes our Educational Psychologist, Dr. Victoria Tyrer-Davies from Flying Colours Educational Psychology.

For more information, please visit her website  https://www.flyingcolourseducationalpsychology.co.uk

Tiered Approach to SEND
at Notre Dame Catholic College

At Notre Dame Catholic College, we believe in an inclusive and stretching approach to teaching. Pupils who have identified SEND needs are, as per the Code of Practice 2015, entitled to ‘inclusive education of disabled children and young people and the progressive removal of barriers to learning and participation in mainstream education’ (SEND Code of Practice 2015, p.25).

As a school we are committed to providing the very best education for all of our pupils, no matter their needs and we work to make adjustments to our own practice to enable the pupils to have access to an education within a mainstream setting.

Within this are four tiers of education within the school, which are detailed in the diagram below. This is a fluid system of education, that enables pupils to move from each strand without any significant impact upon their education, but which will increase or decrease the amount of support that is provided.

We are also committed to making sure that all statutory duties and expectations within EHCPs are met in full and we work with external agencies and professional to ensure joined up thinking, enabling pupils to work towards their stretching, yet achievable outcomes.

At any point within the school journey of a child, we are committed to meeting their needs and working with parents and carers to refer pupils for a specific diagnosis should this be the case. At this point interventions will be put into place to support the child within the classroom and the wider school environment.

Year 7 Provision 

Pupils in Years 7, who are within our smaller SEND groups study a wide range of subjects and get their full entitlement to all subject areas. These groups are taught by a small number of teachers, with support of the subject specialists. Our team of teachers are primary and SEND trained

 Flourish Resourced Based Provison

Please note that there is no additional offer of the Flourish @ Notre Dame for the academic year 2023/2024 as the school is only commissioned for two classes which are now in place with no further growth.

Notre Dame Catholic College has this year been commissioned by Liverpool Local Authority to host a Resourced Based Provision within the main body of our school.

Our resourced based provision is named ‘Flourish @ Notre Dame Catholic College’. All of the pupils within the provision will have an EHCP and have difficulties in Social Communication and Interaction and have a diagnosis of Autism. In the first year the provision will be set up for a maximum of eight pupils, supported by three members of staff. This will mean that the maximum ratio of staff to pupils will be 3:8, which will create a highly supportive environment on which positive relationships will be built. When placing pupils, we carefully consider the needs of the pupils and whether they can be met here at Notre Dame Catholic College, working with families to make sure that they are happy with the offer and support that will be in place.

Pupils are taught within a specialist Classroom that has direct access to our state-of-the-art Sensory Room.

All pupils are provided with an individual workstation that they have ownership of, but also provides them with their own space for self-regulation and quiet working when it is needed.

There are opportunities to use the group table for larger discussions or work that is delivered to the whole group. With the ratio of staff to pupils and a Higher-Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) in the room, smaller group sessions can be delivered to the pupils when needed.

Pupils individual needs are catered for as detailed in their EHCP and the commissioning of services (Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychologist) is something that the school would put into place through consultation with the Local Authority.

There is also an area for the development of life skills within the room and space for sensory diets and activities to take place within the classroom.

Pupils within the resourced based provision also have direct access to our new Sensory Room and have this resource as and when it is needed to support their individual needs, please see the images below of our sensory room.

Admissions to the Flourish Provision are led by the Local Authority. Notre Dame Catholic College will respond to any request for a place based on whether needs can or cannot be met. Careful consideration of the setting’s response is given by Liverpool City Council and they will notify the setting of the placement allocation with a confirmation email.  Until the receipt of the confirmation email, no allocation will have been made.

If you would like to come and visit then please do not hestitate to contact our SENCO, Mr McVerry ([email protected])