At Holy Family Catholic High School all pupils with SEND have full access to a broad and balanced curriculum. Our fully committed and passionate Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) team provide a wide variety and full range of support to pupils with additional needs. It is crucial that pupils are fully supported to allow them to access the curriculum, progress in line with their peers and enjoy the full range of extracurricular activities and wider opportunities on offer to students at Holy Family.

 

'Every teacher is a teacher of SEND' and pupils at Holy Family with additional needs are supported by their subject teachers and our pastoral team including both their form tutor and their Progress Leader who work closely with pupils and their parents. Overseeing this support is our SEND & Inclusion Teams who provide specialist support for pupils in a nurturing and aspirational environment in facilities that are designed specifically to cater for a wide variety of needs. All staff who are working with and supporting pupils with SEND, aim to develop both the skills they need at secondary school and also the resilience and independent skills to see them through their journey from Year 7 to preparing them for adulthood as they leave in Year 11 or Year 13.

In a fully inclusive school community, the SEND and Inclusion Team provide specialist support for pupils. As well as during lessons, we provide support for pupils after school with a wide range of extra-curricular activities and support on offer. Our staff are there to provide support for pupils with a wide variety of needs, and where appropriate, we also work with outside agencies to provide the necessary support so pupils can access the wider school community and enable them to fully achieve their potential.

 

Graduated Approach

We have a graduated approach to meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) at Holy Family Catholic High School. Our bespoke, inclusive curriculum enables us to support our pupils to become independent learners with the skills needed to prepare them for when they leave us in either Year 11 or Year 13. 

At Holy Family, there are a range of provisions available to support our pupils with SEND. Our approach to SEND enables pupils to receive the support they need through either our Universal offer which is available to all, our Targeted offer which is short term to support a pupil to get back on track or our Specialist offer which may involve outside agency support.

The majority of the pupils who have SEND are supported through our Universal offer of inclusive, quality first teaching across the school. This offer provides adaptions which are embedded into the daily learning environment across all subjects. It is our aim to have strong Universal offer so that the majority of pupils are supported throughout our curriculum and the adaptions staff embed into daily practice.

In accordance with the SEND Code of Practice, pupils with SEND receive additional and/or different support in one or more of the following areas:

  • Cognition & Learning
  • Communication & Interaction
  • Social, Emotional and Mental Health
  • Sensory and or Physical

Through our Targeted support, teachers adapt their teaching and learning environment to meet the needs of these pupils.

For a smaller number of pupils, specialist provisions are needed on a daily basis to enable them to engage with learning and accelerate progress. Pupils who access specialist support often have an Educational Health and Care Plan which outlines their needs and the support they need. The school have bespoke curriculum and provisions in place to meet the specific needs of these pupils.

Our priority is for all pupils to be in the classroom receiving quality first teaching from subject specialists. There are however some occasions where subject content or skills need to be explicitly taught in a different environment through short term intervention support. Where this is needed pupils will access a short, targeted intervention outside of the main classroom, tailored to meet the needs of those participating.

Within our Behaviour Policy, Reasonable Adjustments are highlighted as a key area of support. It is our intention that pupils with SEND are not substantially disadvantaged as a direct result. Reasonable Adjustments are part of our quality first teaching and support. They are not exclusive to pupils on the SEND Register. Where a Reasonable Adjustment is made, staff will identify this on Class Charts.

Meet the Team

Our SENCO is Mrs Michelle Bosanquet (nee Palmer) (email: send@holyfamilyhighschool.co.uk, Tel: Phone 0151 924 6190)

Hello! My name is Michelle Bosanquet and I am the SENDCO at Holy Family. I started working here in January 2020, but I have worked in another Sefton high school for many years, several of those as a SENDCO so I am very familiar with both Sefton and Liverpool SEND procedures. My main subject is MFL and I teach Spanish at Holy Family. My email address is listed at the top of this page, so please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or need any support. 

I successfully completed the NASENCO qualification in 2018 with the University of Chester. Furthermore, I am also a Specialist Assessor for the Assessing of Access Arrangements which was again achieved through the University of Chester, and this qualification allows me to assess whether or not our pupils qualify for access arrangements like extra time, a scribe or a reader. 

Hello, my name is Laura Driscoll, and I am the assistant SENDCO at Holy Family. I started working at Holy Family September 2024. Before this I have worked for two schools which are part of a trust. I have worked for three years at an autism provision and four years at a SEMH high school. I have experience working with young people with a range of communication and behavioural needs. I have also been a teacher for three years and have a specialism in Geography. I am here to help and support so please do not hesitate to contact me.
My name is Karen Parker and I have been the Deputy Headteacher at Holy Family for several years. My area of responsibility is the Quality of Education and the curriculum and, along with Miss Palmer, I have whole school oversight of SEND. I am also part of the science teacher team.
   

Teaching Assistants       

 

 

SEND Parent / Carer Hub

 

We recognise that as parents you often have many questions relating to your child’s learning needs or may be looking for support to navigate your child’s Special Educational Needs journey. We at Holy Family Catholic High School are passionate about ensuring parents and carers feel informed, supported and empowered to secure the support that their child requires. This ‘SEND Parent / Carer Hub’ is designed to include links to information and advice that answers any questions you may have about your child’s individual learning needs or your needs as a family. Click on the relevant header to access the information available to you. If you have further questions please do not hesitate to contact Miss Palmer, SENCO or Mrs Green, Assistant SENDCO on send@holyfamilyhighschool.co.uk.

 

LA Information

Sefton Local Offer

Sefton Local Offer Leaflet

Liverpool Local Offer

Sefton Graduated Response Booklet for Parents and Carers

Sefton CVS - Buddy Up Information

Sefton Disabled Children's Database leaflet

Sefton Young Carers

Useful Links

SEND Code of Practice

SOS! SEN

Special Needs Jungle

IPSEA

Banardo's SENDiass

SEMH

Sefton & Liverpool CAMHS

Kooth

Young Minds

School Nurse Text Service

ADHD UK

ADHD Foundation

My Mental Health - Banardo's

NSPCC - Support with Self Harm

NHS - Support with Self Harm

Cognition & Learning

Whole School SEND - Cognition & Learning

NASEN (National Association for Special Educational Needs)

British Dyslexia Association

Dyspraxia (DCD)

DysTalk series of podcasts talks on

  • Dyscalculia;
  • Dyslexia;
  • Dysgraphic
  • Handwriting;
  • Dyspraxia

Communication  & Interaction

Autism

Sefton Autism & Social Communication Team

NHS - Autism

National Autistic Society

PDA Society

Autism Teaching Strategies – Downloadable resources for home and school

Parent 2 Parent (P2P) – confidential telephone support service for parents and carers of an adult or child on the autism spectrum (recommended by the National Autistic Society). 0808 800 4106,

The Girl with the Curly Hair has a series of books and also a Facebook page with a focus on girls and women with Autism.

Speech & Language

Sensory &/or Physical

Sefton Visual Needs Team

Sefton Hearing Needs Team

     

 

 

SEND Documentation

 

Sefton Local Offer

Liverpool Local Offer

 

Link to Padlet - Everything you need to know regarding SEND support at Holy Family

 

For more information on the SEND Team, please contact Miss Bosanquet (nee Palmer), SENDCO – send@holyfamilyhighschool.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter @HFCHSSEND