At St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, we consult with a wide range of agencies and partnerships to ensure the Emotional and Social Development needs of SEN children are met. Inspired by Catholic values, staff believe that high self-esteem is crucial and aim to support and promote the emotional wellbeing of all children. On a daily basis the class teacher is responsible for the pastoral and social care of every child in their class, therefore, this would be the parents’ first point of contact should further advice or support is required. Mrs. M. Haveron (SENDCo/Deputy Headteacher) is also available to provide early help and an additional layer of pastoral care for pupils and their families.
At St. Joseph’s, we have a school counselling service (SH Counselling) available to pupils on a weekly basis. Parents/carers wishing to seek counselling for their child should contact Mrs. M. Haveron (SENDCo).
We also run a variety of intervention groups to ensure that SEMH needs are met. These include:
- Lego Therapy Sessions
- Social Skills Intervention
- Relax Kids
- Various community based projects
- Art therapy
- Gardening
- Cookery
St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School has, and maintains, close links with Durham Local Authority, Occupational Therapy, CAHMS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service), School Nursing Service, Social Services and Medical Professionals. We have several meeting spaces and often hold multi-professional meetings in school so that parents/carers are comfortable in the school environment and the child can join us easily, if it is appropriate.
As a school we have a very positive approach to managing behaviour and a clear ‘House Points’ reward system that is followed by all staff and pupils.
