We have run a series of coffee mornings over the last year. The coffee mornings were aimed at all parents and carers, welcoming them into school to meet staff, ask questions or just have a chat with other families. At St. Andrew's we want to involve parents more in what we do in school, and want every parent and carer to feel able to come into school when they need support. The coffee mornings were designed and publicised to welcome everyone, regardless of any SEND concerns they may have. Some attendees did seek advice and had concerns that they wished to discuss with a staff member, which led to some fantastic solutions and helped to build relationships between home and school. Other attendees used the social side of the coffee mornings to connect with staff and other families more casually, building up links between families on a more personal level. Coffee mornings are there for multiple purposes, and we hope that in the future, we can welcome more members of the wider St. Andrew's community to come in and share a drink and a chat.

On the 13th June 2024, Alice Malein (Special Educational Needs Coordinator -SENCo) and our previous Parent Support Advisor (PSA) Nikki Durbin, held a special coffee morning for parents to discuss special educational needs at St. Andrew's.

The coffee morning was a fantastic opportunity to give parents a chance to tell us what they think about how home and school work as a team to support children. 

As a group, we looked at and discussed the school website and the SEND webpage. One of the first questions asked by parents was about the  meaning of SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and SEN (Special Educational Needs), which are often used interchangeably.  It was incredibly helpful for us to learn that SEND and SEN may not be easily accessible for parents if they are not even sure of the terminology used. Seeing the link on the website through the parents' eyes also made it clear that we need to do more to support our wider community's understanding of SEN, raise the profile of SEN and to make access as easy as possible for families - whether they have children with SEN or not. 

The website and information provided by school through newsletters, emails, texts and through other means was also discussed. We wanted to evaluate whether there are effective systems for informing families of all SEN related matters. We got lots of really brilliant feedback on the webpage and the SEN information report, so that we can make them more effective and better suited to our families at St. Andrew's. Also discussed were individual education plans (IEPs), how to help more parents engage with school events, especially SEN-related events, and have made plans to incorporate our parents' views in our ever-developing SEN approach. 

Thank you to the parents who attended the coffee morning. It was a really enjoyable, informative and inspiring session - and a major part of our continuing programme of working with families to create the best, most inclusive provision we can.

Plymouth Local Offer

Young Carers at St. Andrew's

Our St Andrew's Young Carers' Group has been running for several years and we have had very positive feedback from those who attend. The children meet on alternate Tuesday afternoons for an hour and have the chance to relax and chat while trying a range of new experiences, such as cooking, arts and craft, Forest School activities and other trips. They also meet with other Young Carers across the city.

After a brief break, to access up-to-date training and information about how to best support our young carers, our Family Support Advisor, Cass has recently restarted the group. 

If you feel your child would benefit from joining the Young Carers' Group, then please speak to a class teacher or contact Cass directly at school.

Information about activities and events in the city for children with additional needs.

Plymouth Advice and Information Service

National Autistic Society - Autism Parent/Carer Support Group

Useful contacts and support services

Attention parents of children on the Neurodiversity pathway.

If your child is ALREADY on the Neurodiversity pathway, there is support available, provided by a new team through an advice line.

This is especially helpful if you would like support while your child is awaiting an appointment on the pathway.

The flyer below has details from Livewell.