SEND
Ethos and Values
As a Catholic school, ‘who’ our students become is as important to us as ‘what’ they become. Gospel values permeate all the work undertaken in the school and students are encouraged to recognise the importance of education in their own fulfilment as valued individuals for the betterment of society.
Special Educational Needs
Our SEND Faculty is based in ‘Nazareth’, an important area of the school that has been named after the place of nurture and growth for Jesus under the care of his family. Nazareth is a sanctuary where our most vulnerable children can be nurtured and supported as part of our own St James’ family, following Jesus’ example.
If a child is formally identified as having SEN or SEND by an external agency, with the agreement of parents/carers, they are placed on the SEN register. If they are achieving a considerably lower level than usual within the national expectations for their age, a decision may be made to request a formal assessment for an EHC Plan (Education Health Care Plan).
On gathering all relevant advice about a student’s progress the LA SEN team may issue an EHC Plan outlining outcomes to be met and additional provision to be provided.
Wherever possible students with SEND are taught in mainstream lessons and follow the usual timetable for their teaching group. In order to facilitate this they may be supported by a Learning Support Assistant in addition to the high quality teaching provision provided by the teacher. Where it is judged to be more effective, the student may be withdrawn from certain lessons (agreed in consultation with parents and the student) to facilitate small group teaching or 1:1 teaching.
All class teachers have a summary of the needs of each child with SEND for effective learning. They are also supplied with a list of SEND students in the “class” and additional SEND information where appropriate e.g. characteristics of dyslexia, etc. They will also have access to the child’s one page profile.
Regular professional development is given to all staff to ensure that our children’s needs can be met.
In September 2025 we proudly introduced a transition class for some of our Year 7 children. This is to ensure that the right support and intervention is provided for some of our children at a crucial moment of their education.
SEND Pyramids by area of need
St James’ Sensory and Physical SEND Pyramid
St James’ Cognition and Learning SEND Pyramid
St James’ SEMH SEND Pyramid
St James’ Communication and Interaction SEND Pyramid
For more information on how we support students with SEND, please see our SEND policy. For further information on wider Stockport Services please see the Stockport Local Offer and the links from the Stockport LA below.
Useful links
