Our SEND Co-ordinator is:-
Mrs Katharine Adams
Email: kadams@cchs.essex.sch.uk
Telephone: 01245 352592
SEN Support at Chelmsford County High School for Girls
At CCHS we pride ourselves on providing a well-rounded and inclusive curriculum to all our students with Special Educational Needs. Students on the SEN register follow the full academic curriculum and are encouraged to join in with extra-curricular clubs, activities and school trips just as any other student at CCHS would be. Wherever possible, we make reasonable adjustments to ensure they have full access to the wider life of the school. In recent years, students with SEN have taken part in residential trips aboard, visits to the theatre and many historical venues. They have joined the school orchestra, choirs and sports teams and taken part in drama productions both on stage and in the technical team.
Our SENCo Mrs Adams is an experienced pastoral leader and has been in post as SENCo for five years. She holds the National Award for SEN Coordination and is a qualified examinations access arrangements assessor, having passed the Postgraduate Award of Proficiency in Assessment for Access Arrangements (PAPAA). She is also a Mental Health First Aider and one of the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads in school.
Mrs Adams regularly attends external training to enhance understanding of support strategies for students with a wide range of special educational needs. Courses have included:
- “A Focus on Autism” Professor Tony Attwood MSc, PhD, AFBPsS, MCCPs
Cognitive Abilities: A different way of thinking and learning profile
Making Friends: Strategies to improve social understanding and friendship skills - “Adolescent Issues for Teenagers with High Functioning Autism” Tony Attwood
- “Happiness and Well-being: An Autism Perspective” – by Sarah Hendrickx
- “Supporting Self-esteem in Students with ASD” Sarah Hendrickx)
- “Girls and Autism – many voices conference 2019”
- “Pre 16 Screening for Dyslexia” –British Dyslexia Association
- “Supporting students with Dyslexia in secondary school” British Dyslexia Association
- “Assessing Visual Stress”,
- “Supporting a student with hearing impairment in class” Specialist teacher team
- “Supporting a student with cochlear implants” Specialist teacher team
- “Understanding ADHD” Future Learn course
- “Youth Mental Health first aid”
Mrs Adams meets with parents and students on the SEN register each term to celebrate successes and to put in place any support that may be needed. She works with Year Leaders and other teaching staff, the school nurse, specialist teacher teams and external agencies to promote not only academic success but also health and well- being and the development of life-skills to enable students to advocate for their own needs once they leave school. We pride ourselves on forging very close links with the parents of our SEN students who are grateful for the support received.
“Without doubt, the support my daughter receives at CCHS is life changing. My daughter knows who to contact at CCHS when she is feeling overwhelmed and has regular contact with the SEN support. The SENCo regularly shares information with other teaching staff how to help during lessons and most importantly how to communicate effectively. Also, how to interpret some of my daughter’s reactions and explain why she will appear very rude in certain situations she finds stressful”.
“As my daughter gets older, she is wanting to understand herself more and modify some behaviours of how ASD affects her and enable her to improve relationships with others. She isn’t made to feel like a failure whilst she is tackling this at CCHS, and staff are always thinking of ways that things could be improved.”
“Thanks to Mrs Adams for all her fantastic support through this year in helping (name) settle in and feel so at home so quickly in CCHS” (Year 7 report reply slip)
“I wanted to thank you, most sincerely, for the way that (name) was cared for in France. So much planning goes into the trip and every aspect of (name’s) needs was catered for. We felt no concern about letting you have her, despite it being her first trip not supported by us, as parents. That should tell you the confidence we have in you as a team. Such trips enhance education undoubtedly, but for us, the personal growth for our daughter far outstrips that”.
“The relationship we have as a home / school team, is wonderful. We are able to get the best outcome for (name) with excellent communication and understanding.”
“Thanks again and all of the above is down to the fabulous support at school – (name) wouldn’t be achieving any of this without all the encouragement over the last 5 years to stay on track.”
Download our most recent SEND Report below:
