At St Austin’s, every child belongs. We have high expectations for all our children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and we work closely with families to understand what each child needs to flourish.
Our approach is rooted in our mission, Living, Loving and Learning in Faith. We value every child as a unique individual, we make reasonable adjustments to remove barriers, and we make sure children with SEND can take part fully in the life of the school.
Key contacts
- SENDCo: Mr R Senior, sendco@sa.bkcat.uk (part time, so please allow a few days for a reply)
- SEND link governor: Mr S France
- School office: 01924 339435, office@sa.bkcat.uk
Worried about your child?
- Talk to your child’s class teacher. They’ll listen and share what they’ve noticed in school.
- The class teacher will pass your concerns to the SENDCo. He works part time and his days in school are carefully planned, so it may take a little while for him to contact you.
- Together we’ll agree what happens next. That might be changes to how your child is taught in class, a closer look at your child’s needs, or advice from a specialist.
Our questions parents ask page answers the things families most often want to know.
How we support children with SEND
Good teaching, adapted to each child, is always the first step. If a child needs more, we follow a cycle called assess, plan, do, review. We look at what your child needs, plan the right support, put it in place, then check together how it’s working. Wakefield calls this its Graduated Approach to SEND.
Children receiving SEN support have a Supporting Me to Learn Plan, which we review with you each term. A small number of children with more complex needs have an Education, Health and Care Plan from Wakefield Council.
Key documents
- SEND Information Report (PDF)
- Trust SEND Policy 2025 to 2026 (PDF)
- Equality information and objectives
- All school policies, including complaints and medical conditions
Learn more about different needs
- What is SEND?
- Autism
- Speech, language and communication
- Dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia
- General learning difficulties
- Social, emotional and mental health
- ADHD
- Sensory and physical needs
- Our trauma-informed approach
- English as an additional language
Support for families
- Wakefield SEND Local Offer: what’s available locally for children and young people with SEND
- Wakefield SENDIASS (formerly WESAIL): free, impartial advice for families, 01924 965588
- Wakefield Parent Carer Forum
- SEND support services in Wakefield, including family hubs, school nursing, CAMHS and WASP
- Mental wellbeing at St Austin’s
Moving to St Austin’s with an EHCP
If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan and you’d like them to join St Austin’s, please don’t use the in-year application form. Children with an EHCP join a school through their plan instead.
Contact Wakefield’s SEN Assessment and Review Team (SENART) at sengroup@wakefield.gov.uk, or speak to your child’s casework officer, and ask for St Austin’s to be considered. SENART will then consult us. We’ll look carefully at your child’s plan and let the council know whether we can meet their needs.
You’re welcome to visit. Please contact the school office on 01924 339435 or office@sa.bkcat.uk to arrange it.
Admissions
We welcome applications for children with SEND and disabilities, and our admission arrangements treat them fairly. If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan, Wakefield Council will consult the school as part of naming a school in the plan. You can read more in section 14 of our SEND Information Report, or visit our admissions page.
If you’d like any of this information on paper or in another format, please ask the school office. It’s free.