Offer of Early Help

Here at Heron Primary school, we understand that from time to time family life can have its complications. There may be times when you need just that extra bit of help and support to see you through the tough times. To support and guide you through times such as these we have an Early Offer of Help.

There are many ways in which we can support you, so, if ever things aren’t right at home please come and talk to us.   We offer:

• Support and advice from our experienced Family Support Worker (FSW) - Hannah Wood. Hannah is here to work with our families working in an holistic way, taking into account the whole families needs. She can offer advice on behaviour management, financial worries, domestic abuse, parents in prison, benefits and much more. If extra support is needed she knows who to sign post to and how to refer to other agencies.
• 1-1 and group support for our pupils. Hannah uses her skills to help pupils develop their confidence and key skills.
• A My Plan, My Plan+ or My Assessment should your child require a bit of extra support in school or at home. Our SENDCo, Victoria Churchill, is very experienced in completing these assessments and works very closely with our FSW and other staff.
• Regular meetings of the Pupil Care Team to discuss how best to meet the needs of vulnerable pupils or those who may need just that extra bit of support.

Safeguarding

Our school takes safeguarding very seriously and the school’s safeguarding leads support families if there are any safeguarding concerns. The school works closely with Social Care and offers families a high level of support. All staff receive regular Safeguarding training and know precisely how to identify and report concerns.

The school has a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), Mrs Claire Brookes, and three deputy DSL's, Miss H Milsom, Mr M Kitson and Mrs Rebecca Price - their training is updated every two years.

Referrals are made to Social Care Children and Families Team where a child discloses any form of abuse or where there are concerns. The school actively engages in an inter-agency approach to support families. As part of our curriculum provision we ensure that children are taught to keep themselves safe, whether it be through anti-bullying work, PSHCE lessons, e –safety sessions, sex and relationships education (age appropriate) and through a wide range of visitors such as the Police and the NSPCC who update the children on strategies to keep safe and signposting the children to Childline. Sometimes we may feel that extra support or expertise may be needed to help support you. When this happens, after chatting with you about this and gaining consent, the SENDCo and FSW may sign post or refer you to other agencies such as:

• Glosfamilies Directory (glosfamiliesdirectory.org.uk) – a family information service Children and Young Peoples Service (CYPS)
• School Nursing Team
• Families First
• Teens in Crisis
• Speech and Language Services
• Occupational Therapy •Advisory Teaching Service
• Pupil Referral Service
• Education Psychologist
• Fair Shares ( for transport, gardening, decorating etc)
• Gloucestershire Bundles (for clothing and bedding)
• Info Buzz (Parents in Prison)
• Young Carers
• Barnwood Trust (Charity)Fluck Fund (Charity)
• Citizens Advice Bureau
• Toucan (Play Therapy)
• GDASS (Domestic Abuse)
• Green Square Housing

Attendance

Our Attendance Officer is keen to help support you in bringing your child to school. We acknowledge that good attendance leads to good results, and also more positive friendships.

Our Attendance Officer is on hand to offer any advice on removing barriers that may impact on your child’s attendance. At Heron we have an ‘Open Door Policy’ and we often find that parents are quite willing to come in and chat to staff. If this is difficult for you, our FSW will often make home visits , or even meet you in your lunch hour should you need to. Please come and talk to us.