Inclusion
Amzee Perera
As Inclusion manager at Laycock School, I lead our dedicated inclusion team to ensure the school supports our Laycock Learners to keep themselves mentally healthy and take a pride in their behaviour, attendance and attitude to learning. We are proud to be an inclusive school, where we nurture and help children to grow as individuals and create a united, respectful and friendly school community.
Laycock School is unique because all our classes have a diverse mix of Islington children, alongside classes of deaf children from across London. Therefore, at the heart of our Inclusion strategy is teaching our children that they have a responsibility to value and take pride in each other’s differences and celebrate the diversity of cultures, backgrounds and ways to succeed in education. Through curriculum planning, pastoral systems and restorative conversations the uniqueness of every child is recognised, valued and safeguarded.
We ensure that every child at Laycock School is treated as an equal and given the same opportunities to access the full curriculum, maximise their progress and receive different levels of support within school. Disadvantaged, vulnerable, SEND, EAL and other key groups of children, who experience barriers to learning, are identified, supported and continuously tracked from an early stage. This inclusive learning environment creates a strong cohesion around the school, in and out of the classroom, with every child feeling a sense of belonging.
Embedded into our inclusion strategy is the promotion of our ‘Trauma Informed’ behaviour policy, which guides staff to deliver a consistent approach to behaviour management, whilst allowing an element of flexibility to address the needs of specific children, who may require a differentiated response at times. The behaviour policy, our six ‘Laycock Values’ and the school code of ‘Kindness & Unity’ provides clear guidance for pupils on how to conduct themselves so they can excel in every aspect of school life and lay the path for future success.
Amy Grindle
As SENCo I strive to ensure our pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) have the same high expectations as all of our pupils; to provide access to a rich, broad and balanced curriculum, full participation and the highest quality of education. We understand the importance of equity and make personalised adjustments and provision by building a picture based on the whole child and their world.
Laycock School has established a genuine culture of community. We deliver our SEND provision with families, school and services working together. We actively encourage partnerships with parent caregivers. Our aim is to inform and involve parents as much as possible in school decision making and provide them with support, advice and access to services. We have a SEND parent group where caregivers can access training, updates on changes to SEND guidance and network with other parents of children with a SEND.
We believe in person centred learning and pupils are enabled to be active participants – expressing opinions, making choices and being involved in setting their targets. We are lucky to have a very dedicated staff team, and while we do have a specialist Inclusion team, all Laycock School staff view themselves as teachers of all pupils, including those with SEND.
I am both a teacher in our Nurture Hub and SENCo at Laycock and I have also worked as a specialist advisor on education and SEND, to improve education around the globe. I have worked in Africa, the Middle East, Australia and South America and bring with me a unique and rich understanding of education around the world. I am a member of our senior leadership team. You can contact me directly through the school office, Tel: 0207 226 2927 Email: office@laycock.islington.sch.uk. My role is dedicated to SEND and inclusion support and I am available in school every day of the week.
Tanyel Salih
As the Assistant SENCO at Laycock school I support the Inclusion Manager to guide teachers and TA’s to deliver high-quality inclusive practice in the classroom.
My areas of expertise include supporting children with complex needs to access classroom learning, follow school routines and develop good social and emotional skills by using child-centred approaches to overcoming barriers to learning. This includes: devising personalised behaviour support programmes, providing emotional literacy resources and by making appropriate adaptations to in-class resources to meet individual needs.
I continue to use my experience and my passion of working with families and teachers to create accessible SEND resources for children to help empower their learning, access the curriculum and to make a difference in their school life.
Begona Lopez
My role as a Learning Mentor, with over 15 years working at Laycock School, is to assist children to address the barriers affecting their learning. I enhance their inclusion through family liaison, teacher collaboration and work with external agencies. I support children’s social, emotional and behavioural development, positive participation and welfare. This includes: 1:1 support, facilitating accredited group programmes, delivering Circle Time sessions, lunchtime clubs, and after school (study) provision. I enjoy working across the school, developing and maintaining good relationships with children, parents, carers and the wider community!
Zara Lee
As a professional learning mentor with 20 years experience, I am passionate about helping and supporting children to fulfill their potential and break down barriers to learning. A key part of my role is developing the resilience and emotional wellbeing of those I work with. I love helping children and families boost their confidence and self esteem through group work, workshops, 1-1 sessions, family learning and community support.
Sean Bonnett Johnson and Ozzie Adeniji
Our key role as ‘Laycock Values’ coaches is to support and mentor our young learners to fully appreciate and benefit from applying our school core values, which are: ‘Friendly, Aspirational, Resilient, Respectful, Creative and Curious’. We reference and apply these values, on a daily basis, when mentoring our learners, particularly when they are finding things challenging. We aim to fulfil an important role within the professional team, whereby we use our own life experiences, and also apply our ‘trauma informed’ training to respond to concerns. We seek to build a level of trust with the children, so that they feel comfortable and can express their feelings and seek advice easily. Our passion is to help develop the confidence and self-esteem of all our Laycock Learners to make good choices, overcome challenges and become successful adults.
Brian Dale
My role as a School Counsellor is to engage therapeutically with children to improve their mental health and wellbeing. I offer 1:1 weekly sessions at Laycock School for selected children.
As an integrative counsellor I draw on different theoretical approaches to offer a contained, non-judgemental and safe space for children to explore their overwhelming feelings. Through this process children may start to explore how they see themselves in the world and have a greater experience of the here and now.
To support the therapy process I use the creative arts; for example, puppetry, sand tray, painting and body work. These are important tools to help the children explore their deeper feelings.
Esther Spick
In my role as Deputy Safeguarding Officer I work across the whole school to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our children. As Family Liaison Officer, I work with families and professionals to ensure children have good attendance and are accessing education. I support families to overcome any barriers they may face, which impact on their child’s education. This includes: regular check-in calls with parents and carers, signposting families to support services, helping access breakfast/ afterschool provision, attending formal CIN, Early Help and social services meetings, and liaising with the Inclusion Team to improve access to learning. No matter how small your concern may be, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I am here to listen and offer support.