Our SEN Support Team

At Oakmeadow, we have a wealth of knowledge and expertise amongst our dedicated members of staff who support children with SEN. More importantly we have the shared desire to see all children achieve their potential by applying our expertise to help reduce barriers to learning that a number of children often have.
 
All staff members receive professional development in areas of Special Educational Needs on a regular basis and are given the opportunity to gain further knowledge and understanding in specific areas relevant to their experience and developmental needs of children and the school. 
 

  • Mrs Helen Morris

    Deputy Headteacher, SENCo

    helen.morris@oak.mmat.co.uk

    I became SENCo at Oakmeadow in 2014 and achieved my National Award for Special Needs coordinator qualification in 2015.
    From the outset of my teaching career, I have always had the desire to see all children achieve and most importantly enjoy the experience of coming to school. Sadly, in some schools, not all children do. Being the school's SENCO, gives me the unique opportunity to work with a range of our children and families across the entire school. I am passionate about all children deserving and receiving the same opportunities to help them make progress and achieve. In this role, I can introduce and drive initiatives to make a difference, working with our highly experienced SEN team to ensure Oakmeadow strives to provide an outstanding inclusive education for all our children. I am incredibly proud of the support we provide for our pupils with Educational Needs and will strive to ensure we always look to see how this can be improved across school through research and expertise of the agencies we continue to work with. Being part of a Marches Multi-Academy Trust has already enabled us to make further positive changes due to our existing practices. The new initiatives and high level of collaboration and across all schools - both secondary and primary has driven this.
    Achieving the accolade of the SENDIA award in 2021 made me incredibly proud of what our team does on a daily basis. The award reflects the passion Oakmeadow has towards supporting and achieving the outcomes of our practice and ultimately the pupils we have with Special Educational Needs.

  • Mrs May Severn

    Family Liaison & Parenting Support Advisor

    admin@oak.mmat.co.uk

    I have been working here at Oakmeadow for the past 12 years now. My job title is Family Liaison and Parenting Support Advisor. I have been working here at Oakmeadow for the past 12 years where I held the post of Family Inclusion, Behaviour and Safeguarding Lead. During my last 12 months in this role, I successfully job shared with my colleague and friend Lisa Oliver before handing over the reins completely to her in July 2024.
    Although I felt ready to step away from the role of Family Inclusion behaviour & Safeguarding lead, I wasn’t ready to leave Oakmeadow as an opportunity to support with the development of provision to support our families in our new community hub became available to me.
    After a successful career in retail management & customer service I became a mum at the ripe old age of 37. Despite coming from a large family where as one of the eldest I supported with the care of my younger siblings, I nevertheless found motherhood really challenging and after the busy independent life I had led in my career, I also felt very isolated and out of my depth with two under 2’s.
    With support from my health visitor, I sourced avenues of support which led me to joining a walking mum group and a stay and play group. I progressed from this to setting up a stay & play group for parents and pre school age children in the local primary school. I developed a strong and positive link between the group and the school’s nursery setting making transition into nursery much easier and in some cases, particularly for first time parents, less traumatic.
    When my own children joined nursery, I became more involved with the school by initially volunteering to support trips, reading in school and I ran a lunchtime club daily for children who preferred adult led play during social times.
    This led me to a change of career and when my children stared school full time where I took the plunge leaving retail and beginning my journey in education. This journey as most will know eventually led me to Oakmeadow where I have been ever since.
    Although I have stepped away from the role of Family Inclusion behaviour & safeguarding lead, I felt with the new addition of the community hub, that my work at Oakmeadow was not quite done. To this end I have taken up a new challenge and stepped into the role of Family liaison & parenting support advisor. Although I will continue to work under the pastoral and SEND umbrella, I will be offering a more bespoke provision to our families at Oakmeadow.
    As a parenting practitioner I will be available to offer support and advice to our parents who may be finding some aspects of managing their children’s behaviour, a bit of a challenge. I can offer group and/or one to one support both face to face and online. In addition to this there will be a Stay& play group weekly in the community hub that will compliment the existing similar provision already in the village giving our families in Bayston Hill additional choice and availability.
    Details of when and where our groups will be held and my availability, will be communicated via our social media, newsletters and school website. I am looking forward to the new role, getting to know our preschool children and their parents and supporting families who need a little bit of extra love and support- I know I did and thrived personally from the support I received.
    Ellen (May) Severn
    Family Liaison & parenting support advisor

  • Miss Lisa Oliver

    Family Inclusion & SEN Learning Assistant

    admin@oak.mmat.co.uk

    I feel privileged to be in my sixteenth year here at Oakmeadow. Although we are a large school, we have a real family feel which I love. We have a dedicated team of staff who have a wealth of knowledge and expertise to support all of our children and families.
    I have worked across all key stages within school supporting a wide range of children to help them reach their full potential. Initially, I started as a 1:1 teaching assistant; gradually over the years my role has evolved and I now work as part of Oakmeadow’s Pastoral team.
    I am a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), which involves supporting our Senior Leadership Team to effectively safeguard all of our Oakmeadow children and families,
    Over the years, I have been given lots of opportunities for CPD. I have received specific training to support children with ASD, dyslexia and developing Speech and Language, where I have a Level 3 Elklan qualification. I have gained further qualifications in counselling and supporting children with mental health difficulties, Most recently, I have had the opportunity to train as an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant. (ELSA). This is a part of my role that I am passionate about. Training is provided by the Educational Psychology team and regular supervision sessions are arranged to support me in providing the best for our children within school. Some of the areas that I cover in my work as a ELSA include improving self-esteem, team building, supporting friendships, developing social skills, supporting bereavement, anger management and helping children to recognise and understand their emotions.
    Other parts of my pastoral role include supporting our many families, I do this alongside my colleagues, Mrs Severn and Mrs Morris and between us with have a wealth of knowledge to draw upon. We are always here to support families, who might need some additional support, or signposting to other external services that may be able to provide further additional targeted support.
    I have acquired lots of knowledge to support families and children’s behaviours, whilst delivering the ‘Solihull Approach Parenting programme, Understanding Your Child’. I do this alongside my colleague Mrs Severn as we are both facilitators within school.
    We are always here to talk, no matter how big or small your problem, please feel to contact us at any time.
    The Pastoral team have some exciting times ahead, there are lots of new developments coming – I can’t wait!

  • Miss Milly Davies

    Deputy SENDCo

    admin@oak.mmat.co.uk

    I am delighted to be taking on the role of Deputy SENDCo in the Spring term. In this role, I will be able to work across the school supporting and leading SEND provision alongside Mrs Morris. I am excited to join a dedicated and experienced SEND team who already provide such wonderful experiences and opportunities for our children with SEND. I am incredibly passionate that education is an experience for all, and I thrive in knowing all children are achieving their full potential.

  • Mrs Sharon Teckoe

    Level 3 SEN Learning Assistant

    I have been part of the dedicated team of staff for more than 20 years . I enjoy working with children especially those that require extra support to reach their full potential . I first started working at the school as cover in a class set up just for SEN children . Over the years, my passion for learning with the children has got stronger and I now support a child 1-1. In the past, I have supported a range of children with medical and a range of special educational needs. My compassion and empathy towards children are very important to me. I am experienced in carrying out regular interventions which include Toe by Toe, SNIPS, Beat Dyslexia, Cool Kids, Speed Up and now support with Nurture groups with our Pastoral team. I also test children for visual stress and have a level 3 TA qualification as well as being a qualified First Aider.
    Over the years, I have had the pleasure to support our school residential trips to Arthog and the Pioneer Centre. These are always great fun and gives us an opportunity to see the children work in a completely different environment.
    Outside school, I love to take my dog for a walk around the village and chat to current and previous pupils. I love to bake with my grandchildren, read a good book, particularly historical fiction and go to watch Liverpool play! I am a member of English Heritage, National Trust and other historical places which I love to visit with my husband.

  • Mrs Sharon Bennett

    Level 3 SEN Learning Assistant

    I have been a member of the Oakmeadow team for 16 years working across the Foundation stage. I am ELKLAN level 3 trained, which enables me to support pupils with targeted speech, language and communication programmes. I am also a level 3 SEN learning assistant. I am trained to deliver Talk Boost, Concept words, Contrastive pairs, Teach speech and NELI (Nuffield Early Language Intervention). This is my 10th year as a first aider. Outside of school, I love spending time with my family. I am a keen gardener and enjoy salsa dancing.

  • Mrs Stephanie Felton

    Level 3 SEN Learning Assistant

    I have worked as a teaching assistant for over 20 years. I started at Longmeadow School where I spent a very rewarding 6 years supporting children with a variety of SEND in a specific KS2 class. In 2004, I went
    to work at Severndale School for 3 years supporting children in KS1, a challenging but valuable experience where I learnt a great deal from the variety of professionals employed there. In 2007, I decided to return to a mainstream school supporting individual pupils in a class setting. I was fortunate to be offered a position back at Longmeadow school (subsequently Oakmeadow School) where I have proudly watched the children in my care grow socially, emotionally and academically and move on to their next educational setting.
    In my personal life, my husband and I have lived in Bayston Hill for over 30 years. I am a very proud mum of two hard working daughters and in our spare time we are involved in Girl Guiding in Bayston Hill.

  • Mrs Lois Martin

    Level 3 SEN Learning Assistant

    I joined the team at Oakmeadow in 2021 – as a teaching assistant, supporting our children with SEN. I have a Level 3 Diploma in Specialist Support for Teaching and Learning in Schools. Before coming to Oakmeadow, I worked at a specialist school for Learning Disabilities and ASD for 5 years. I supported across a wide range of year groups and abilities, where I learned a range of strategies and supportive methods which I have been able to transfer to using at Oakmeadow. I have 2 children of school age and can fully appreciate the trials and tribulations of managing a home, work balance and knowing how precious our children and their education is.
    I started my career with Nottingham City Council in Social care – working in this area for over 10 years, gaining my NVQ 3 in Health and Social Care, predominantly with adults with a Learning Disability and ASD.
    I have been able to attend a lot of training over the years including: Understanding Autism, Behaviours That Challenge, MAPPA, Team Teach, Makaton level 2, Signs and Symbol use, PECs and Intensive Interaction (which I feel very passionate about) to name a few. I have put all of these into practice with both adults and children and have seen the benefits. I have a particular interest in communication - being able to communicate on a level that an individual understands and enjoys can improve mental health, confidence, and a want to communicate more. Once this has been achieved, the learning can naturally occur in a positive and engaging way.
    I love working at Oakmeadow and seeing children grow and learn. We have a strong team ethos, always striving to ensure each child gets the support and nurture they need. I strongly believe in supporting children to gain their independence and reach their individual potential – from being able to zip up their own coat, to creating their own piece of written work or finishing a maths challenge - and everything in between.

  • Miss Chloe Hart

    Level 3 SEN Learning Assistant

    I started my journey in SEN education at Severndale Specialist Academy, I worked there for just over 16 years. Whilst at Severndale I completed my apprenticeship in Teaching and Learning. During my time there I worked with a wide age range from Key Stage 1 right through to Key Stage 5 and a wide range of abilities. After finishing my Apprenticeship, I started a part time BA Honours degree alongside working and bringing up 2 young boys of my own. I finished my degree and gained a 2 -1 in Social Sciences. My degree helped me to gain a deeper insight into child development and how environments can shape individuals.
    After working at Severndale, I went and worked at a care school teaching teenage boys with behavioural problems. Although I enjoyed this job I missed working in a big school with a passionate team and so applied for a HLTA position at Oakmeadow. I then moved into my current role on the SEN team. SEN is my passion and I strive to make sure all children are included as I believe education should be fully inclusive. I love how every day is different and love watching children thrive and helping them learn and achieve.

  • Mrs Caroline Gallacher

    1:1 SEN Learning Assistant

    I have worked in various roles at Oakmeadow since 2016, my latest role is as a 1:1 learning assistant. I feel very passionate about what I do and believe that every child deserves a voice and has the right to the same level of education and experiences in life.
    I have TQUK level 2 in Behaviour that Challenges in Children (RQF), NCFE Cache level 2 in an Introduction in Neuroscience in Early Years and I am a qualified Paediatric First Aider.
    In my personal life, I am married with three children, we love to spend time together travelling, walking and eating out. I love reading crime fiction books and puzzles.

  • Mrs Cyndi Griffiths

    1:1 SEN Learning Assistant

    I joined the Oakmeadow team in 2021 and during this time I have worked with children across all year groups. Last year, I worked across year 5, however this year I have joined the SEN team as a 1:1 support Learning Assistant. I love working with children and I am enjoying this new role. I have recently attended sensory processing training and through working with the children I support am learning so much through what they do and how to respond by working and learning from my highly experienced colleagues.
    We have a fantastic support team at Oakmeadow and I feel incredibly proud to be a part of it. Working in a school, no two days are the same but that is just one of the many things I enjoy. I have lived in Bayston Hill all my life and went to Longmeadow as it was back then. It’s amazing to see how the school has changed over the years since the amalgamation and yet there are parts that are still very familiar. I have three children of whom all have been/are a part of Oakmeadow school. I look forward to developing myself further within my role and look forward to seeing what opportunities this year brings.