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Hello, everyone!
At Sandhill, we are proud to celebrate the diverse strengths and needs of all our children. This newsletter is here to share updates, support, and helpful resources for our SEND families, as well as highlight the inclusive work happening across our school. Together, we continue to build a caring, accessible, and supportive environment where every child can thrive.
Take a look at what we've been getting up to this term, and if you have any questions, please get in touch with our SENDCo - Ms Fenton.
Ms B Fenton
Rawmarsh Sandhill Non-Teaching SENDCo
bfenton@rawmarshsandhill.org
what's happening in school?
what's happening in school?
This year Rawmarsh Sandhill have introduced a brand new phonics scheme called Little Wandle which has had really positive feedback from staff and pupils.
A great advantage of this scheme is it has resources which can be used for non-verbal children, allowing all pupils to be able to interact with their phonics lessons whilst being given the opportunity to develop their reading skills even if they are not able to communicate verbally.
Find out more about Little Wandle, by clicking here.
With Me in Mind
With Me in Mind is the name of one of the national Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) and there are teams based in both Doncaster and Rotherham.
Miss Fenton has been working hard this term to ensure that we are in a position to deliver a number of activities through With Me In Mind in the Spring Term, there will be workshops for pupils across the school and a parent workshop focusing on managing emotions at home.
This will be on 25th March 2026 at 2pm, please keep an eye on Classdojo for more details.
PE 🏃♂️
To ensure all children thrive, we've launched a targeted support program for students who may need extra help with Gross Motor Skills, spatial awareness, and muscle strength.
Our PE Coordinator, Mrs. Davies, is now running specialized small groups and individual sessions. These sessions feature fun, focused activities - offered in addition to regular class PE- to build these essential physical foundations.
Hamish & Milo
This term, we are delighted to be running our first groups for the Hamish and Milo intervention which is a well being and social emotional health based course. This is being accessed by groups of students from Years 1 to Year 6.
These small-group sessions focus on self-discovery and building self-esteem by engaging children in vital social skills, including teamwork, active listening and effective communication.
The sessions are highly interactive and creative, involving lots of fun, craft-based activities. We are already seeing children feel the positive benefits and develop a stronger sense of self!
Trips
Our pupils have experienced some wonderful trips this term!
Our Year 6 students enjoyed the essential life skills training at Crucial Crew that equipped them with the skills they will need now and when they move up to secondary school. They were also able to enjoy a rock climbing trip which allowed them to learn new skills and challenge themselves to confront fears.
Meanwhile, Year 5 had a very festive afternoon enjoying the pantomime at Wickersley School, students and staff were truly impressed with the high level of acting and comedy timing shown by all involved. The sheer enjoyment displayed by the children on these trips was matched by the learning achieved too.
Events 🌟
This term has been busy with a number of social events involving the local community.
There was a Sandhill Quiz Night with teams of parents and pupils competing to be crowned the winners. This was a fun evening with lots of engagement from our community allowing us to improve relationships with local families.
We held Winter Discos for children from FS2 up to Year 6, where children were able to dance the night away enjoying time with their peers in a relaxed environment.
The children took part in the 'Reindeer Run' raising money for Rotherham Hospice in the process, this was a great event with the children working really hard to raise as much money as possible. Finally we had our Winter Fair where classes were given £20 with the target of making as much profit as possible, the creativity shown by the pupils was incredible to see with lots of practical maths involved as well.
STAFF SUPPORT
STAFF SUPPORT
Termly SEND review meetings
This term, we have held our termly SEND review meetings to monitor and celebrate the progress of our pupils.
We continue to work closely with external agencies, including the Specialist Inclusion Team and the Educational Psychology Service, to ensure that all children receive the support they need to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Ways to Support
Ways to Support
Here are some links and resources to help support children with SEND/SEMH.
Useful Links
The Worry Tree App- Worry Tree helps you to take control of your worries, transform your thoughts and feel better using CBT techniques and sensory practices.
Chill Panda - Something new I have found to support anxiety, worries, and calming strategies. May be a good one to support some of the children to develop strategies. Available on GooglePlay and AppStore.
Worry Monsters - these are recommended by psychologists and teachers to act as a 'waste bin' for fears, troubles and woes that children don't always talk about
who's who and what's what?
who's who and what's what?
Rotherham 0-19 Service - 01709 423333
Sam Lord - School Inclusion Team, part of Rotherham's Inclusion Support Services
Dr Lisa Nelson - Education Psychologist
With Me in Mind Rotherham - one of the nation Mental Health Support Teams based in Doncaster & Rotherham
Speech & Language Therapist
Traded School Service - Family Health Division - Therapy Admin office: 01709 423229/30
Rotherham SENDIASS stands for Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service
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