Here at Halifax Primary School, we understand just how complicated family life can be. From time to time there may be situations where you need extra help and support.

If things aren’t right at home, please come and talk to us. We have what we call an offer of early help. There are many ways in which we can help! Sometimes, you might need to share information or have a difficult situation you need to make us aware of. We will listen. We have families too!

Who should I contact if I need help or have concerns?

The first step is to make contact with your child’s class teacher who will know who is best placed to help you. It may be that they can solve your problem straight away or work with their year group colleagues to make the difference.

If they cannot help they can get one of our designated members of staff to contact you:

Mrs Tina Walker – our SEND Co-ordinator - will contact you if you are concerned that a special educational need may be affecting your child’s progress.

Mrs Sarah Barnes – our Learning Mentor – will contact you if you are having problems at home – from sleep to finances, parenting to family crisis – she is able to support you and put you in contact with other agencies who may be able to help.

Mrs Kelly Landers – our Inclusion Lead and Assistant Headteacher – will contact you if you are worried about the behaviour of your child.

Mrs Anita Krishna – our Head teacher – will contact you if you have any concerns about procedures or policies in school which may be affecting your child.

What sort of help is available?

Within school the following may be available according to identified need-

·Targeted support within curriculum areas and specific intervention to address learning/physical and behaviour needs

·Pastoral support including drawing and talking therapy, oracy and friendship issues

·Parenting Support - We are able to access parenting courses. These aren’t sessions to tell you how to do it, but an opportunity to share what works and sometimes what doesn’t!

· We are able to work with Suffolk Young Carers to support the children whose lives involve extra caring responsibilities.

·Practical Support – we work with charities who can provide emergency provisions including food parcels. 

·Health Related Support – we work with school nursing, dental health teams, OneLife Suffolk, Occupational Therapists, Health Visitors and GPs to ensure children are able to access school and are encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles. We also provide private Speech & Language therapy for those children who do not meet NHS thresholds.

Where else can I go for help?

We are able to signpost and support access to a wide range of services within the local community. Links to some of those services are listed below.

Parenting Smart - Place2Be

A new website providing helpful articles and videos on all aspects of parenting.  This is a really helpful resource that provides support on a range of parenting questions and concerns.

Suffolk Family Information Service

Offering free and impartial advice to parents about finding childcare, the funded early education entitlement and other family services for 0-19 year olds.

Suffolk InfoLink

A one stop shop for links to all the support services, clubs, schools, help and advice in Suffolk.

Citizens Advice Ipswich

Local charity providing free, impartial & confidential advice on rights & responsibilities.

One Life Suffolk

Helping local people lead healthier lives.

Domestic Abuse / Forced Marriage

If you, or someone you know, is affected by domestic abuse there are a number of things you can do. You can:

Call the police (999 in an emergency or 101 for a non-emergency situation).

Supporting Parents Helpfinder (Young Minds)

Times are tough for many people right now. Parents find themselves pulled in many different direction and children may be struggling being in the house for so much longer than usual.

A mixture of concern about COVID, working from home and children at home, along with a possible financial impact make for a stressful household.

Young Minds have created a useful 'Supporting Parents Helpfinder'. By answering six questions, parents can find out how to support their child's mental health during the pandemic (and beyond).

Find the help finder here: https://youngminds.org.uk/supporting-parents-helpfinder/

Young Minds have also created a useful poster highlighting ways to give support to children when they have angry feelings or outbursts and may help families start a conversation and talk about each other’s feelings.

Download the poster here:
https://youngminds.org.uk/media/4291/when-emotions-explode-poster.pdf