Charlton Kings Junior School

Early Help Support

Providing Help to Families – Early Help Support

What is Early Help?

Early help is: providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child or young person’s life.

At Charlton Kings Junior School, we work closely with children, their families and other services to promote the welfare of all. We recognise that providing help to families as early as possible is an effective way of minimising problems.  As a school, we pride ourselves in knowing the children well: we are alert to the welfare of our children and are vigilant regarding any situation in which we can provide support.

We have a number of systems in place to identify unmet needs and we seek at all times to work in collaboration with families, with openness, integrity and understanding with the needs of the child at the centre of all we do.

Who would I approach if I felt a child needed the school’s help?

Early Help is everyone’s responsibility. As such, you can speak with any member of the school team who would be happy to work with you or pass your concerns on to one of our Early Help team.  Usually, class teachers or staff working at reception are the first contact for the child or the family.

In school, we have trained specialists who form part of our Early Help team:

  • Mrs Sue Selwood – Headteacher, Safeguarding Lead, and SENDCO
  • Mr Nick Jukes - Deputy Safeguarding Lead, Pupil Premium Lead, LAC Lead, Pastoral Support
  • Mrs Lara MacKenzie - SENDCo 
  • Mrs Helen Fitzsimmons – ELSA and Drawing & Talking Specialist

To gain full awareness of children’s needs, we may work with the family, and other agencies where necessary, to complete an assessment – this process is called ‘My Assessment’ and is a universal and common approach that reduces replication of input and brings together knowledge about a child’s needs in one place.

In addition to the in-school specialists, we also link with external professionals and groups, such as:

Parents and carers should be reassured that we are able to access a range of support. Our aim is always to provide the best support to children and that we seek to work in collaboration with you at all times. If you feel that we can help, please do not hesitate to contact us.