Early Help Offer
At St. Mark’s Catholic Primary School, our Catholic Social Teaching principles underpin everything we do; they underpin the essence of our daily school life.
As members of the Catholic Church, we are all called upon to preserve the dignity of all human beings, to care for creation, and to reach out to our sisters and brothers in need. Pope Francis emphasises that it is our duty to work together to bring about a more just and peaceful world: to put love into action.
St. Mark’s prioritises family and community and at we recognise that from time-to-time family life can have its complications. These may be the times when you need some extra help and support. No matter the level of support you require, all members of our St. Mark’s community will be treated with dignity and respect. To support and advise you, we have an Early Help Offer.
The Safeguarding Team can offer advice on a range of concerns or can signpost parents to other sources of information, help and support.
Family and Community
Concerns
What sort of concerns might parents share with our team, and how do you contact them?
A wide range of issues such as behaviour management, financial worries and debts, domestic abuse, housing concerns, mobility difficulties, bereavement and loss, cyber bullying – in fact any concerns which you are worried might be having a negative impact on your child(ren).
To speak to a DSL, please make contact via Class Dojo or email the school office. For urgent matters, please contact the school office and explain you need to speak to a DSL. Contact us when you have a concern which is affecting your child(ren). We will always try and see you quickly or give you a call to find out what the problem is.
Our Response
What might we offer in response to your concerns?
Below gives you an idea of support available at how support might look, if you were to contact us:
- Daily access to our in-school food bank
- Weekly food bags provided by St. Vincent de Paul’s
- Support with electrical goods etc needed for in the home (also provided by St. Vincent de Paul)
- Links with Great Barr Food Bank
- Mental Health Support provided by Compass Birmingham Menta Health Team
- A meeting with our Senior Mental Health Lead
- Free Breakfast Club
- After School Club
- Opportunities for families to work alongside their child/ren in school
- Lunchtime Play Leaders
- PCSO Leaders
- Social Skills, Gross and Fine Motor Interventions
- Emotional health and wellbeing support – such as trauma informed awareness approach which incorporates the PACE model developed by Dan Hughes
- Additional responsibilities in school such as being a member of a Mission Team
- Comprehensive induction program for children starting Reception class
- In-house safeguarding protocols
- Bespoke learning interventions e.g. reading, maths, phonics
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Additional communication and language support – such as communication boards, phonics and reading support
- Parent Information Sessions (academic and pastoral, eg Phonics workshops, County Lines workshops)
- SEND half termly Parent Drop ins with class teachers & SEND half termly telephone conversations with the SENDCO
- Forest School
- A plethora of after school extra-curricular activities
- Pupil Voice Opportunities
- Holiday camps linked with outside providers – Helping Hands and Sporting Elite
- Use of washing machine
- Pre loved Uniform/Swap Shop
- Curriculum provision and additional work from outside agencies support our children in learning how to keep themselves safe
- Behavioural support – through COBS teacher (City of Birmingham School)
- Drawing and Talking Therapy
- Bereavement Support – staff trained by Rainbows Bereavement Support.
Who might the school refer to?
- The Early Help Team
- City of Birmingham School – behaviour support
- Children and Young People’s Services
- County Inclusive Support Service
- Counselling Services
- School Nurse
- Speech and Language Therapist
- Educational Psychologist
- Young Carers
- Local Authority Family Services team
Also see further information about Birmingham’s Early Help offer at the following link:
St. Mark’s Community Pre-loved Uniform Initiative
In a pledge to ‘care for our common home’ and live out our vocation to be protectors of God’s earth, we are conscious how we can make environmentally friendly choices by working together as a family. We created a ‘St. Mark’s Community Pre-loved Uniform’ initiative, where parents/carers can pass on their pre-loved uniform, which doesn’t fit anymore or is unwanted, in a more sustainable way.
We have a range of new and pre-loved trousers, pinafores, shorts, skirts, summer dresses, PE kits, school shoes, tights and socks. You can swap your outgrown uniforms in the next size up or search for an item of uniform you need. All clothes, which had been washed and ironed, will be packaged and labelled, displayed on a table so that you can browse at your leisure at regular intervals across each term! However, if you are in more urgent need, please visit the school office where the uniform will always be available.
If you have any clothes to donate, please bring them to the school office.
As well as the pre-loved uniform initiative, school will also provide uniform, shoes, PE kits etc for Pupil Premium eligible families.