{"id":241767,"date":"2026-02-17T10:56:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T10:56:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=241767"},"modified":"2026-04-08T16:35:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T15:35:25","slug":"sharing-not-siloed-the-special-schools-bringing-inclusion-into-the-mainstream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/sharing-not-siloed-the-special-schools-bringing-inclusion-into-the-mainstream\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharing not siloed: The special schools bringing inclusion into the mainstream"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

As the sector awaits the long-delayed SEND reforms, many schools have already started doing what they expect to be asked to do in the white paper \u2013 learn from each other.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Schools minister Georgia Gould recently told The Guardian<\/em><\/a> that the government wants \u201ca system that works together, so mainstream schools are learning from the best that happens in special schools and children are in the right place for their education\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

And, writing for <\/a>Schools Week<\/a>,<\/em> Tom Rees, chair of the Department for Education\u2019s inclusion expert advisory group, said \u201cmainstream, specialist and alternative provision must operate as one system, with expertise shared rather than siloed\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

As ministers announce they expect <\/a>all secondary \u2013 and eventually primary schools \u2013 to cater for SEND pupils within \u201cinclusion bases\u201d, how can mainstream schools learn from their special and AP colleagues?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Schools Week<\/em> speaks to three schools leading the way…<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Complex needs<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

More than two-thirds of initial teacher training providers believe trainees are not adequately prepared to support complex needs in mainstream settings, according to a survey by The National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

While the government looks to provide more training through a huge \u00a3200 million investment, one special school has started to share its expertise with mainstream schools within its wider trust.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Danecourt School in Medway, Kent, supports a huge cohort of 293 pupils with complex learning difficulties, autism and social emotional mental health needs across its main site and two satellite schools at Bligh Primary and Featherby Primary School.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"\"\r\n
Headteacher of Danecourt School, Cathryn Falconer<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Many MATs have opted not to take on special schools, with some leaders arguing they are \u201cimpossible\u201d to accommodate. Lift Schools recently announced it was handing over its two special schools, which would be \u201cbest supported within a specialist trust\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

But Danecourt School, part of the Maritime Academy Trust, says its approach has proved successful.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

What started as ad-hoc continuing professional development sessions has now led to a comprehensive outreach programme led by two dedicated staff members.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This involves setting up specialist hubs across the trust schools, a library of training resources for teachers and a peer-review network for SENCos.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

There are in-year reviews for SEND pupils with Danecourt\u2019s educational psychologist and termly in-reach days for partner schools to visit Danecourt and observe its classes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

‘Focusing on what children can do’<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cIt\u2019s moving away from that deficit model, so really focusing on what the children can do, because those measures are now in place,\u201d says headteacher Cathryn Falconer. \u201cYou are able to celebrate what they can do.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

At nearby mainstream Bligh, Featherby and Barnsole primary schools, around 30 per cent of pupils have an education, health and care plan.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Most of these pupils have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or a range of communication and interaction, social and emotional needs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Sophie Gosnell, one of the two outreach team members, says work was not aimed at removing children from mainstream classrooms, but equipping schools with \u201cstrategies to help them and support them in different environments\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Upskilling and supporting teachers<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

While many teachers have completed the specialist training run by Danecourt, they are free to contact the outreach team with further questions at any time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Pupils on an education and health care plan are placed on a \u201ctrack\u201d, which offers a bespoke developmental path depending on their level of need.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Teachers can also request an in-year review with Danecourt\u2019s educational psychologist for struggling pupils.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This comes in the context of a long-term national shortage of educational psychologists. Medway Council has reduced its own service to \u201cmeet statutory work\u201d, the council said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It costs \u00a31,800 for three in-school reviews, which is divided between Bligh, Featherby and Barnsole Primary Schools.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cWe go in with a really friendly approach,\u201d outreach team member Emma Cotton explains.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not just sat there taking notes, and we don\u2019t just hand them their write-up and walk away.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"\"\r\n
Danecourt supports pupils with complex learning difficulties, autism and SEMH needs<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cWe see the process through, and we go back and check, \u2018are you OK? Is that working? Do you need any tweaks? Is there something else that we can support with that you need?\u2019 So, it\u2019s that continual process that we have been offering.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Emma Pape, headteacher at Featherby Primary, says the track system provides staff with the \u201creassurance and confidence to know what they are doing is right, because every teacher wants to do the right thing, but you haven\u2019t had that experience, or you haven\u2019t been trained\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Christian Markham, Bligh\u2019s headteacher, agrees.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cIt\u2019s already started to solidify what progress for certain children looks like, and to celebrate that with parents, to celebrate that with the children and the staff.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Sharing between trusts<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Teacher training is also where the story began for Addington Valley Academy\u2019s outreach programme 18 months ago.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A new free school built in Croydon in 2021, Addington Valley supports 150 pupils with autism and complex needs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

But, unlike Danecourt, the majority of schools Addington Valley has been helping are not part of its sponsor, the Orchard Hill College Academy Trust.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"\"\r\n
John Reilly<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Principal John Reilly describes a \u201ctrickle\u201d of requests from neighbouring mainstream schools to look around the school or participate in training.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cWe\u2019re quite unique here because, unlike many special schools, the environment here was built for the cohort rather than you\u2019ve got a building and you have to make do.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Another unusual feature of the school is training. All members of staff at Addington Valley \u2013 regardless of seniority \u2013 must complete three to four weeks of training on using specialist approaches before entering the classroom<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

These features piqued the interest of local leaders and, 18 months later, Reilly and vice principal for primary Anna Huzzey have supported more than 20 schools with teacher training or in setting up their resourced provision.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Huzzey remembers visiting schools and highlighting ways in which spaces could be made more SEND inclusive.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"\"\r\n
Anna Huzzey<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cDo we need all this furniture? What is it you actually need? What sort of resources do you have? Are they easily accessible so students aren\u2019t having to communicate to get them?\u201d are among the questions they asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all of those little things that, until you\u2019ve done this job for a while, you don\u2019t think about,\u201d she says.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Individual pupil support<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

While much of Danecourt\u2019s outreach has focused on upskilling teachers, it also provides individual pupil support.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The outreach team has run 20 in-year reviews for pupils struggling in mainstream settings at the request of their teacher.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The Maritime Trust has even commissioned its own educational psychologist to conduct the reviews, now in their second year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The outreach team and teacher attend and have a conversation around the barriers and concerns around that pupil\u2019s learning.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Focusing on individual pupil support has had some transformative outcomes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Team member Gosnell recalls a girl at Bligh Primary who spent most of her time in the specialist hub at the start of the academic year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

She is now accessing around three-quarters of mainstream classes. At Christmas, teachers didn\u2019t think the pupil would cope during nativity rehearsals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cOn the day that all the parents were in, she saw what was going on. She just went in, got on stage and did this performance out of nowhere,\u201d Gosnell explains.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cI think that was the first sign for them that she does want to be involved, but it\u2019s knowing how to be and what\u2019s appropriate. She still does need her time, and she\u2019s got her visuals that she can ask for in her time out.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

‘Revolutionary’ impact in AP<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Focusing on how to support pupils within mainstream settings before they may need to be removed has been \u201crevolutionary\u201d at St Helen\u2019s Alternative Provision service, according to its headteacher Michael Power.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Power, who took over as headteacher in September 2024, began offering visits to local mainstream schools to observe pupils who were struggling with their behaviour.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

His team looks at \u201chow we would work to keep that child in a lesson in our school\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This includes observing pupils within class before having a \u201cproper case discussion\u201d around them with relevant parties.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"\"\r\n
Michael Power<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

They discuss the child\u2019s background and home life, their behaviour presentation and what interventions could be put in place to support them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Power recalls one of his own pupils sleeping for two hours in the morning because he had witnessed his family members arguing the night before.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cIf we force him, [say] \u2018you\u2019ve got to be in class, you\u2019ve got to learn\u2019, we\u2019re not coming off to having that, and then actually we\u2019re going to have a day of lost learning.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cHelping mainstream leaders to understand that thought process, I think it\u2019s one of the most revolutionary things.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Pupils who have been referred to his AP are more likely to return to mainstream, Power says.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Since January 2025, he has successfully reintegrated 80 pupils from his AP back into their original schools. Before, he estimates less than five pupils were reintegrated per year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The government has been testing a similar model of early intervention in mainstream setting with support from APs in its change programme.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It is unclear whether it will seek to build on those pilots in the white paper.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Trust between leaders<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

One theme became clear through each outreach example: trust between leaders.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

John Smales, head of Maritime\u2019s Barnsole Primary, says: \u201cWe\u2019ve got very similar schools, not just in size, but the demographics. We do work very collaboratively.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cWe share good things that are happening \u2013 successes. But we are also quite open and feel confident to talk about some of the barriers and the challenges we face.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Power also wants to see leaders working closely together in St Helen\u2019s, rather than the system seeming \u201cdesperate and different depending on where you live in the borough\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cThere can be a real habit of mainstream heads and AP and SEND heads almost being worlds apart,\u201d he says.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cBut actually, when we sit around the same table and say \u2018actually, we\u2019ve all got the same aim and it is to educate children to the best of our abilities, how could we work together to make that happen?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Challenges remain<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

But according to Falconer, capacity is a key challenge in sharing expertise.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cIt would be great if we could offer even more training and people within mainstream school, but it comes down to capacity \u2026 and we\u2019re a big special school so we need staff in here as well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

So that is a barrier, but I think, as we develop, we are looking at how we can overcome those barriers.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Some benefits come from being part of a larger trust with more resources. Gosnell\u2019s outreach role is paid for by the trust, and all services \u2013 other than the educational psychologist \u2013 are free of charge for the mainstream schools.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

At Addington Valley Academy, Reilly and Huzzy only charge for bespoke requests that require preparation. Formal training packages over one to three days are given for free.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cWe believe in our advocacy role, and that is very much a thread that runs through everything that our schools do,\u201d Reilly adds.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Falconer adds: \u201cThese children aren\u2019t going to go anywhere, and so I suppose we\u2019ve got more confidence to try different things as well, because we are a team. So, we are happier to try different things, and we know it\u2019s right for the children.\u201d<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the sector awaits the long-delayed SEND reforms, many schools have already started doing what they expect to be asked to do in the white paper \u2013 learn from each other. Schools minister Georgia Gould recently told The Guardian that the government wants \u201ca system that works together, so mainstream schools are learning from the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":315335,"featured_media":241632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[263],"post-theme":[2354],"class_list":["post-241767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-profiles","tag-inclusion","post-theme-inclusion"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t