SEND provision – Shipley CE Primary case study
How a bit of creativity, plus a little bit of elbow grease, has transformed an out-of-date space into the perfect SEND provision haven…
- by Gavin Hamilton
- Headteacher of Shipley CE Primary School
Establishing effective SEND provision is a complex process. As a nation, we are seeing an increase in the number of children identified as having additional needs.
At Shipley CE Primary School, 21 per cent of our pupils are on the SEND register. 5.6 per cent have EHCPs. Both numbers are above the national averages, and both are set to rise further.
Like many schools across the country, we have faced a few hurdles when it comes to SEND provision, including:
- a tight budget
- challenges to recruit specialist staff
- the need to grow our own knowledge
But our vision was clear: create a dedicated, nurturing space where children with communication and interaction needs, including autism, for whom the mainstream classroom was not appropriate, could thrive.
Our journey began with a bold decision to repurpose our no-longer-used ICT suite into a bespoke SEND provision, named The Orchard.
The project was made possible thanks to our Trust, the Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust (BDAT), which helped us secure additional funding.
Getting started with our SEND provision
The transformation required careful planning to find cost-effective solutions. For example, we repurposed unused furniture and fundraised through our Christmas and summer fairs to earmark additional money for the project.
To maximise space and resources, The Orchard has two rooms. These offer two different provisions tailored to the varying needs of our children.
There’s one room for early years pupils. This features hands-on, interactive learning. Then there’s one for Key Stage 2, with a more traditional learning setup.
The two spaces are unique in their sensory-aware design, too. This includes designated spaces for circle time, which help children develop their self-awareness and regulate their emotions.
There are also Widgit visuals to develop communication skills, and gentle lighting for a calm and nurturing space.
One room has colour, smell and texture themes throughout the week for the children to explore, while also establishing a sense of routine.
We saw this as an ongoing journey and worked closely with an educational psychologist and the local authority to continually enhance The Orchard.
Building expertise
We worked incredibly hard to integrate the new space within our wider school community. This helped us to bring parents along on our journey.
To achieve this, we reviewed and enhanced our professional development opportunities to include additional training on intensive interaction, sensory diets and profiling, and the use of visuals. We also had a whole-school focus on inclusion strategies supported by the EEF.
This has been crucial in upskilling all our teachers and support staff to feel confident in meeting pupils’ needs. It also makes sure families and children are confident and supportive of our work.
Our team visited and learned from other schools as part of this training, considering how their approaches might work within Shipley as part of a community-driven approach.
We also used the space to practice flexibility within our curriculum. Some of the best ideas for support have come from our children. We wanted to really listen and understand their interests.
We honed this approach by creating a flexible structure for each day. This allows for different learning tasks and activities, remaining supported by a reassuringly predictable structure.
This utilises overarching themes or topics that provide a balance of functional skills development and key national curriculum areas.
Celebrating progress
SEND success can be difficult to measure. It requires a different or additional set of standards. We use the Autism Education Trust (AET) framework for assessing pupil wellbeing, engagement, and overall happiness.
This helps us to understand our pupil voice and set appropriate challenges through identifying individual learning priorities and developing unique progress scales in key areas. This includes social skills and independent living.
Whilst academic benchmarks are still important, we’ve prioritised these non-academic milestones that better reflect our pupils’ developmental journeys.
We are proud that The Orchard has already had a profound impact on the teaching and learning outcomes for all our pupils.
For example, there has been a marked reduction in classroom disruptions, greater attendance, and improvements in the wellbeing of both pupils and staff.
We have also seen changes in the social and emotional development of our pupils. Many are now demonstrating newfound confidence and engagement across the curriculum.
Making SEND provision work
CPD
Our adaptive teaching programme includes a centrally driven CPD strategy informed by the EEF’s five key principles of good-quality SEND provision.
60 staff across the Trust have been trained. We now have a cascade system within our schools, where each colleague learns from the others.
Getting outdoors
Over the summer, we renovated and built The Orchard Garden. This turf-covered area provides a unique environment for sensory-attuned outdoor learning.
Speak out
We focused on using this space for pupils to share their own ideas and engage in independent learning, surrounded by staff who made them feel seen and valued.
Looking ahead
We’ll continue growing, especially to develop our sensory curriculum and integrate our learning as part of a whole-school approach. We’re working closely with our local authority to secure additional resources.
Gavin Hamilton is headteacher is Shipley CE Primary School in West Yorkshire, part of the Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust (BDAT).
