SEND Article
Inclusivity and provision for children with special educational needs are a proud boast of Pilgrim Academy.
More than 20% of the school's cohort fall into the category and the environment created supports the development of every child.
A video has been produced to promote the academy's approach, including interviews with children, staff and a parent.
Assistant Principal and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator Carolyn France said the school had experienced a huge increase of children with SEND over the past few years. Children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) had also risen.
"The main areas of need are cognition and learning but there has been a huge increase since the COVID pandemic within the communication and interaction and social, emotional and mental health areas," Mrs France said.
Mel Portlock, deputy SENDCo, said the school prided itself on its inclusivity.
"We make sure that every child is able to achieve," she said. "That is in all areas including things like Student Council, opportunities in sports, and becoming leaders in the classroom.
"Our inclusivity means they are able to come into a mainstream classroom and their needs are met like every other child and they can succeed later in life."
Deputy designated safeguarding lead Lianne Senior is one of a team which supports SEND children.
"Therapeutic play therapy sessions can be for any child for any situation, from waking up in a bad mood due to lack of sleep, to separation anxiety to anger to trauma impact," she said.
"We do therapeutic play and get them in touch with their emotions. We give them coping strategies and grounding techniques."
The academy's sensory room is highly equipped.
"This is also a room some of them need to step out of class," Lianne said. "They will come in and have the time out until they are ready to go back into their learning.
"We assess the barriers to whatever they're feeling and demonstrating through their body language and we make bespoke packages for them, working with the child and creating that therapeutic play session for them.
"We do a lot of low level emotional work with the younger children so they know it is okay to be angry, sad or happy but it's what they do with that. That's where we come in, giving them strategies. Every child is different."
Ellie, who has special needs, is on School Council. She said it was a big opportunity for students to have their voice heard.
"When I first started this school and set foot at the school gates or in a classroom, I felt like I belonged here," she said.
Teddy, also on the SEND register, enjoyed the sensory room.
He said: "I like all the lights and it is good for calming down if you need to. There are loads of activities for you to do.
"It's a fun school because they take you on lots of trips and have adventures you can go on.
"We went to Franklin College to play boccia."
Parent Kirsty Lamming has twin boys Harry and Jack at Pilgrim. She praised the school's facilities and its staff.
"When we started the boys in nursery it was great because we got a lot of support," she said.
"We got to know a lot of things that we did not know about and places where we could get more information.
"We were given so much advice and help. The boys need a lot of one-on-one time and that's given to them a lot.
"Since doing that in Year 1, it has been a complete game changer. The boys have been coming on leaps and bounds.
"The support the boys are given and the support we are given is definitely reassuring and takes a lot of weight off your shoulders."
The SEND team at Pilgrim Academy (left to right) Emotional Literacy Support Assistant Claire Farrell, Pastoral Support Assistant Kat Copley, Assistant Principal and SENDCo Carolyn France, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead Lianne Senior and Deputy SENDCo Mel Portlock.
Ellie, who's on the School Council.
Activities in the sensory room are enjoyed by Teddy.
Twins Harry and Jack, developing with one-to-one support.