This year, headteachers across our Trust will be working with our SENDCOs and our wider staff teams to review and strengthen our provision for pupils with Special Education Needs. To help us achieve this, we have joined Whole Education SEND (WESEND).
Becki Grey, Headteacher at Down Ampney C of E Primary School, reflects:
‘Whole Trust works together to improve the provision for pupils with special education needs
As a Trust, we have highlighted the pressing need to review our Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) provision in light of the extreme pressure on local services and the current national uncertainty.
Our vision articulates our aspiration to cultivate an ambitious and inclusive family of schools that responds strategically to the needs of parents, children, and other stakeholders. This year, our focus on our provision for pupils with SEND positions us to fulfil this important commitment and ensures that we put children and young people first is at the heart of our mission. We challenge everyone within our community to achieve more than we initially think is possible.
SEND is an area where we have consistently endeavoured to meet the needs of the most vulnerable children. I am encouraged that, with the support of WESEND’s School Improvement Programme, we will be able to work more closely as a Trust to raise standards further. This collaboration will allow us to support one another, share best practice, and learn from each other’s experiences.
WESEND’s Programme currently supports over a thousand schools nationwide in enhancing their provision for pupils with SEND by embedding inclusive practices, sharing learning, and strengthening their overall provision.
SEND is not the responsibility of one individual and by prioritising it as a Trust gives a clear message that this will be a collaborative approach.
I am very excited to work with Whole Education who are highly regarded to support schools to enable them to build strategic capacity for SEND and foster strong, self-sustaining local networks to move forward together.
Having been a SENCO for a long time and, previously, SEND link governor at Cirencester Deer Park, I am acutely aware of the changing demands in this area and I am really hopeful that this work will bring about positive change not only for the children but for us as staff too. I am looking forward to working with local and national practitioners and experts and establishing stronger networks across our Trust and beyond.’
WESEND is a nationwide collaborative network group that provides rigorous self-evaluation tools and specialist support for action planning. We will be working together to celebrate and validate what we do well and identify and respond strategically to areas for development. Gary Aubin will be joining us on our joint in-service training day on Friday 28 November. He will introduce WESEND and share the ‘need-to-knows’ for SEND. He will focus on our shared responsibility and inclusive teaching.
WESEND also host conferences and our trust membership enables all staff to access and share research and evidence-based practice. Online and face-to-face training sessions led by notable SEND specialists are available for trust leaders, headteachers, SENDCOs and all school staff: https://wholeeducation.org/send
‘I attended an engaging and purposeful network meeting on Thursday, 18 September. I was impressed by the pace and relevance of each discussion. There was a strong emphasis on inclusion and conversations were well-informed and solution-focused.’ Chiquita Henson, Trust Lead (CEO)
‘Being part of WESEND provides valuable access to expertise and fosters genuine collaboration. It offers a clear framework for self-evaluation that has brought our schools together, enabling us to share best practice and learn from one another—ultimately benefiting our students. WESEND promotes intelligent and creative leadership of SEND at every level, and this collaborative spirit is what makes it such a rewarding network of which to be part.’ Esther Messinger, Headteacher, Cirencester Deer Park School
