SEND & Inclusion

At Heyes Lane, we believe every child belongs. Inclusion is everyone's responsibility and begins with high-quality teaching in the classroom. We aim to identify and remove barriers as early as possible, making appropriate adjustments so that children can participate, learn and thrive alongside their peers. Support is based on a child's strengths and needs.

We are proud to be an inclusive school where children are valued, supported and encouraged to succeed. We work closely with families to ensure every child feels happy, confident and able to thrive.

If you ever have concerns about your child, we are here to listen and support you.

Welcome to SEND at Heyes Lane

Every child is different, and everyone’s learning journey is different. It is important to always keep the child at the centre of what we do, and make sure we support them in order to make their own personal progress, however that may look. We support children with a wide range of needs and understand that every child is unique.

We work in partnership with parents, staff and external professionals to ensure the right support is in place at the right time.

Our aim is simple:

To remove barriers to learning and help every child reach their full potential.

Meet the SENco 

Miss Schofield works closely with class teachers, support staff and families to coordinate support for all children, including those with SEND. You are always welcome to get in touch if you would like to discuss your child or if you have any comments, questions or queries.

Miss Rachel Schofield
SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator)

📧 send@heyeslane.co.uk
📞 0161 9739850

I’m Worried About My Child, What Should I Do?

If you have concerns, the first step is to speak to your child’s class teacher. 

From there, we will:

1. Listen to your concerns
2. Gather information about your child’s needs
3. Put support in place
4. Review progress together

You may also be invited to meet with the SENCo to discuss next steps.

We believe in working openly and honestly with parents every step of the way.

How We Support Children

At Heyes Lane, support for children with additional needs begins with high-quality, inclusive classroom teaching. Teachers consider the barriers a child may be experiencing and make appropriate adaptations to teaching, resources and the learning environment.

This may include visual support, adapted resources, additional modelling or scaffolding, pre-teaching, movement or sensory strategies, changes to the learning environment, additional processing time or access to regulation resources.

Many of these approaches are available to all children who may benefit from them, not only those identified as having SEND. We believe that children should be able to access appropriate support when they need it, rather than having to wait for a diagnosis.

Where ordinarily available classroom provision is not sufficient, we use our graduated Assess–Plan–Do–Review approach to identify and review additional support.

We follow a clear, graduated approach:

1. Assess

We identify your child’s strengths and areas of need.

2. Plan

We agree the right support and set clear outcomes.

3. Do

Support is put in place by teachers and support staff.

4. Review

We regularly review progress with you and your child.

Our Provision

At Heyes Lane, inclusion is at the heart of what we do. We are committed to ensuring that every child feels that they belong, are understood and can participate fully in school life.

Our approach begins in the classroom. We aim to identify barriers to learning, participation and wellbeing as early as possible and make appropriate adjustments so that children can access high-quality teaching alongside their peers. Support is based on a child’s individual strengths and needs and does not depend on a diagnosis.

We recognise that children may need different things at different times. Support may therefore take place in the classroom, outdoors, during playtime or lunchtime, through targeted intervention, or within one of our dedicated support spaces. Wherever support takes place, our aim is to help children feel safe, regulated, increasingly independent and ready to learn.

At Heyes Lane, we recognise that some children may, at times, need access to a quieter, calmer or more nurturing environment to help them regulate, talk to a trusted adult, access targeted support or prepare themselves to return successfully to learning.

As a large school, we understand how important it is that these spaces are accessible to children when and where they need them. Every class and year group therefore has access to a designated quiet or regulation space. Rather than relying on one central room, we make thoughtful use of the different spaces available across our school so that provision can respond flexibly to individual needs.

Depending on a child's age, needs and location within school, this may include The Hub, the Sunshine Room, the Learning Den, the library, the Cosy Corner, or another specifically identified quiet area within their year group or part of the school.

Alongside these spaces, each classroom has a Regulation Station, providing pupils with access to appropriate resources and strategies to support regulation and readiness to learn. Staff explicitly teach children about these resources so that, over time, pupils become increasingly able to recognise what they need and select strategies that help them.

The Link is an important part of our developing pastoral and inclusion provision. It has been established in response to the needs of children who may experience barriers around coming into school, separation from parents or carers, anxiety, emotional regulation or managing less structured parts of the school day.

The Link provides a calm, welcoming and nurturing environment with a home-from-home feel. It has its own entrance and can be accessed before the start of the school day, enabling identified children to experience a quieter, supported transition into school when this is helpful.

The Link is also available at key points during the school day, including lunchtimes and playtimes, for children who may find busy or less structured environments difficult. It provides a safe base from which adults can support children with regulation, relationships and successful participation in school.

Importantly, The Link is not about separating children from school life. Its purpose is to reduce barriers, strengthen belonging and help children successfully access their education and wider school experience.

Support through The Link is responsive to individual need and is reviewed so that we can consider the difference it is making to areas such as attendance, punctuality, transition into school, engagement, wellbeing and participation.

We are excited to be developing Forest School provision at Heyes Lane as the next step in making the most of our outdoor environment.

During this academic year, Mr Ryan and Mr McLaren are undertaking their Forest School accreditation, developing the specialist knowledge and skills needed to establish high-quality Forest School provision within our school.

Once their training and accreditation are complete, we will begin to roll out Forest School opportunities for our pupils. We are looking forward to using our outdoor spaces in new ways to provide children with rich, practical experiences that encourage confidence, independence, resilience, teamwork, problem-solving and a connection with the natural environment.

Forest School will complement our existing approach to inclusion, wellbeing and personal development, providing another way for children to develop their strengths, experience success and learn beyond the traditional classroom environment.

Watch this space – we can't wait to share more as our Forest School journey develops!

The Right Support at the Right Time

Where a child requires something additional, we work with the child, their family, school staff and, where appropriate, external professionals to understand the barrier and agree the most appropriate support. Provision is reviewed as children's needs change so that support remains purposeful and appropriate.

Working in Partnership with Parents:

We believe that the best outcomes for children are achieved when home and school work together. We pride ourselves on building positive, open relationships with families and are always here to listen, support and work alongside you.

Throughout the year, we offer parent workshops in response to the needs of our children and families. These sessions will be advertised through the school app. We also signpost parents to a range of workshops, courses and support available through the Trafford Local Offer, helping families access specialist advice and services where appropriate. 

If there is something you need support with, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Whether you have a question, a concern, or simply want to discuss how we can best support your child, it is always worth reaching out to a member of our team. We will always do our best to help or point you in the right direction.

If your child is receiving SEN Support, you will be invited to a Parent Partnership Meeting during the first term of each academic year. This meeting brings together you, your child and their class teacher to celebrate successes, discuss any concerns, and review the support in place to help your child thrive.

We are proud to be an approachable school and offer many ways to stay in touch. You can contact us through Seesaw, the school app, our pastoral mobile phone, or simply catch one of us on the gate at the beginning or end of the school day. We value your partnership and look forward to working together to help every child flourish.

We value strong relationships with families and we:

• Keep you informed about your child’s progress
• Involve you in planning support
• Offer opportunities to meet and talk
• Welcome your views and insights

Working with Other Services

Sometimes a child may benefit from additional specialist advice. With parents/carers, we may work with professionals such as Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapy, SENAS, health professionals and other Trafford services.

External advice does not sit separately from classroom practice. Where recommendations are made, we work with staff and families to consider how these can be incorporated into the child's everyday provision and reviewed through the Assess–Plan–Do–Review cycle.

You can also find further support through the Trafford Local Offer

Contact us

Our Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) and Inclusion lead is Miss Schofield, who can be contacted via email on send@heyeslane.co.uk.

The School Governor with responsibility for SEND is Steph Hardy and she can be contacted via the school office.

We are here to help

At Heyes Lane, inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We look forward to working in partnership with you to support your child.

SEND Information ReportsSEND and Inclusion Policy