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Special Educational Need & Disabilities

SEND and Inclusion at Thornton Primary School

Every child matters. Every child belongs.

At Thornton Primary School, inclusion is at the heart of who we are. Our values of Love, Respect and Ambition shape the way we work with every child and family.

We believe that every child is unique and should be valued, nurtured and inspired. We want all children to feel that they belong, that their voice matters and that they can achieve great things, whatever their starting point or individual needs.

We have high aspirations for every child. We do not believe that having a special educational need or disability should be a barrier to achievement, participation, friendships, wellbeing or enjoyment of school.

Our approach is based on a simple principle:

At our school, we always ask, "What does this child need in order to thrive and belong?"

Our SEND community

Thornton Primary is a highly inclusive mainstream primary school with a significant level of SEND and additional need within our school community.

Our current cohort includes approximately:

  • 40% of pupils identified as having SEND

  • 11% of pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

  • 40% of pupils eligible for Pupil Premium

  • An 8-place specialist SEMH Inclusion Base, The Orchard

This means that inclusion is not an additional part of our work – it is fundamental to the way our school operates.

Many of our children join us with needs relating to communication and language, cognition and learning, social, emotional and mental health, sensory or physical development, or a combination of these. Some children require highly personalised support because of their EHCP, while others may need additional support for a period of time as they develop particular skills.

We recognise that children can experience barriers to learning for many different reasons. Our responsibility is to identify those barriers early and work with children, families and professionals to remove or reduce them.

Our inclusive approach

At Thornton Primary, we believe that the best provision for children with SEND begins with excellent teaching.

Our teachers use an inclusive and adaptive approach so that children can access the same ambitious curriculum wherever possible. We consider the individual needs of pupils when planning lessons, resources, classroom environments, assessment and support.

This includes:

  • high-quality, inclusive classroom teaching;

  • adaptive teaching rather than lowering expectations;

  • carefully planned scaffolding;

  • pre-teaching and revisiting important vocabulary and concepts;

  • visual and concrete resources;

  • opportunities for repetition and overlearning;

  • explicit teaching of vocabulary;

  • appropriate use of technology and specialist resources;

  • targeted intervention where assessment identifies a specific need;

  • additional support for communication, self-regulation and emotional development;

  • carefully planned opportunities for independence;

  • close monitoring of progress and attainment;

  • specialist advice and support where appropriate.

We use Widgit symbols and visual resources where they support communication, understanding and vocabulary development. Concrete resources are also used extensively to help children understand abstract concepts.

Our aim is always to provide the right support, at the right time, for the right child.

High expectations for pupils with SEND

Having SEND does not mean that we reduce our expectations.

Instead, we consider:

What does this child need to achieve this?

Children with SEND are taught alongside their peers wherever this is appropriate and beneficial. We adapt the way children access learning while maintaining ambition for what they can know, understand and achieve.

We recognise that equality does not always mean giving every child exactly the same thing. Equity means providing children with the support they need to have genuine opportunities to succeed.

This may mean that one child needs additional processing time, another needs a visual timetable, another needs sensory regulation support, while another may require specialist teaching or a highly personalised curriculum.

These are not advantages or lowered expectations. They are reasonable and appropriate adjustments that enable children to participate and succeed.

The Orchard – our SEMH Inclusion Base

In September 2025, Thornton Primary opened The Orchard, our specialist 8-place Key Stage 2 Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) Inclusion Base.

The Orchard provides specialist support for children with significant SEMH needs who have an EHCP and require a higher level of therapeutic, pastoral and specialist educational support.

The provision is designed around the individual child.

Children benefit from:

  • specialist teacher input;

  • highly experienced support staff;

  • therapeutic approaches;

  • personalised learning;

  • carefully structured routines;

  • explicit teaching of emotional regulation and social skills;

  • support with communication and relationships;

  • specialist resources;

  • two dedicated sensory rooms;

  • access to high-quality sensory and regulation resources;

  • opportunities to learn alongside their mainstream peers where appropriate;

  • carefully planned transition and reintegration opportunities where appropriate.

The Orchard is not separate from our inclusive ethos. It is an integral part of Thornton Primary School.

We maintain strong links between The Orchard and the wider school community. Children are encouraged to participate in school life, develop friendships, experience success and build the confidence and independence they need for their next stage of education.

Our aim is not simply to manage need. Our aim is to help children understand themselves, develop the skills they need to regulate and succeed, build positive relationships and believe in what they can achieve.

Social, Emotional and Mental Health

We recognise that children cannot learn effectively if they do not feel safe, understood and ready to learn.

Our nurturing approach places significant importance on children's emotional wellbeing and their ability to regulate their emotions and behaviour.

We support children to develop:

  • emotional literacy;

  • self-regulation;

  • resilience;

  • positive relationships;

  • confidence;

  • independence;

  • problem-solving skills;

  • appropriate communication;

  • positive attitudes towards learning.

Our learning values of Active Listening, Resilience and Pride support children to develop the attitudes and behaviours they need to become successful learners.

Our school rules – Be Responsible, Be Ready and Be Kind – provide clear and consistent expectations while recognising that some children require additional support to understand and meet those expectations.

Where a child's SEND affects their ability to regulate or respond to situations, we seek to understand the underlying need and put appropriate support in place.

Listening to children

Children are at the centre of our SEND provision.

We want every child to be able to communicate:

  • what they are good at;

  • what they enjoy;

  • what they find difficult;

  • what helps them learn;

  • how they are feeling;

  • what they would like to achieve.

We use age-appropriate approaches to ensure that children's views are considered when identifying needs, planning support and reviewing provision.

For children with EHCPs, their individual outcomes and aspirations are central to the provision we provide.

We believe that children should have a voice in decisions about their education and support.

Working with Parents/Carers

We recognise parents and carers as experts in their children.

Strong relationships between home and school are essential. We aim to communicate openly and honestly with families, celebrate successes and work together when difficulties arise.

Parents and carers are encouraged to speak to us if they have concerns about their child's learning, development, wellbeing or progress.

We work with families to:

  • identify needs early;

  • understand the child's strengths and interests;

  • agree appropriate support;

  • review progress;

  • plan transitions;

  • contribute to EHCP processes;

  • access specialist advice where appropriate;

  • ensure that children and families understand the support available.

We understand that navigating SEND services can sometimes feel complicated. We will do our best to listen, explain and help families identify the appropriate next steps.

Early Identification and Assessment

We believe that early identification can make a significant difference.

We monitor children's learning, progress, attendance, wellbeing and development carefully. Teachers work closely with the SENDCo and other members of the inclusion team to identify children who may require additional support.

Assessment information is considered alongside:

  • teacher observations;

  • pupil voice;

  • parental information;

  • previous educational records;

  • progress and attainment;

  • communication and language development;

  • social and emotional development;

  • behaviour and regulation;

  • attendance;

  • advice from external professionals.

We recognise that SEND can present differently in different children. We therefore avoid relying solely on academic attainment or a diagnosis when identifying support.

Our focus is on the individual child and the barriers they are experiencing.

Special Educational Needs Support

Where a child is identified as requiring additional support, we follow a graduated approach of:

Assess → Plan → Do → Review

We assess the child's needs, plan appropriate support, implement that support and review its effectiveness.

Support is monitored carefully to ensure that it is making a difference.

Where appropriate, we work with external professionals and specialist services, which may include educational psychology, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, health professionals, specialist teachers and other agencies.

For children with an EHCP, we ensure that provision reflects the outcomes and provision specified within their plan.

An ambitious curriculum for everyone

Our curriculum is designed so that children with SEND can develop the knowledge, vocabulary and skills they need to succeed.

We carefully consider accessibility when planning learning.

In English and reading, this can include:

  • explicit vocabulary teaching;

  • visual support;

  • structured discussion;

  • phonics and reading intervention;

  • additional opportunities for practice;

  • carefully selected texts;

  • targeted support for writing and comprehension.

In mathematics, we use:

  • concrete resources;

  • visual representations;

  • systematic teaching;

  • pre-teaching of vocabulary;

  • scaffolding;

  • repetition and retrieval;

  • additional targeted intervention where appropriate.

Across the wider curriculum, we provide practical experiences, visual resources, appropriate adaptations and opportunities for children to demonstrate their understanding in different ways.

Our Forest School and wider enrichment opportunities also provide valuable opportunities for children to develop confidence, independence, communication, physical skills and resilience.

Supporting progress

We have high expectations for progress for pupils with SEND.

Leaders and teachers regularly monitor the progress and attainment of pupils with SEND. This information is used to identify where children are making strong progress and where additional action may be required.

We monitor:

  • attainment;

  • progress;

  • reading;

  • writing;

  • mathematics;

  • attendance;

  • persistent absence;

  • wellbeing;

  • behaviour;

  • participation;

  • intervention outcomes.

School leaders use this information to evaluate the effectiveness of SEND provision and to ensure that resources and support are directed where they will have the greatest impact.

Our approach is evidence-informed and reflects the importance of high-quality teaching, explicit instruction, scaffolding, metacognition, flexible grouping and carefully targeted additional support.

Inclusion and behaviour

We believe that behaviour is communication.

Our behaviour systems provide clear boundaries and consistent expectations, but we also recognise that children with SEND may experience barriers that affect their ability to regulate their emotions, communicate their needs or respond appropriately to particular situations.

When making decisions about support or consequences, we consider the individual circumstances of the child, including their:

  • age and stage of development;

  • SEND;

  • communication needs;

  • emotional regulation;

  • individual circumstances;

  • level of understanding;

  • previous experiences;

  • ability to understand and respond to expectations.

We seek to balance accountability with nurture, boundaries with understanding and consistency with equity.

Where children experience difficulties, our aim is to teach and develop the skills they need rather than simply respond to the behaviour itself.

Attendance and Inclusion

We recognise that attendance is particularly important for children with SEND.

For some children, barriers to attendance may be linked to anxiety, regulation, sensory needs, communication difficulties, previous experiences or other individual circumstances.

We therefore take a supportive and individualised approach to attendance.

We work with families to understand barriers to attendance and identify practical solutions. Our Learning Mentor and wider pastoral team provide targeted support where appropriate.

We pay particular attention to children who may be at risk of persistent absence or whose attendance is affecting their learning, wellbeing and relationships.

Our ambition is for every child to feel that school is a safe place where they belong and where they can succeed.

Safeguarding children with SEND

Children with SEND can be particularly vulnerable to safeguarding risks. Our safeguarding arrangements therefore take account of individual communication, developmental and emotional needs.

All children have the right to feel safe and respected.

We ensure that safeguarding information is communicated in ways that children can understand and that staff consider SEND when identifying, assessing and responding to concerns.

Our safeguarding practice is aligned with statutory safeguarding requirements, including Keeping Children Safe in Education, and our staff receive regular safeguarding training.

We maintain close communication with families and relevant professionals and take concerns seriously.

Transition

We recognise that transitions can be particularly important for children with SEND. We plan carefully for transitions:

  • into our Pre-School and Reception;

  • between year groups;

  • between classes;

  • between mainstream and specialist provision where appropriate;

  • when children move to or from The Orchard;

  • when children transfer to secondary school.

Transition arrangements are individualised according to need and may include additional visits, visual resources, photographs, meetings, social stories, information sharing and opportunities to meet key adults.

Our aim is to make transitions predictable, positive and successful.

A whole-school responsibility

SEND is not the responsibility of the SENDCo alone. Every member of staff has a role in creating an inclusive school.

Our teachers, teaching assistants, SENDCo, pastoral staff, leaders, governors and specialist colleagues work together to ensure that SEND is considered within every aspect of school life.

Our staff receive professional development to strengthen their understanding of SEND, adaptive teaching, communication, emotional regulation and inclusive practice.

We also draw on specialist teachers, teaching and learning consultants and external professionals to strengthen our provision and staff expertise.

Our commitment to Inclusion

At Thornton Primary School, we want children to leave us knowing:

I belong.
I am valued.
I am safe.
I can achieve.
My voice matters.
I have things I am good at.
I can overcome difficulties.
I have a future full of possibilities.

Our values of Love, Respect and Ambition are reflected in everything we do.

We love and nurture our children.

We respect their individuality, their voice and their experiences.

And we have ambition for every child – including children with SEND.

We will continue to develop our provision so that Thornton Primary is a place where difference is understood, diversity is celebrated and every child has the opportunity to thrive.

Who can I contact?

If you have concerns about your child's special educational needs, would like to discuss their provision or would like further information about SEND at Thornton Primary School, please contact us.

SENDCo: Mrs Shirley Young
Email: senco@thorntonprimary.lancs.sch.uk
Telephone: 01253 821128

You can also contact the school office and ask to speak to a member of the SEND and Inclusion team.

Our full SEND Information Report, SEND Local Offer, SEND Policy and Accessibility Plan are available through the school website.

Further Information

The Department for Education's Inclusion Bases in Schools guidance, published in June 2026, recognises inclusion bases as provision within mainstream schools supporting children with additional needs, including SEND and children requiring behavioural or pastoral support. This reflects the inclusive model underpinning The Orchard at Thornton Primary.

Our approach is also underpinned by the SEND Code of Practice, the Equality Act 2010 and current safeguarding requirements.

  1. Inclusion Strategy Thornton Primary School

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