Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS)
We would like to invite a select number of primary academies in North East Lincolnshire (NEL) to be part of the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools project (PINS).
Meeting the needs of children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) in mainstream schools is the cornerstone to improving outcomes (across attainment, attendance and wellbeing), parental confidence and delivering the financially sustainable SEND system, as envisaged in the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan.
This project has been created because of the success of the national Autism in Schools (AiS) project, which has been implemented in NEL. The approach of PINS has been developed around the key principles of the AiS: Autism in School Whole School Approach, Parents Supporting Parents Forums, Understanding Myself Engagement Work and Autism & Neurodiversity Training Offer.
Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) will bring health and education specialists and expert parent carers into mainstream primary settings to:
- help shape whole school SEND provision
- provide early interventions at a school level
- upskill school staff
- support strengthening of partnerships between schools and parent carers
We hope that this will leave a sustainable impact after the funded period and that it will build evidence on closer collaboration between education and health, including working collaboratively across professional boundaries, training for non-health staff and creating environments that facilitate best possible outcomes for children and young people. This will focus on strengthening knowledge, skills and improving environments to better meet the needs of neurodiverse children and reframe the focus to how a supportive learning environment and well-equipped school can improve the outcomes for this group of children.
The PINS project will test an innovative model for the effective, efficient deployment of the specialist health workforce and strengthening of parent carer and school partnerships in mainstream education settings, focusing on supporting neurodiverse pupils, who represent a fast-growing group among the children most likely to benefit from more inclusive mainstream environments.
Settings that would like to join this project please complete the Expression of Interest Form using the link or QR Code below by Friday 23 February 2024. If you have any questions, please contact: hnyicb-nel.fmhd@nhs.net.
Only mainstream primary educational settings can apply.
Other helpful information
SPACE Forum
Settings are also invited to attend the Settings, parents and carers for education (SPACE) Forum where they can share experiences with parents, carers, and other professionals and hear from guest speakers.
Resources
Do you know about our resources page? It may be helpful to signpost parents to as the content has been recommended by other parents and carers.
NELC SEND Local Offer | Autism and neurodiversity resources – NELC SEND Local Offer (nelincs.gov.uk)