Who are we?
The Whole School Inclusion (WSI) Service is part of the Specialist Education Service. We are a team of specialist teachers, many of whom have previous SENCo experience, who support leaders and teachers in schools. In addition, we also work closely with other teams within the Local Authority to facilitate the Community Inclusion Forums (CIFs).
What do we do?
The Whole School Inclusion team is a school-facing service which provides advice and guidance around whole school inclusion and SEND practice. We work closely with other teams within the Local Authority such as Family Services, the Alternative Tuition Service, Education Access and the Psychology and Therapeutic Service, to support schools in the provision of children with SEND. We will also work with other teams and partners where it is identified that a school or academy require whole school support.
We will explore with schools and academies their policies, practices and protocols when supporting children with SEND or other needs.
We offer the following areas of support;
- Visits to each Primary and Secondary mainstream setting across Suffolk to discuss whole school needs and raise awareness of appropriate SES support
- Development and implementation of a school’s Universal Offer
- Greater understanding and confidence of the Graduated Response and support to develop internal systems and processes within your setting
- Co-production of resources to support the capture of pupil voice to inform inclusive school processes and policies
- Support around Inclusive School and Classroom Practice
- Guidance on environmental and curriculum adaptations for children with SEND
- Training around inclusive practice including staff deployment, restorative approaches and inclusive communication and relationship building
- Support with transitions for children with SEND
- Support with the implementation of the Suffolk Inclusion Toolkit including VSEND
- Support schools who are seeking accreditation for the Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM)
New to SENCo offer
As part of our commitment to supporting staff in schools we offer a programme of support for SENCos who are new to role. This is a three term programme that provides guidance and support around whole school systems and policies to support SEND linked to the SEND Code of Practice and other related statutory guidance. The programme includes activities such as; the analysis of the school SEND register, analysis of school progress and attainment data, implementation of the Graduated Response etc.
New to Suffolk SENCo offer
We also offer a programme of support for staff who are existing SENCos but who have recently been appointed to a SENCo role and are new to Suffolk Local Authority
Continuous Professional Development offer
As part of our ongoing support to schools, we offer a range of free and traded Continuous Professional Development sessions that schools can access. Please see our CPD for 2024-25 programme below. For more information please email [email protected]
Community Inclusion Forums
We also collaborate with Psychology and Therapeutic Services to facilitate the Community Inclusion Forums across Suffolk. Community Inclusion Forums promote inclusion of children and young people with SEND and additional needs to enable them to achieve the best possible outcomes. The forums provide opportunities for staff across the sector to be empowered to meet these needs, through the sharing of effective practice, providing peer support, and an awareness of emerging research. For more information, please visit the Community Inclusion Forum (CIF) page here.
Who is it for?
We work with all schools and academies across Suffolk. This is an education-facing county-wide programme.
How to access our service
As a school facing service, we work directly with mainstream schools across Suffolk. If you have an inclusion need in your school setting please complete the Whole School Referral form and email it to [email protected].
Resources for professionals
Contact details
Kate Daly, Head of Service Whole School Inclusion
[email protected] 01473 260735