Overview

Furzedown Primary School serves a diverse community where some families face barriers to engaging fully in school life, particularly those linked to socio-economic disadvantage, SEND, or Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA). Leaders recognised that without strong, trusting relationships with families, inclusion cannot be fully realised. In response, the school developed a more strategic, relational, and proactive approach to parental engagement to ensure all families feel empowered, valued, and supported as partners in their children’s education.

This led to the creation of a Layered Parental Engagement Model, embedding inclusive practice across universal, targeted, and specialist levels. At a universal level, parents are actively welcomed into school life through workshops, curriculum events, “Day in the Life” experiences, EYFS stay-and-play sessions, and regular communication. Parent voice is captured through forums, surveys, and class representatives, ensuring families are recognised as key stakeholders.

Targeted support is delivered through equity-driven strategies, including enhanced access to clubs and enrichment opportunities for Pupil Premium pupils, supported by proactive intervention from staff, including the Child and Family Link Worker. At a specialist level, the school has strengthened engagement through personalised EBSNA (Emotionally Based School Non Attendance) support pathways and increased parental involvement in Educational Psychologist (EP) consultations and workshops, ensuring that strategies are co-produced and responsive to need. This work is underpinned by a consistent relational approach, where families are known, supported, and included.

The impact of this model has been significant. There has been a +15% increase in Pupil Premium participation in clubs and enrichment, alongside increased attendance at parent workshops and greater engagement in EP consultations. Support for EBSNA pupils has contributed to increased parental engagement and enhanced trust in the school, with families reporting improved communication, a stronger sense of partnership, and greater confidence in the school’s responsiveness to their child’s individual needs. Qualitative feedback from families highlights increased trust in the school, with parents reporting that they feel listened to and supported. This has led to improved pupil wellbeing, greater participation, and stronger outcomes for vulnerable groups.

Moving forward, the school is continuing to refine and expand this work by increasing opportunities for co-production with parents, strengthening early identification of need, and enhancing engagement with harder-to-reach families, including through digital platforms. There is also a continued focus on deepening impact for EBSNA pupils and ensuring consistency across all areas of provision.

For schools seeking to replicate this approach, the key is to move beyond communication towards genuine partnership. Mapping provision across universal, targeted, and specialist levels, investing in relational practice, and responding to parent voice are critical. Sustainable impact is achieved when parental engagement is embedded within the culture and daily practice of the school, rather than treated as an isolated initiative.

Strategy

The Furzedown Layered Parental Engagement Model describes parental engagement as something that develops in stages rather than happening all at once. Instead of expecting every family to engage in the same way, it recognises that involvement deepens over time as trust, confidence, and relationships grow.

At the Universal level, the focus is on access and communication. Families need clear, welcoming entry points into the school community—simple information, approachable staff, and consistent updates. This layer is about making sure no one feels excluded or unsure how to engage.

The Targeted layer centres on Removing Barriers to Engagement. Here, families begin to take part in school life—attending events, responding to communication, and supporting learning at home. The emphasis is on creating flexible, inclusive opportunities that reflect different family circumstances.

The next layer focuses on Deep, Individualised Support and collaboration. At this stage, families and educators work together more actively, sharing insights about children, contributing ideas, and shaping support strategies. Communication becomes more two-way, with mutual respect for each other’s knowledge.

At the deepest level is System Leadership & Recognition, partnership and co-construction. Families are not just involved but are seen as equal partners in decision-making processes. They help shape policies, practices, and the wider school culture, ensuring it reflects the needs and strengths of the community.

Across all layers, the model highlights that movement isn’t strictly linear—families may move between layers depending on context, time, and confidence. The key principle is that schools create the conditions for engagement to grow, rather than placing the responsibility solely on families.

The Furzedown Layered Parental Engagement Model

Layer 1: Universal – Building Trust & Belonging for All: ‘Every parent feels welcome, informed, and valued’

Key strategic approaches:

• “Open door” culture
• Magic Breakfast
• Parent and Toddler Groups
• Parent Forums
• Workshops (curriculum, SEND, behaviour, online safety)
• Clear communication (Arbor, newsletters, face-to-face presence)
• Stay and Play for EYFS
• Year group performances
• Day in the life
• PTA
• ‘Wacky Wednesdays’

Layer 2: Targeted – Removing Barriers to Engagement: ‘We don’t wait for disengagement—we actively reduce barriers’

Pupil Premium strategy:

• Clubs access (early booking and reduced cost)
• Enrichment inclusion
• Half Term experiences and trips

Child and Family Link Worker:

• Relationship building
• Practical support
• Early help

Layer 3: Specialist – Deep, Individualised Support: ‘Families are partners in in decisions, not simply informed of them’

EBSNA (Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance):

• Relational and reciprocal approach with families
• Trust rebuilding
• Gradual reintegration plans
• Focus on relationships and reengagement
• Home visits

Education Psychology Service:

• Increased parental engagement in consultations
• Transparent, collaborative planning
• Workshops delivered with parents

Education Wellbeing Service/ Place 2Be:

• Bespoke 1:1 parenting sessions

Layer 4: System Leadership & Recognition: ‘This is not isolated practice—it’s system-level work’

External validation of inclusive practice:

• Inclusion Quality Mark
• Education Psychology Service (EP audit, sharing practice beyond our setting)
• Guided Peer Evaluation (Cluster of schools invited into school to evaluate practice)

Outcomes

Furzedown Primary School’s inclusive engagement model has had a significant and wide-reaching impact across pupils, families and the wider school community. The approach has contributed to improved attendance for key children, alongside strengthened parental trust, confidence and engagement with the school. Quantitative outcomes demonstrate measurable increases in participation and involvement, including a +15% increase in Pupil Premium participation in clubs and enrichment opportunities, increased attendance at parent workshops, greater uptake of parenting support offered through the Education Wellbeing Service, and enhanced engagement in Educational Psychologist consultations.

Parental confidence in the school is exceptionally high. Recent survey data showed that 95% of parents have confidence in the school’s leadership team, including the Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher, Assistant Headteacher, Inclusion Manager/SENDCo and wider leadership structure. In addition, 95% of parents of children with SEND stated that the school provides an inclusive environment where their child’s needs are understood and supported, while 92% of parents felt the school supports their child’s academic progress well across subjects.

Qualitative feedback further evidences the positive impact of this approach. Parents consistently describe Furzedown as a welcoming, nurturing and inclusive community where children and families feel valued and known as individuals. Families particularly highlighted the visibility and accessibility of leaders and staff, noting that concerns are listened to and addressed with care, sensitivity and professionalism. This has resulted in stronger relationships between home and school, improved communication, and a greater sense of partnership.

Parents also reported that the school’s culture of kindness, empathy and respect has positively impacted children’s wellbeing, confidence and readiness to learn. Staff have observed improvements in behaviour through increased use of self-regulation strategies and emotionally responsive support. Families value the school’s proactive focus on wellbeing, including the role of wraparound care, pastoral provision, and targeted family support.

The school’s commitment to diversity and inclusion has been repeatedly recognised by parents, particularly by families of children with SEND and other vulnerable groups. The broad curriculum and extensive enrichment offer, including music, arts, sport, languages, trips and clubs, are praised for increasing children’s confidence, participation and enjoyment of school life.

The strength of the school’s inclusive reputation is also reflected in increasing applications for Nursery and Reception places at Furzedown School. Overall, the model has strengthened trust, improved engagement, enhanced wellbeing and participation, and contributed to a strong sense of belonging and community across the school.

Resource Implications

Staffing structure

• Strategic leadership team
• Inclusion Manager/ SENDCo on leadership team as a stand alone role, separate from Deputy Head or Assistant Head roles.
• Child and Family Link worker

Local Offer

• Education Wellbeing Service (CAMHS)
• Place 2 Be
• Education Psychology Service
• Magic Breakfast

Professional network

• Guided Peer Evaluation (Cluster of schools invited into school to evaluate practice)
• Inclusion Quality Mark cluster meetings
• SENDCo forums

Voice

Children’s Voice

What Does ‘Belonging’ at Furzedown mean?

• “we are part of a community-the Furzedown community ”
• “you aren’t ignored and are all included”
• “adapting so we are all included.
• “Even if we can’t do certain things, we still feel like we can”
• “a place where people want you to be and where you feel safe and happy”

What helps you feel comfortable and confident at school?

• “my friends and my teachers, they support me and are there for me” 
• “being included in things that make me happy.”
• “knowing people are also different helps”
• “every single person is different”
• “being encouraged to be yourself”
• “knowing you can make a mistake and learn from it”
• “being included in things that make me happy.”

Do our lessons and school environment help people feel like they belong?   

• “having different maths groups so we can share knowledge and pace”
• “learn at our own pace.”
• “talk partners and group work,”
• “Learning makes me feel like I belong because it’s connected to what I know” 

Family Voice

“The presence of the teachers and head teaching team at the beginning and the end of the day is really great”

“Community. I love that the SLT are on the playground every day and knows everyone”

“The school has really stepped up its support of children with special education needs”

“I believe the communication with parents is a lot clearer, the leadership and staff are a lot more visible than they used to be and the school has been promoted (in a good way), when previously it never was.  There is a lot more information shared with parents and carers including the workshops and meetings which are appreciated”

“Magic breakfast is good for every child… that’s a very good thing school doing very good job”

“Our child used to be anxious about pretty much anything, but through the intervention with the Education Wellbeing Service, we learnt strategies to tackle those anxious thoughts and helped our child build ‘brave behaviour’. It is so lovely to see how our child now is able to to things that in the past would have caused a big meltdown”

“We felt so hopeless before starting this intervention with the Education Wellbeing Service but now we feel incredibly grateful for the positive changes we have seen in our child’s behaviour at home.”

““I have just received my child’s school report and I genuinely cried tears of joy! My anxious, angry and scared little girl has flourished into a confident, happy, sociable big girl who has developed empathy, responsibility and found the joy of friendships. Thank you so much for the support you’ve given us during the years. We wouldn’t have made it without your professional and emotional support. You really saw us through some tough times. Don’t stop doing what you do, you’re amazing!”

Principle Education Psychologist

“’Thank you for our ongoing collaboration this year, which not only brought immense sense of meaning to your link EPs but also created long-lasting impact on the children and families we are both so committed to support.

You were one of the first schools to embrace our re-launched consultation service delivery model, which brings the focus back on conversations that make a difference and empower the expertise of parents and staff. I also wanted to congratulate you and the school for using EPs for systemic and strategic change across the school. The literacy project that the link EPs designed and delivered was the outcome of a great partnership. Thank you for trusting our EPs to support you with your school development in this area, they have both enjoyed this area of work so much but also brought it to the team as an excellent example of meaningful and impactful strategic work. I know this has inspired other team members to recommend similar projects to other local schools.

I hope we will continue to create positive impactful psychology together and thanks again for our ongoing, open, honest and trustful working relationship”

Overview

The inclusive practice implemented at Little Forest Folk aimed to strengthen educators’ confidence and capacity to support children with diverse learning needs through collaborative and reflective professional learning. While Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) training often focuses on providing information, strategies, or procedural guidance, this approach sought to go further by creating opportunities for practitioners to engage in meaningful reflection, shared problem-solving, and professional dialogue.

The approach was informed by findings from research I conducted with early years professionals, which identified a strong need for more collaborative professional learning opportunities, networking spaces, and access to discussions with experienced practitioners. Educators described wanting spaces where they could openly discuss challenges, learn from one another’s experiences, and connect training more closely to the realities of everyday practice.

In response, I designed and facilitated practitioner workshops that moved beyond a traditional training model and instead positioned educators as active contributors to the learning process. Sessions focused on reflective discussion around inclusive practice, sharing experiences of supporting children with additional needs, and collaboratively identifying practical approaches that could be embedded within daily routines and interactions.

Central to this work was the recognition that practitioners already hold valuable expertise and first-hand knowledge developed through everyday interactions with children and families. Rather than viewing teachers solely as recipients of training, the approach aimed to recognise and strengthen their agency by valuing the inclusive practices they were already implementing, celebrating existing strengths, and creating opportunities for peer learning and professional connection.

Strategy

Key strategies included:

• Facilitated reflective workshops where practitioners explored challenges and strengths in supporting children with diverse needs.
• Collaborative discussions using real examples from practice rather than hypothetical scenarios.
• Creating psychologically safe spaces where staff could openly discuss uncertainty, share experiences, and learn from one another.
• Identifying practical and achievable strategies that could be embedded within daily routines and outdoor provision.
• Building stronger links between practitioner knowledge, child observations, and family perspectives.
• Encouraging ongoing reflection and peer support networks across the staff team.
• Using strengths-based approaches to recognise existing practitioner skills and experience.

Outcomes

Qualitative outcomes included increased practitioner confidence when discussing inclusive practice and greater willingness to engage in reflective conversations around supporting children with diverse learning needs.

Practitioners reported feeling valued and appreciated opportunities to share experiences and learn from colleagues. Staff identified that collaborative discussions helped normalise challenges and strengthened a shared sense of responsibility around inclusion.

Observed changes within practice included:

• increased confidence in adapting activities for individual needs
• greater use of reflective discussions within team meetings
• improved sharing of strategies between practitioners
• increased awareness of children’s strengths and individual differences
• stronger collaborative approaches when engaging with families

Feedback suggested that practitioners particularly valued the practical and discussion-based nature of the workshops and the opportunity to connect training to everyday experiences.

Resource Implications

The approach required minimal financial resources and primarily relied on existing staff meeting time, reflective materials, and practitioner participation. Resources included staff release time, collaborative discussion materials, printed prompts, and facilitation time.

The approach intentionally focused on sustainable practice embedded within existing structures rather than requiring significant additional investment.

Voice

Practitioner feedback included:

“Having space to talk through challenges with colleagues helped me realise that many of us experience similar situations and that there isn’t always one correct answer.”

“I liked that the sessions felt practical and connected to what we experience every day rather than being theoretical.”

“It helped me think differently about children’s strengths and how small changes can make a big difference.”

“The discussions gave me more confidence to adapt activities and communicate with families.”

Overview

Enfield Council have high aspirations for all children & young people and are committed to ensuring all children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) thrive, achieve strong outcomes and live their best lives. Enfield Council recognise the imperative role digital technologies can play in improving outcomes for residents and continually strive to use digital technologies to respond to local challenges and demands.

The SEND department at Enfield Council was successfully awarded DfE grant funding in 2023 to support service improvement, to transform services in response to increasing demands / challenges in SEND needs. As a local authority who recognise the critical role digital technology can play in service transformation, the use of digital technology was key to delivering our service improvement vision.

Following data analysis on education pathway outcomes and scoping with children / young people, families, education settings and education / health & social care services – the key focus area: ‘the use of digital technology to assist children with high complex needs with independence, communication and to prepare children for moving into adulthood’, was identified. The focus area was shared with all schools in Enfield and Russet House Special School, in March 2024 were successful in applying to work collaboratively with the council to lead the project on behalf of schools in Enfield. Russet House is a specialist primary school for autistic pupils with additional complex needs. Many of the pupils are non speaking and require additional communication systems and supports. 

For most children, young people and adults with complex needs, communication is a significant barrier to participating in daily life independently which continues as children grow and move from education into adulthood. Prior to the intervention, communication was mainly assisted by paper based communication boards, which provided key symbols, words for the pupil to point to or exchange to express their wants and needs. The project working group recognised the limitations with using paper based communication aids, which included:

• Pupils had limitations in being able to communicate their wants, needs and thoughts via paper based communication aids, as additional words would need to be printed / laminated which limited pupil communication, independence and developing skills for moving into adulthood.
• Pupils were fully dependent on adults creating the communication boards and creating symbols for communication boards.
• Paper communication boards could not be as responsive in lessons to support or stretch learning.
• Parent carers could not access software to create communication boards and did not have knowledge on how to use communication boards at home. This had led to a significant gap in students being able to communicate at home or in the community.
• Staff spent over 8 hours a week creating paper based communication boards.

Strategy

Through extensive research of digital communication aids and investment from the DfE grant, a digital pilot at Russet House was established where every pupil in the school has been allocated an iPad with the digital communication aid: ‘Widgit Go’. To have full impact on communication and pupil independence, the use of digital Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) has been implemented across the whole school and integrated in all areas of the school day. AAC refers to a range of tools and strategies that support or replace spoken communication, helping individuals to share their needs, thoughts and choices.

Using digital AAC, communication boards can be differentiated with ease for every pupil at Russet House. Some pupils have one, two photo symbols and other pupils have multiple picture symbols, words and symbols, words for building full sentences. Where appropriate the school has worked with students to learn how to build their own communication boards.

The consistent whole school approach has enabled lessons to be further differentiated using digital AAC, to ensure all pupils can access the same lesson with differentiated outcomes, for example: whole class snack some pupils have communication boards with two options, some students use AAC to build full sentences and other students use AAC to rehearse key words before verbalising their requests.

Pre project staff surveys showed that there was some apprehension for the significant change in teaching delivery from staff, to mitigate against this, a ‘digital champion’ within the teaching team, was identified to trail blaze and inspire colleagues and ran digital drop in clinics to support staff with the transition. The school additionally held regular CPD sessions to train staff on technology and these sessions provided opportunities to share good practice and learning collaboratively. In addition to upskilling staff, the school redesigned their Computing curriculum, to ensure the skills needed to access digital technology were incorporated.

As the project progressed sharing of practice with key stakeholders was vital to successfully embedding the digital technology sessions were run for parents and carers, the school Governing Board and education, health & social care services.

Outcomes

The success of the introduction of a digital communication AAC, has had transformational and life changing impact, for the pupils at Russet House, enhancing pupils’ pathways and outcomes for moving into adulthood. Using digital communication, pupils previously relied on adult support to communicate their thoughts & needs are now communicating independently or with greater independence and participating / making their own decisions regarding their lives.

Impact for non-speaking students:

• All non-verbal students are using digital AAC to participate in learning, communicate their wants, thoughts and choices / decisions independently or with significantly greater independence.
• Some students who were previously non-verbal, using digital AAC & the device verbalising words are now verbalising functional words.

Impact on speaking students:

• Digital communication has provided pupils with a quick and responsive way to extend and rehearse vocabulary, to include more complex and / or technical language across the curriculum. It has also improved access to learning and achievement and acted as a key motivator in lessons.

Impact for families:

• For non-speaking pupils, where parents have introduced digital communication at home for some, this has been the first time in their child’s life, where they have been able to communicate their needs wants at home independently with their family, without dysregulated behaviours.

Impact on Russet House school and staff:

• The digital AAC is a transformational vehicle, to support pupils to achieve greater outcomes, greater and wider opportunities as pupils move into adulthood, which previously pupils would not have been able to access with adult led paper based communication aids.
• The ease and adaptability of using digital AAC communication boards have supported staff to have greater reactivity in lessons, to scaffold, stretch or adapt learning.
• Pupils’ views are included in their EHCP annual reviews using digital communication, informing decisions about their lives.
• Staff resource making workload time has significantly reduced, in many cases staff survey feedback has shown that out of class resource time has reduced from 8 hours a week to 1 hour a week.

Following a full year of delivery and validated project impact, Russet House and Enfield Council are currently working on the following next steps:

• Supporting families to access digital communication in the home so that pupils voice can be heard consistently across settings.
• Extending the project to all mainstream school SRP’s, to support students with communication difficulties in mainstream settings.
• Project learning is currently being explored with Adult Social Care to explore how digital communication aids can support adults with complex needs with communication, enabling greater independence and independent travel.

Resource Implications

• To replicate this model, our key advice is to treat digital AAC not as a discrete tool but as a whole system, culture changing intervention.
• Widgit Go is an exceptionally cost efficient digital AAC platform, with licenses of approximately £60 per pupil. The cost of the licenses was a key factor in the decision to invest in Widgit Go, to support the programme being replicable at home for pupils & families.
• Strong leadership buy in, early identification of a confident digital champion and sustained workforce development have been critical to embedding consistent practice.
• On reflection of the impact of the programme, we would have introduced family training earlier, to support embedding a shared communication approach across home earlier.

Voice

Case study tracking has been embedded throughout the programme and is essential to triangulating impact, capturing both outcomes and the lived experiences of children and young people (CYP) with SEND and their families:

“A parent shared today that they have purchased the Widgit Go app. The child is now starting to make her own choice boards at home to communicate with her family, the child tapped tomato on to her iPad and then went to get herself a tomato out of the fridge”

“My child used digital AAC to tell me what she wanted on the TV this morning, there were a few different symbols to choose from, she studied the symbols for a while and then selected the program she wanted to watch”

“In the way the world is evolving and I have grown up in such a vastly changing environment, my children will be growing up with technology at every turn. So rather than shielding them from this, why not embrace this together and learn together. My child is nonverbal, this is a great tool to help me communicate with my child and I hope to evolve this communication as technology advances even further”

“Learning using digital AAC on the iPad is faster and over time, my child has shown increasing interest in using it. I believe the iPad can lay a significant role in enhancing learning and supporting my child their future”

Overview

At St John’s Walham Green Primary School, we have placed pupil voice at the centre of our SEND provision as a deliberate, strategic priority. Our approach to SEND pupil conferencing is designed not simply as a consultation exercise, but as a structured, cyclical process that informs teaching, strengthens inclusion, and drives school improvement.

We carry out pupil conferencing three times per year, aligned directly with our Personal Learning Profile cycle. Every pupil with SEND is included in the process, and each conversation is conducted one to one with the class teacher. These discussions are carefully structured but flexible, enabling staff to adapt communication approaches to meet the needs of individual pupils. For some pupils, their voice is captured using whichever communication method they use. This may include the use of visuals, symbols, or alternative communication systems. At times, this also involves a member of staff who works closely with the pupil supporting them to help accurately capture their voice, ensuring that all pupils are able to participate meaningfully.  This approach is fundamental in the relationship building between pupil and staff member and pupils feel seen, heard and SAFE in their environment.

The purpose of the conferencing is to build what the research describes as an ongoing, HOLISTIC understanding of pupils and their needs. This is consistent with Education Endowment Foundation guidance, which emphasises that effective SEND provision begins with a deep and continually updated understanding of each learner.

During each conference, pupils reflect on what is going well, what they find challenging, what supports them to learn effectively, and what they would like to improve. They also evaluate their current experience of school and share their goals and aspirations. The questions are intentionally simple, allowing pupils with a wide range of needs to participate meaningfully.  It is a 1:1 process where each INDIVIDUAL is acknowledged and we are best able to meaningfully understand how to best adapt our practice to meet each’s child’s need and profile because each learner is so different.

We know that this approach successfully NURTURES relationships between pupils and their teachers.  Trust is developed and a positive connection established.  We know that social connections are proven to help lower anxiety and increase student engagement.

What differentiates this from more informal approaches is the consistency and the deliberate tracking of responses over time. By capturing this information termly, we are able to build a longitudinal picture of pupil experience. This enables us to move beyond assumptions and instead respond to patterns in engagement, confidence, and perceived support. This aligns with wider research on pupil voice, which highlights that when pupil views are systematically gathered and acted upon, they can directly inform school improvement and teaching practice. We are EMPOWERING pupil agency by focusing on what they can do, fostering independence and resilience.  SEND pupils in our school all know that they have a say in how they learn; we celebrate achievements, and in this way, teach self-advocacy.

Strategy

St. John’s SEND Pupil Conferencing – How It Works:

Frequency

3 times a year (September, January, April), at the start of each term and in line with the Personal Learning Plan cycle.

Duration

10–15 minutes per pupil

Tools to Use

Use the Pupil Voice Template within the PLP to guide your discussion.  These templates contain the key questions and talking points for each conference.
This ensures consistency and supports pupils with different communication needs.

During the Conversation

• Create a calm, quiet environment
• Use visuals, symbols or prompts if helpful
• Phrase questions simply
• Allow thinking time
• Capture short, meaningful notes directly onto the PLP template

What This Achieves:

For Pupils:

• Greater ownership of their learning
• Improved confidence and well‑being
• Feel heard and valued

For Staff:

• Clearer understanding of individual needs
• More effective planning and OAP adjustments
• Stronger relationships with pupils

For School:

• High-quality SEND practice
• Consistent evidence of pupil voice
• Strong alignment with national expectations

Why We’re Doing It:

Strengthen Pupil Voice and helps pupils tell us:

• What helps them learn
• What they find difficult
• What support they prefer
• What they want adults to understand
• Improve PLPs
• More accurate, personalised, pupil‑centred profiles that directly inform planning.
• Support OAP & Inclusive Teaching

Helps staff reflect on:

• What’s working
• What needs adjusting
• How everyday classroom practice can better meet need
• Align With Ofsted Expectations
• The new framework emphasises:
• Inclusion across the curriculum
• SEND case studies
• Evidence of pupil participation
• High‑quality, accessible provision

Outcomes

From a leadership perspective, the impact is threefold. Firstly, it strengthens the quality of classroom provision. Teachers are better able to adapt their practice because they have direct insight into what works for individual pupils. This reflects evidence that pupil voice contributes to improved engagement and motivation by giving pupils a sense of ownership over their learning.

Secondly, it strengthens inclusion and belonging. Our experience strongly reflects national evidence that a sense of belonging is a key driver of both wellbeing and academic success. Through pupil conferencing, pupils report feeling listened to and valued, which in turn increases their confidence and participation in lessons.

Thirdly, it provides robust, triangulated evidence for leaders. The conferencing feeds directly into Personal Learning Profiles, target setting, and review processes. It also supports SEND case studies and provides clear evidence of pupil participation, which is increasingly central within the Ofsted inspection framework. Inspectors are now placing greater emphasis on how schools gather and respond to pupil views, especially for pupils with SEND and those facing barriers to learning.

It is also important to recognise that this approach is underpinned by statutory expectations. The SEND Code of Practice requires that pupils are involved in decisions about their support, and that their views are taken into account in planning provision. Our conferencing model operationalises this expectation in a consistent and meaningful way.

In practical terms, the model is deliberately manageable. Each conversation takes between ten and fifteen minutes and is guided by a shared template to ensure consistency across the school. Staff are supported to use visuals, prompts and structured questioning so that all pupils, including those with communication needs, can access the process. This aligns with best practice guidance that pupil voice approaches must be inclusive and adaptable in order to hear from all learners, not just the most confident.

What we have found is that the power of this model lies in its simplicity and its consistency. Because it is embedded within existing systems, rather than sitting alongside them, it has become part of how we understand pupils and how we plan provision. It ensures that pupil voice is not a one-off activity but an integral part of our graduated approach.

In summary, SEND pupil conferencing at our school enables us to move from provision that is done for pupils to provision that is shaped with them. It strengthens teaching, supports inclusion, and provides leaders with clear evidence of impact, all while ensuring that every pupil feels heard and valued within their learning journey.

Resource Implications

Staff are required to timetable 15minute meetings with each of the pupils on the SEND register, in their class, three times a year.  This requires use of additional staff (we use our support staff/HLTAs) to cover some parts of class time.  We use the start of the day (registration); immediately after lunch (registration) and some worship slots (as we a rea Church school) to ensure that all pupil SEND conferencing meetings are prioritised.
We have co-created templates that work to support the conferencing conversation and staff have had training on how to best use these and feel confident to adapt these for individual pupils.

Voice

Pupil Voice in Action: What Our Pupils Tell Us

Through SEND pupil conferencing, we are able to capture authentic pupil voice that directly evidences the impact of our approach:

“My teacher cares about me because they make time to talk to me.”

“I told my teacher that putty would help me and why, and then I actually got it.”

“I get extra brain breaks in music because I told my teacher that I find it too loud and hard.”

Parent voice:

Families tell us that our approach to Personal Learning Plans helps them to feel that the more specific needs of their children are monitored and provided for as part of our usual assessment cycle.  Parents add a range of feedback to the PLPs themselves, including things like what works at home to support regulation.  The introduction of pupil conferencing has supported pupils to tell their parents exactly how they are heard, understood and supported.Staff Voice: Impact on Practice

“I was able to identify patterns across the views of pupils with SEND in my class and use this to inform my whole-class planning.”

“I am now able to build a deeper understanding of pupils with SEND and keep this updated over time, which helps me respond more effectively to their changing needs.”

“As a result of pupil conferencing, my inclusive practice has strengthened and I am better able to meet pupils’ needs as part of my everyday classroom teaching.”