Springfield Community Primary School in Burnley celebrates achieving SENDIA Inclusion Award

Springfield Community Primary has achieved the SENDIA Inclusion Award after a bid led by Assistant Headteacher and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator, Stef Staples.

She said the school chose to pursue the award as, since the pandemic, the number of pupils with special needs has ‘risen significantly’ but the number of places in specialist schools has not. Mrs Staples said: “This has resulted in an increase in numbers of pupils with special needs in

mainstream schools. Despite our best efforts, children with the most complex needs struggled to access the curriculum within the classroom and SENDIA has helped us to change that.

“As an inclusive, supportive school, we recognise the worth of all our children. We aim to ensure that all our pupils are encouraged to reach their full potential, so that they can take their place in their community and in the wider world.”

Headteacher Samaira Nasim said that SENDIA provided a useful structure and process to review existing work with children who have special educational needs to support them to achieve their best possible outcomes in terms of both education and development, adding: “Our pupils with SEND are an integral part of our wider school population, so many award-driven changes have also resulted in benefits for all the children in our care.

“SENDIA has made a real difference and is an endeavour worth undertaking.”