Scartho Infants School is celebrating the positive impact of the Partnership for Inclusion and Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, which has helped strengthen inclusive practice, improve partnerships with families and support the development of an even more accessible learning environment.
The programme, coordinated locally by North East Lincolnshire Council and Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), has supported schools to strengthen inclusive practice, improve partnership working with families and create environments where all children can thrive.
The PINS programme has been a highly valued and effective initiative across eight primary schools in North East Lincolnshire, helping schools build on their commitment to inclusion and better support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Since 2025, Scartho Infants has worked closely with parents and the North East Lincolnshire Parent Carer Forum (NELPCF) to co-produce its SEND Information Report. The report clearly outlines what parents can expect in relation to SEND support and inclusion across the school.
Building on this collaborative approach, the school established a Parent Engagement Group to review additional school policies and ensure parent voices remain at the heart of decision-making.
Sara Dunks, School SENCo said: “We consider ourselves to be a highly inclusive setting, with relationships between school and home being key.”
As part of the programme, the Occupational Health Team and Changing Minds Through Changing Lives team carried out assessments of the school environment and provided recommendations to enhance accessibility and inclusion. The school has also commissioned an additional audit focused on supporting children with hearing impairments.
Using the findings from these assessments, significant improvements will be made to classrooms and shared spaces from September 2026, with all classrooms adapted in line with the recommendations. The school is also exploring the introduction of a Sensory Circuits pathway to further support pupils’ sensory and physical regulation needs.
The PINS programme also strengthened engagement with families through a series of sessions focused on co-production, participation and gathering parent feedback to identify solutions together.
Staff across the school benefited from expert-led training delivered through the programme, helping to increase confidence, knowledge and capacity in supporting pupils with SEND.
Reflecting on the impact of the project, Glyn Rushton Head Teacher at the school said: “We now have stronger partnerships with parents and families, which has fostered higher levels of collaboration between school and home.
“Parents have had more opportunities to be heard, valued and involved in their child’s SEND journey.
“PINS has supported our development towards an enhanced inclusive environment for our pupils, helping us work towards an increasingly communication-friendly and sensory-inclusive school.”
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