At Walton, inclusion is the lifeblood of our school and we work tirelessly to ensure that our ethos of Moving Forward Together is true for every single pupil.
We strive to ensure that every single child who is part of our school family has the absolute best, and we work tirelessly to remove any barriers and equip our children with the skills to achieve. Inclusion is in our nature, and every single child brings something unique that makes our school what it is. We believe that support for families is equally as important, and offer a full suite of support for parents. We strongly believe and endeavour to achieve maximum inclusion for all. Inclusive education means we value each child as a unique individual and we establish inclusive values ensuring that there are high expectations for all, striving to enable our children to participate in the life and work of the school to the best of their abilities. Our children are naturally inclusive, and we ensure that all children have access to the full breadth of the curriculum and school life.
More Information
See below for more information about how we support our pupils with SEMH needs:
Therapy Dog
Our therapy dog, Luna, plays an important role in supporting pupils’ social, emotional and mental health and wellbeing. Spending time with Luna can help children to feel calm, regulated and supported, providing opportunities to build confidence, develop positive relationships and reduce anxiety. For some pupils, Luna offers a reassuring presence that helps them to engage more successfully with learning and school life.
ELSA
We are lucky enough to have qualified Emotional Literacy Support Assistants at Walton. They have been trained by Educational Psychologists to plan and deliver programmes of support to pupils who are experiencing temporary or longer term additional emotional needs. Positive behaviours are reinforced across school, the use of therapeutic language.
Targeted Support
We offer a range of provision that is embedded across school, for example; emotions check in, quiet spaces and sensory areas in addition to a range of interventions such as; Zones of Regulation, Incredible 5 point Scale, Lunchtime Club and outdoor and experiential learning.
Thrive and Boxall
To support pupils’ social, emotional and mental health needs, we use tools such as the Boxall Profile to identify strengths and areas of need, enabling us to plan targeted support and monitor progress over time. We also draw upon Thrive approaches to build positive relationships, develop emotional literacy and promote resilience, helping children to feel safe, understood and ready to engage successfully in learning and school life.
Outside Agencies Engagement
Where appropriate, we work closely with a range of external agencies to ensure that pupils and families receive the right support at the right time. This may include services such as Future in Mind, Inclusion Panels and other specialist professionals, whose expertise helps us to identify needs, plan effective provision and secure the best possible outcomes for children through a collaborative, multi-agency approach.
Forest School
Our on-site Forest School provision provides pupils with opportunities to learn and develop through hands-on experiences in a natural environment. Through carefully planned activities, children are encouraged to build confidence, resilience, independence and teamwork, while developing communication, problem-solving and self-regulation skills that support their wellbeing and engagement in learning.
Equality Act 2010
At Walton we are aware that children may require minor adaptations and reasonable adjustments as described in the Equality Act 2010 in order to access the school environment. Our aim is to remove barriers to learning and participation in order to provide additional, and different to, provision to meet individual needs where required.
Our SEND Team
Our entire staffing team is dedicated to ensuring the best outcomes for all of our children and all staff support children with sensory and/or physical needs. Staff with specific roles are below:
- Mrs Jopling – SENCO
- Miss Rust – Learning Mentor