Inclusion
At Gayton Primary School, inclusion is not a one- of initiative- it is who we are. We are committed to being a school where every child, family and staff member feels welcomed, respected and valued. Our ethos is simple:
'Be the reason someone feels welcomed, seen heard, valued, loved and supported.'
Inclusion is woven into every aspect of school life- leadership, curriculum, relationships, behaviour and personal development. We are inclusive by design, not by exception, ensuring that no child is left behind and that every pupil can thrive academically, socially and emotionally. We want all our children to belong, thrive and achieve.
We have developed an inclusion strategy which is guided by four core principles:
Inclusion is built from universal support up- we start with what is ordinarily available to all children and layering support as needed.
Inclusion is a culture led from the top. Leadership drives inclusive values and practices across our school community.
Inclusion is community collaboration- Our inclusive strategy is built around school, families and agencies working together to support every child.
Inclusion is measurable- Progress is tracked using clear targets and outcomes.
Below you can find out about our ordinarily available provision to create a nurturing, inclusive offer across the school.
We Welcome
Inclusion begins with a genuine welcome. Every member of our community — pupils, families, staff, and visitors — is greeted with warmth and respect. We celebrate difference and create a culture where everyone belongs.
Senior staff greet families daily at the school gates, ensuring open communication and early support.
Class teachers and teaching assistants welcome pupils personally each morning, creating a positive start to the day.
A “We Are Missing You” board in every classroom acknowledges pupils when absent, reinforcing that every child is valued and to acknowledge that they are loved and have a place where they belong.
Through our Crew culture, pupils experience belonging, accountability, and celebration of positive interactions. Weekly “Apologies and Acknowledgements” sessions encourage reflection, forgiveness, and recognition of kindness.
We Listen
“The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.”
— Ralph G. Nichols
Every voice matters. We provide safe spaces for children, parents, carers, and staff to share views and influence decisions. Listening is about understanding perspectives and acting on them. Through pupil voice and staff collaboration, we ensure that inclusion is built on meaningful collaboration.
Our Crew Council ensures every child has the opportunity to represent their peers on local, national, and global issues.
Through our Oracy work, children are taught to listen actively, speak with confidence, and contribute to making the world a better place.
Pupil and parent surveys inform decision-making within the school.
We Aspire
“Inclusion is not about where a child sits today, but about where they can go tomorrow — and who believes in them along the way.”
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At Gayton Primary, inclusion is a long- term commitment.
We have ambitious expectations for every child, regardless of background or need. We nurture independence, resilience, and confidence, preparing pupils not just for school, but for life.
Through our MITA work, we foster an independent approach by empowering children to think and learn independently. Effective questioning, purposeful interaction and encouragement of self- reflection lead to children having a greater ownership of their learning.
We support transitions within school and as our children move on in their educational journey to secondary schools through embedding sustainable inclusive practice.
At our school, we nurture aspirations in every child. We help children set goals, celebrate progress and believe that their dreams can become reality through perseverance, confidence and a love of learning.
We Support Emotional Needs
“No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.”
— Dr. James Comer
Children learn best when they feel safe, secure, and valued. We prioritise emotional wellbeing by embedding social and emotional learning across the curriculum and ensuring access to support when needed. Staff are trained to recognise and respond to emotional needs sensitively, fostering resilience and self-regulation. Positive relationships and nurture underpin our approach.
Our whole school approach to mental health and well-being ‘REST EASY’ equips children with the knowledge and language to understand their brains, manage feelings, and regulate emotions.
We have a common language to support children with their mental health and well being which is understood and used by all children and staff. Staff are trained to support children with their emotional needs with sensitivity and care.
Personal development is one of our key curriculum drivers and is embedded throughout our curriculum.
Central to our approach is the cultivation of positive behaviours and intrinsic motivation. Conscious discipline teaches our children to respond and not to react, supporting them with learning strategies so that they can learn to co and self- regulate.
We Teach Inclusively
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
— Benjamin Franklin
At Gayton, we do not believe in narrowing the curriculum for any learner. We value the contributions and potential of all children and are committed to high-quality, inclusive teaching for all. Lessons are designed to engage and challenge every learner, using adaptive strategies and scaffolding where required. Support is personalised without lowering expectations. We believe that all children can make progress, and we monitor learning carefully to ensure that achievement is celebrated and barriers are removed.
We work proactively to remove or reduce barriers for learning so that every child has equal opportunities for success.
We provide enriching opportunities—trips, outdoor learning, community projects and creative experiences—that build confidence, independence, and a sense of agency. These experiences are central to developing well-rounded individuals.
While our curriculum intent remains the same for all, the implementation of the curriculum may look different for different groups of pupils. We use a range of approaches to support diverse needs.
Cultural capital is built through enrichment, ensuring equity of opportunity for all.
We Notice Strengths
“When we focus on a child’s strengths, we empower them to see themselves as capable learners.”
— Adapted from Carol Dweck’s growth mindset principles
Every child has talents, interests, and strengths that deserve to be recognised and celebrated. We take time to notice and affirm these qualities, building self-esteem and motivation. By focusing on what children can do—not just what they find difficult—we help them see themselves as capable and valued members of our community.
Through our conscious discipline approach, we ensure that all staff notice children and recognise their strengths. This builds confidence and motivation for our children
Through our Crew culture, our HOWLS (Habits of work and learning) enable our children to recognise and acknowledge individual and collective achievements.
Through our graduated approach for SEND pupils, we ensure that the strengths of all SEND pupils are recognised on their PCP (Personal Care Plans).
We Build Relationships
‘The heart of successful inclusion is relationships.’ Sapon Shevin, 2007
Strong, respectful relationships are at the heart of inclusion. Staff invest in knowing children and families well, working in partnership to support each child’s journey. Peer relationships are nurtured through cooperative learning, buddy systems, and restorative approaches. We believe that when relationships are positive, barriers to inclusion are more easily overcome.
At Gayton we foster respectful relationships with children and families, where trust and collaboration act as a foundation for inclusion.
By encouraging positive peer interactions and restorative practices, we have built a caring community where every child feels valued and respected.
We promote a family atmosphere, where each person is actively encouraged to show care and interest in the welfare of others.
Respect, kindness, and empathy are modelled and taught across the school day.
We Work as a Team (Crew)
‘There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what is cares about.’
Margaret Wheatley, 2002
Inclusion is everyone’s responsibility. At Gayton we work as a Crew—staff, pupils, parents, governors, and external partners—sharing responsibility and expertise. Collaboration ensures that no child is left unsupported and that challenges are met collectively. Our inclusive team approach strengthens our capacity to respond creatively and ensures that inclusion is embedded in all aspects of school life.
We use the strengths and skills within our Crew to ensure the best outcomes for children. We hold open and honest conversations to support the children at our school.
Staff collaborate with specialists and external agencies to strengthen provision.
Families are partners, actively involved in planning and reviewing support.
Our Inclusive Pedagogy:
At Gayton Primary School, inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that every child has the right to feel valued, understood and successful in their learning. Inclusive pedagogy is the way we make this belief real in our classrooms every day. It means creating lessons and environments where everyone belongs and everyone learns together, so that every child can experience learning without limits.
We know that there is no such thing as an “average” learner. Every child brings their own strengths, interests, and challenges — and it’s our job as teachers to design learning that recognises and celebrates those differences. Our approach is not about adding extra support afterwards, but about building inclusion into our teaching from the very beginning.
At Gayton, we see difference as something to be celebrated, not a problem to solve. Every member of staff shares responsibility for helping all children to thrive — every teacher is a teacher of SEND. We work together as a team, drawing on one another’s expertise, as well as the insights of families and children themselves, to make sure that barriers to learning are noticed, understood and removed.
The principles of our inclusive pedagogy are reflected in the 7 Cs, which shape the culture of learning across our school:
Care – creating safe, nurturing relationships where every child feels valued and seen.
Connection – building trust and belonging through positive, respectful relationships.
Collaboration – working together as staff, learners and families to remove barriers and celebrate diversity.
Creativity – designing flexible, engaging learning experiences that inspire curiosity and joy.
Confidence – helping every child believe in their ability to succeed.
Challenge – setting ambitious goals and supporting each learner to achieve them.
Curiosity – nurturing a love of learning and exploration in every child.
In our classrooms you will see:
High quality daily learning targets that are shared and unpicked to ensure that all children understand what they are learning and why.
Clear explanations and careful scaffolding, helping children to take confident steps towards independence.
Ongoing assessment and reflection, so we can respond to pupils’ needs as they emerge.
Collaborative learning, where children learn from and with each other through kind, specific and helpful feedback.
Positive reinforcement and encouragement, helping pupils to build confidence and see themselves as capable learners.
We are ambitious for every child at Gayton. We believe that progress is possible for all when teaching is inclusive, nurturing and responsive. By embracing inclusive pedagogy, we create a school where every child feels they belong, every voice is heard and every learner can shine in their own way.
Graduated Response to SEND:
We follow the SEND Code of Practice and use a clear, graduated approach to identifying and meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Our approach begins with high-quality, inclusive teaching that meets the needs of all learners. Teachers plan carefully to ensure every child can access the full curriculum through adapted tasks, clear modelling, scaffolding and supportive classroom environments.
Where additional help is required, we provide targeted support through small-group work, structured interventions or specific resources designed to close learning gaps and build independence.
For children with more complex or enduring needs, we provide specialist support in collaboration with families and external professionals, such as Educational Psychologists or Speech and Language Therapists. Each child’s provision is reviewed regularly to ensure that it is effective and responsive.
We are committed to working in partnership with parents and carers, listening to their insights, and ensuring that the child’s voice is central to all planning and decision- making.
Below is an overview of Wirral’s Graduated Response to SEND which we follow.
Tier 1: Universal Support
For most children, school is able to support their needs through adjustments made to the quality first teaching. At Gayton these are some examples of reasonable adjustments which may be made to support all pupils access high quality first teaching.
· Use of Seesaw to allow children to voice record instead of write their response to a task.
· Standing desks or use of resistance bands on chairs.
· Use of visual timetables.
· Use of pre-teaching/post-teaching to reinforce key concepts or specific learning.
· Giving thinking/processing time for pupils.
Tier 2: Targeted SEND Support:
For some children, they might need a bit more support to meet their needs. If a child has identified needs, we use ‘The Graduated Approach’ which is a four-stage process.
Examples of support at this level may include:
· Small group support
· Adult support during unstructured times.
Tier 3: Personalised SEND Support:
At this stage the child will have identified needs which require additional specific provision or specialist advice from outside agencies for example, Educational Psychologist or Inclusion team. This is further provision, which is in addition to, that which is ordinarily available with the school’s resources. We would arrange coordination of assessment, intervention and monitoring by the SENDCO.
Tier 4: Specialised support with an EHCP.
At Tier 4, the child would have significant needs which impact on progress requiring long-term involvement of educational and non-educational professionals as part of statutory assessment/EHCP Plans.
Graduated Response to Social & Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) :
At Gayton Primary School, we understand that emotional wellbeing and mental health are fundamental to learning, relationships and personal development. Our approach to SEMH (Social, Emotional and Mental Health) is proactive, nurturing and intentionally woven into our whole-school culture.
We aim for every child to feel safe, valued, understood and supported, and we have developed a clear graduated pathway to ensure pupils receive the right help at the right time.
Universal Provision (Tier 1): A Whole-School Culture of Emotional Safety
Our SEMH support begins with a strong foundation of universal provision that promotes emotional literacy, self-regulation and belonging for all pupils. This includes:
· Rest Easy – our whole-school mental health approach, giving children a shared language to understand their feelings, brain states and regulation strategies.
· Conscious Discipline – supporting children to respond rather than react, using co-regulation, emotional coaching and consistent adult modelling.
· Crew culture – fostering belonging, teamwork and accountability, including “Apologies & Acknowledgements” sessions where children practise reflection and empathy.
· Oracy and SHREC – high-quality adult-child interactions that build confidence, communication skills and emotional expression.
· Personal Development curriculum – teaching resilience, relationships, self-awareness and wellbeing across the school day through our PSHE Curriculum.
· Routines- Positive, predictable routines that help children feel safe and secure.
At this stage, we may also refer children to the Mental Health Support Team (MHST)
Targeted Support (Tier 2): Short-Term, Needs-Based Intervention
When a pupil shows signs that they need additional SEMH support—whether through changes in behaviour, emotional responses, attendance or social interactions—we provide timely, targeted intervention. This may include:
· Check-in/check-out routines with a trusted adult
· Small-group work focused on resilience, confidence or social skills
· Targeted pastoral support for pupils experiencing changes at home
· Personalised regulation strategies
· Additional pastoral support through group or 1:1 REST Easy Intervention
· Adaptations during unstructured times.
These interventions are reviewed regularly and are built on strong communication with families.
At this stage, we may also refer children to the Mental Health Support Team (MHST).
Personalised Support (Tier 3): Individual Plans and Multi-Agency Work
For pupils whose SEMH needs are more persistent or complex, we provide a personalised, sustained level of support. This may involve:
· An individual one-page profile so that all adults understand the strengths and needs of the child.
· An Individual Plan for the child.
· Increased frequency of check-ins and adult availability
· Bespoke timetables to reduce identified triggers while keeping the child fully included
Work with external agencies such as Educational Psychology, CAMHS, Early Help or the Inclusion Team.
The pupil’s voice and family views are central, and plans are regularly evaluated through our graduated approach (Assess–Plan–Do–Review).
Specialist Support (Tier 4): High-Needs SEMH / EHCP
Where SEMH need is significant and long-term:
· Pupils are supported through an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) if appropriate
· Specialist recommendations inform precise provision
· Staff adapt curriculum access while keeping ambition high
· External agencies contribute to regular review cycles
We ensure that the child’s emotional safety, relationships and wellbeing remain at the heart of provision.
Our Commitment
At Gayton Primary School, inclusion is lived daily. We welcome, listen, aspire, support, teach, notice, build, and work together — ensuring every child feels they belong and has the opportunity to thrive.
By embedding inclusion across everything we do, we prepare our pupils not only for academic success but for life as compassionate, confident, and active citizens who will make a positive difference to the world.