Inclusion

At SuMS, inclusion is at the heart of everything that we do. 

Nurturing our culture of inclusion means ensuring that our environment in which every student - regardless of additional learning needs, mental health needs, background or identity - is valued, respected and given equitable access to learning.  

True inclusion goes beyond just 'integration' (i.e. placing a student in a mainstream classroom and expecting them to adapt); we proactively adapt our environment, policies, and teaching to remove the barriers that may get in any of our students' way. 

We believe that effective inclusion rests on three critical foundations:

1. A culture of belonging

Ensuring that targeted support serves as a constructive bridge to wider school life, rather than a form of segregation or sanction.

2. High-quality, flexible adaptive teaching

We fundamentally don't believe in a 'one-size-fits-all' approach. Instead of relying solely on heavy stacks of differentiated worksheets, our teachers anticipate learner variability by adapting physical spaces, communication formats, and lesson pacing.

3. A system-wide community commitment

At SuMS inclusion is not simply be a top-down mandate or the sole responsibility of our Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo). It actively involves the voices and collaboration of our teachers, support staff, parents and carers, and the students themselves.

If you would like to read our Inclusion Strategy, please click here.