Heatherlands Primary School
Part of Coastal Learning Partnership
Inclusion
Our Head of Inclusion/Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) is Miss Brown. She can be contacted via the school office. Please click on the links below for further information on SEN.
PRESS RELEASE JUNE 2026
Poole primary school recognised as national leader in SEND inclusion
A Poole primary school is helping shape how children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are supported across England, following recognition from the Department for Education (DfE).
Heatherlands Primary School has been selected as a national co-lead for inclusion bases, which are dedicated spaces inside mainstream schools for children with SEN or learning difficulties to receive extra, tailored support.
The achievement puts Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council at the forefront of national SEND reform, with local practice now influencing support for children and families across the country.
BCP Council has played a key strategic leadership role in enabling this work, including funding The Difference to partner with local schools as part of a shared vision of belonging. Through this, schools are supported to act as place-based leaders, taking collective responsibility for outcomes for all children and young people in their communities.
The DfE praised the school’s inclusive culture, strong use of data and focus on improving outcomes for children, alongside its close work with families and professionals.
As part of this role, the school will share its expertise with others nationwide, supporting wider improvements in inclusive practice.
Councillor Richard Burton, Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services at BCP Council, said:
“We’re really proud to see Heatherlands recognised in this way. The school goes above and beyond to make sure every child feels welcome, supported and able to succeed. This reflects what we are working towards through our local SEND reform plans – helping children get the support they need close to home, in a place where they feel they belong.
This achievement also puts BCP at the forefront of national SEND reform. It gives us a great opportunity to lead the way and share what works well with schools across our area. It’s fantastic to see Heatherlands setting such a strong example.”
Julian Churchill, Headteacher at Heatherlands Primary School, said:
“We are very proud to be chosen as a leading school for inclusion bases across the country. At Heatherlands, making sure everyone feels included is very important to us. We believe every child should feel valued, supported, and able to do their best. This shows how hard our staff work and how well we work with families and other professionals. We are excited to share what we have learned and keep improving how we include and support all children, both in our school and beyond.”
Jamie Rogers from The Difference, which has supported the development of inclusion practice nationally, said:
“The Difference has spent a lot of time looking at how these inclusion bases work in schools. When they are done well, they can make a real difference for children. After working with the Department for Education to bring together a group of leading schools across the country to share what works, I am very pleased that Heatherlands has been chosen – it truly deserves this recognition. Heatherlands is a school that puts children first and works hard to make learning accessible and effective for everyone.”
This milestone highlights how investment in inclusive practice at a local level can deliver national change, improving life chances for children and ensuring more families can access the right support, at the right time, close to home.
Would you recommend Heatherlands to other children and why?'
"Definitely because the teachers are very nice and great for children with disabilities like me!"
Oscar M (Y4)
The Incredibles
The Incredibles is a pupil voice group made up of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The group provides a platform for these pupils to share their views, experiences, and ideas, ensuring that the voices of children with SEND are heard and valued within the school community. Members of The Incredibles actively contribute to improving inclusion by representing the school at inclusive sports events and taking part in initiatives that celebrate diversity and participation. They have also demonstrated a strong sense of social responsibility by helping to raise money for charities that support children with SEND, promoting awareness and advocacy both within and beyond the school.
SEND Pentathlon
Sam and his teacher worked together using a pegging strategy to enable Sam to write creatively and independently. Sam was so engaged and really enjoyed building his sentences in the studio. He chose to colour code each word depending on its purpose and used shapes to punctuate his sentences. He was able to reread his sentence and wrote 30 words (the target). Tomorrow he looking forward to writing the next part of his story using the strategies that work for him. Well done Sam!
Heatherlands, along with other schools in the local area, had the opportunity to take some children in years 3 and 4 to play a game of tenpin bowling at Tower Park. This was organised with Panathlon, which is an organisation dedicated at providing sporting opportunities for children with disabilities and special educational needs in a variety of sports and age groups. We took 11 children and they were all enthusiastic about the idea of going bowling with other schools in the local area. We represented Heatherlands proudly and everyone was incredibly supportive of each other that it was a joy to see! We all cheered and celebrated at others success while remining well -mannered to the other schools' children.
Table Cricket Club
Some children in the school have been learning how to play table cricket with a coach after school. Following the coaching sessions, we have now set up our very own table cricket club club on a Wednesday lunchtime.
Can Do Football Festival - Upper KS2
A group of children from Heatherlands Primary School took part in the Can Do Football Festival in March. They had coaching from AFC Bournemouth and then participated in matches. The children represented Heatherlands Primary School really well and enjoyed the event.
Speech and Language Support
Speech and Language support is offered through the school by Mrs Stanley. Mrs Stanley works alongside the Dorset Speech and Language Therapy Service to implement individuals Speech and Language Therapy reports. If as a parent or carer you have any concerns about a child's Speech and language, then a full assessment can be completed by the child's class teacher. Once the report is completed, it will be reviewed by Dorset Speech and Language Therapy Services who then if required will offer the child an assessment within school or at a local clinic. If the child is found to have any speech and language difficulties then they will be offered 6 weeks of block therapy sessions, these sessions will continue to be reviewed as required by Therapy Services.
If recommended by Dorset Speech and Language Services your child will be supported weekly by Mrs Stanley who will work through the child's individual Speech and language Therapy Programme with them. Class teachers are given a copy of the child's report with any classroom recommendations for support within the classroom and a home pack of resources are provided to parents from either Speech and Language Services or by the school.
Also have a look at the website below for more helpful links on how to support your children with developing their speech and language. https://speechandlanguage.info/parents
Paired Reading Project
Have you ever read a book aloud with someone else? Why not try using paired reading to help develop reading fluency. Prior to reading, the readers decide on signals to show when one reader feels more confident to read independently. During paired reading, both readers initially read together in tandem. Have a look at the paired reading guide and give it a go yourself.
Paired Reading Guide
Project X
Project X is a reading scheme and intervention targeted to primary school children. The scheme combines phonics with reading comprehension tasks to develop children’s reading. The books are targeted toward boys however all children will enjoy the adventures of the characters. Code group reading texts take the children through Project X to try and stop CODE from taking over, Watch the video together with your child on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSyuPryftnw and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyCiLnDKg5Q to find out more about the adventures.
Nessy
Nessy is a programme on the internet that is designed to support children make progress with their reading, spelling and maths using fun and multi-sensory approaches online. The programme is particularly designed to support children who may have dyslexic tendencies. Every child who is using the Nessy programme will be provided with a username and password. In school, they will have timetabled sessions on this programme. Parents can support their child further by allowing them to access this website at home. To find out more information visit the website https://www.nessy.com/uk/.
Trick Box
As part of our school well-being approach, we are using Trick Box, which is a fun and effective personal development programme to help children: -
- build confidence
- manage emotions and anxiety
- develop communication skills
- make positive choice about actions
- coach themselves through challenges.
Children initially from EYFS to Year 6 will be introduced to 24 ‘tricks’ and a simple self-coaching model called Letter Box, designed to give them positive habits for life. The tricks will help the children to build their confidence and communication skills, manage emotions and find solutions to challenges. They will be practising the tricks at school.
Transition
What is an Information, Advice and Support Services?
Other Useful Documents
