PINS project at Cromer Road Primary
Cromer Road Primary is part of the Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS.) There are five schools currently involved in Barnet, which we are proud to be one. This is a national programme which aims to improve outcomes for children and young people attending mainstream primary schools who are neurodiverse. The approach of PINS has been developed around the key principles of Autism in Schools which are:
- A whole school approach
- Good quality training for staff
- Supporting parents groups
- Understanding students' experience of schools.
The PINS project is funded by the Department for Education (DfE), supported by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England (NHSE). Cromer Road Primary is working with advisory teachers in the London Borough of Barnet as part of the project to:
- Help shape whole school SEND provision
- Provide early interventions at school level
- Upskill school staff
- Support and strengthen partnerships between schools and parents/carers.
- Support and strengthen partnerships between Parent Carer Forums and Integrated Care Boards.
Cromer Road Primary has been involved with a range of professionals through this project, including speech and language therapists and occupational therapists, as well as undertaking training on low stress reduction and Learning About Neurodiversity in School (LEANS.) Parents have also been involved by completing a survey, and a feedback session was held in order to build on our partnerships with families in the community.
The goal of the PINS programme is to leave a sustainable impact, building a legacy of closer collaboration between schools, parents/carers, education and health. This will reframe the focus of specialist input to how a supportive learning environment and well-equipped school can improve the outcomes for neurodiverse children. This will in turn foster the development of whole-school approaches to support neurodiverse pupils.
