by Tony Murphy, Assistant Director Education and Inclusion, Darlington Borough Council
In Darlington our SEND strategy was extensively co-produced with families and young people. Some of the key messages from families were the importance of feeling included, respected, valued and safe at school and a sense of belonging and involvement in the town they live in. Through the implementation of the strategy, we have worked with local trust leaders to develop the Darlington Inclusion Charter. Collectively, trust leaders and the council wanted to define a set of values which would drive and support culture change in education settings.
The charter outlines how education providers are committed to ensuring that all children and young people receive inclusive educational provision which meets their individual needs and helps them to achieve. Providers recognised that at a time when the needs of children and young people are increasing, a sense of belonging, connection and acceptance alongside high aspirations, quality teaching and appropriate intervention are paramount within and across our schools. The Charter defines 4 essential pillars of inclusive education: presence, engagement, achievement and belonging.
It was fundamental to us that the charter was truly coproduced with settings. Darlington is an almost fully academised system and therefore any change had to be owned and endorsed by trust leaders in partnership with the council. Discussions across all types of providers were led by our excellent Education Psychology Service to identify and agree key principles and how these could be applied practically in settings. Importantly the Charter is not a council document but one owned and developed across the wider education partnership.
We are delighted that every early years, primary, secondary and FE provider in Darlington has signed and adopted the Charter. We have developed an Inclusion Ambassador network in which each Darlington setting has nominated a leader to share practice and develop the Charter work further. We have also, in partnership with Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), and with the support of SEND Regional Improvement and Innovation Alliance (RIIA) funding, established an Evidence Exploration Partnership under the Charter. This focuses on system wide behaviours using evidence informed approaches to communication and language, recognising that oracy skills promote inclusion by supporting children to feel part of the school community, form positive relationships with peers and staff and advocate better for themselves.
Although many challenges remain the impact of this work is becoming evident. The percentage of EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) pupils educated in mainstream settings in Darlington has significantly increased above the North East region rate and is now at national levels. More pupils educated in local mainstream settings has enables us to achieve a balance of the high needs block in the last three years from what was a significant deficit position and has enabled home to school transport cost to be stabilised.
The development of the Charter is a key part of our wider work to build a sustainable SEND system locally, where our most vulnerable young people feel valued, educated in the town in which they live and wherever possible are supported to be economically active adults.