Focus on Inclusion

Our commitment to social justice means meeting the needs of all learners, especially the most vulnerable. With rising numbers of pupils identified with special educational needs, we’ve taken purposeful steps to strengthen our provision.

This year, we created a Trust Subject Lead (TSL) role for Inclusion to reflect the growing demand. Liz Zoccolan, an experienced SENCO currently at Harrogate Grammar School and part-time Trust SEND Lead, will take up this new role in September.

Liz has already made a significant impact, supporting Crawshaw Academy during staffing challenges, introducing an innovative Advocacy Programme at Harrogate Grammar School, and guiding SENCOs through complex cases. From autumn, she will lead the alignment of SEND systems across the Trust, aiming to reduce workload, increase consistency, and deliver high-quality support for every child who needs it.

Looking ahead, SEND and Inclusion will form a major pillar of our Trust’s vision for the next five years, embedding a culture where every pupil is known, supported, and given the opportunity to thrive.

Our recent Make a Difference Day focused on Inclusion where colleagues from across our Trust heard from education experts about the importance of SEND and pledged to support our Trust vision to make every teacher a teacher of SEND.