INCLUSION AT RAINHILL HIGH SCHOOL
Every Pupil Belongs. Every Pupil Is Known. Every Pupil Can Succeed.
At Rainhill High School, inclusion is at the heart of our ambition to be a genuinely comprehensive school.
We welcome young people with different strengths, experiences, backgrounds and needs. We want every pupil to feel that they belong at Rainhill, to benefit from an ambitious education and to participate fully in the opportunities available to them.
Our approach is guided by our values of Learn, Think, Contribute and Care and our shared ambition of In Pursuit of Excellence.
OUR PRINCIPLE
Inclusion does not mean lowering expectations.
It means understanding the barriers a young person may face and providing the right teaching, support and opportunities to help them overcome those barriers and succeed.
This includes pupils with SEND, pupils eligible for Pupil Premium, looked-after and previously looked-after children, young carers, pupils known or previously known to children’s social care, and pupils whose family circumstances, attendance, wellbeing or other experiences may create barriers to learning or participation.
A GRADUATED APPROACH
How Inclusion Works at Rainhill
Support is graduated according to individual need. Our starting point is always high-quality universal provision, with increasingly targeted or specialist support introduced where required.
FOR EVERY PUPIL
Universal
- High-quality teaching
- Adaptive teaching
- Reasonable adjustments
- Expert Teacher approach
- Tutor & pastoral support
- Character & wider opportunities
WHEN ADDITIONAL SUPPORT IS NEEDED
Targeted
- Literacy & numeracy intervention
- Nurture
- Mentoring & ELSA
- Attendance & EBSA support
- Communication & sensory support
- Targeted pastoral support
WHEN NEEDS ARE MORE COMPLEX
Bespoke & Specialist
- ARC
- Specialist assessment
- Multi-agency support
- Individualised provision
- External professionals
- Personalised pathways
THE STARTING POINT
Inclusion Starts in the Classroom
Our first priority is to make sure that pupils can succeed alongside their peers within the full curriculum and wider life of the school.
High-quality teaching is therefore the foundation of our approach.
Through our Expert Teacher approach, teachers develop a strong understanding of the pupils they teach and use assessment, pupil information and SEND Pen Portraits to plan effectively. Teaching is adapted where appropriate while maintaining high expectations and the ambition of the curriculum.
Our aim is that additional support helps pupils become increasingly successful, confident and independent learners.
UNDERSTANDING BARRIERS
Understanding Disadvantage
At Rainhill, we want every pupil to have the same opportunity to learn, achieve and take part fully in school life, whatever their circumstances.
Pupil Premium funding helps us provide additional support for pupils who meet the national eligibility criteria. However, we recognise that not every family experiencing financial or other challenges will qualify for Pupil Premium or Free School Meals.
Rainhill serves families from a wide range of backgrounds and communities. Our understanding of the communities we serve helps us recognise that some young people may experience barriers connected with family circumstances, income, health, housing, attendance or previous educational experiences, including where these may not be reflected in national eligibility measures.
SUPPORT BASED ON NEED
We Look at the Whole Child
Teachers, tutors, pastoral staff and specialist teams work together to understand pupils’ learning, attendance, wellbeing, SEND, family circumstances and participation in school life.
Our ambition is simple: a pupil’s success should not be limited by their circumstances or by the opportunities available to them outside school.
We therefore work to ensure pupils can access an ambitious curriculum, additional academic or pastoral support where needed, careers education, trips and visits, enrichment and leadership opportunities, as well as the equipment and resources they need to participate fully.
Our existing graduated provision includes practical support with equipment, travel, revision resources, uniform and trips alongside academic, attendance and wider participation support.
EARLY IDENTIFICATION
Identifying Needs Early
Young people’s needs can change over time. We therefore aim to identify barriers early and respond appropriately.
Teachers and tutors are often the first to notice when a pupil is finding something difficult. They are supported by our SEND, pastoral, attendance, safeguarding and wellbeing teams.
Information is considered together so that we develop as complete a picture of the young person as possible.
Where a pupil needs additional help, support might include:
Learning
Reading, literacy, phonics, numeracy intervention and assistive technology.
Communication & Sensory
Sensory support, communication strategies and speech, language and communication support.
Wellbeing
Emotional regulation programmes, mentoring, ELSA and counselling.
Attendance & Pastoral
EBSA support, targeted pastoral intervention and attendance support.
Nurture
Targeted provision for pupils who require a more structured period of support.
The support provided will depend upon the individual pupil and the barriers they are experiencing.
THE GRADUATED APPROACH
Assess, Plan, Do, Review
For pupils with SEND, our work is underpinned by a continuous cycle of understanding need, providing support and reviewing its impact.
01
Assess
We identify a pupil’s strengths, needs and the barriers affecting their learning.
02
Plan
Staff, pupils and families agree appropriate support, adjustments and intended outcomes.
03
Do
Teachers remain responsible for the pupil’s education, supported by our SEND team and other specialists where appropriate.
04
Review
We consider the difference the support is making and whether anything needs to change.
The purpose is not simply to provide an intervention. It is to ensure that the support provided is making a positive difference to the young person.
TARGETED PROVISION
Nurture
Some pupils benefit from a period of more intensive support through our Nurture provision.
Nurture provides a smaller and carefully structured environment in which identified pupils can strengthen the foundations they need to succeed in school.
Alongside continued academic learning, pupils may receive additional support with areas such as literacy and numeracy, communication, confidence, relationships and emotional regulation.
Nurture is an intervention rather than a destination.
Its purpose is to address identified barriers and help pupils participate successfully and increasingly independently within mainstream education.
We therefore consider both pupils’ academic development and their successful transition into mainstream lessons when evaluating its impact.
BESPOKE INTERNAL PROVISION
The ARC
For a small number of pupils, their needs may mean that they require a significantly more personalised approach to accessing education.
A Personalised Internal Provision
The ARC is Rainhill High School’s internal provision, providing a structured and supportive environment while maintaining pupils’ connection with the wider school community.
The provision is personalised around identified need and combines academic learning with developmental, pastoral and therapeutic support.
Expectations remain high. The curriculum is adapted according to pupils’ needs rather than simply reduced, with clear consideration given to their longer-term education and future pathway.
Where reintegration into mainstream lessons is appropriate, it is carefully planned, supported and reviewed. For other pupils, ARC provides the stability and individualised provision needed to sustain engagement with education and prepare successfully for their next stage.
Our approach reflects the principles we use to evaluate effective internal provision: a clearly defined purpose, continued belonging, appropriate curriculum entitlement and measurable outcomes for pupils.
UNDERSTANDING BEHAVIOUR IN CONTEXT
Trauma-Informed Practice
We recognise that children’s experiences can affect how they learn, build relationships, regulate emotions and respond to challenge.
Our trauma-informed approach helps staff understand behaviour in context and respond with consistency, care and appropriate support.
Trauma-informed practice does not mean removing boundaries or lowering expectations.
Strong relationships, predictable routines, clear expectations and a calm environment can help young people feel safe and ready to learn.
Trauma-informed practice therefore complements our wider approach to teaching, behaviour and pastoral care and reflects our commitment to knowing pupils well and responding intelligently to their needs.
WORKING TOGETHER
Working With Specialist Services
Sometimes school-based support needs to be complemented by specialist expertise.
Where appropriate, we work with families and professionals from education, health, social care and other services to understand needs and coordinate support.
We also engage with local initiatives such as TIME – Therapeutic Intervention and Mentoring in Education, developed by St Helens Virtual School, Educational Psychology and Youth Justice Service.
PARTNERSHIP
Working With Pupils & Families
PARENTS & CARERS
Working in Partnership
Parents and carers know their children exceptionally well and are important partners in effective inclusion.
We encourage families to talk to us early when they have concerns. We involve parents and carers when needs are identified, support is planned and its impact is reviewed.
PUPIL VOICE
Increasing Ownership
We want young people to understand their own strengths, recognise the strategies that help them and increasingly participate in decisions about their learning and support.
Our SEND Parent Forums and information events provide additional opportunities for families to understand provision, ask questions, share their experiences and contribute to its development.
BELONGING & OPPORTUNITY
Inclusion Beyond the Classroom
Being included means much more than being present in a classroom. We want every pupil to experience the richness of school life at Rainhill.
Where SEND, disadvantage or other circumstances create barriers to participation, we seek to understand and reduce those barriers.
COMPREHENSIVE VALUES
Opportunity should be available to every young person.
Not simply those who find it easiest to access.
REVIEWING IMPACT
Knowing Whether Support Is Working
Effective inclusion is about impact, not simply the amount of support provided.
We therefore review how pupils are doing across their education and school experience.
Learning & Progress
Attendance
Engagement
Behaviour
Wellbeing
Participation
Independence
Transition & Destinations
WHAT MATTERS
Is the support making a positive difference?
Where something is not having the intended impact, we consider what needs to change.
Our aim is for support to reduce barriers over time and enable pupils to participate, learn and succeed with increasing confidence and independence.
EVERY CLASSROOM
Inclusion Is Everyone’s Responsibility
Every teacher is responsible for the pupils they teach.
Form tutors, pastoral teams and year teams know and support pupils beyond individual lessons, while specialist colleagues provide additional expertise where required.
Our SEND, pastoral, attendance, safeguarding and wellbeing teams work together so that support is coordinated around the whole child rather than a single label or need.
Strategic oversight is provided through our Director of Inclusion & SENDCo, working with senior leaders and the wider inclusion team.
OUR COMMITMENT
Our Commitment
Our values of Learn, Think, Contribute and Care apply to every young person.
We do not lower our aspirations because a pupil faces additional challenges. We seek to understand those challenges, remove barriers wherever reasonably possible and provide the teaching, support and opportunities that enable pupils to flourish.
Every pupil belongs. Every pupil is known. Every pupil can succeed.
For us, that is what it means to be an ambitious, inclusive and comprehensive school In Pursuit of Excellence.
