Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS)

Thank you to all the schools that took part in the PINS project 24/25 . To the parent/carers that we were able to connect with don’t forget to head over to our membership page to join PACA. Membership is free and will ensure you are kept up to date with our calender of events.

What was the PINS Project?

Assessing and meeting the needs of children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) in mainstream schools is the foundation for improving outcomes, parental confidence and delivering the financially sustainable SEND system, as envisaged in the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan.

The project was created due to the success of the national Autism in Schools (AiS) project.

The PINS project tested a new model for supporting good outcomes in mainstream schools for Neurodiverse students and strengthening parent carer and school partnerships.

The PINS project aims were to : 

  • Provide support at a whole school level, with more effective working between education, health and parent carers, through partnerships with local parent carer forums.
  • Support mainstream schools to be inclusive places that are able to meet the needs of neurodiverse students.
  • Be needs led rather than diagnosis led support and covering the full range of neurodiversity which also covers children without a formal diagnosis.
  • Strengthen partnerships between parents and schools.
  • Develop schools’ confidence and expertise in supporting neurodiversity within their classrooms.
  • Improve the school environment to address low level needs and allow neurodiverse children to successfully engage in learning.
  • Develop an inclusive culture that improves the efficacy of other interventions.

The delivery of support took place in schools from September 2024 through to March 25. 

In Milton Keynes the programme was delivered into 40 local primary schools. The 40 schools were identified through an expression of interest. Each school in the programme completed the nationally agreed self-assessment tool for schools to identify priority areas for support.

The Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) brought health and education specialists and expert parent carers into mainstream primary settings in the local area.

What was PACA’s role?

The forums role is to introduce the principles of co-production with families. We shall:

  • Facilitate parent carer participation group meetings with the 40 identified schools. These will be open to all parent carers with children, in the school community. 
  • Facilitate the collection and sharing of parent carers’ views and experiences of the services delivered by the schools identified.  
  • Signpost information to parent carers to the providers in their local area, to inform their decision making and understanding of what support is available. 
  • Work with the school to identify and respond to feedback from parent carers in a solution focused way.