Schools across Warwickshire are making their pledge to inclusion to reinforce the county’s commitment to providing an inclusive education for all children and young people.
To support this commitment, a new Inclusion Charter has been created to set out a shared vision for schools across the county using the four cornerstones of ‘Welcome and Care’, understanding that every child is an individual; ‘Value and include’ remembering that inclusion is everyone’s responsibility; ‘Communicate’ and ‘Work in Partnership’, working together to recognise need and support families on their journey.
The Charter; which has been coproduced with Warwickshire schools, Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice, young people from IMPACT and Warwickshire County Council, will support schools and families to consider and develop how they can work together to improve the experience of all children and staff in schools and demonstrate to others how they are doing this.
Councillor Kam Kaur, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for education, said:
“As a county we are committed to providing an inclusive education for all our children and young people and by coming together to sign up to both the principles and approach outlined in the charter, we are hoping to reinforce that message.
“At the heart of the charter is a culture where we embrace difference; where barriers are challenged; and where the everyday lived experience, interests and needs of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities are better understood.
“Schools should be a place where everyone feels valued, included, safe, supported and welcome, and we are hoping as many schools as possible join us in our pledge, so that we can continue to make a difference for all children and young people across Warwickshire.”
Elaine Lambe from Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice said:
"We are really pleased with this Charter, coproducing it from the four headings to completion was a really rewarding experience and it has made it a really strong vision for Warwickshire schools. We look forward to continuing the work with schools to make this vision a reality and supporting the development of school parent carer forums."
For more information on the SEND support in Warwickshire visit the Local Offer webpages or the Local Offer Facebook page. The Schools Charter can be found here