"I want that for every parent" - Secretary of State impressed by Catholic school's SEND provision

All Saints Catholic Primary School and Pre-School, at Golborne, in the Archdiocese of Liverpool, welcomed the Secretary of State for Education on 4 September.

Bridget Phillipson MP witnessed first-hand the school's work through an initiative to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It's part of a national programme bringing specialist health and education professionals and expert parent carers into mainstream primary schools to provide early interventions, train school staff, and help shape whole-school SEND provision.

During a speech given on Monday 8 September at a Children's Commissioner for England event the Secretary of State said: "Just last week I visited All Saints Catholic Primary School, just to the south of Wigan. And I saw our Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme in action. Bringing together the right support in the right place at the right time.

"I spoke to parents of children with SEND, they told me about the strong relationship between the school and families. And how that helps the school to understand their child’s needs. The mams and dads told me how much it means to them to see their children thriving.

"I want that for every parent."

She later added: "That's how the school gets to know the children in their classrooms. Parents as partners. That's the secret to understanding every child's needs."

Across the country there are 10 Catholic specialist schools and Catholic independent schools approved for pupils with SEND, working in partnership with local authorities, while Catholic mainstream schools similarly deliver high quality SEND provision.

Find out more about Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Liverpool

Images reproduced by kind permission of the Archdiocese of Liverpool Education Department