Mum of girl, 9, praises new specialist school hub

The mother of a nine-year-old girl said it was "amazing" to see how much progress she had made since attending a new specialist school hub.

Claire said her daughter Katie, who has several additional needs, had no interest in writing anything six months ago but had recently written her a Mother's Day card.

Katie is one of eight pupils being taught in the Specialist Hub of Inclusive Practice (SHIP) at Sprowston Junior School in Norwich.

"She actually wrote her card out in full to me with 'to Mum, love Katie' which is the first time she'd done that," she says.

The eight pupils have differing special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and would otherwise struggle in a mainstream school.

While the children have their own classroom – usually staffed by a teacher, two teaching assistants and a welfare support officer – they take part in assemblies and playtimes with the other pupils.

They can also join other lessons in the school, helping to integrate them further.

Claire said she "couldn't be prouder" of how Katie had developed with the extra support.

"The teachers, the work they put in with her, is paying off in leaps and bounds. It's incredible really."

Claire had been worried about how her daughter would cope when she was due to leave infant school in 2024.

She felt neither a mainstream or special school was quite right for Katie, but council staff suggested the SHIP – which was due to open that September.

Fellow mum Faye had similar concerns for her daughter Isabelle, who is autistic and had been "basically non-verbal" until the age of four.

Now almost eight, Faye said she had been well-supported at infant school and that had continued at the SHIP.

"It's so important, because children with additional needs don't necessarily fit into certain boxes. The idea of the SHIP is that children can still access mainstream school, but with all the additional support," she explained.

"You're not having to send your child to specialist provision knowing that [while] they will get support, they're kind of isolated from the mainstream world.

"Isabelle will go up to family and friends and have little conversations with them, which she wouldn't have done three or four years ago. It's just lovely to see."

With demand for places in SEND schools higher than ever, Norfolk County Council has been opening what it calls 'specialist resource bases' (SRBs) in mainstream settings.

More than 600 children have been taught in them this year and because they are geographically spread around, they have helped to cut down on travel times for children – and travel costs for the council.

They all provide additional support, but the SHIP is the newest kind, with the council claiming it is the first authority to introduce them.

A fourth unit is due to open soon and in the next few weeks the Sprowston SHIP will move into a purpose-built building, providing space for up to 16 pupils.

"As educators, we can potentially change outcomes and outlooks for life," said the SHIP's newest recruit, teacher Connor Gateley.

Having become jaded with the education system before making the move, he said it had reinvigorated his love of teaching.

"You know, we've got children who have now, after extensive time with specialist support and one-to-one interventions, started to be able to read and access books for the first time" he said.

"Some of these children may go on to a complex needs school, some of these children may go on to other SRBs, but some of these children will be able to rejoin mainstream education.

"SHIPs are a Norfolk initiative and I wouldn't be surprised to see this rolled out across the country in the future."

Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.