SEND
At the University of Chichester Academy Trust, inclusion is not a department, a strategy, or a separate strand of our work - it is the thread that runs through every classroom, every decision, and every conversation.
Across our 17 academies, more than 6,200 pupils and over a thousand colleagues work and learn within communities spanning Hampshire, West Sussex, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. With that scale comes a shared responsibility. We know that meaningful inclusion is built through relationships, expertise and the everyday decisions adults make to help children thrive.
This priority area explores how SEND and inclusion are lived in practice across our Trust. Not through statements or policies, but through the actions of colleagues who collaborate, challenge thinking and create the conditions for pupils to succeed.
A Trust‑Wide Approach: Leadership Rooted in Experience and Presence
One of the defining features of our Trust is the way SEND expertise informs both strategic and day-to-day decision making. As Emma Saunders, Trust SEND Lead, reflects:
Being part of a Trust where the CEO, Deputy CEO and members of the central team bring deep SEND knowledge creates a culture where inclusion is not only valued, but understood.
This reflects wider national evidence that when SEND is prioritised at senior levels, schools see stronger outcomes, increased staff confidence and more effective systems for early intervention.
Our Trust model builds on this by ensuring SEND leadership is visible and present. Rather than operating as remote advisors, leaders work directly alongside colleagues in academies, modelling practice, supporting decision-making and providing ongoing guidance. This coaching-based approach aligns with what research describes as embedded professional learning: sustained, relationship-based support that strengthens both staff development and pupil outcomes.
It is an approach that allows individual academies to remain distinctive, while benefiting from shared expertise across the Trust.