Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools

PINS will help your child by improving their school environment and helping schools adapt the way they do things to meet your child's needs (which could include mental health, speech and language and physical and sensory) to help them learn and take part in all aspects of school life.

PINS will help all pupils in school - children don't need a formal diagnosis to benefit from this project.

PINS will help parents to build strong relationships and improve communication with their child's school so that they can have more confidence in how the school is supporting their child's needs.

Parents' views and experiences are a vital part of this project. Local parent/carer forums Kent PACT and Medway Parent Carer Forum will hold forums like coffee mornings and other events for parents so that they can share their feedback, knowledge and ideas with other parents and their child's school.

By working together, parents/carers and schools can support each other to give children the best experiences of school.

PINS is a national project led by the Department for Education and NHS England which started in early 2024. Around 600 primary schools across England took part in phase 1.

A neurodivergent person's brain processes, learns, and/or behaves differently from what is considered "typical" (referred to as neurotypical) by society.

'Neurodiversity' means that humans are all different in how we think, feel, and learn. That's because all our brains process information in different ways. If a group of people includes neurodivergent and neurotypical people, or different types of neurodivergent people, that group could be called 'neurodiverse'. So, a mainstream primary school would teach pupils who are neurodiverse.

All children in the schools taking part in the PINS project will benefit from a better school environment and from more knowledgeable staff who can adapt their teaching styles to the differing needs of children.

The schools taking part in the PINS project will have access to education and health specialists and the local parent carer forums, to help all school staff better understand the needs of neurodivergent children and create a school environment where all children can thrive.

Parents and schools will have stronger relationships and better communication with each other.

You can speak to your child's school, who will be happy to talk to you in more detail about the project.

You will find information on Kent County Council's website and on Medway's SEND hub.

You can also contact Kent PACT and Medway Parent Carer Forum.

In Kent, updates will be provided in the SEND parent newsletter.