WARRINGTON North MP Charlotte Nichols visited Cinnamon Brow C of E Primary School to meet with staff and pupils to learn more about the school’s approach to supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
The visit highlighted the school’s strong, inclusive ethos and its innovative delivery of the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme.
Partnerships for inclusion of neurodiversity in schools (PINS) is a national programme that brings specialist health and education professionals and expert parent carers into mainstream primary schools to:
• help shape whole-school special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision
• provide early interventions at a school level
• upskill school staff
• support the strengthening of partnerships between schools and parent carers
A key focus of the visit was the school’s sensory-informed approach. Staff demonstrated how dedicated sensory circuits—incorporating alerting, organising and calming activities—alongside well-equipped sensory spaces, are helping pupils regulate emotions and engage more effectively in learning. These strategies, supported by specialist training, are benefiting all pupils, not just those with identified SEND, leading to improved behaviour, focus, and readiness to learn.
The school also showcased its strong commitment to early intervention and family support. Through a dedicated family liaison officer, Cinnamon Brow offers Early Help services and structured parenting programmes, alongside access to Mental Health Support Teams (MHST). Partnerships with NHS initiatives, including programmes for parents of neurodivergent children, ensure families receive timely and holistic support. In-school provision such as emotional literacy support (ELSA), a therapy dog, and targeted speech and language interventions further enhance outcomes for pupils.
While celebrating these successes, the visit also acknowledged wider system challenges, including delays in accessing diagnoses, funding pressures, and growing levels of need. Despite these challenges, Cinnamon Brow continues to provide a high-quality, nurturing environment where every child is supported to thrive.
The visit reinforced the vital role of schools in delivering inclusive education and the importance of continued collaboration between educators, families, and policymakers to ensure all children receive the support they need.
Mrs Rachel Pimblett, Headteacher, says: “We are incredibly grateful to Charlotte Nicholls for taking the time to visit us and listen to our experiences as a representative of schools in Warrington. It was a valuable opportunity to share the successes of Cinnamon Brow and the ways in which we support our pupils and families.
We particularly appreciated the discussion around the PINS project, and were pleased to showcase how we have implemented the advice and support to strengthen our provision for children with SEND. It was also helpful to share our reflections on the proposed changes to SEND provision and explore how these will impact schools and our communities.”
Ms. Nichols MP praised the school’s work, noting that Cinnamon Brow exemplifies best practice in inclusive education. She reflected on how the school’s experiences align closely with national discussions around SEND reform, particularly the importance of early intervention and the pressures faced by mainstream schools.
In addition to PINS, the Government has proposed to reform the SEND system through £4 billion investment over the next three years. Charlotte hosted a roundtable in partnership with the Warrington Wolves Foundation to discuss the reforms earlier this year. The reforms include:
• Allowing existing local schools to expand their SEND offering, keeping children closer to home and allowing mainstream public schools to provide more support for children up front, ‘without the battle’ for an education, health and care plan.
• New ‘targeted and targeted plus layers of support’ will ensure children get the right help in mainstream settings. Every child receiving targeted or specialist support will have a digital individual support plan.
• Families will be able to ‘send their child to school with confidence’, with experts at hand to provide more professional support like speech and language therapists for those with speech, language and communication needs.
The Government consultation on the SEND reforms is now closed, but you can still write to Charlotte with your views by emailing the following: charlotte.nichols.mp@parliament.uk
