Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS)

Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) is new national programme that aims to support the education and health needs of neurodiverse children in schools through partnership approach working with local authorities and parent carer forums.

This PINS project will be piloted to support a maximum of 40 mainstream primary schools initially in the North West and South East areas of Surrey. Surrey Heartlands ICB will be responsible for choosing these schools, based on a formal selection process looking at need within different areas and within individual schools.

Neurodiversity describes the way in which no two brains are completely alike. We all process information and interact with the world differently. It can be used in the context of autism spectrum disorder, as well as other neurological or developmental conditions such as ADHD or learning disabilities, to express the idea that there is no single 'right' way of thinking or learning.

PINS will bring health and education specialists and expert parent carers into mainstream primary settings to:

  • Help shape whole school SEND provision.
  • Provide early interventions at a whole school level.
  • Upskill school staff.
  • Support strengthening of partnerships between schools and parent carers.

You can find out more in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) Programme Explanatory note for schools (PDF).

How will PINS work in Surrey?

Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) will have responsibility for leading PINS and are expected to work alongside local partners across health, schools, parent carer forums and families to deliver the programme. The ICB will lead a PINS local project delivery team that will support schools and partners with the day-to day running of the programme. The parent carer forum for Surrey is Family Voice Surrey and Surrey Heartlands is the ICB leading this project.

PINS pilot projects will work with 40 mainstream primary schools, initially in South East and North West Surrey. The ICB will be responsible for deciding which schools to work with.

If a school is already receiving support from other programmes such as Mental Health Support Teams, Autism in Schools, Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) or Nurture Hubs, they are still able to be a part of the programme. However, we will be asking schools to inform where other programmes are already in place, so there can be evaluation consideration of impact where schools may have a single offer or multiple offers.

We understand that some schools may not have the capacity to engage and being a part of this project is entirely voluntary for schools.

You can find out more in the May 2024 webinar:

Expectation of schools

For detailed information, please see the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) Programme Explanatory note for schools (PDF).

Self-assessment tool

To support the successful delivery of the PINS programme, schools will be asked to complete a self-assessment tool to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of your whole school approach to neurodiversity.

Children's Voice Self-Assessment Tool

Children's feedback is very important to the PINS Programme, and we encourage schools to seek the views of children, especially those children you think may benefit from the programme. A suitable member of staff should facilitate and collate children's feedback. Collated feedback should then be used to inform and complete the Children's Voice Self-Assessment Tool.

Menu of support

The menu of support has been created by the Department for Education and NHS England, with input from parent carers, health professionals, school and MAT leaders, educational psychologists, SENCOs, and specialist advisors. The menu of support is designed to help schools identify the most appropriate, evidence-informed support for your school setting, based on the areas that you have prioritised from your self-assessment.

Working with Parents and Carers

Collaboration with parents and carers is critical to the success of the PINS programme. Parent carers are key partners in the delivery of PINS and there will be parent carer representation at all levels. As the Parent Carer forum for Surrey, Family Voice will be facilitating the contributions of parents and carers as joint workers within PINS.

PINS webinar May 2024

Webinar questions and answers

Will the project require whole staff training?

We will be delivering training flexibly and it is a bespoke training offer that aims to meet the needs of your school and its community. Schools will discuss options with their Support Partner to make sure it works for your school.

Is the project time bonded?

The delivery period is September 2024 to March 2025. However, schools will need to complete self-evaluations before the end of this academic year.

How is the Parent Participation Group chosen?

These will be parents from your school. Family Voice Surrey will send out a letter to all parent carers in your school explaining what the participation group is and inviting them to take part. It's an opportunity for those parents to learn more about what schools are doing to become more inclusive and to support children.

If school is not successful this time around, will there be another opportunity for this pilot to run again?

This is a Department for Education project, funded by NHS England who have set a limit of 40 schools that can be involved. They have not advised, at the moment, about it running again once this project ends.

Even if it's not rolled out as an official PINS project, we would look at how we could continue to deliver a model that that builds on the learning from this; shaping how we work with families and how we work with schools going forward.

When will schools hear if they have been selected for the project?

School who have been successful in securing a place on the PINS project, have now been contacted.

Are there any costs involved?

No, this is fully funded by Department for Education and NHS England. Schools will just need to commit time to work on this project.

What does the self-evaluation look like?

It is a self-assessment tool which can be found on the Local Offer Page. You score yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 in the various questions. There is also a form to collate pupil thoughts and the Support Partner will help with guidance with this process.

How do I contact you if I have a question that has not been covered?

Please email us at PINS@surreycc.gov.uk and we will try to respond as quickly as possible.