SEND Hub
CAT SEND Hub
Our purpose
CAT’s SEND Hub exists to make excellent, inclusive education the norm for every child—every day, in every classroom. We bring specialist expertise, practical tools, and on-the-ground support to schools so they can identify need earlier, adapt provision confidently, and improve outcomes for pupils with SEND and additional needs.
What the Hub is
The SEND Hub is a Trust-wide centre of expertise anchored by Hebden Green School (our specialist partner). It connects special and mainstream practice across our academies and partner schools through a single, coherent offer: high-quality training, in-class coaching, rapid-response advice, and targeted review and improvement work. The model is deliberately built to deepen our collective tribe: we learn together, share what works quickly and build capacity within schools so improvements stick.
Our inclusive culture
Inclusion at CAT is a daily practice, not a place or a programme. Guided by our culture, every classroom starts with high-quality, inclusive teaching and a relentless belief that all learners can thrive. In line with the NASEN Teacher Handbook, we treat inclusion as both mindset and skillset: remove barriers, know every learner well and bring the graduated approach (assess–plan–do–review) to life in routine teaching—not only when a need is formally identified.
What that looks like in CAT schools
High expectations with high support: We design for the learners most likely to struggle (“design for the outliers”), use explicit instruction, scaffolding and short-cycle formative assessment and adapt teaching in the moment.
Graduated response embedded in lessons: Teachers act as “everyday detectives,” using rapid feedback loops to adjust tasks, language and resources so pupils stay in the learning, with peers.
Belonging and relationships: We create psychologically safe classrooms where effort, persistence and “not yet” language build self-efficacy and metacognition.
Cognition-aware teaching: Sequencing connects to prior knowledge; we attend to working memory and cognitive load, and provide plentiful practice to secure learning in long-term memory.
Proactive reasonable adjustments: Anticipate need, make discreet adjustments, and keep pupils learning alongside peers; Equality Act duties are baked into everyday planning.
Language that dignifies: We talk about learners, not labels, and challenge deficit talk because words shape expectations and outcomes.
Whole-family partnership: Pupil voice and co-production with families are standard, so support is meaningful and owned.
Equity, intersectionality and safety
We recognise needs often co-occur and are shaped by context. Understanding intersectionality helps us tailor support that reflects each learner’s lived experience, not just a diagnostic label—reducing barriers to engagement, participation and attainment. We pair this with vigilant safeguarding that recognises the additional risks some learners face.
How our culture powers inclusion
Collective efficacy: Expertise flows across schools. High-performing teams coach in-class so improvement sticks in mainstream.
One source of truth: Shared data and a common review cadence keep the graduated approach tight and transparent from classroom to board.
Shared standards, local wisdom: Common principles with school-level nuance ensure dignity, ambition and access for every learner in their context.
What we offer (core services)
Training & Professional Learning
Core CPD pathway: induction for new staff; refreshers for all; advanced modules for leaders/SENCos.
Needs-specific modules: Autism, SLCN, SEMH, ADHD, DCD/dyspraxia, dyslexia, sensory profiles, cognition & learning, assistive technology, reasonable adjustments in practice.
Role-specific development: class teachers (adaptive teaching), TAs (high-impact deployment), subject leaders (SEND in the curriculum), pastoral staff (graduated SEMH support), SENCos (strategic leadership, EHCP quality, funding flows).
Leadership seminars: inclusion leadership, behaviour & culture, attendance for complex need, workforce wellbeing and workload reduction.
In-class coaching & modelling
Joint planning and live coaching in lessons.
Plan–Teach–Review cycles focused on adaptive teaching, scaffolding and metacognition.
TA deployment audits and practice coaching.
Rapid-response advice & clinics
CAT SEND Director on hand to support as and when required
Case consultation (with consent) for complex presentations.
Quick-reference guidance, toolkits and templates.
SEND Reviews & Improvement Support
Whole-school SEND Review linked to CAT’s SQM framework
Action plans with clear accountabilities, milestones and evaluation points.
A coproduced working party who 'see' practice side by side.
Pathways & Provision
Graduated response mapping and curriculum adaptation.
EHCP application quality assurance and annual review support.
Advice on resource bases, satellite provision and outreach, where appropriate.
Our partnership with Hebden Green
Hebden Green School is the Hub’s specialist anchor. Its leaders and practitioners co-design the offer, host immersion visits and deploy specialist outreach teams alongside CAT’s central improvement staff. This partnership ensures:
Best-in-class practice transfer from a high-performing special school to mainstream settings.
Authentic co-production of strategies, tools and training that work in real classrooms.
A continuum of provision across CAT, with clear pathways and consistent standards.
Who the Hub is for
CAT schools: all teachers, TAs, SENCos and leaders.
Partner schools and local systems: we share CPD places, reviews and outreach capacity where it adds value for children and communities.
DfE/Regions Group & LAs: the Hub provides a transparent, quality-assured model that strengthens mainstream inclusion, reduces escalation, and supports efficient use of high-needs funding.
Quality assurance & impact
Access to learning (attendance, engagement, exclusion/suspension reductions).
Attainment/progress for pupils with SEND
Quality of classroom practice (lesson visits, work review, curriculum access).
Parental confidence and pupil voice.
Timeliness/quality of the graduated response and EHCP processes.
SEND Hub Training Offer 2025–26
Tier 1 — SENCO Meetings
Audience: SENCos
Format/Cadence: Face-to-face, 3× per year, 2:00–4:00pm
Leads: Trust SEND Lead and team
Purpose: Work strategically as a Trust SENCo network; align on the graduated approach and shared assessment systems.
Tier 2a — SENCO Training
Audience: SENCos
Format/Cadence: Face-to-face, ½-day sessions, 3–6× per year
Leads: Trust SEND Lead with specialist contributors
Purpose: Deepen practice and ensure learning is disseminated effectively back in school.
Tier 2b — SENCO & Maths Joint Working Party
Audience: SENCos and Maths Leads
Format/Cadence: Face-to-face, ½-day sessions, 3–6× per year
Leads: Trust SEND Lead and Trust Maths Lead with representatives from host schools
Focus: Strategies to keep pupils learning in chronological year groups in maths when attainment gaps exceed two years.
Tier 2c — Curriculum in Schools with Hubs
Audience: SENCos, Curriculum Leads, Hub Class Teachers
Format/Cadence: Face-to-face, full-day visits, 3–6× per year (on-site rotations)
Leads: Trust SEND Lead with teams at designated hub schools
Focus: Co-develop the hub-class curriculum; see live practice and implementation across schools.
Tier 3 — Trust-Wide SEND Training (INSET at Specialist Partner Site)
Audience: All CAT schools (open to school-selected staff)
Format/Cadence: 3 full INSET days at the specialist partner site
Leads: Trust SEND Lead and specialist partner team
2025–26 Emphases:
• Adaptive teaching (approx. 18 sessions across strands)
• Communication: verbal/written communication, AAC, technology, and symbol-supported systems
Purpose: Build mainstream capacity with specialist modelling and practical tools teachers can use the next day.
Tier 4 — Ad-Hoc Offer (Targeted Clinics)
Audience: Any CAT school (invites circulated Trust-wide)
Format/Cadence: Face-to-face, 10:00am–1:00pm; up to one per half-term
Leads: Trust SEND team with specialist colleagues as required
Purpose: Rapid, needs-led support on emerging priorities.
Tier 5 — Individual SENCO/School Meeting
Audience: SENCo and Headteacher (per school)
Format/Cadence: ½-day, in-school; once per academic year
Leads: Trust SEND Lead
Purpose: Review lived experience of SEND in context and agree next steps.
Tier 6 — 1:1 Support
Audience: Any staff member (Head, SENCo, class teacher, etc.)
Format: Initial visit by Trust SEND Lead; follow-up may be in person or on Teams; time scaled to need