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SEND & Inclusion

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SEND & Inclusion at Emmaus

Every pupil who comes through the doors of an Emmaus school belongs here, genuinely and completely, not simply as a matter of policy. Emmaus is a Christ and Child Centred Catholic Academy Trust, which means every decision we make starts with the flourishing of the pupil. In SEND and inclusion, that belief shapes what happens in classrooms, corridors and playgrounds every day.

Across our schools, pupils with the most complex needs are not an addition to school life. They are an integral part of it. You will find them in assemblies, on school trips, in the playground with their peers alongside them. Other pupils grow up with a natural understanding of additional needs because they have learned, from an early age, that everyone belongs, everyone contributes and everyone is valued equally. That culture has been built deliberately over time, and it runs through the whole Emmaus family of schools.

Our approach

Our inclusion team works across all Emmaus schools, and our work starts with listening. Every year, every school undertakes a SEND review in which headteachers visit and review other schools within Emmaus, and parents and pupils are interviewed as a central part of the process. The reviews shape everything from CPD planning to how we deploy resource across the Emmaus Academy Trust.

We believe the best outcomes come from walking alongside pupils, families and staff rather than directing from above. For families of pupils with SEND in particular, that means being treated as genuine partners who know their child best.

In February 2026, all 1,600 members of staff across all Emmaus schools attended a Emmaus-wide SEND and inclusion INSET day, the first of its kind. Keynote sessions from nationally recognised figures were followed by 23 bespoke workshops for teaching assistants covering communication and language, autism, sensory needs, and social and emotional wellbeing. It was a response to what our own reviews told us our staff needed and deserved.

What works for pupils with SEND works for all pupils. Clear instructions broken into smaller steps, visual timetables, calm and structured environments, knowing every pupil individually: these are the building blocks of a good school day for everyone. Across our schools, SEND is not a separate department. It is everyone’s responsibility.

Inclusion in our schools

Inspection bodies have consistently recognised the quality of provision across Emmaus schools for pupils with SEND. In November 2024, Mount Carmel RC Primary was rated Outstanding in all areas by Ofsted. Inspectors highlighted that pupils with SEND participate fully in all aspects of school life and achieve very well.

In March 2026, St Stephen’s RC Primary received an Outstanding rating for Catholic Life and Mission from CSI inspectors. The school was described as highly inclusive, with outstanding care for pupils and vulnerable families forming a central part of its strong community ethos.

Inclusion spaces have also been developed across a number of Emmaus schools. These are designed to support pupils within the life of the school, rather than removing them from it.

What is coming

Inspection bodies have consistently recognised the quality of provision across Emmaus schools for pupils with SEND. In November 2024, Mount Carmel RC Primary was rated Outstanding in all areas by Ofsted. Inspectors highlighted that pupils with SEND participate fully in all aspects of school life and achieve very well.

A new SEND inclusion provision is due to open at St Stephen’s RC Primary in autumn 2026, funded by Tameside Local Authority. It will provide 16 funded places for pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans across EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. The provision will include dedicated classrooms, a sensory room, one-to-one spaces, appropriate changing facilities, and its own outdoor area.

St Stephen’s was the only truly inclusive school we considered for our child. From the very beginning, the staff have been incredibly warm and welcoming, and most importantly, they have taken the time to understand and meet my child’s needs in the right environment. We’ve seen such a positive difference—it really does feel like they belong here.

Parent at St Stephen’s RC Primary School

Inclusion spaces have been developed across a number of Emmaus schools, designed so that pupils are supported within the life of their school rather than removed from it.

For parents

If your child has SEND, you know them better than anyone. Every Emmaus school works alongside parents as genuine partners: listening, involving families in planning and reviewing provision, and keeping communication open. Our schools run regular coffee mornings where families of pupils with SEND can meet each other and hear from professionals on the topics that matter most.

Whatever your background and whatever your child’s needs, you are welcome in an Emmaus school and you will have people around you who understand your experiences.

For prospective staff and governors

Working on SEND and inclusion at Emmaus means working within a Catholic Academy Trust that takes this seriously at every level. If you are a SENCO, a teaching assistant or a teacher looking for an employer who will invest in your development and give you the support of a wider network, Emmaus offers something a standalone school cannot. Our SEND reviews, professional learning networks and Emmaus-wide CPD mean you are never working in isolation.

On the Road to Emmaus

13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.

17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

19 “What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”

25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

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