Belong
Together, today and tomorrow
Belong takes the graduated approach to the next level
Developed as part of the DfE Change Programme with Calderdale and Leeds councils.
See Belong in action
How it works
Specialist Inclusion Team (SIT) curate a directory of evidence based strategies and interventions from LA's existing graduated approach docs
SENCOs and teachers access resources for whole school inclusive teaching and the 4 broad areas of need to plan the curriculum and the APDR cycle
School action plans feed into fresh resources, training, and guidance in schools from SIT to support upcoming needs
SENCO completes a review across the whole school inclusive teaching strategies which aids CPD and strategic planning
And it's all in one place doing that signposting to lots of free resources.
I think it helps with communication to staff. This is so clear.
It's like a really useful tool, particularly for teachers who aren't SEND specialists
And I suppose it's a CPD tool in itself, isn't it?
So actually having that one place to look for things will be really helpful.
Provision grids are good, but then they're static, aren't they?
Let us...
with a working prototype for your local authority
Send me your ordinarily available provision / graduated approach docs and I'll make a sample prototype for you to share with colleages.
SEND your graduated approach docs to me, Jonny Holden, jonny@poppop.studio
Why it works
We know that the future is unpredictable. But even before the pandemic we could see our youngsters losing a sense of belonging at school.
Today school readiness and mental health have exacerbated the SEND crisis that politicians are keen to talk about. We'll see with the SEND White Paper if they will put their money where their mouth is.
In any case, we have better tools for diagnosis, new research, and a new understanding of what works.
Belong will help council specialist inclusion teams keep on top of all these changes in a calm, sustainable way.
Belong to the future
We don't know what the SEND white paper will say. But we know mainstream inclusion will be significant. And a graduated or tiered approach will continue.
EHCPs may be under threat, but there will still be paperwork around the assess, plan, do, review cycle.
SENCOs are likely to need more specialised help for some learners. Teachers are going to be expected to deliver a deeper, and wider, inclusive curriuclum.
SEND specialist teams in LAs will be stretched to support more learners in mainstream.
Belong shifts that support earlier in the process, giving teachers the support they need to plan day to day.
Belong helps SENCOs review the current situation in school, and gives them material for CPD.
Belong gives back time to SIT to focus on learners with higher support needs.
The 2026 White Paper "Every child achieving and thriving" uses the words "achieve" 112 times, "thrive" 48 times, and "belong" 40 times.
But even before it was published, we wanted a name that would reflect mainstream inclusion.
To be included, learners need to feel that they belong.
And teachers need the understanding, skills, and belief that pupils enrolled at school really do belong.
The directory of evidence based interventions, curated by local authority specialists, gives teachers a place to plan for belonging.
with
See how Belong can help SENCOs, teachers, and TAs
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