Plymouth school 'shows what can be done when we trust teachers to know what's best for pupils'
Today we're reporting on why the Government wants schools across the country to follow an example in Plymouth
As the Government announces major SEND reforms, we're reporting from a Plymouth school which is leading the way.
The Government's just announced £4-billion towards wide-ranging reforms, with some suggestions that schools could now follow examples in Plymouth where local heads decide how best to spend additional money.
Plymouth's invested heavily in SEND after being criticised in a report by Ofsted a few years back and now has more than 30 sites where local leaders have created their own versions of so-called 'inclusion hubs'.
In the latest academic year, Stoke Damerel Academy Primary was given £38,000 from September 2025 to March 2026. It offers special rooms, dubbed the 'birds nest' and 'stage not age', where teachers can offer extra support tailored to the pupils' needs - without them having to change schools or seek support off-site.
Head teacher Annie Blackie said: "Every parent wants their child to be in the main normal practice classroom, but sometimes there are things we need to address to allow that to happen.
"We make sure that we meet with the parents to discuss what we think the child might need and what we can provide for them in the setting that we've created - and parents are incredibly supportive and they can see a real difference in their child."
The school, which has 384 pupils, currently has seven children using the 'bird's nest' and 10 in the 'stage not age' section - with pupils able to move between the extra support and traditional classroom depending on their need and progress.
The headteacher said: "It's been ever-evolving and there's no one fit because every child is very different and their needs are very different.
"We look at the barriers, their needs and how do we address those needs? We've been able to use the funding to make sure the adult supervision is right - and the environment too, we make sure that's right."
Sally Cresswell, the councillor in charge of Plymouth's schools, said: "Nearly three years ago we had an Ofsted, CQC inspection, which came out as poor and we've worked very hard on that since.
"Just recently we had a monitoring visit where we'd actually made good progress in all areas.”
She said progress has been made by allowing head teachers to take the lead and design support systems which they feel work best for their pupils, adding: “It's been able to improve things like attendance and reduce the number of children who might be excluded or permanently excluded.
"It has also reduced the number of parents who might feel that they have no alternative but to opt for elective home education."
The Government’s 2026 Schools White Paper highlights Plymouth as a national case study for effective, place based school improvement.
Councillor Cresswell added: "The paper praises the impact of the work in Plymouth, noting how strong partnerships between school leaders, the council, trusts and wider civic partners have driven sustained improvements in secondary outcomes. It reports that since 2019, the city has moved from having the lowest secondary outcomes in the South West to performance now close to regional and national averages, with disadvantaged pupils making some of the strongest progress.
"Our schools, services and communities have been working shoulder to shoulder for years to build an inclusive, collaborative system that puts children and families first. The recognition in the White Paper, alongside the reforms it sets out, reaffirms that the direction we have taken is the right one and gives us the momentum to go further. We will keep working with our families, our trusts and our partners to make sure every child in Plymouth can achieve and thrive, whatever their starting point.”
South West Devon's MP Rebecca Smith has launched a survey to understand the local situation for students with special educational needs which can be found here