Laidlaw Schools Trust Opens ‘Skylight’ – A New Model for Inclusive SEND Provision

Laidlaw Schools Trust is proud to announce the opening of Skylight, a new specialist SEND provision designed to support pupils aged 3 to 14 within a mainstream setting. 

Positioned between Sedgefield Hardwick Primary Academy and Sedgefield Community College, Skylight will be accessed by pupils from both Academies, creating a seamless, inclusive approach that spans the primary to secondary phase. 

The centre has been funded through the generous support of the Laidlaw Foundation, alongside Durham County Council. Its opening marks a significant milestone for the Trust, moving from concept to implementation of a model designed to operationalise inclusive mainstream provision at scale. 

A Response to National Priorities 

The launch of Skylight comes at a time when national policy continues to emphasise earlier intervention, improved outcomes and stronger inclusion for children and young people with SEND. However, across the system, there remains a gap between these ambitions and the environments available within mainstream schools to deliver them effectively. 

Skylight has been designed to help close that gap. 

The centre provides a live, working example of how mainstream provision can be adapted to: 
• enable earlier and more effective intervention 
• reduce reliance on external services 
• prevent the escalation of need 
• maintain a strong sense of belonging within mainstream education 

This is not just a building – it is a working model of how mainstream settings can be brought to life by an exceptional multidisciplinary team, including SEND specialists, educational psychologists and skilled practitioners working alongside school staff. Together, they enable earlier and more effective intervention, reduce reliance on external services, prevent escalation of need and maintain belonging within mainstream education. 

Comment from Sally Newton, CEO, Laidlaw Schools Trust 

Speaking at the opening of Skylight, Sally Newton reflected: 

“We had the right ambition, but we did not have the right system. And that is still the challenge we face today. 

The national direction is clear. We are moving towards greater inclusion within mainstream education, and that is right. It is necessary, and we fully support it. 

But there is a risk that we respond by simply creating more places to send children, rather than changing how the system actually supports them. And if we are not careful, we risk embedding a new form of exclusion inside mainstream schools. 

Because inclusion is not about where a child sits. It is about whether they can access learning, whether they feel they belong, whether they can participate and whether they can succeed. 

And that is the question Skylight is built to answer. Not ‘where can this child go?’ but ‘what must change around this child so they can belong, learn and succeed?’” 

Purpose-Built for Inclusion 

Every element of Skylight has been intentionally designed to support a broad, ambitious and inclusive curriculum, alongside personalised support for pupils with additional needs. 

The facility includes: 
• a play-based Early Years classroom supporting communication, sensory development and early intervention 
• a structured KS3 classroom enabling high-quality teaching, independence and strong academic outcomes 
• dedicated group rooms for targeted interventions, including Attention Autism and live-streamed learning 
• sensory stimulation and sensory calming rooms supporting regulation, wellbeing and engagement 
• an immersive classroom using technology to enrich curriculum experiences 
• a therapy room for speech and language, social communication and therapeutic support 
• welcoming breakout and transition spaces to support emotional regulation and attendance 

Together, these spaces enable a flexible, responsive approach that supports pupils to access learning, build independence and thrive within a mainstream environment. 

A Model for the Future 

Skylight represents more than a single provision; it is a scalable model for inclusive education across the Trust. 

As Laidlaw Schools Trust looks to the future, Skylight will play a key role in shaping how SEND support is delivered more widely. Plans are already in place to replicate this model across the Trust’s North East clusters, ensuring that more pupils can benefit from high-quality, inclusive provision within their local schools. 

The opening of Skylight also provides an opportunity to contribute to wider system thinking, offering a practical example of how policy ambition can be translated into effective, sustainable practice.