Shireland Portals

Life at Shireland

These links will help you build a clear and engaging picture of what it’s like to be part of our school community.

Advice from current Shireland students

  • ‘Be prepared for all lessons’
  • ‘Listen to your teachers and try your best.’
  • ‘Take part in clubs’

Inclusion and SEND

At Shireland Collegiate Academy, we are proud to be an award‑winning, inclusive school and a recipient of the SENDIA Award, recognising our commitment to high‑quality SEND provision and inclusive practice. We are also a trauma‑informed school, placing wellbeing, relationships, and emotional safety at the heart of everything we do.

We understand that transition from primary to secondary school can feel overwhelming—particularly for students with SEND. Our carefully planned Year 6 transition programme is designed to support every child to feel confident, secure, and ready for the next stage of their learning journey.

In addition to our whole‑school Transition Programme in July, we offer a dedicated SEND Transition Day in June. This full‑day experience allows students to become familiar with key spaces, routines, and staff within a calm, supportive environment. Students take part in relationship‑building activities, creative tasks, team‑building challenges, and a relaxed, adapted academy tour tailored to individual needs. 

Our transition offer is further strengthened by a range of universal and targeted supports, including:

  • Early information sharing with primary schools and SENDCos
  • Personalised transition planning for students with additional needs
  • Opportunities to meet key staff and explore safe spaces
  • Trauma‑informed approaches that prioritise regulation, reassurance, and belonging
  • Ongoing communication with families to ensure continuity of support

Our aim is simple: to ensure that every child—especially those with SEND—feels known, understood, and supported as they move into Year 7 at Shireland. Please see our full inclusion provision at Shireland here and see our amazing team of staff: Inclusion – Shireland Collegiate Academy

Dupoto

At Shireland, we believe every student should feel understood, confident, and able to navigate their own journey. Dupoto supports this by giving all learners a simple, visual language to explore who they are, what they need, and how they grow.

Using a set of accessible icons, Dupoto breaks down complex ideas like identity, wellbeing, and decision-making into clear, relatable concepts. This benefits every student, while being particularly powerful for our SEND learners, as it reduces reliance on complex language and allows students to engage in ways that suit them best.

Through structured sessions, students are supported to:

  • Understand their strengths and how they learn best
  • Express themselves with confidence, in different ways
  • Develop strategies to manage challenges and change
  • Build a strong sense of belonging within the school community

Dupoto is inclusive by design. Students can engage through visuals, conversation, movement, and reflection, ensuring that every learner can access and benefit from the experience. For SEND learners, this flexibility provides multiple entry points, helping them to communicate, participate, and succeed alongside their peers.

Our aim is simple, to give every student the tools to understand themselves, communicate their needs, and move forward with confidence.

FAQs

Summer School takes place in the first week of the summer holidays and gives you the chance to meet your new classmates and teachers, while taking part in your first L4L lessons and some exciting extra-curricular activities. 

We would highly recommend that you attend, as it will help you feel more confident and comfortable in your surroundings when you start school properly in September. However, we do understand that your families may have arranged for holidays or visits in this time.

There is no expectation for you to wear school uniform for Summer School. You will be taking part in some physical activities, so make sure you are dressed appropriately. 

You should have received a letter informing you about which form group and house you have been placed in.

At Shireland we use a system called Arbor to communicate with parents. It is essential that you can access this on either your phone or via the website on your browser. The school will share your child’s report and academic data via Arbor, and it also allows you to view your child’s attendance, behaviour and achievement record. Please contact your form teacher if your family are struggling to access. Students will also have their own version of Arbor so that you can join clubs, view your timetable and check your ‘Strive For Five’ score.

The first person that you should be contacting for any school related problem will be your form tutor. They will offer you the support you need.

If you have any further questions, please complete the questionnaire and we will try our best to get in touch as soon as we can. Transition queries  – Fill in form

Transition Home Page