Last year has been a huge step up for us. Trudy has started P4, which is the second half of primary school in Scotland. It represents a difference in expectation, a move away from play-based learning and more demands on pupils. For Trudy, who has Down’s Syndrome, it was going to be harder to share educational experiences with her peers. Despite being able socially and with communication, she can’t read or write yet and has less understanding of concepts within wider topics that she has no experience of. The curriculum moves into topics such as the Tudors or the Vikings for example, which might make Trudy think of the movie, ‘Brave’ and trigger a rendition of ‘Touch the Sky’ but she will undoubtedly struggle to grasp the significance of these periods in history.

We had planning meetings where we discussed what we might put in place for this year, with special attention on resourcing. She was well equipped with everything she needed to learn such as sloping board for her near vision work, and tablet for differentiated activities. The school even bought a programme specially adapted for learners with Down’s Syndrome.

The teacher has been excellent and established firm boundaries from the beginning, ensuring that exceptions are not made for Trudy unless necessary. As we know our daughter well, give her an inch and she will take a mile!

It all sounds fantastic in terms of learning and she has surprised us with her desire to learn and be involved in events at school. She was even trying to do homework at one point and has finally agreed to join in with PE.

Nevertheless, her birthday was harder this year. She did not get as many replies as she has done and she was not very able to say who her core group of friends were, unlike her brother who has had the same bunch of friends for four years.

They say the gap widens and it does, from a learning point of view. The social gap is trickier to assess and it really depends on good modelling from the entire school community, from the janitor, the parents, the office staff and more importantly, the senior leaders. If they can demonstrate that your child matters and that they have something to offer, it is easier for the parent community, the pupils and the staff to follow suit.

So the best thing that I saw this year was Trudy’s Headteacher offer to take her hand from me in the playground as I was dropping the kids off at school, for Trudy to go with her willingly, staring up at this very tall lady (for someone with Down’s Syndrome) whose role is often not very close to the children, and to walk off with her to join her class line chatting about whatever she wanted to talk about. It showed that, not only did the headteacher understand Trudy (which requires time spent with her and some tuning in), but also that her role did not usurp the importance of spending time with the children in her care, particularly with those who need it the most.

I imagine that small gesture might have turned a few heads that day and made sure that parents and carers understand that the school is a fully inclusive community and that teachers are primarily there for the children they serve.