Arrow Vale Achieves IQM Flagship Status

August 27, 2026

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Arrow Vale High School has achieved IQM Inclusive School Award with Flagship Status in recognition of its commitment to inclusion, its innovative approaches to supporting students and its determination to remove barriers to achievement.

Inclusion remains a central thread throughout the school, shaping attendance, literacy, curriculum development and provision for vulnerable learners. 

An Inclusive Approach to Attendance 

The Academy Trust Director for attendance is also the Vice Principal with responsibility for attendance at Arrow Vale and work this year has been on creating a more cohesive attendance programme across all of the Trust’s 15 schools. The Trust has introduced the ATTEND Success Strategy. 

The Need-Led and Vulnerable Strategy ensures student’s SEND, Medical and care/family needs are considered with appropriate support provided. Four days absence always triggers a SEND review, investigating possible barriers to learning and triggers Trauma Informed practice. 

Improving Literacy for All Students 

The priority for reading this year has been on Wave 1 provision across the school. Leaders have introduced the ‘5 foundations for Supporting Reading’, providing non-negotiables for all teachers to follow when introducing and using any texts within a lesson. 

The 5 Foundations cover pre-teaching of content and context using images and visuals, building background knowledge, explicit teaching of key vocabulary and ensuring text is broken down into short manageable chunks that are accessible by all students. All staff have received training on the 5 foundations and ongoing monitoring and Quality Assurance is ensuring the approach is being applied across the curriculum. 

Intervention for the weakest readers has been further developed during the last twelve months. The school has now appointed an Achievement Assistant as Reading Lead who is responsible for all reading interventions. Reading+ has been fully implemented since January 2026, and data is already showing some good gains in students’ reading ages and comprehension. 

Enriched Provision 

The most significant development within school over the last academic year has been the creation of their Enriched Provision space which has its own entrance and toilet facilities. This is supporting with improving the attendance of the schools Persistently Absent and Severely Absent SEND students. 

Staff provide a predictable, quiet and low sensory demand environment where the students can gradually re-engage with their education. Students follow a bespoke, individualised curriculum according to the gaps in their knowledge and their EHCP needs. This provides opportunities for students to overlearn or pre-learn new subject specific vocabulary, strengthening their reading comprehension through specific reading age-based resources and using online platforms including MathsWatch to revise topics that they have missed. 

The Enriched Provision space is staffed by a trained speech and language therapist and the school’s literacy lead Achievement Assistant is supporting the literacy development of students. Sessions are closely matched to individual needs and reading ages as well as their literacy barriers. The calm, low anxiety environment enables students to re-engage with reading and writing. 

Forest School and Belonging 

The school’s bespoke Forest School, set up as part of the Enriched Provision, allows students to access a different way of engaging with adults to uncover the barriers to their sense of belonging in school and therefore, their attendance to it. 

The Forest School provision, based in an adapted car port and garden area with greenhouse and reclaimed pond, has a bespoke folk tale, literacy driven curriculum that drives related outdoor activities, including cooking over a fire, baking bread, wood carving and involving students in projects that help widen and develop their involvement in school life. They are also developing artwork and noticeboards for communal areas. 

Student Leadership 

Student Leadership opportunities across the school, led by the very active Sixth Form, are exceptional and continue to evolve year on year. Their key aims for the year include embedding student leadership across the entire school, ensuring that students play a part in shaping school life, enhancing the sense of belonging within the school, and developing essential skills to build and grow confidence. 

A major success for Student Leadership over the last 12 months was the school production driven by the Creative Arts Committee who co-wrote a version of the musical ‘For One Night Only’. The production involved students from all year groups with performing, working as stage crew, and designing and making the set. The school held two sell out performances with the show being highly successful. 

Find Out More About IQM 

If your school is interested in achieving IQM Inclusive School Award, contact the IQM team on 028 7127 7857 or email admin@iqmaward.com. 

To find out more about IQM and request a free information pack, visit www.iqmaward.com.