Brambles Primary Academy has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence status.
Love and Nuture
Brambles Primary Academy is a school with inclusion at its core. Staff ensure all pupils are given the academic support they need to achieve their potential and also the love and nurture they need to develop into confident, resilient young people. They want children to feel welcomed, happy and fulfilled.
Brambles is a supportive setting which is dedicated to improving the life chances of every child. The Senior Leadership Team is committed to providing an ambitious, inclusive offer for every child who attends, with the Acting Headteacher stating, ‘We want the best for every child, every day, so that they leave us with a solid foundation and a bright future.’
The IQM lead talked with passion about inclusion, stating: ‘At Brambles Primary Academy we consider inclusion as equality of opportunity and work hard to provide opportunities for all.’ Staff work hard to ensure they are inclusive and supportive of all children and that they get the very best from attending this school.
Strong Pastoral and Wellbeing Offer
The school is a larger than average sized primary school, serving the Brambles Farm area of Middlesbrough. It is a growing mainstream school with 339 pupils on the roll. The school serves an area which is one of the most socially and economically deprived in the country. This is evidenced by Idaci data which shows that 96% of the children live in areas in the lowest 5% of overall IMD deprivation indices. It is the indices of low income, poor educational outcomes (determined by low performing secondary provision), low employment and poor health outcomes that are driving these overall IMD figures. As a result, the proportion of children eligible for Pupil Premium funding is over three times higher than the national average at 67% and is in the highest 20% of schools nationally.
Leaders are aware of the challenges this brings to their families; they have developed a strong pastoral and wellbeing offer and have a passionate and committed team who go above and beyond. The school is relentless in its pursuit to ensure that every child achieves their best and reaches their potential.
The school is part of the supportive Tees Valley Education Trust. The Trust’s vision is: ‘Delivering educational excellence so that all Tees Valley Education children can achieve their dreams, hopes, aspirations and a great sense of self-worth.
‘By doing this, our children will become outstanding citizens able to contribute to society with the skills, ability, confidence and voice, to shape a better future for all.’
Community of Learners
Brambles Primary Academy demonstrates this vision and it states on their website, ‘At Brambles Primary Academy, our motto is ‘Learning together; growing together; making a difference.’ This embodies our belief that, as part of the Tees Valley Education Trust, we aim to develop a community of learners who, through the use of dynamic teaching and learning, committed collaboration and a consistent drive for progress, all achieve their full potential.’
Leaders at Brambles highlighted the support the Trust provides and the benefits that they get as a result of being part of the Tees Valley Education family of five primary schools, located in Middlesbrough and Redcar.
This is a school where relationships matter. Relationships are valued and nurtured. The leadership team believes relationships are the key to ensuring success and this commitment to relationships has paid off. Throughout the Assessment day it was evident that relationships across the school community were strong. Children reported being cared for. The school uses their values to support in relationship building and as part of the important character curriculum.
The core values (kindness, resilience, respect and teamwork) are weaved into all aspects of academy life as well as providing a golden thread through areas of the curriculum. The school values are built on mutual trust and respect for all. In addition, experiences and encounters provide children opportunities to apply learning and core values to explore their own impact on their local, as well as the wider, community.
Leaders have created a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum that allows children to have the essential knowledge, skills and experiences to embrace the opportunities they encounter and experience success.
Support Packages
Mental Health and Wellbeing needs are taken seriously by the school and the school has dedicated teams, such as the Wellbeing Team and the Pastoral Team, who ensure there is a strong targeted support package for those children who need it. The academy currently holds a gold award for Headstart as well as having a named Senior Mental Health Lead and named Children’s Mental Health Lead. They also hold the Healthy Eating Gold Award. Staff wellbeing is also a high priority and there is a strong offer of support for all staff. Leaders have an overview of where support may be needed and consideration is given to workload. Staff talked about how leaders are approachable and supportive, with an open-door policy. Support for staff and pupil well-being are an integral part of the school ethos.
It is evident that at Brambles Primary Academy, staff work hard to address the holistic needs of the whole school community. The vision of an inclusive school is clear and evident from policy to practice.
The Inclusion Quality Mark Coordinator produced an accurate and detailed evaluation of the school’s position. This was further supported by conversations with various people from the whole school community, which illustrated that the detailed and impressive written evidence was accurate.
Find out more about the IQM Inclusive School Award
If your school is interested in obtaining the IQM Inclusive School Award or you wish to talk to a member of the IQM team please telephone:
028 7127 7857 (9.00 am to 5.00 pm)
or email: [email protected] for further details.
Want more information on the IQM Award? Click here to request your free IQM information pack.