Bush Hill Park Primary School has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Flagship status.
All About Chidren
It was a real pleasure to return to this very special inclusive primary school that is all about children. They come first in everything. Staff are all united in the bid to make school a safe and secure sanctuary for children. The learning environment of the school is warm and welcoming. The building is well-maintained thanks to a brilliant premises team and is respected by the children. Every bit of space is used to provide additional private spaces for interventions and small group activities. There is no clutter anywhere and everything is where it should be. All doors are fobbed so there is no opportunity for children to go missing and they are not able to leave the building unnoticed.
The first official meeting of the day was with the Deputy Headteacher/Inclusion Co-ordinator as she went through all that had been happening in the school since this Assessor’s last visit two years ago. She spoke about all the different roles she is fulfilling besides being the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) and Deputy Headteacher and about all the different networks she is part of and some she is leading. Her philosophy is that if she is at the table when pilot projects are handed out and where new opportunities arise – she wants to be there to ensure Bush Hill Park is first in the queue. This strategy has certainly worked and the school is involved and often leading on a whole host of different projects that benefit children and staff.
The school is still a Local Authority (LA) maintained school and is part of several Enfield Networks, but they have joined the HEP (Haringey Education Partnership) along with many other Enfield schools. They have found that the service provided and the networks in this partnership are far more beneficial to the school. This partnership is necessary because so many Enfield schools are part of a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) that it is hard to stand alone.
Support
The number of pupils with Social, Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) issues has grown rapidly since the Covid-19 pandemic. These children need a lot of support from staff and the school has sought support from Outreach where special schools work with children in particular blocks of time. They also work with staff to help them develop strategies to support these children. This support has been very much appreciated by staff and is enjoyed by pupils and is making an impact on helping them deal with their anxieties.
The Deputy Headteacher/IQM Co-ordinator has recently completed ELKLAN training along with the Speech and Language HLTA and subsequently all staff, as this has been a major thrust of the IQM Flagship Project. ELKLAN is all about speech and learning strategies that are so needed in the school.
The school’s safeguarding policy and procedures were discussed. They use SAFEGUARD to record concerns and follow-up actions. There is a safeguarding team including teachers and support staff and they work closely together to ensure children are kept safe.
The service provided by the LA was discussed and it was explained there is a very small Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) team in the Borough and they have introduced another level of referral. They must call the Consultation Line before making a MASH referral, but this is quite useful.
School Culture
The next meeting was with the Phase Leaders (Year 1, 2 and 3) who is also the Music subject lead and a full-time Year 2 class teacher. The topic for discussion was ELKLAN training and how this was being implemented. ELKLAN has been coming into school, providing small group training as part of an ECAS Project.
The Deputy Headteacher explained that she currently teaches Year 6 one day a week and this allows her to try some of the new strategies for herself. Teachers work with colleagues (in threes) to peer observe each other and to talk about the lessons they have seen. The school culture is very supportive and teachers are permitted to try new things and to take risks if they feel are appropriate. The senior team uses ‘drop-ins’ instead of formal observations where possible to gauge the quality of teaching and to support colleagues. Teachers are good at saying when and what they need help with. The senior team is also willing to put their hand up and say what they are having difficulty with. They are learners along with their teams.
Support staff have also had training in ELKLAN and when the Speech and Language Therapist comes in, she works with the individual children as well as the LSAs who support them, so they can follow up with the programme in-between visits.
Leadership
Next was a discussion with the newest Deputy Headteacher (Curriculum and Teaching and Learning). She is class-based two days a week and she has other leadership responsibilities attached to her role. Teaching and Learning is key to the success of the school and our Assessor asked if the school had strict rules about the pedagogy across the school. Are teachers required to follow a particular lesson planning format? The Deputy Head said they needed to support ECTs to have appropriate guidance and structure and to have a consistent approach. However, experienced teachers can be more creative.
The last meeting of the day was with two of the three ELSAs. The third one on the team was absent from school that day. One is also a Learning Mentor and the other two are LSAs. They have all completed their ELSA training and are given an afternoon a week each to work one-on-one with targeted children. They have all been working in the school for several years and they explained that the Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team (SLT) are supportive. The DHT (Inclusion) line manages them and is where they go when they need to get things off their chests. She is also where they can bounce ideas off and talk through things. They all feel that they are appreciated, and their contribution is valued. They are mostly based in class when not doing their ELSA work.
The ELSA team now has an ELSA room and they have protected time, attend regular network meetings and have group supervision. They meet formally with the DHT once a term. There are referral forms completed by teachers and there is a set criterion for working with children.
Concluding the visit our Assessor added, “My visit to Bush Hill Park School was truly inspiring. Their collaborative approach to every aspect of their role sustains and energises all who work and learn in the school. Collaboration is the order of the day and supporting and helping each other within and outside the school is just what happens. It makes them unique and special. A great example of an IQM Flagship School. “
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.
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