Camrose Primary School in Edgware has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Flagship status.
Bright and Cheerful Building
Camrose Primary School is located at the border of the London Borough of Harrow, next to both Brent and Barnet. It is a two-form entry school with 411 pupils on roll and is 84% EAL. In September 34 new children started throughout the school, with many speaking no English at all. SEND is at 8% with EHCPs at 1.7%. This will be increasing as more applications are processed. PP is at 22%. The Nursery is only open in the morning as several private nurseries have opened nearby. There are only 18 pupils on roll out of a possible 26.
On entering the school and walking around, our Assessor was struck by how bright and cheerful the building is. Corridor displays are of extremely high quality and many of them are 3D in design. These displays are immaculate. The fact that they are not damaged by the pupils shows the pride they have in the school. The classrooms also have creative and bright displays that reflect the learning taking place in the room.
Specialist Teaching Areas
Space is at a premium in the school and so most interventions must take place in corridors and corners where little work areas are set up. However, they are in places with reduced footfall and there is good light from windows. The pupils observed, were engaged in the sessions and it was clear that staff take time to make the environment and the materials they are using, stimulating. There are also individual stations set up outside of classrooms for pupils who need time away from a busy room and peers. These areas are personalised with the pupil’s name and are inviting.
The school does have some specialist teaching areas. There is a library, staffed by an enthusiastic part-time librarian who does much to encourage the love of reading. She runs games and competitions and has an author coming into school to work with the children. Bi-lingual books are available in the library. In addition, there is a computer suite and a cookery room. On the Assessor’s tour of the school, they saw the latter being used for an EAL group studying Macbeth. Outside the playground has patterns and activities on it and there is an adventure playground, outdoor gym, and an area with musical instruments. They observed a PE coach working with pupils in the playground.
Speech and Language a Priority
Speech and language are a major priority for the school and all of the Early Years support staff are ELKLAN trained. A Speech and Language Therapist (SALT) attends the school every Monday along with a Speech and Language Assistant. The SALT reviews the pupils’ targets each week, may set new targets, and will support with resources. Support staff can contact her via email during the week to ask questions or request further information. This is excellent joint practice that supports positive outcomes for pupils.
The whole school focuses on reading and phonics between 9.05 and 9.30 each day. The school now uses Little Wondle as its programme. Key Stage 1 phonics crosses into Key Stage 2 where needed. All new children arriving in Key Stage 2 are assessed so that they can be given additional support, as necessary. The school aims to offer continuity of the same teacher for these sessions. Small groups of pupils are given extra support outside of the classroom.
Child at Centre
The school has a new Governing Body and so at the start of the year, held a training day at a hotel for staff and governors where they looked at the SDP. This was a valuable experience for staff and governors and supported the understanding of the school’s priorities and the way forward. The governors spoken to to were enthusiastic and eager to develop their work. They appreciated the information the Headteacher shared with them, liked the open-door approach for them and described how useful it had been to attend a Middle Leaders’ meeting. The Governors fully support the Headteacher’s and staff’s view that the child should be at the centre of everything so that all can achieve their potential. They recognise that the staff have high expectations for all.
The staff fully support the school’s inclusion agenda. There is an open-door policy in the school and all staff are prepared to help. Resources are freely shared as is staff expertise. The access to a staff counsellor as well as external support is welcomed. Relationships between the staff are strong and teachers and support staff spoke highly of each other. All feel valued in the school. As one member of staff said, ‘We value children and as staff we are valued’. The Headteacher will allow them to try new things so a range of initiatives are in place. Professional development is supported by regular training and an online platform is available which means that staff can access training at times convenient for them.
Staff Persevere
Staff know their pupils and are passionate about what they do. They aim to support and explain. They do not give up but persevere and consider new methods. An example of how staff understand the needs of the pupils is shown in Year 3. This year group had been adversely affected by lockdown and so this year the school has invested in that group by splitting it into three classes rather than two. This will give the pupils additional support. One classroom is smaller and can only accommodate 15 pupils, so care was taken about how to group the pupils.
The EAL Co-Ordinator is fully aware of the challenges for the staff and champions the progress of the pupils. All new arrivals are assessed and as many may never have had any schooling, support is given to both pupils and staff. Pupils are withdrawn to give them additional support and are introduced to Flash Academy and Learning Village, that can then be used to support them when they are in class so that they can feel involved and integrated in lessons. The school is well resourced to support these pupils, talking pens, for example, and the aim is to make greater use of Google Classroom.
A HTA spoke about the adaptive teaching in lessons and the support for small groups outside of the class. Work is usually prepared by the teacher and there is always feedback and discussion. Her opinions are valued and discussed. She also covers PPA time, teaching RE as well as offering challenge to higher ability Maths pupils and she takes part in after school clubs.
Another example of how the school makes effective use of the skills staff have, is a TA who was brought in to offer one-to-one support for a boy who has suffered PTSD and trauma. He supported the boy at the end of Year 5 and through into year 6. The TA is now on a Pastoral Leaders course and will become part of the Pastoral Team. I witnessed how his work was celebrated by his colleagues.
Parents are Well Supported
Parents are well supported in the school. There is a wealth of information on the website, but staff have gone further by creating a team, Parents Educating Parents, (PEP). The PEP team is made of parents who speak the main home languages and are co-ordinated by the EAL lead. They support other parents informally in the playground and more formally in meetings in school. They must apply for the role, which can support them as they look to find employment, and week meetly to plan and discuss what they will do. Recently they held workshops and now plan to target language groups individually. The aim is to help the parents to understand the school systems and the education system.
Parents told our Assessor how ‘absolutely fabulous’ the school was. Not only have their children been supported but they said they had been supported themselves during difficult times. Staff offered a shoulder to cry on and parents know that they can pick up the phone if they need help. The parents told our Assessor that they are fully informed and if they have their own ideas or suggestions, these are listened to and appreciated. There was a real feeling of warmth and support in the meeting with parents which was mirrored in the meetings held with staff.
The pupils are happy and enjoy their time in school. They said teachers were friendly and that learning was interesting. Staff do as much as they can to engage them and they particularly liked the science experiments. They feel safe in school and know who to speak to if there is a problem.
They explained about how they can help each other at playtimes where they can help and support pupils sitting on the Rainbow Bench. This is the place to sit when feeling sad. Their voice is heard formally via the School Council.
They told our Assessor the school was perfect and one boy thinking carefully said, ‘We are all included in everything. We are all different but fit together like pieces of a jigsaw.’
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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