Castle Hill Infant and Junior School in Ipswich has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence status.
High Aspirations for Every Child
Castle Hill Infant and Junior Schools promote high self-esteem and high aspirations for every child. The school values of Pride, Ambition and Respect embody the ethos within the school. The vision statement focuses on every child being equal, unique and valuable. The leadership of the Headteacher and the Senior Leaders ensure that all staff have similar inclusive aspirations for the children.
The progress made over the last six years in the achieving schools which are inclusive in all their practices and who work so closely together has been exceptional. Everyone in the schools is committed to ensuring there is a culture of equality and diversity. The schools promote high aspirations for all the children and continue to develop the understanding of the behaviours required for a full and healthy lifestyle in preparation for adulthood.
Castle Hill Infant and Junior Schools have been on the same site for a number of years, but it is only over the recent years that the schools have been working as one unit with two Heads of School and an Executive Headteacher. The schools are, to all intents and purposes, one school with common policies and an ethos which is consistent across the EYFS, KS1 and KS2. The Infant school is graded ‘Good’ by Ofsted and the Junior School as ‘Requires Improvement.’ However, these judgements do not reflect the work that has been achieved across the two schools over the past years.
Across the two schools there is very clear evidence of positive, warm relationships between staff and pupils. Staff have good relationships with each other and with the children who constantly demonstrate the warmth of that relationship. Staff are calm with the children and often ‘playful.’ Their patience with children who need additional support is evident in all their work. The behaviour of the children in both formal and informal settings is good.
Everyone’s voice is heard, encouraged and valued, both adult and child. The close collaboration between teachers, TAs and non-teaching staff to improve the chances for all children and the growing support of parents and their growing understanding of the school’s inclusive agenda, are strengths of the school. The Leadership Team, Governing Body, the Academy Trust and other stakeholders are focused on raising standards and maintaining the school’s ethos, while ensuring that the children’s backgrounds do not limit their outcomes.
Dedicated and Strong Leadership
The dedicated and strong leadership of the Headteacher, her accessibility, commitment to inclusion and improving the opportunities for all children has had a major impact on the schools’ positive, inclusive developments over the past six years. The Curriculum Drivers of Nurture, Engage, Inspire and Achieve together with strong links to Trauma Informed practices support resilience, independence and self-worth.
The good performance management systems have been effective in focusing teachers and non-teaching staff on the school improvement plan and moving the school forward. Everyone who was interviewed by our Assessor had a positive, upbeat view of the children and wanted the best for everyone individually. There is also a recognition that outcomes at the end of KS2 need further improvement.
The focus on a creative, inclusive and challenging curriculum offered to every child is a major focus across the school. The curriculum seeks to encourage ambitious and life-long learners. There is a consistency in approach to phonics, reading, writing and maths which reassures the children. Phonics and handwriting are linked and children use the school-produced exercise books to ensure handwriting is a priority from an early stage.
The curriculum is accessible and every child has the potential to succeed. ‘Praise what can be praised’ applies to the bottom 20% of learners as well as everyone else in the school. Those children with additional needs have scaffolding to ensure they are not left out. There is also a philosophy within the school that you should ‘never be able to pick out a child who is receiving additional help.’
Pupils are given opportunities to retrieve their knowledge at regular intervals throughout the unit through a ‘teach – test – teach – test’ cumulative quizzing model to support cognitive load. The use of ‘live marking’ and whole class feedback to ensure pupils have regular feedback on their successes and developmental areas happens regularly and the use of research to ensure pupils and staff are receiving the best possible opportunities to develop their teaching and learning is built into the school professional development opportunities.
Provide a Calming Influence
The curriculum is constantly under review and is monitored by Senior Leaders who carry out learning walks which usually consist of 10 minutes in each class every two weeks. Feedback can be verbal, in writing or a coaching model. Different adults work with different teachers and the process is meant to be developmental rather than judgemental.
Outdoor learning is a key focus of the curriculum. Each class has two Forest School sessions each year which allows them to see the environment in different seasons. Half of the class is involved in an excellent Forest School provision whilst the other children have smaller class sessions in art and music.
There is also a Little Forest School for younger children which acts as an introduction for cautious or vulnerable pupils. The curriculum is diverse and reaches out to the local community. A number of visitors to the school and visits to local places of interest are regular. The outdoor learning environment includes opportunities for children to develop aspects of sport and learning through play.
The well set out EYFS outdoor environment encourages free flow and teacher directed and child-initiated activities, whilst the playground and field have a range of apparatus to encourage children to play creatively.
A sensory garden also offers a quiet, reflective area for children who need a break from their learning in a controlled and meaningful way. Some children can also take advantage of the trampoline to regulate and the chickens and guinea pigs provide a welcome escape for other children. The school has two dogs whose owner brings them into school each week and they also provide a calming influence.
Observations during lunchtime demonstrated that the children used the spaces effectively and enjoyed the time they had to use apparatus that was provided for them on the playground by the adults supervising. Some children who found the hustle and bustle of the playground ‘too much’ had the option of eating their lunch in the Nurture Room where they were able to converse with their friends.
The sensory room and Jabadao room (a room where children are encouraged to be physically playful) also provide a quiet haven for stressed children. The Learning Knights are to be seen on walls in the school and outside on the playground to remind children of the characteristics of learning. The welcoming outdoor environment gives parents and visitors a good first impression of the school and the office staff present a friendly reassuring face to parents and visitors and often diffuse difficult conversations with their understanding attitude. All staff feel included in school life.
Everyone interviewed spoke of inclusivity and the care and concern for their wellbeing demonstrated by the SLT and colleagues generally. The school continues to ensure that all staff are able to teach children with complex needs in an inclusive environment.
Celebrating Children’s Work
The Early Excellence resources are used to create a highly effective, continuous provision in the EYFS and in KS1 and KS2 they are used to encourage children to independently access resources. There is a consistency of display in classrooms and shared areas which shows a balance between celebrating children’s work and providing a focus for learning. Visual timetables in every room, dedicated reading areas, calm areas, sensory boxes and a recognition board in every classroom ensure a consistent approach for children. Working walls are consistent and this expectation is set out in the school’s Learning Environment Handbook. Displays in shared areas highlight the school’s inclusive themes.
Displays emphasising the Zones of Regulation and their meaning and the recognition board celebrate children’s good, consistent behaviours. Excellent 3-D displays focus on writers such as Roald Dahl and Talk for Writing and Talk for Reading are given high priority in terms of display. The stairs up to the Year 6 classes have the names of children’s books on each of the steps as a gentle reminder to the children to try one of them.
The school environment is inspiring, organised and reflective of the learning experiences that are available to children around the school. All year group teachers have PPA time together which allows for them to plan for consistency and ensures the curriculum, displays and resources are considered to meet the needs of the children.
The atmosphere in classes and in shared areas is calm with children reflecting and valuing the care and attention which all staff show for them. Children are often involved in the decision-making process when matters relating to their school environment and learning are concerned. House Captains, Sports Captains, Prefects, Sports Ambassadors and Anti-bullying Ambassadors are just some of the ways children are encouraged to take part in looking more closely at their environment.
There are early morning maths lessons for some pupils and an early morning breakfast club ensures children have access to a breakfast and/or a space to go if their parents leave early for work. Extra-curricular clubs enrich the curriculum. Choir, football (boys and girls), art, dance, Forest Schools, Spanish, and multi-sports are just some of the clubs that are available to children.
There are three houses Eye, Framlingham and Orford to which staff and pupils belong. These represent the three castles in Suffolk and there is good, healthy competition generated with the allocation of team points for work and sport. Awards for a number of activities during the week and positive reinforcement for behaviour and work are celebrated on a weekly basis in assemblies virtually with children and parents. Up to 200 parents have been present at these virtual meetings which demonstrates that not all the lockdown activities were negative.
Children enjoy their time in school. One child said he thought ‘marking and feedback was excellent- my teacher loves a post-it note!’ Another child said, ‘I love Forest Schools. There is always something interesting to build or look at.’
Ready, Respectful, Safe
The Ready, Respectful, Safe rules are consistently applied around the school to regulate behaviour. The ‘we praise in public, reprimand in private’ focus on behaviour supports all children and the Learning Knight and Spotlight achievement awards recognise and celebrate positive behaviours. Staff have high expectations to ensure children have a positive learning experience. Meet and greet at the gate in the mornings diffuse any parental or child concerns and hot chocolate Friday and a very positive rewards system identify those things that children do well.
There are two Special Units in school and one has developed due to the level of need. One unit has 30 children, the other 12 children and the other, the Drawbridge is highly sensory focused to cater for children with early developmental needs. The Drawbridge has been in use since September. A daily sensory diet with sensory breaks for everyone twice daily, Fit2learn each morning for some children before school and sound therapy have all been incorporated into the school day to ensure there is a focus on children’s mental and physical wellbeing.
Inclusion Facilitators are also available all day to respond to any calls from staff who are concerned about specific children. The Facilitators respond to a call and are able to meet the needs of vulnerable children instantly. There is also a restorative approach which offers children the opportunity to learn from their poor choices and this is used effectively across the school.
Excellent work is carried out with families, pupils and the community generally to ensure that children are cared for and valued. There are good communication systems which give parents and carers confidence in the school and in its support for their child’s needs.
Inclusive Ethos
Parents are in full support of the school and its inclusive ethos and could not praise the school enough for its excellent communication and openness. One parent said, ‘I like how they talk about other children’s behaviour. There is so much kindness- every child is an individual.’
Another parent added, ‘Whenever a child needs to move on, they have!’ They all felt that there had been huge improvements in the last six years. One parent said that she had had 3 children in the school over the last 12 years and had also seen excellent improvements. They felt that they had received a great deal of family support and the school was always ready to address any issues in any way it can.
Another parent commented, ‘I love the sensory diet!’ Transition from primary to secondary school was seen as being very helpful and the support for families in general was very well thought through. None of the parents were part of the parent forum but realised that it would help them have a better understanding of the school in the future if they did take part.
They did, however, speak about the PTA and its role in organising events to raise funds and offer a social occasion for parents providing opportunities for parents to engage formally and informally with school. Discos, Christmas and Summer Fayres and fund raising for charities and for school were all events that received good support. The EAL community in the school is growing and the school wants to further develop communication with that group of parents.
The Governing Body has grown over the past year and the support and challenge expected of a Governing Body is now present. The Governors are thinking about investments in two schools and whether this is sustainable for the future. The SEND Governor was interviewed and she spoke of the inclusive ethos of the school and how relationships between adults and children were excellent.
She spoke of the way adults spoke to children and the opportunities that children have to reflect on difficult events still leaving them positive. She makes two visits each term and meets with the Inclusion Lead/SENDCo. The Governing Body is to receive improved inclusion training in the future to ensure all Governors are fully aware of their responsibilities.
The school has strong links with the local community and are changing the perception of some local people who have a negatively, historical view of the school. There is good support for local and national charities and an involvement of the children in raising funds for children less fortunate than themselves.
The school is very much part of the community and staff have also planned for outside visitors to enhance experiences and learning in school. The school aims to ensure that its children see beyond their home environment and what opportunities exist. Staff want the children to understand that their current learning leads onto many opportunities. The curriculum is consequently designed to include local, national and international references.
An Outstanding, Caring Environment
Castle Hill Infant and Junior Schools are examples of schools committed to meet the needs of their children. The schools work well together as one school and they are outstanding in their commitment to and implementation of inclusive practice. It is an outstanding, caring environment for pupils in both schools where high expectations have a huge impact on progress, attitudes, behaviour and wellbeing.
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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