Castlefort Junior Mixed and Infant School in Walsall, West Midlands has achieved the Inclusive School Award.
Happy Welcoming School
Castlefort JMI School is a happy welcoming school (Ofsted 2020) that is judged to be Good by Ofsted. It has results that are above national average and pupils make progress that is very Good from significantly low starting points. Pupil premium eligibility is above average at 39%. It has achieved many accolades including Rights Respecting Silver Standard, ArtsMark Silver Standard and Attachment Aware and Trauma Informed Schools gold standard to name but a few.
It has a simple but effective set of values of be ambitious, be kind, be courageous, be respectful and be the best you can be. These are designed to help children reach their full potential in line with the school’s mission statement ‘Inspiring Bright Futures Together’.
‘Go Over and Above’
The word family comes up repeatedly in conversations with all stakeholders and parents are hugely appreciative of the work that the school does to include everyone. One described how the school “always go over and above and have never made our children feel different, neither do the other children because it’s just the way they work here.” Another said, “It’s brilliant, I have a different daughter now.”
This is because the school has facilitated reasonable adjustments such as a bespoke entry routine and a choice of where to spend break and lunch times to avoid individuals becoming overwhelmed by the noise and scale of large groups. Consequently, individuals feel better able to cope and have built their confidence to such a point that they now sometimes opt to join in with others when they choose.
The Haven Hub
The Haven Hub is hugely popular with pupils. It is based on research into effective learning environments that advocates a stripped back approach but the school has gone much further by adding soft lighting, neutral colours, a carpet, family photos, plants, soft furnishing areas, a range of desk options with different heights and configurations, bunting, settees with even the ability to wear slippers or take off shoes.
Pupils describe feeling calmer and more focussed as a result and say they produce better work as a result. During our Assessor’s visit, all pupils had opted to wear only their socks and many were rubbing their feet on the carpet whilst engaging with purposeful high-quality work.
Pupils enjoy school and feel safe because of the inclusive culture that exists. They know that it is ok to get things wrong because FAIL stands for ‘First Attempt at Learning.’ They know that they can share worries and they will be listened to by using their worry monsters to place concerns inside and zip up. They enjoy their playground as there is lots to do and there are many various activities to explore due to the size and high-quality facilities available.
Pupil Peace Patrollers
Pupil peace patrollers have been trained to ensure that all break time disputes are mediated before they need to get to a dinner lady or teacher. They have a badge and fleece and record all things in a book which is moderated by staff.
Pupil playground leaders organise and support games and monitor their use, this includes responsibility for putting equipment out and bringing it back in again.
Sensory garden monitors ensure that relevant pupils gain access but over time this has expanded from just the pupils who need it to allow 2 pupils per class the ability to also visit. This is used as a reward that brings with it the ability to pet the school rabbits who reside in a large pen in the garden.
Tec troops monitor iPad use, collecting them and ensuring they are put on charge. Staff ensure that children selected for these roles are often those who do not often get recognised in other ways. All roles have lanyards so pupils feel special which is important because by creating a wide range of valuable social roles the school are actively strengthening one of the protective factors against poor mental health.
Staff are passionate about their work in the school and describe how they feel that leaders promote their work life balance by giving a day each half term at home to modify existing plans to fit their current cohorts. The sharing of previous planning supports workload reduction as does a teacher friendly marking scheme. This is a view shared by governors. Staff frequently change year groups to ensure their teaching remains focussed, preventing professional slippage.
Nuturing Minds
Staff can refer pupils into Nurturing Minds, a TA run intervention to protect mental health for specific children who they have concerns about. This may be resulting from trauma, breakup, bereavement, anxiety or low self-esteem. They go to a sensory room nearby which allows close relationships to build with a trusted member of staff. They can bring a friend or someone they do not know as well either. During lockdown, a mental health classroom was set up on Google Classroom for anyone who wanted to call in for additional support.
All staff have Makaton training and there is a sign of the week shared across the school. This is useful as recently some younger children need it to help communicate when they first arrive. There are also strong links with a very close special school and this helps support their pupils when they visit in preparation for reintegration back to their local school.
There are numerous after school clubs which target pupil premium engagement including sewing, jigsaw, gardening, Spanish, performing arts, cooking, boys and girls football clubs etc.
There are lots of interventions in place such as SHINE based on previous results to identify gaps in learning which allows groups to be created targeting common areas e.g., inference in reading, vocabulary or fractions for 15 to 20 minutes each day across Year 2 to Year 6. It is very hands on and practical which results in high levels of engagement and enjoyment meaning pupils want to participate.
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