Catherine Infant School Achieves IQM Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence Status

August 14, 2026

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Congratulations to Catherine Infant School on achieving the IQM Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence Status. This outstanding recognition celebrates the school’s unwavering commitment to inclusion, ensuring that every pupil is valued, supported and empowered to succeed.

Inclusive Excellence Recognised

Catherine Infant School is a highly inclusive school where staff demonstrate a strong commitment to supporting every pupil to succeed. Leaders have established systems and structures which enable pupils with a wide range of needs to be supported effectively. The strong relationships between staff, pupils and families create a positive and nurturing environment in which pupils feel safe, valued and ready to learn. The dedication of leaders and staff, combined with high expectations and a deep understanding of the community they serve, creates a school environment where pupils are supported to flourish both academically and personally.

Specialist Support Provision

Catherine Infant School has developed an exceptionally strong reputation locally for its work supporting pupils with additional needs. The school hosts a Designated Specialist Provision (Rockets) for pupils with autism and communication needs as well as an Alternative Provision known as Galaxy. These provisions provide structured and supportive environments where pupils can access specialist teaching tailored to their individual needs.

Language Unlocks Learning

The school’s curriculum has been designed to support the needs of its community, with a strong focus on language development and early reading. Approaches such as Talk for Writing, Talk for Reading and Read Write Inc phonics are embedded across the school. Catherine Infant School is recognised as a Showcase School for both Talk for Writing and Talk for Reading, reflecting the strength of its work in this area. Leaders emphasised the importance of developing confident readers and communicators and, during the visit, this focus was evident across classrooms and in discussions with staff.

Empowering Family Partnerships

Partnerships with parents and carers are a notable and highly effective strength of Catherine Infant School and reflect the school’s deep understanding of the community it serves. Leaders recognise that many families face significant barriers when navigating the education system, particularly where English is not the first language or where parents have limited prior knowledge of the support available to them. As a result, the school has developed a highly supportive approach which places strong emphasis on building trust, ensuring accessibility and empowering parents to understand and advocate for their children.

Enriching Wider Experiences

The school also works with a range of organisations to enrich pupils’ learning experiences. Leaders described the importance of providing opportunities for pupils to engage with the wider community and to develop their understanding of the world around them. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about educational visits they had taken, including trips to the King Richard III Museum, the Toy Museum and visits to a local temple, which help bring learning to life and broaden pupils’ experiences beyond the classroom.

Find Out More About IQM

The Inclusion Quality Mark provides schools with a nationally recognised framework for developing and celebrating inclusive practice.

If your school is interested in achieving the IQM Inclusive School Award, contact the IQM team on 028 7127 7857 or email admin@iqmaward.com.

To find out more about IQM and request a free information pack, visit www.iqmaward.com.