Fawbert and Barnard Infants’ School has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence status.
Inspirational Learning Environment
Although the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) members at Fawbert and Barnard Infants’ School have only worked together for approximately 2 years, they have established an inspirational learning environment. A shared vision underpinned by clear workable structures has created a values-driven environment, responding to the needs of the entire school community. It is led by the most creative, yet humble Headteacher who works closely with his Deputy Headteacher and the Inclusion Co-ordinator, supporting and responding to his innovative vision. The 3 leaders form an exceptionally strong team and have developed carefully considered structures to support their School Development Plan (SDP). Inclusivity is at the heart of all decisions and has become a trigger for practical action, reflecting the values that drive the whole-school community. Staff, Governors, parents, and the pupils themselves respect the dignity of every person in the community so that inclusion is not just a dream for the future but exemplified in a tangible way every day. The Headteacher has a highly visible presence around the school which builds confidence and a united sense of purpose. He is leading the school in a Herts for Learning Pilot Safeguarding Project and has incorporated language detection software to identify potential safeguarding related conversations.
The Deputy Headteacher is responsible for maintaining an overview of Mental Health and Wellbeing within the school community. She has completed counselling training and works closely with outside agencies regarding safeguarding concerns. At a school level she works closely with the Inclusion Co-ordinator and the Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Lead to ensure that systems are in place to support pupils, staff, and parents. Most recently, following the social isolation of pupils during the Covid pandemic, a wellbeing library responding to the emotional needs of pupils has been created. Appropriate children’s books have been researched and now provide age-appropriate reading opportunities addressing issues such as anxiety, friendship, loss, and family separation. Some have been donated by parents and others purchased by the school. Content has been scrutinised and books have been allocated to specific year groups as appropriate. The Deputy Headteacher organises play therapy sessions for pupils with specific needs, which often include craft activities, play dough and puppets. She meets with parents when there are concerns about a child’s mental wellbeing, spending time to identify the cause of a child’s anxiety or distress.
Special Friendship Week
The Subject Leader for PSHE works closely with the Mental Health and Wellbeing Team to support the concept of wellbeing. She is training to become a Child and Young Adult Counsellor and is a member of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Team. The PSHE curriculum follows SCARF, a teaching resource which ensures coverage of this important subject. Recently, a special Friendship Week took place and included Junior school pupils.
The work of the Inclusion Co-ordinator is woven into every area of school life. She has developed workable systems to track pupil progress and curriculum coverage which greatly assist the work of subject leaders. Her commitment to the sharing of knowledge means that teachers have increased confidence in leading training sessions themselves and appreciate having their skills as educators developed and acknowledged. The Inclusion Co-ordinator is relentless in her determination to achieve the best outcomes for pupils with additional needs and because of the geographical location of the school on the border of 2 counties, she must respond to different systems and expectations. Parents recognise her efficiency and determination and feel confident that she will never cease to work for the very best outcome for their child. 
The social demographics of the area in which the school is situated might suggest that the needs of families and pupils within the school community are less significant than those in areas of greater deprivation. However, this theory can be challenged when the needs of a number of pupils within the school are considered. Senior leaders have welcomed pupils with the most significant additional needs so that they can experience the genuine support and care they deserve. The energy, determination, and relentless pursuit of the Human Rights of children by the Inclusion Co-ordinator, means that positive outcomes are being achieved. Pupils are defined by who they are as individuals and their additional needs are seen as an essential, whole-school and community responsibility.
The school employs a SALT who is a well-established member of the staff team. Over time her role has evolved and has greatly contributed to staff awareness and understanding of the complexities of speech and language development and its impact on learning. She works directly with children and their parents, or in an advisory capacity for staff and commends the school for its open and collaborative approach. She stated that ‘this school really understands what a SALT can do i.e., improve communication, remove barriers to learning, help children adjust to difficult social situations and unleash potential. In her own words she described the school as ‘My Nirvana’.
Workload is Manageable
Leadership and responsibility are distributed in a sensitive way so that as far as possible within the busy life of a school, the workload is manageable. For example, subject leaders have been allocated time away from their own teaching responsibilities to evaluate and understand the delivery of their subject areas within classroom teaching. This is over and above the designated planning, preparation, and assessment time (PPA). Tools to support their work have been selected and developed so that every subject leader is using the same approach to monitor and evaluate coverage and progression. Outcomes are cross referenced and shared with senior leaders, so that the inclusion and provision for all pupils and especially those with vulnerability is regularly assessed. The additional needs of VIPs i.e., ‘Very Important Pupils’ are highlighted, so that all staff can focus on the educational, emotional, and social needs of individual children.
The teacher responsible for leading learning in Mathematics described how she monitors progress of pupils across the school. She meets regularly with class teachers and the support staff so that any gaps in learning can be identified and addressed. Pupils with identified additional needs are a key focus as are those who are in receipt of Pupil Premium Grant (PPG). When necessary, interventions are put in place and the impact of these is measured and shared with senior leaders. (This model is applied by all subject leaders).
Another teacher described the profound needs of a child in her class and how she has adapted classroom practice to include him. By changing timetabling and approaches to learning all children are included and those who do not have additional needs have become accepting and supportive of those who need individualised provision. Special interests are valued, so that a child with an exceptionally strong tendency to develop a persistent focus on a particular topic, can involve other pupils in the learning through discussion, investigation, and creative activities. An Early Career Teacher (ECT) is enjoying her teaching responsibilities within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and is very well supported by the Early Years Leader.
The school looks beyond its immediate environment and a member of staff is developing international links to widen experiences for pupils. Links have been made with a primary school in Dubai and during a Zoom call, pupils were taught how to sing the Happy Birthday song in Arabic. A ‘Continent Culture Day’ comparing North and South America has taken place and links with Uganda are planned in the future.
Support Staff Feel Highly Valued
Support Staff feel highly valued and appreciate that they are regarded as important members of the teaching and learning team. They are invited to attend relevant training and are paid if this takes place outside of their normal working hours. They appreciate that training materials are posted on the internal network enabling them to ‘catch-up’ if they have missed particular information. They are also regularly updated during their Core Professional Development Meetings on information shared earlier with teachers. They have established excellent working relationships and agreed that they support one another and have developed a caring ‘family feeling’ within their team. They greatly appreciate the thank you cards that appear in their pigeon-holes and most especially the ‘golden ticket’ which enables them to have a paid half day off from work at an agreed time.
Parents described reassuring experiences as for many the school has become a lifeline for the future of their children. Simple actions such as the presence of senior leaders at the school gate and more formal meetings about the needs of individual children, have reassured them of the school’s commitment to inclusion. Some parents described the complex needs of their children. They described how senior leaders met with them prior to the admission date to reassure them that they had considered needs and that they had already planned supportive action. One parent who had experienced negativity in a previous setting said, ‘it doesn’t feel like my child is a burden anymore’ and another described how she felt that during Covid times her child had been lost within the LA system; however, because of the diligence of the Inclusion Co-ordinator at this school provision across the various agencies had been restored. Parents described life changing medical conditions and disabilities experienced by their children, but they have confidence in the staff team. Leaders demonstrate their determination to access a high level of support and understanding from outside agencies, as well as constantly reviewing capacity for effective support within the school.
Parents appreciate the Breakfast and After School Club which operate within school buildings. Although the facility is managed independently the school commitment to inclusion is respected and the service adheres closely to the school values.
Teachers are given supportive encouragement to lead information sessions for parents. Whilst these are often delivered in a face-to-face situation the slides or video recordings are posted on the school website so that parents who were unable to attend the in-house session can access information. The Inclusion Co-ordinator has delivered several workshops for parents focussing on areas such as: Trauma and Attachment; Speech Language and Communication; Sensory Strategies to Support Everyday Routines; and Self-Regulation
Similarly, parents receive regular Inclusion Newsletters which are also available on the website. These address many topics such as dyspraxia, anxiety, autism, and signing. They give parents support with issues that their children may be facing at home, as well as insight into provision and approaches within the school.
Excellent Working Relationship
The school has an excellent working relationship with the Junior school that most pupils join after Key Stage 1 (KS1). Teachers from both settings meet regularly, they visit each other’s schools and liaise closely to ensure the transition process is a positive and seamless experience for the children. Curriculum decisions are openly discussed and both Headteachers are totally committed to the support they can give to both schools. Parents appreciate this close relationship which is exemplified by the existence of one Parent Teacher Association serving both organisations. Parents and staff from both schools work together to organise social and fundraising events and money raised is distributed according to the needs of each school.
Governors who met with with our Assessor during the Assessment Day play an extremely active role in the life of the school. They are passionate about their role as ‘critical friends’ and supporters of the school and appreciate the improvements that the current leadership team has made. Statutory duties linked to Pupil Premium Funding, and Safeguarding are fulfilled and meetings with parents ensure that parental views are heard. One Governor is a regular classroom helper listening to pupils read, keeping her in touch with classroom practice. Governor visit forms are completed regularly and demonstrate detailed observations and challenging questions for the school. For example, during one visit Governors asked, ‘How do you know the school’s actions are having an impact?’ and during another visit Governors focussed on the support and monitoring of vulnerable pupils.
During the Assessment Day Governors gave extra information about the links with the Junior school and described activities that continually strengthen links between the schools. For example, Fawbert and Barnard pupils hold their sports day and an annual picnic on the Junior school field and teachers from Key Stage 2 (KS2) visit to teach the Year 2s before they move up. Similar systems (such as Provision Plans) have been devised by staff from both schools working together, thus enhancing continuity. Pupils from both schools shared a trip to the Houses of Parliament as part of their work on democracy.
Pivotal to the success of the school is the Office Team which is highly valued by school leaders. The Business Manager and her assistant have an astute understanding of the challenges faced by many parents and know how to diffuse difficult conversations with kind and helpful responses. They offer help and support to parents who find it difficult to disseminate information and give kindly reminders to assist anyone who is struggling with dates of payments, form filling, parental permission slips, etc. They show great empathy and extend their understanding to pupils with additional needs. The Business Manager spoken to on the Assessment Day has accessed British Sign Language (BSL) training. She has taught staff and pupils some basic signing during school assemblies and parents have been made aware how signing is used in school.
The Inclusion Co-ordinator has prepared meticulously for this assessment and has provided a great deal of information confirming the school’s overwhelming determination to meet the needs of every child. She is part of an exceptional leadership team whose passion and commitment to inclusion cannot be overstated.
Find out more about the IQM Inclusive School Award
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