Christopher Whitehead Language College has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Flagship status.
“Specialist Language College”
The school’s designation as a “Specialist Language College” is used explicitly to signify Christopher Whitehead as outward looking, welcoming and an advocate for diversity. It is now over 10 years ago that the school first welcomed a group of Syrians who had settled in the UK to begin a new life. The school now has 110 students for whom English is not their first language. The development of language skills, whether through the school’s modern language courses, the demanding Mandarin Excellence Programme or learning English as an additional language is seen as a way to acquire insights into cultural differences.
All Students can Achieve
The school believes that all students can achieve and indeed, no students leave the school without a course, apprenticeship or pathway to a successful adult life. The school also offers opportunities for all to excel whether this is in academic terms, sporting success, drama, the arts, music or leadership.
Importantly, ambitious statements of intent are backed with well thought-through and rigorously delivered plans, activities and processes. The curriculum is based on mixed-attainment groups in Key Stage 3 to ensure that every student gets equal access to all content. This is challenging and requires finely tuned support systems and high-quality teaching to turn rhetoric into reality.
Progress is rigorously monitored, and interventions triggered where appropriate. The school has an above average proportion of students with SEND and has invested heavily in ensuring that they are supported and able to access the full curriculum. Leaders at Christopher Whitehead Language College recognise that the learning journey for some students will not always go smoothly and has built in very effective support structures whether this is for academic interventions or for allowing students to take time out and refocus. The key principle is to identify the needs of the individual and respond accordingly.
Staff within the LSC often act as advocates for vulnerable learners. Key staff have completed Trauma Informed School Training and guidance is given to the wider staff group on strategies for understanding and acting on individual need. The pastoral system also has a focus on learning and progress. Every student has a learning mentor and the twice-daily sessions build positive, supportive relationships. At key times in the year, students also get 1-1 sessions with their learning mentor where targets are agreed and/or progress evaluated.
An overview is maintained by Directors of Studies with their weekly meetings alongside a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Interestingly, these meetings are also attended by two students from each house. Giving students meaningful responsibilities is important to the school and there are many opportunities for leadership development.
There are currently around 250 students engaged in DofE programmes. The wider extra-curricular offer is impressive. Take-up of activities is monitored and the school goes the extra mile to maximise involvement, something recognised in the recent OfSTED visit when they reported that the school has a “strong focus on character development” and “an impressive range of extra-curricular clubs available daily”. Inspectors rightly pointed out that “these opportunities go beyond the expected”.
Something for Everyone
Students around the school during the visit were invariably courteous and lessons appeared purposeful with evidence of a very positive climate for learning. The impressive new performing arts facilities will clearly do justice to the considerable talent that students have in this area. This was described as part of the school that clearly has something for everyone such as performing, writing, technical skills, marketing, set design, lighting and production.
In many ways, this captures many aspects of the school’s approach to inclusion: something for everyone; opportunities for all that flex to match interests rather than the other way round. A curriculum that is designed to allow access for everyone, with rigorous yet flexible support structures to ensure that no-one “slips through the net”. A pastoral system that ensures no student, to quote James Pye, becomes an “Invisible Child”.
The Headteacher and other senior leaders have clearly articulated an ambitious vision for all learners and this is turned into reality through careful attention to curriculum design, high quality teaching and comprehensive support structure.
This is a truly inclusive school, and the new MAB will clearly widen the school’s scope in ensuring that even more students are supported through their school life.
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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