Clarendon Primary School has achieved the Inclusive School Award.
Children are Confident to Support Others
Clarendon Primary School’s multi-million purpose-built building was opened in 2014 in Heywood Park. The building reflects the heritage of the local area with panels of brickwork fashioned into textile patterns reflecting the legacy of Robert Heywood, who gifted the park to the people of Bolton in 1862. Clarendon Primary School is very proud of its heritage and some current staff were able to play a role in the design of the new facilities. The corridors are wide and encompass breakout areas where interventions and targeted learning can be accessed.
In February 2020, Ofsted’s report said that Clarendon continues to be a good school.
There are currently 452 children on roll from Nursery to Year 6, with 82 pupils identified as having Special Educational Needs (SEN) and 15 pupils who are International New Arrivals (INA). There are 133 pupils classed as being disadvantaged and 341 pupils have English as an Additional Language (EAL). The Deputy Headteacher for Inclusion told our Assessor, “children are confident and accepting of Special Educational Needs (SEN) terminology and supportive of children with SEN as the terms are taught and learnt about through assemblies and discussions. Children are confident to support others and share their knowledge”.
Impacts on the Whole Family
There are 33 home languages within the Clarendon family and, as a result, communication and interpretation can become a barrier. In order to support and address this, if needed, during parental meetings, including Parents’ Evenings, interpreters are provided to promote effective communication. Most children speak two languages so children are ‘buddied up’, especially if they are new to the school, with a child or children, with whom they can communicate, with ease.
Clarendon impacts on the whole family and not just the children who attend. This whole family approach includes home visits to enable staff to understand the greater needs of the children and provide or signpost to support, as and where necessary.
Whole school trips, which provide real life experiences, are organised so that siblings, within the school setting, can share the experiences together and create lifelong memories. Staff explained they keep in mind that children at Clarendon may not have had the opportunities to experience life and experiences that children in other schools may have, so those opportunities are created for them.
One teacher said, “their lives are so busy, as many attend Mosque after school, that we give them as many as possible different opportunities in school”. The Governor told our Assessor that, “Clarendon is transformative. Children feel safe here; safe enough to try things that they wouldn’t get to try anywhere else.”
Leadership and Management are Strong
The leadership and management within Clarendon are very strong and based around whole school consistent principles and approaches to supporting the needs of all children. Through consistent processes, such as book monitoring, pupil progress meetings, performance management, staff coaching and subject teams, to name a few, all staff are aware of the expectations of them and their role but also of what they are to expect from the children. As a result of this consistent approach, whether the child is in Nursery or Year 6, they are aware of and understand their role in their educational journey. Consistency was a word that kept being repeated throughout the IQM visit by not just staff members, but also the Governor and parents in attendance.
Senior leaders identified the importance of how adults interact and speak with children and introduced training for the whole staff on emotional coaching. This has helped staff to understand the roots behind behaviours. This is also supported through the work that the Learning Mentor delivers to parents through family workshops.
Clarendon plan for ‘11 events before you’re 11’ within their curriculum and Culture Capital learning experiences. These extend from making mud pies in Nursery to visiting Jodrell Bank in Year 5 and having an activity centre experience in Year 6. Regarding their experiences at Clarendon, a pupil made the comment, “we’re not perfect, we will forget some memories but some will be long memories!”
A member of staff commented that, “we do things for the context of our children. Staff are determined that children get everything that they deserve. We treat each child as if they were our own”.
High Standards and Expectations
Very high standards and expectations are visible throughout Clarendon for pupils, staff and parents and within everyday learning and life. The pupils engage positively in all aspects of learning and respect is very much a two-way process.
The school has two dogs, Peggy and Diego, who play a huge part in the day-to-day life of the pupils. The children are able to read to the dogs and take them for walks, both of which promote positive mental health and wellbeing with the children.
Transition to secondary schools is prepared well and all children’s needs are considered during meetings with the secondary school staff. Children with additional needs are supported through Year 6 to become more independent and more understanding of their learning needs and styles in order to encourage resilience in their new setting.
The school has a pastoral register which is built on each year to support the needs of the children as they transition through school.
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.