Curwen Primary School retains IQM Flagship status 

August 18, 2026

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The retention of IQM Flagship status highlights Curwen Primary School’s enduring commitment to inclusion. Having held the IQM Inclusive School Award consecutively since 2017, the school continues to lead through innovation and the development of outstanding inclusive practice.

Supporting Every Child and Family

The IQM Lead (SENDCo) told me, “We support families in whatever way is necessary, this could be with uniform, housing, learning, SEN support or simply just being here to listen.”

Opportunity and Ambition for All

The Head advised that extra-curricular activities form part of the curriculum. In this way all children have the chance to do things that they might not otherwise try, with over 60 clubs from debating to gymnastics available, alongside trips to art galleries and theatre performances. Staff work hard to ensure that children with the most complex of needs are able to take part in all trips, including residentials.

Children in Oak 1 are pre-verbal but now ready to learn. This is because of the curriculum followed on that Pathway which means they can communicate using core boards, AAC devices, BSL and have personalised task trays which are differentiated for each child with literacy and numeracy tasks.

Belonging, Diversity and Inclusion

The children I met with were clearly very happy at the school, when asked what the best thing about the school was, they stated that they couldn’t answer the question because; “there’s loads of best things!”

The children described the school as “vibrant” and “diverse”, saying that they found it interesting to learn about other peoples’ cultures. They explained that the school was “very good at inclusion” and gave me the example of a pupil who had joined them just yesterday and “already had friends.”

I was able to meet with one parent/governor who could not have been more effusive in her description of a school which “really does go above and beyond.” It was noted by her how open and approachable staff at the school always are, and she believed that the needs of both of her children were very well met. She had nothing but praise for the way the school had identified her son’s needs on his very first day and shared that support had been put in place for him immediately.  This parent further noted that she could see clear progress for her son and said she felt “satisfied” and “reassured” by all that they do at the school to support all the children not just hers.

The displays around the school are bright, welcoming, and reflective of the inclusive nature of the school. There is a beautiful (and very prominent display) created for Kindness Week, based around a book the children were reading called; “It Is OK To Be Different.” Every single child in the school contributed to the display, making little books about themselves and their differences. The school is getting ready for International Week and the main “Heart Space” of the school is currently draped with flags from all over the world.

All classroom doors had posters detailing the languages spoken by that class, as well as photographs of two classroom buddies, there are also Zones of Regulation in each room and visual timetables.

The assessor was able to meet with a group of staff including the Early Language and Multilingualism Lead, some LSTs and some TAs.  The Multilingualism lead explained the importance the school placed on multilingualism in order to celebrate language, culture and identities and “push the culture of belonging.”

Learning Together and Growing in Confidence

There is a consistent effort made to include the majority of SEND children in the mainstream where possible, for example, children from Sycamore Pathway will attend registration, then make their way independently to Sycamore for the morning, before joining their regular class for lessons in the afternoon. One example of how staff help children to regulate is the “green chair” – as it sounds it is a green chair that any child can sit in for a few minutes to help regulate. This is simple, yet effective.

All staff and children spoke highly of the Forest School provision, where the children learn what it takes to build a fire, what a fire needs to burn, how to look after the environment or about the seasons. It is typical of Curwen that staff do not shy away from including all children in these outdoor sessions, even sessions that could have the potential to dysregulate some children.

The school has many other local and global links, including, for example, a link with a Spanish school whose children regularly visit. Children celebrate global days/events such a World Book Day, International Women’s Day and Black History Month.

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.