The Academy of Cuxton Schools in Kent has achieved the IQM Inclusive School Award.
Inclusion at its Heart
The Academy of Cuxton Schools has Inclusion at its heart! The Academy of Cuxton Schools is committed to valuing the individuality of the pupils and works hard to ensure that they support all children to achieve. Through the dedication of the Leadership, Staff team, Governors, and other specialist staff, Cuxton succeeds in providing an Inclusive learning environment where everyone is helped to succeed.
A Warm Welcome
Visitors to the school are warmly welcomed by all the staff and there is a happy and productive feel to the school. The children enjoy coming to school and value their teachers and teaching assistants. One of the children that I spoke to said, “They are good educators!”.
Opportunities to Learn
The school team know about the area they serve and believe that every child in the school should have opportunities to learn and feel included. The Senior Leadership Team, SENCo, Staff and Governors share this aim and work together to ensure that the school is a place where ‘Inclusion is at the heart of all that we do at Cuxton’.
Background
The Academy of Cuxton Schools is made up of an Infant and Junior school that have a shared leadership team. There has been some redeveloping of the schools’ building so that it has become one site for the two schools. This means that although the school appears to be a through primary, they have retained their independent status and have recently been graded as ‘Good’ by OFSTED at both schools. Since then the school has continued to aim for high standards and the attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is above national expectations. The Leadership Team set challenging targets through the School Development Plan, based on continual evaluation.
Well Resourced
The school is very well resourced, which includes outdoor space, ICT equipment and staff, and these are used to their greatest effect. Cuxton works hard to support its parents and uses a wide variety of ways to communicate with them so they are well informed of their children’s learning and specific needs. This was reinforced by the parents through letters and emails, who were very grateful for the support they received from the school.
Staff Value Learning
Staff at the school value learning and are supported by the Leadership Team and Governors. The school utilises a number of other specialist staff from the Local Authority that support teachers and TAs to assess and provide intervention and support for its pupils, so that they can succeed in their learning. These include the EP service, Specialist Teachers and Speech and Language Therapists.
Supportive Governors
Governors support the school effectively and are knowledgeable about the strategic plan for the school. They understand their role and use this to drive and hold staff accountable for the progression of the pupils at all levels. The Chair of Governors is effective at holding the school to account and understands her role in developing the strategic plan.
Sources of Evidence
The IQM Co-ordinator/SENCo produced a very comprehensive Self Evaluation Report, with the support of the previous SENCo, and also provided a comprehensive selection of documentary evidence to support all elements of the IQM Report. The SENCo commenced her role officially at the beginning of term but before this had worked closely with the previous SENCo to understand her role and the activities required to ensure the smooth transition between staff, continuing the inclusive practice that was taking place at the school. Along with SEN Assistant for inclusion, these two members of staff have a real enthusiasm for the school, pupils, parents and staff which means the school’s provision for SEND is a high priority. They are dedicated to providing an environment where everyone is able to achieve and where progress is a high priority. The Deputy Headteacher praised the SENCo for her work so far, and her professional approach to taking over a challenging role.
Pupils are a Credit to the School
The pupils are a real credit to the school. They confidently speak about their school and what it does to help them feel included and valued, as well as how they learn. They are proud of the school and what it offers them as pupils. As a result of how pupils are treated at school, they in return, support each other and value the differences they have.
Helping all Children to Make Progress
During the learning walks I was able to see how strategies had been put in place to help all children to make progress in their learning including those with disabilities. Classroom displays and resources were used to support learning and teachers used a variety of teaching methods and strategies. Interventions and planned adult support was used to develop and enhance children’s learning, from their individual starting points, and this allowed for progress to be made. The school ensures that as much learning takes place in the classrooms as possible and that all children are taught as part of quality first teaching. The school seeks to provide specialist equipment and additional support is provided for those who need specialist intervention for learning, physical development, speech and language and I.T. skills.
Behaviour for Learning
The behaviour in classes was very good and demonstrated behaviour for learning. The children were engaged in the activities they were doing and understood what they were learning. Children with additional needs are planned for using a number of strategies and interventions, where appropriate.
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.