Easington Colliery Primary School, Easington in County Durham has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Flagship School Status for the third time.
Introducing Easington Colliery Primary
The review started with a virtual tour of the school led by the IQM Coordinator and the Deputy Headteacher. They gave a warm welcome and were friendly in their interactions with all the staff and children they encountered throughout. The atmosphere was very positive. It is a clear that this is a school where strong interpersonal relationships are the foundations of the inclusive approach. The staff have a clear, shared understanding of emotional dysregulation and prioritise this within the classrooms. The Headteacher and Senior Leaders explained how “everyone is welcome”. It
“doesn’t matter where they come from, who they are, what their ability or nationality is, they’ve chosen us, and they are all welcome here.”
The staff aim to provide a safe and secure family ethos to give all children a sense of belonging and foster shared connections.
Engaging Pupils
The Guided Learning Centre welcomes children from other local primary schools who have been identified as at risk of exclusion. The IQM Coordinator is part of Durham Council’s Exclusions Panel and is passionate about working with schools, families, and children to prevent permanent or repeated exclusions across the Local Authority. To support children at risk of exclusion in their own setting, Easington Colliery Primary School have established a Nurture provision entitled The Link. Leaders worked with the Emotional Wellbeing Team at Durham Council and follow the Nurture UK model to provide a targeted intervention for this vulnerable group of pupils.
Reach for the Stars
The Nurture Room is purposefully designed with vibrant, inspiring displays, specialist equipment and resources to provide a nurturing environment. There is a ‘Reach for the Stars’ rewards display with a rocket for each child to travel through the solar system, gaining stars as rewards along the way. Celebrating others’ successes and accepting praise themselves were challenges identified amongst the children accessing the Link intervention. Therefore, the staff focus on praise and reward to make it habitual, allowing pupils to accept it more easily. They have a Rewards Wheel to spin when they have been successful, to give them ownership of the reward. The Link Group watch the virtual whole-school celebration assembly together and are supported by the staff to encourage them to be happy for others when they receive the awards.
Strong Links
The Nurture Team are fully aligned to the school’s inclusive vision and the impact data of the intervention work carried out is positive. The pupils who have accessed The Link intervention have not received any more fixed term exclusions subsequently. When not in the Nurture Room, the pupils are fully immersed in the learning in classrooms and are fully integrated at play times. During their afternoon session in The Link, the pupils work on the classwork from the planned curriculum. They also participate in Calm Time and Circle Time sessions to develop their social skills and aid them in expressing their emotions. They enjoy snack time together, which gives them the chance to socialise in a more informal setting. At the end of the day, the pupils are given the choice of games to play followed by a reflection session. The ‘Star of the Day’ pupil receives a treat and a wristband to wear to go home, demonstrating their success to parents and carers. The rewards correspond with the ‘STAR’ qualities, 20 values which have been identified to focus on in The Link to support pupils’ wider personal development. Most of the children have identified social and communication difficulties. They are screened using the Boxall Profile at the start of the programme to generate specific targets. To ensure parents are supportive of the programme, the Team distribute flyers which communicate the benefits of the programme. During the review, I met with the children who are accessing the Nurture provision. They all enjoy attending and some pupils commented how the intervention “helps me in class” and that they “don’t get in to trouble as much now”. Another pupil said that since accessing the provision, he has “learnt not to be afraid of things”. They particularly enjoy the snack time and the ‘choice’ time where they decide which games to play. The Nurture intervention is having a positive impact on all children who access it.
Everyone a Valuable Piece of the ECPS Jigsaw
The learning environments across the school are inspirational and purposeful. Each classroom has an art piece displayed on the door which has been created by all the children in the class to promote a sense of togetherness and collective identity. For example, on one door there is a jigsaw which illustrates how each person makes up part of the class “family”. There is a positive vibe across the building with displays, such as the kindness display, which implores children to
“throw kindness like confetti.”
On this display, children share kindness messages with each other on post-it notes. All classrooms have an inclusive learning environment to support all children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). There are quiet zones which can be accessed by any child throughout the day. There are emotions check-ins displayed in each room which are tailored to each class. There are ‘Happy Trees’ which staff and children made during the Happy-Centred school sessions. The display work is unique and embodies the inclusive ethos of the school.
Pupil Ambassadors
I had the pleasure of meeting the Pupil Ambassadors during the review. There are Ambassador representatives from each class and one Ambassador Lead. They said they really enjoy their roles as they
“get to help loads of people and that’s what makes us good role models”. One Ambassador said that “getting to help others makes me happy.”
They all feel happy at school and talked about how the “lessons actually help you” and the “teachers make the learning easier”. One child talked about how “everyone looked after [him]” when he first joined. Describing the teachers, they chose the adjectives “nice, phenomenal, helpful, kind and respectful”.
Shining Example of Inclusion
The school is proud to be an IQM Flagship school and the staff enjoy working with other schools to widen their influence in creating an inclusive culture. They work closely with the Local Authority to support other schools. The SENDCo is part of the working party for the neurodevelopment pathway and improving provision for autism across the Authority. The IQM Coordinator is passionate about inclusive provision “for all children – not just in our school but the Local Authority and beyond”.
Springboard for Future Success
Easington Colliery Primary School is serious about standards and progress, as well as inclusion. The end of Key Stage results were above national in many measures in 2019. There are rigorous pupil progress meetings in place. Staff look at all barriers for each child and put the necessary support in place to overcome them. The curriculum is ambitious to allow “the children from this school to stand shoulder to shoulder with pupils from across the country at places such as Oxford University.” The Leaders understand that high attainment is a “springboard” for successful futures. The pupils are currently on-track to meet their end of Key Stage targets.
Exceptional Support for Pupils with SEND
The support for children with SEND is exceptional. There is a child-centred, whole school quality-first approach to ensure that all pupils benefit. All classes are supported through Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HTLAs) and Teaching Assistants (TAs), where needed. The vision for children with SEND is to prepare them for life beyond primary school through developing their independence. The SEND Coordinator (SENDCo) is supported by two Assistant SENDCos. They lead a working party with two TAs and the Occupational Therapist to ensure the provision for SEND is continuously evaluated and developed. There are currently 88 pupils on the SEND register and a higher-than-average number of pupils who are supported by Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). The universal Quality First Teaching provision has led to a reduction in the number of children needing additional support.
The aim is for “any child coming in [to Easington Colliery Primary School] to have their needs met” including any children with complex needs. The SEND Team “will go above and beyond with adaptations to meet all needs.”
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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