Forest Academy, in Brandon, Suffolk has been awarded the Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence status.
Introducing Forest Academy
There is a distinct sense of integrity, ‘family’ and ‘community’ at Forest Academy, and this was articulated, and highly regarded by, everyone. The Headteacher has an inclusive and aspirational vision for the school and an open-minded approach is shared and evident as central to the school ethos in everything the school does. Throughout the two-day visit to Forest Academy, the assessor experienced firsthand its outstanding inclusion offer – Forest Academy is a place where everyone is welcomed, individuality is valued, strengths are nurtured and where the potential of every child is a priority. Guided by Senior Leaders, staff are fully committed to being flexible and adaptable to provide a good education for all children regardless of background or barrier to learning, in every aspect of school life.
Dynamic Leadership
The Leadership Team recognises the unique characteristics of the community it serves, and this is reflected in the ‘family’ values and the school’s vision of supporting everyone to reflect the core values “Be Kind, Be Safe, Be Responsible.” The Senior Leadership Team has high expectations for every aspect of the school’s work and this strong ethos permeates across the school, where staff believes that all pupils are capable of making good progress. The school’s mission statement is ‘to be able to walk into any classroom, at any time, and see and hear all children enjoying their learning and progressing.’
Collegiate Approach
Adults’ wellbeing is also nurtured and prioritised. Support for staff and a constant drive to manage workload are an integral part of the school’s approach. This helps to ensure that staff can be effective role models, understanding and fully engaging with inclusion for all. Everyone takes professional responsibility for the individual needs of learners within their care and understands that ‘every interaction matters.’
Removing Barriers
There is a significant variation of needs met at the school. These include physical disabilities, impairments, complex to severe SEND and difficult and dangerous behaviors. Forest Academy has been on a long journey to identify, support and drive forward the standards for all children and from the Headteacher down, there is a real drive to continually move forward the offer made to all children and their families in the school community. The school has a significant number of pupils identified with SEND needs, above the national average, and further children identified as needing additional support, requiring the support of social services, or with English as an Additional Language. Robust systems have been developed, and staffing levels and the Inclusion Team have grown, as meeting the needs of all children within the school has been prioritised. The team at Forest Academy does not stand still and is fully aware of its ongoing objectives, collaborating with partners e.g., Suffolk County Council in pursuit of excellence; to develop skills, knowledge, understanding and a robust universal offer, as well as providing support for neighbouring schools and agencies.
Ensuring Success
During the visit, a professional from the Local Authority’s Special Education Service spoke extremely positively of her experience in collaborating with school staff, describing Forest Academy as “the most inclusive school…they have an amazing offer.” The assessor was told that the Inclusion Lead and Senior Leadership Team are viewed by the Local Authority as highly effective role models for children and colleagues in other settings and they have been asked to share their experience at local forums. She described a culture of fully engaging with inclusion and relentlessly promoting high standards. She said that class teachers take professional responsibility for the individual needs of all learners within their class. In Suffolk, Forest Academy is held up as a school of excellence and receives many visits from SENDCos and Inclusion Staff from other schools, looking to learn from the excellent practice here.
Knowledgeable Staff
The Inclusion Lead/SENDCo is an outstanding role model and has all of the relevant qualifications, expertise, knowledge, and experience of what works, all of which are essential for the ongoing pursuit of excellence in this area. It was clear from our discussions that she is an outstanding leader and coordinator of inclusion in the school. This includes the further development of universal, targeted, and individualised best practice provision as part of a graduated response to need across all areas of primary need. The strong Senior Leadership Team and the experienced and knowledgeable Governors provide invaluable expertise and assistance to all, staff are supported with advice and guidance on best practices and class teachers are accountable for the progress of every child they teach, regardless of need.
Empowering Pupils
The pupils spoken with were all aware of the inclusive ethos of the school and were able to give numerous examples of how they aim to be kind, safe and responsible at every opportunity. They described Forest Academy as a happy, supportive, and safe place that they enjoy coming to every day. The Inclusion (KIND) Team works hard to ensure that children’s learning and emotional needs are well-catered for and that families have the support they need. It is acknowledged by Leaders and the Chair of Governors that having a fully inclusive approach is crucial to pupil progress and good relationships and that this provides the foundation for successful learning. Through assemblies and the curriculum, children are encouraged to celebrate and respect diversity. Children are also encouraged to support their peers and understand the range of conditions and significant needs that are evident in school.
Parental Partnership
Leaders are rightly proud of their inclusive culture and engage fully with inclusion, rigorously monitoring from policy to practice. Parents greatly appreciate the fact that everyone in school consistently goes above and beyond to make them, and their children feel valued and included. Parents gave numerous examples of the consistent effort on the part of the staff in school to welcome everyone, listen, communicate, and identify vulnerable pupils as early as possible, in order to maximise their learning potential. This begins with a robust transition process into Early Years, where the Lead Teacher is a qualified SENDCo and continues throughout the pupil’s time at Forest Academy. Positive comments from parents abound; “we feel so grateful,” “staff here are amazing,” “this school is the best,” “all children are accepted here” and “they encourage everyone to show respect for the whole school community.”
Well Rounded Citizens
The school is fully committed to ensuring that children at Forest Academy are exposed to ‘cultural capital’ and all children are enabled to take a full and active part in every activity within the school, by funding the majority of experiences, as well as supporting vulnerable families financially and emotionally. Communication of external opportunities for all children is regularly sent out to families by the Inclusion Lead and Safeguarding and Welfare Officer, with funding streams, support and childcare opportunities offered to families to facilitate their attendance.
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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