Gorse Hill School has achieved the Inclusive School Award.
Journey of Rapid Improvement
The school is part of The White Horse Federation (TWHF) Academy Trust. Since the appointment of the Principal in April 2021, Gorse Hill Primary School has been on a journey of rapid improvement, leading to a positive change in culture and the quality of provision. This was recognised in the very recent Ofsted inspection which not only confirmed Gorse Hill as a ‘Good’ school but also praised the leaders’ ambitions for SEND pupils and the collegiate approach taken to implement change. The positive improvements made are underpinned by a very clear vision and a set of values which are founded on the principle that ‘Every Child Can’ and a shared philosophy that education is a vehicle to achieve social equality.
Without exception, all staff share this inclusive and caring vision and work closely together with senior leaders and, increasingly, with families and the community to realise this ambition.
Pupil Groups are Welcome and Supported
The school serves an extremely deprived area where most families speak English as an additional language, with half speaking Konkani which is a non-written language. This means that these pupils start school having never experienced the written word. Increasingly, the school welcomes refugee children, many of whom have experienced some trauma in their lives. A significant number of children start school with poor personal social and communication skills. An increasing number also have more significant Special Educational Needs (SEN) and require specialist support.
Against this background, the Principal and his staff have worked hard to ensure all pupil groups are welcomed and supported to help them become confident, caring and independent young people who are well prepared for the next stage of their education. The Courage, Appreciation, Respect, Responsibility, Excellence (CARE) values are the foundation of this principle and of everything the school does to realise this ambition.
It is impressive that, in only a relatively short time, these values are understood, embedded and permeate through all aspects of the school’s work, helping the children to make the right choices and respect their friends, whatever their culture or background. Pupils speak with pride about the school and their achievements.
Work Extremely Well as a Team
All staff work extremely well as a team and, whilst many are new to teaching or to their middle leadership roles, they have embraced the challenges. They fully appreciate that they are well supported by senior leaders to develop their knowledge skills and understanding of the best strategies to use to make lessons accessible for all learner groups. Consequently, lessons and additional support provided is leading to good learning and the learning gaps are closing.
The Trust and local school Governors recognise the hard work that has been undertaken to improve the school and praise the focus and drive of the Principal, recognising his high expectations to further develop the school and its inclusive practice. In this, the decision to become involved in the IQM process, so soon after the Ofsted inspection, is evidence of the determination of leaders to leave no stone unturned to ensure they deliver the best possible inclusive education for all pupils.
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.