Granard Primary School continues to be a truly inclusive school, providing a positive and enriching experience for all children, where diversity is celebrated, and every child’s needs are met with understanding and respect. The environment is welcoming and supportive and the ethos is all about acceptance and belonging. Children feel valued and accepted regardless of their abilities, backgrounds, or differences.
The school fosters a sense of belonging and community for all. There is a real focus on building positive relationships among children, staff, and parents, promoting a supportive network where everyone collaborates for the wellbeing of each child. An Educational Psychologist reported, “our next step is to look at establishing a Relational Policy. This needs to be carefully considered, for example, in the Base, behaviour management is different and we need to involve all stakeholders. I’ve been listening to a podcast by an Educational Psychologist who talks about relational policies”.
What is remarkable is the level of personalisation which is established around many children and their families. Adults are proactive in problem-solving and think about ex-pupils as well as current ones. For example, when Granard children move on to secondary school, they can still access the Granard After School Club during Year 7 to help them transition successfully. Adaptations are the norm at Granard Primary ensuring that all children’s learning styles and abilities are catered for whilst ensuring that each child can access the curriculum and achieve their potential. A parent reported, “my daughter entered a Speak Out competition with Wimbledon High School where she had to go on stage in front of people and talk. She used to have speech therapy as a young child and had a lot of support from the school and now she is in a speaking competition.”
The personal development of all children across the school is paramount. Roles and responsibilities are created to give children the opportunity to build their skills. Digital Leaders, for example, is a great example of this; a role where children interact with all year groups, build friendships, and promote social skills, all while teaching children how to use new technologies. Digital Leaders have presented in assemblies, raised money to buy new equipment for the children, helped staff navigate and access apps and been in classrooms to teach children. The IT lead reported, “we meet regularly and all Digital Leaders have their role. I facilitate the group, but the children are the ones who lead it” After half term the Digital Leaders are visiting the Apple HQ in Battersea, as they contacted Apple and managed to secure funding for a class set of iPads with pencils and keyboards.
The curriculum offered to the children is broad and balanced. Senior Leaders are quick to adapt things according to cohorts of children. For example, the curriculum in the Base is currently being adapted as the Base expands and the needs of the children change from the original intake. The SENCo approached Educational Psychologists and Base leads within the borough to find out what other schools are doing about psycho-education for children and families around neurodiversity. Children are increasingly sitting on long waiting lists to be diagnosed or are receiving diagnoses and neither the children nor their families are then receiving any support in understanding what the diagnosis means and how they can support. The school is currently planning with their in-house Educational Psychologists, a psycho-education programme.
Granard Primary School is very culturally and socially aware and has a dedicated English as an Additional Language teacher who takes small daily groups, helping them to adapt to the country, the language, and the culture. When looking at the EAL children’s books and meeting with them, it is evident how well supported they are. One child reported, “teachers here like it when you can speak other languages.” The collaborative approach which Granard fosters is what helps children to feel secure and to make progress. Teachers, support staff, and specialists work together to develop and implement individualised support plans, ensuring that each child’s needs are met comprehensively.
Parents are actively involved in their children’s education, contributing to decision-making processes, and participating in school activities. One parent reported, “the school is brilliant any help you need with forms or signposting they’ll do it. Staff will also help as well with the Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP)process which was hard. The social worker in school helped me too. They all took the pressure off my shoulders.”
The school really invests in the professional development of all staff through ongoing training to stay updated on best practices in inclusive education and to develop skills necessary for supporting diverse learners in all areas of the school. This has led to staff feeling confident and skilled to teach in the LSU and Base. One Teaching Assistant and one class teacher have moved from the mainstream classrooms to the Base this academic year. One of these members of staff reported, “we have trained every week with OT and SaLT. I’ve learnt how to support with behaviour and to manage tantrums. I am doing Makaton training in school and in my own time. Every day I am learning something new, and the team is amazing.”
