Everything about Faith Primary Academy in Liverpool combines to create a sanctuary where pupils feel loved from the moment they step into the school.
The school’s calming influence is tangible to anyone who enters the premises. Located in an area with high levels of poverty and crime, Faith Primary shines as a beacon of safety and security in a tumultuous world. Truly a school which places the child at the centre of everything it does, Faith Academy strives to ensure all pupils can achieve their full potential.
A warm, calming atmosphere envelopes you from the moment you cross the school’s threshold. It is impossible not to relax as the aromas from the essential oils alert your senses, immediately lifting your mood and wellbeing.
The aromatic diffusers placed in each room, combined with the low, ambient lighting across the building, provide a calming, zen-like atmosphere. There are many areas in the school with comfy seating and mood lighting to provide spaces for pupils to regulate and calm down. There are fish tanks throughout the building too, which visually add to the calming ambiance. In each classroom, there is relaxing music and low lighting. The whole school environment is ‘zen’ and designed purposefully to stimulate all the senses of the pupils.
‘Children Should Feel Safe, Secure and Loved’
Faith Primary Academy is a smaller-than-average school with a higher-than-average proportion of disadvantaged pupils. Everton, the local area it serves, is recognised as an area of high deprivation. The number of pupils recognised as having Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is also above the national average. Due to the high level of needs within the pupil demographic, and wider community, the Leaders at Faith place the children’s wellbeing at the centre, above all other priorities.
Leaders proudly share that, “we feel passionately that, first and foremost, all children should feel safe, secure and loved”.
In the first video clip, the Headteacher, Sarah Williams, and Deputy Headteacher, Danielle Fox, talk about the importance of creating an inclusive learning environment. To showcase the school’s calming environment, they have kindly created a second video clip which is a video tour of the inclusive environment.
With Faith Primary School serving a local area with such high levels of poverty and crime, it is inevitable that the children and their families experience many challenges outside of school. Therefore, the Leaders deem it essential that school provides a sanctuary for all children. The school environment is purposefully designed to support all pupils, staff, and visitors in regulating their emotions and it encourages a positive state of wellbeing. The calming environment also supports children with mental health difficulties as well as neurodiverse children or those with sensory processing difficulties. It is a truly inclusive environment which reflects the school’s inclusive ethos.
The positivity of the Senior Leadership Team at Faith is infectious, as is their passion for inclusion which is the fundamental driver for school development. Leaders are fully committed to the inclusion agenda and are always happy to welcome visitors into their lovely school to showcase their inclusive approaches.
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.