Henry Green Primary School in Dagenham has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence status.
One of the school’s P5 pupils described Henry Green perfectly as a great place to learn and they said, “I love my school. I enjoy my rights. Teachers care about us like our parents do.”
Introducing Henry Green
Henry Green Primary School is a very caring and inclusive school that takes into account the varying needs and backgrounds of the pupils and makes sure the provision meets the needs of all, helping the children to feel safe and secure. Children, staff members and their parents agree.
Learning together
‘Learning together, Learning for life’ is the school’s vision and it is achieved through the school values of ASPIRE- Achieve, Succeed, Persevere, Inspire, Respect and Enjoy. Comments from the pupils shows that these values are lived on a daily basis and appreciated by the pupils.
Rights Respecting
The school is a Rights Respecting School with the articles of the UN Convention displayed in classrooms and in the corridors. The rights of the child are mentioned in lesson plans and can also be seen above displays so that the children can see the link between the article and the curriculum that they are following. They are understood and valued by pupils.
Thrive school
The school is also a Thrive school and the Assistant Head for Behaviour and one of the Learning Mentors has undergone the Thrive training. The training has been disseminated to all staff. The Thrive model is consistently followed by all class teachers, with each teacher doing a Thrive assessment of their class at the beginning of the year which generates whole class strategies which are displayed on their classroom door.
Children are welcomed into school with a bagel to start the day, as well as a Breakfast Club for those who want to attend.
The school is built in the form of a square with a central area that has mature trees, a pond and lawned areas – an oasis in the middle of the school where pupils have a gardening club, relax, read, and take part in other outdoor learning experiences. It is a calming and soothing area.
Most classrooms open on to the playgrounds. The school are fortunate to have a field as well, so they have good outdoor learning opportunities.
The Early Years and the two In-School Provision groups also have separate outdoor spaces that are well-equipped to support the curriculum and give pupils many opportunities to practice their sensory and physical skills.
Specialist teachers
The school employs specialist teachers for PE, Music, French and Art which covers teachers’ PPA time as well as giving them the chance to address catch up sessions where needed. On the tour, a group of pupils were enjoying practicing shot-put.
The school has two classrooms that are called the In-School Provision, where ten children with complex needs are based. It has only been open for a year, but the children are very settled and relaxed due to the wide range of strategies that are in place to meet their needs.
There are visual cues around the school, visual timetables are used where needed. An objects timetable, pictorial timetable then written timetable are used as appropriate depending on the pupil’s development level. Each child has an ‘I want’ board so that choice making is encouraged at an early stage. They have access to a sensory room too.
Two children spoke about being helpers for high needs children. They have lunch with the pupils and then take them outside. It was delightful to hear them explaining their role and how the transition cards work. They are rightly very proud of their role.
One of the children explained how his sensory/movement breaks work. He can go to the reflection room to speak to a Learning Mentor to calm and discuss what has happened. He was able to articulate how this benefits him.
Celebrating
Pupils like the Celebration Assembly and receiving commendations. When it is someone’s birthday, they can choose a book and take it home, promoting a love of reading. Attendance is high profile at the school, the school has good attendance due to the robust measures in place.
Two teachers, who are both new to the school, spoke about how they have settled in really well due to the support that they have received from staff in the school. They praised the Headteacher for the way he is always around to help and guide.
One child spoke about a cross-curricular lesson he enjoyed. He had made salt dough, then designed a God, linking to the RE topic.
The support staff who work in the In-School Provision are caring and pro-active, using their initiative and feeling able to discuss what they think are the next steps with the Senior Leadership Team. Everyone has forged an effective and supportive relationship with parents.
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 (9am to 5pm)
or email: [email protected] for further details.
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