Hob Green Primary School has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence status.
Diverse Community
Hob Green Primary School is a one-form entry primary school with around 250 pupils currently on roll. The school has a Nursery provision and a Speech and Language Base (SLB), for pupils aged 5-11 years. The school is in the Stourbridge area of Dudley, and it reflects its diverse community. The percentage of children in receipt of Pupil Premium (PP) funding is significantly above the national average and has increased over the last few years. The proportion of pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) is also above average and the school has seen a large increase in pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL). Most pupils at Hob Green Primary School are of White British heritage, with other pupils coming from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds. Hob Green is part of the drb Ignite Multi-Academy Trust, which currently has ten schools that serve the areas of Dudley and Birmingham.
The information from the IQM Self Evaluation Report, the school’s website and policies, alongside a tour of the school and onsite meetings, were all triangulated to ensure that the standards of the Inclusive School Award had been embedded into everyday practice. The self-assessment was completed thoroughly and to a high standard and all members of staff spoke passionately about each aspect of inclusion.
Deeply Inclusive Ethos
Hob Green embodies a deeply inclusive ethos, aligning with the Trust’s motto to ensure all pupils, irrespective of their background, achieve high standards of education. Central to its philosophy are values of hope, honesty, achievement, kindness and respect, fostering a safe and nurturing environment for pupils to excel and prepare for future challenges as global citizens. The school’s behaviour management strategies are rooted in nurture-based and restorative approaches, emphasising positive relationships and recognising behaviour as a form of communication. This approach, supported by staff training in emotion coaching and attachment awareness, places a premium on understanding and supporting children’s behavioural needs. Various staff spoke about ‘never giving up on a child’ and how staff would work as a team to build relationships with pupils to find out how to meet their needs.
The Headteacher and her leadership team are inspirational in their commitment to improving outcomes for their most vulnerable pupils and their passion has filtered down to every part of school life. Throughout the assessment, leaders spoke of being ‘relentlessly bothered’ when trying to pursue the best education for the pupils.
Supporting Each Other
Everyone at Hob Green Primary is aligned to the same vision and leaders have shown a commitment to upskilling all staff so that they are confident in their ability to support all pupils across the school, as well as supporting each other. The emphasis on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) was embedded throughout the whole Trust. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) spoke about succession planning and supporting people to have opportunities to follow their passions.
Schools were encouraged to collaborate to share good practice and staff expertise. This was evident through the Trust’s ‘Aspiring Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators’ (SENCos)’ programme. The IQM Lead has used the knowledge and skills that she has gained from her experience in school and her CPD to secure the position of Deputy Trust Inclusion Lead and she will now support schools across the Trust, alongside the Trust Inclusion Lead.
Hob Green uses research effectively to decide on any course of action. Leaders consider the workload of staff before introducing any new initiative. Staff spoke about how they felt fully supported through any new initiatives as the leadership team never did anything half-heartedly. They explained that they knew time and resources would always be available to achieve success.
It is evident through the documentation completed by the school for the process of IQM Assessment that leaders know their school well and can provide evidence to demonstrate their effectiveness. Leaders are proactive and regularly monitor and evaluate their actions to ensure that the provision is constantly improving.
Strength of the School
The Speech and Language base at Hob Green Primary is a strength of the school. The school has worked hard over the years to get the base to its current standard. The base is an integral part of the school. All staff described how much they have learned from the base and how the strategies are incorporated across the whole of the school. This was evident on the learning walk. Language development and an emphasis on teaching vocabulary was clear in all classrooms.
Hob Green’s inclusive practice extends beyond the classroom, with a collaborative approach involving external partners to enhance educational provision. Building relationships is a golden thread that runs through the school to ensure that all staff and professionals support and challenge each other so that each child is at the centre of every decision.
Our Assessor added, “It was a pleasure to witness the close-knit team at Hob Green and the passion of all staff to continue to strive to be better so that good practice can be shared. In all classrooms, it was evident that pupils were engaged and enjoying their learning. I have no hesitation in recommending that Hob Green join the IQM family of schools. It meets the criteria and is well deserved, and I know that their practice will inspire others. ”
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.