Hollydale Primary School in Southwark achieves the Inclusive School Award.
School Context
Inclusion at Hollydale Primary School is driven by the resolute aim of the Headteacher to “make the school truly inclusive and a place of equality”. The school is based in Southwark, South London and has high percentages of mobility and children with English as an additional language. In February 2018 the school was judged as “Good” by Ofsted.
Highly Effective Partnerships
The school has developed highly effective partnerships with other agencies including the Speech and Language Therapist and Educational Psychologist, who are viewed as part of the team and work collaboratively to support staff and families, as well as providing whole school CPD. Staff feel empowered to challenge themselves and model resilience through taking on additional responsibilities or learning new skills which may be out of their comfort zone. As one Teaching Assistant expressed, the Head
“does not allow me to stay at the same level.”
Overcoming Barriers to Learning
Good relationships with local secondary schools and specialist provisions have been established, ensuring that all children are fully supported to access learning and overcome barriers, including at key transition points. Staff are prepared to go the extra mile to support parents in obtaining the best provision for their child.
Parental Engagement is High
The school operates an “open door” policy to parents and staff are empathetic to any concerns and worries, being readily available to offer support. The Family Support Worker has a clear picture of the local social issues facing the community and has a wealth of knowledge to support the needs of parents. She liaises with a range of agencies including housing and health, to provide a variety of workshops to support targeted families, such as ESOL and Healthy Snacks. Parental engagement is high at community events such as Fathers’ Day Breakfast and assemblies. Case studies evidenced the impact of the work of the FSW, who has successfully liaised with housing agencies to significantly improve the attendance of specific children. The school has also accurately identified that there was low attendance by families with EAL and has responded with targeted coffee mornings and letters delivered in the mother tongue of these minority groups, such as Spanish, resulting in engagement of these hard to reach families.
A Sense of Calmness
At Hollydale there is a sense of calmness and children are polite and well behaved. There is clear consideration of the triggers for challenging behaviour and the understanding, care and nurturing provided by the school, ensures that children at risk of exclusion are able to be successful at Hollydale and leave with the skills and knowledge required for the next stage in their lives. Children respond well to the Class Dojo system which rewards positive behaviour and is linked to the school values. The children know what is expected of them and enjoy the responsibilities they hold such as Head boy/girl, School Council and Eco Council.
A Varied and Broad Curriculum Offer
The school’s environment showcases the children’s achievements, through rich displays of children’s writing and artwork. In addition, whole school art projects supported by local artists enhance the Library space and promote reading through character sculptures, and the fabric banners in the hall reinforce the school’s values. The displays highlight the varied and broad curriculum offer, providing an extensive range of memorable experiences and opportunities with all children being involved in music and the arts. The children enthuse about topics such as Health and Recycling, enjoying the many practical and cross curricular lessons. Each class displays purposeful Working Walls for maths and English which reinforce the learning. Planning is differentiated and books show consistent practices, scaffolding and challenge throughout. The school motto on the front of the books reminds children to be aspirational and always try their best.
Engaging in the Wider Curriculum
The equality of access to enrichment clubs provides additional opportunities for children to engage in the wider curriculum, taking part in a range of activities such as music tuition, sport, cooking and Debate Mate. Children are given many opportunities to engage with the community, including attending a Food bank as part of the Harvest Celebrations, the choir singing at the Tower of London and litter picking near the Thames.
Highly Committed Governors
Governors are skilled, proactive and highly committed to the school. They understand their role, know the school and community well and ask challenging questions. They are forward thinking and have a clear strategy for the direction of the school to be the school of choice in the area. They are proud of the inclusion at Hollydale and believe it is at the core of everything the school does.
Best Possible Outcomes for All Pupils
The Inclusion Co-ordinator at Hollydale is clearly knowledgeable of the wide range of additional needs across the school and the support in place to ensure the best outcomes for all pupils, both emotionally and academically. She is proud to share the impact of the support for individual children, including that for children who are at risk of exclusion. She analyses incidents of behaviour and reports to governors termly. She benefits from the clear direction and support given by the Headteacher, who is able to share her own experience in the role.
Happy Parents
Parents at Hollydale could not speak highly enough of the school. They describe the school as
“a community and everybody is a part of it”
and that the school
“lets children represent themselves in that community”.
Parents feel communication is good and they are listened to. They enjoy engaging with the regular school Twitter feed and feel the school is flexible in its approach to communication. They feel that all staff know their children well and treat them in the same way irrespective of differences.
Children Enjoy Their Learning
Children enjoy their learning and have a wealth of experiences and opportunities at Hollydale that they might otherwise not receive. As one child said,
“teachers are really encouraging and lessons are fun!”
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.