Princess May is a one-form entry, culturally diverse primary school with a nursery in a large Victorian building in the London Borough of Hackney. The school has a Pupil Premium rate of 46% (much higher than the national average) and has experienced falling rolls for several years while many families have moved out of the area. There are plans for Princess May to accommodate children from a local school, which may face closure. The greatest area of need is speech & language, and 10 children have Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP). The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (OFSTED) rated the school as good in April 2023.
All children have access to sensory boxes in their classrooms and a worry box in which they can place any concerns. Read Write Inc. (RWI) supports them in becoming independent readers, and silent signals are now used throughout the school. The children love Coco, the school dog, who has a calming effect. A ‘Coco Club’ runs once a week, which children can sign up to attend. Teachers take on the responsibility for inclusion, as there is limited opportunity for SEN children to attend specialist provision. They are given step-by-step support from the specialist teacher and the SENCo. All teachers have a full understanding of adaptive teaching. Those with certain needs have individual timetables and may work in small groups receiving targeted interventions.
The school works closely with outside agencies to ensure the approach is holistic and even bring in a specialist teacher several times a year, who works with children with specific additional needs. She makes recommendations to the school, helping them make reasonable adjustments, liaises with parents, and attends multi-agency planning meetings. The specialist teacher reports that children at Princess May Primary have developed more independent skills because of the approach from the SENCo. She also commented that the children at Princess May Primary School are very kind to each other, and the staff work tirelessly to accommodate the needs of their pupils, and that she rarely sees a dysregulated child. The school also brings in an Art Therapist one day a week who runs Year 6 transition workshops for children and parents and said that parent-child relationships have improved enormously. She works closely with four children to help them develop their emotional regulation, relationships, and behaviour. She also runs a drop-in service for the children at lunchtime, where they have the opportunity to discuss issues ranging from relationships to bereavement.
The curriculum has been thoughtfully designed to ensure children leave here with a well-rounded education, giving them the foundations to become lifelong learners and an understanding of what it is to be a global citizen. The plans are thoroughly explained on the school’s website. There is a rich diversity of influential people that children learn about. To ensure the curriculum is delivered appropriately, staff use ‘Walk-Thrus’ and discuss what is going well and what could be improved. They teach to the top, make necessary adjustments, and provide scaffolding for those who need it to achieve the learning objective. They plan for talk-partners, use cold calling, and think-pair-Share to ensure all children contribute to every lesson.
Appropriate interventions are offered to all children who need extra support to make the desired progress. These are delivered by staff who all receive high-quality training either online, from their colleagues or at the Tomlinson Centre.
The well-being team meets weekly to discuss key issues supporting the staff’s and children’s mental health. They fundamentally believe that if you have happy staff, you have happy students, and the parents appreciate this.
The school has also been providing comprehensive training on adaptive teaching, including regular visits from a specialist SEND consultant, a specially developed ‘adaptive teaching’ guide for staff, and the use of Widget (picture-based communication software). The Ofsted inspection in May 2023 noted that ‘Leaders have developed a strong and ambitious curriculum. Pupils achieve well and are engaged in their learning, and are proud when talking about their work.
Parents commented to our assessor, that there is no discrimination here, and the staff treat everybody with respect. They feel very welcome, and one parent said that staff have time to listen to them, show great empathy, and work hard to ensure their children’s individual needs are addressed and met, and strongly agreed that Princess May is an inclusive school. Parents also enjoy the fact that there is a healthy mix of social and economic backgrounds here, exposing the children to different groups and helping them become more tolerant, describing the school as a balanced environment. All people connected to Princess May agreed that this team is providing a top-quality, inclusive service for its pupils, families, and parents. The SLT has gently nurtured an inclusive ethos where everyone feels valued.
