Wallisdean Infant School is a vibrant, inclusive infant school in South East Hampshire. Pupils attend from the local area and are mostly of White British Heritage with only a small number of pupils having English as an additional language. With a number of children from traveller families or families in the armed forces, the school experiences high mobility. This means that providing an inclusive education, irrespective of how long a pupil may spend at the school, has never been more important. The school has reported an increase in SEND needs, and those needs are becoming more complex. The attendance levels are good, and persistent absences have improved over time. There is a strong commitment to individual families at Wallisdean, and the school credit this with being a key contributor to improving the educations and lives of its pupils.
Children receive fantastic emotional and wellbeing support at Wallisdean Infant School. End of Key Stage 1 results are consistently above the national average in all areas, and children make very good progress throughout their time at the school. Guided by the strong leadership of the Executive Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher, there is a continuous and clear focus on school improvement, with inclusion acting as its driving force. The Inclusion Lead and SENCo are actively up to date with inclusive practice, with the Executive Headteacher stating that “They work really hard to ensure that they have the skills to make the children’s experience the best it can be; to enable them to access the curriculum”. SLT and staff are enthusiastic about continuous evaluation and adapt policies and practices to meet the needs of individual pupils.
The school looks at the ‘whole child’ when organising support for pupils and their families, with regular curriculum reviews. The curriculum is woven through with four golden thread concepts: community, belonging, special, and love. The IQM lead stated that “We try and make the children inclusive through our curriculum. We’re thoughtful about it, involving the child’s voice a lot. The curriculum is for everybody”. Pupils’ work is displayed around the school, as well as boards with information about school activities and events. The Read Write Inc. synthetic phonics programme is highly successful, and fully embedded in the English texts, and reading corners are continually adapted to meet the demands of children’s interests. Every class is given a weekly library slot, where children can recommend books to other pupils, reinforcing that reading is a high priority at the school. The maths lead works to remove any obstacles to learning through careful curriculum planning. Their attendance at a task design and variation course resulted in tasks being designed to meet the needs of all ability groups in the class. Outdoor learning areas are used to enhance learning and allow all pupils to develop new skills. A new four-square game area, football cage, woodland area, and sensory garden are all in place to support learning and enrich the lives of their pupils. The school has a trained forest school teacher, who helps year groups tend their own planter, and facilitate the use of a mud pit for EYFS.
In the spirit of inclusion, and as a Rights Respecting School, children sign up for class and lunchtime charters. There is a collaborative and clear approach to managing behaviour and emotions. Children support each other in this process, showing a sense of pride in the positive atmosphere created by good behaviour. Colour monsters help children to share their emotions and they can earn badges for showing one or more of the learning power words in school: responsible, resilient, independent, respectful, resourceful or confident. The school shows a strong commitment to wellbeing, spearheaded by the SENCo. They take responsibility for children’s EHCP reviews and work with external agencies to ensure the best support for pupils who need it. The Stormbreak programme is a real standout of inclusive policy, where children can take part in short activities during the day to equip them with coping strategies for their mental wellbeing.
Support for families is extensive, making sure every child is included and able to actively participate in school life. An open-door policy encourages frequent dialogue with the school, and parents feel like their voices and opinions are listened to and respected. The school works hard to ensure parents have access to resources to aid their children’s learning. When a new school logo and uniform were introduced, every child was given a new book bag, PE bags, and an 18th month leeway for the uniform introduction. Indeed, parents have the opportunity to help themselves to second-hand uniforms from the school’s uniform bank. They also have access to a breakfast club and after-school club for their children, as well as a wide range of subsidised clubs and activities. If a child is attending the school’s wraparound care, they do not have to pay twice if they wish to also attend a club.
Every member of the school community, whether that be pupil, staff, or parent, is part of the Wallisdean inclusion agenda. No need is too much, and no pupil gets left behind. By breaking down the barriers to learning, every child can leave the school with a superb holistic education, and a set of skills they can carry with them for life.
