Kings Hill School has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Flagship status.
Warm, Positive Ethos
Kings Hill School is very welcoming and has a warm, positive ethos with an open, friendly, happy atmosphere. The SLT leads by positive example and sets the tone for the supportive, caring, framework, where inclusive values that drive the curriculum are fundamental.
Teaching and support staff are positive, energetic and fully committed to their pupils and the school. They speak very highly of inclusive practices in the school: they share a common, inclusive vision and they feel they have excellent support and resources to enable them to do their work. Staff retention is high at Kings Hill.
Staff, parents and Governors who contributed to the assessment day showed a true allegiance to the school and its values and ethos.
Leaders recognise how blessed they are to be at Kings Hill, but it is their hard work and inclusive determination that makes the school what it is.
They are proud of the work that has been achieved in the Dementia Café and how children and families support this charity. They recognise it is easy to close your eyes to the outside world and make sure they provide opportunities for all the children to be immersed in experiences to learn about diversity and inclusion and embrace differences. They pride themselves on keeping children in their mainstream setting and support the children and families to the last iota.
‘Listening Ear’
Parents describe Kings Hill as “amazing”, “joyful” and “inclusive”. They feel very supported and listened to with excellent lines of communication between themselves and the school with emails being responded to quickly and sensitively. They commented on how quickly things are dealt with when they arise and that this was the important factor in knowing their children were safe and happy at school. Staff, they said, are approachable, working hard to integrate the community by, “having a listening ear to what the community needs”. They know that outdoor learning is a selling point for the school, but how the staff ensures that it is accessible for all types of outdoor learning and wellbeing is the main strength of the school. A parent said that the school as a whole is “a fantastically awesome environment where I feel so welcomed – it does not get better than that!”
Parents spoke about ‘Worry Monsters’ and how they help to support their child, how Lego Therapy is used for their child’s confidence and how staff respond to children, such as sensory needs. They are aware of the school’s own local collaboration with other schools in the area and how important this is to serve the whole community. The parents observe the values of the school being practised relentlessly to break down barriers to allow inclusivity for all parents.
One parent commentated on how, “genuinely special” the school is and how it, “celebrates everyone’s differences”. The school helps families financially and makes every attempt to break down financial barriers, but “like a silent ninja, where nobody knows”. They feel that other barriers are broken down by the school by letting the parents lead the conversations and the school responding rather than reacting.
Parents say they feel they can talk to staff who they feel resonates with them. They appreciate how staff go above and beyond and are always present at events and celebrations. Workshops are provided for parents, and they know that if there was a burning desire for a particular area of interest the school would accommodate. They appreciate the way that sports day is organised, especially when siblings are in the same teams, “it shows the school thinks beyond themselves”.
Calm, Happy Place
Governors describe the school as a calm, happy place in which they are proud to tour around during monitoring visits. They report on excellent communication with families and how the school uses its resources to eliminate barriers to learning. They support the wellbeing of staff and children through the wellbeing committees and Governor surveys. The workload is important and the ability of staff to undertake Planning, Preparation and Assessment (PPA) time away from the school building is important should staff wish to.
There are excellent communication channels between the Governing body and leaders at all levels at the school and the children. They recognise there is a challenge in the diversity of the staff and intentionally seek diversity in the Governing body and across roles in the school.
The student body is fully involved in the school’s inclusive practice. The children spoke confidently and openly about their experiences in school and how resources are used to help all children. Children are given the opportunity to work with a partner school in Lewisham under their School Council Project holding summits, which allows them to recognise diversity beyond their local community and appreciate a range of diverse cultures that may not be present in their school. They spoke with affection about the staff and how they help them and how kind they are. They were all able to talk about the assemblies, including Talk Assemblies where topics for discussion are presented to them and how the school uses other assemblies to raise awareness of specific learning difficulties or disabilities and how children are encouraged to be open and honest and not judge others.
One child said, “it is important to be equal, not mean”. They spoke about the religious days and the diversity days they have and how stories are used to help them understand differences and prejudices. They spoke passionately about the committees that they are available to join and how they help everyone in the school.
They understand fairness and spoke about the rotas that need to be adhered to but also understood that sometimes they had to change. Our Assessor asked them that if they had a magic wand what would they change or make better at Kings Hill: the majority said, “nothing”; one child said, “air conditioning in the hall” and another said, “more cats and dogs!”
Positive Attitudes
The school works very hard to develop the positive attitudes, independence and self-confidence of all of its pupils and this was evident in the discussion.
The learning walk through the school showed the calm and inclusive atmosphere of Kings Hill. Children are engaged in outdoor learning and can participate in The Daily Mile to improve their SEMH as well as their physical ability. Children are also keen to use the outdoor facility to obtain a mental break should they require one.
Staff and children welcomed our Assessor, and it was evident that they are used to people popping in as IQM’s presence did not phase anyone in the slightest. It was clear that a variety of resources were used across the school to support pupils and staff were seen to be sensitively recapping prior learning where children needed additional teaching. Displays are very much linked to the school values and the individual accomplishments of the children are encouraged to be shared and work walls support the children’s learning. The children were still going strong with their lessons and some year groups were being particularly challenged with mathematics. In all the classrooms visited, the children were engaged and enjoying their learning.
Teachers and children were proud of the well-planned trips they have that provide rich learning experiences for all the children.
The school strives to ensure that diversity and equity are at the heart of its values-based curriculum.
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.
• Our inaugural National Inclusion Conference will take place on the 27th November, for further details click here.