King’s Oak Primary School achieves the IQM Centre of Excellence Award

September 14, 2026

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King’s Oak Primary School has been awarded the IQM Centre of Excellence Award, recognising a deeply embedded culture of inclusion where every child is known, valued and supported to succeed.

Inclusion is at the heart of school life

Inclusion lies at the heart of King’s Oak Primary School and is evident in every aspect of school life. Over the past six years, leaders have successfully cultivated a culture where every child is known, valued and supported as an individual.

The school’s values of ‘Challenge, Safety, Cooperation, Leadership, Creativity and Aspiration’ are deeply embedded within the daily experiences of pupils and staff and are consistently reinforced through assemblies, learning characters, rewards systems and classroom practice. Throughout the review, there was compelling evidence that inclusion is not viewed as an additional initiative but as the foundation upon which the school operates.

Relationships across the school are a significant strength. Staff interactions with pupils were consistently respectful, nurturing and genuine. During visits to classrooms and social spaces, adults demonstrated a detailed knowledge of pupils’ interests, strengths and individual needs. Conversations were characterised by warmth, care and encouragement, helping pupils to feel secure and valued.

Pupils themselves described the school as “encouraging”, “caring”, “exciting”, “safe”, “respectful”, “helpful”, “cooperative” and “fun”, reflecting the strong sense of belonging that permeates the school community.

Specialist provision without barriers

The inclusion team support two additional provisions onsite, Sunshine provision and Access to Learning (A2L), a specialist provision designed to support children with complex social, emotional and mental health needs to reintegrate back into the mainstream school.

A2L uses an individualised, supportive programme that teaches core academic subjects, self regulation and strategies to support positive behaviour. Pupils retain a sense of belonging and build back links to their class in a bespoke way that meets their individual needs and moves at their pace.

Specialist provision is viewed not as a separate entity but as an important part of the school’s universal offer. Sunshine and A2L are fully integrated into the life of the school and exemplify the school’s inclusive philosophy. Pupils attending these provisions access a wide range of enrichment opportunities alongside their peers, including swimming, educational visits, assemblies and wider social activities.

Governors recognised the impact of these provisions, commenting that what sets the school apart is its determination not to create barriers but to ensure everyone is included. Parents note the transformative power of the A2L provision – “It’s honestly given us our child back at home”.

An ambitious and adaptive curriculum

The curriculum at King’s Oak has been thoughtfully designed to be both ambitious and accessible for all learners. The curriculum is progressive and is carefully designed to ensure that all pupils, particularly those facing barriers to learning, acquire the knowledge and skills needed to succeed both academically and in later life.

Leaders have also invested significantly in developing teachers’ understanding of adaptive teaching. As a result, teachers were observed providing tasks that were both appropriately challenging and achievable, enabling pupils to experience success while maintaining high aspirations for their achievement.

Adaptations are carefully planned to reduce barriers to learning without compromising the ambition of the curriculum. Vocabulary and the teaching of vocabulary is a high priority at Kings Oak. Staff and pupils articulate the importance of aligning language acquisition to curriculum learning.

The curriculum is extended through clubs and leadership experiences available to pupils, which contribute positively to their wider development and help prepare pupils for life beyond primary school.

A distinctive feature of the curriculum is the school farm, which is purposefully woven into both mainstream and specialist pathways. The farm provides authentic learning experiences across a range of subjects, including science, English, mathematics, geography and PSHRE. Through activities such as animal care, habitat studies, food production and enterprise projects, pupils are able to apply knowledge in meaningful real-life contexts.

Supporting every child to succeed

Teaching across the school is characterised by a strong commitment to making learning meaningful, engaging and accessible. Staff provide rich first-hand experiences that enable pupils to make concrete connections with new learning.

Adaptive teaching is a strength across the school. Staff confidently explained how they modify teaching approaches to meet a wide range of needs, and effective adaptive practice was observed in both mainstream and specialist settings. Learning tasks, resources and support are carefully tailored to enable all pupils to access learning successfully while maintaining high expectations.

A notable strength seen during the visit was the school’s commitment to developing the foundational skills that underpin future learning. Vocabulary development is given high priority across the curriculum. Staff use a consistent whole-school approach to explicitly teach and reinforce key vocabulary, ensuring that pupils develop the language needed to access increasingly complex learning.

The school’s extensive pastoral support offer includes play therapy, Lego therapy, Drawing and Talking, young carers support, mentoring and check-in systems. Communication and language development are prioritised throughout teaching. Staff consistently utilise visual supports, structured talk opportunities, oracy approaches and the school’s “Goldilocks Vocabulary” initiative to support understanding and communication.

Strong relationships with families and community

Relationships with parents and carers are exceptionally strong and are characterised by trust, openness and mutual respect. Parents consistently described the school as welcoming, approachable and highly supportive. Leaders and staff are visible and accessible and have successfully developed strong partnerships with families.

Communication is a notable strength. Parents value the regular contact they receive through Dojo, face-to-face conversations and structured opportunities for engagement. Many parents spoke warmly about the support they received from staff during difficult periods and highlighted the empathy and understanding shown by school leaders and pastoral teams.

One parent praised the way staff and leaders engage with parents, sharing that “The school has empathy towards parents.” Parents were particularly complimentary about the SEND and pastoral support available within the school. One parent described the SENDCo and pastoral team as “fantastic,” while others highlighted how staff listen carefully to concerns and respond quickly when support is required.

Families repeatedly referenced the positive impact the school has had on their children’s confidence, wellbeing and sense of belonging. Parents spoke particularly positively about the support provided through Sunshine and A2L, highlighting the difference these provisions have made to their children’s wellbeing, confidence and engagement with school.

King’s Oak also plays a significant role within its local community, and the development of the Thomas Taylor Community Hub represents a major strength of the school’s work. The Hub demonstrates the school’s commitment to supporting not only pupils but also families and the wider community through a broad range of services and opportunities.

Find Out More About IQM

If your school is interested in achieving the IQM Inclusive School Award, contact the IQM team on 028 7127 7857 or email admin@iqmaward.com.

To find out more about IQM and request a free information pack, visit www.iqmaward.com.