Luton Infant School in Kent has achieved the Inclusive School Award.
High Aspirations
Luton Infant and Nursery School really does have ‘No limits, high aspirations and children at the centre of learning!’
Context
Luton Infant and Nursery School is a larger than average infant school with 267 children on roll. It is a mainstream school that is an associate member of the Compass Partnership, a group of academy schools that Luton use to support their development.
A Very Diverse Population
The school has a very diverse population, with a higher than average number of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, those from Minority Ethnic backgrounds or with English as an Additional Language. Over a third of the children are in receipt of Pupil Premium. The school also has high levels of mobility and many pupils entering the school have little or no English. This all has an impact on the classes and school environment, but Luton, with its high expectations creates an inclusive school for all.
All Children are Supported to Achieve
Luton Infant and Nursery School is committed to valuing the individuality of its pupils and it works hard to ensure that they support all children to achieve. Leadership has a clear understanding of what the school needs to improve and is well led by the Headteacher. Through the dedication of the Leadership and Staff teams, Luton succeeds in providing an ‘Inclusive’ learning environment where everyone is helped to succeed. There is a clear structure that is communicated to staff through a strong set of school values and ethos. Luton works closely with the other schools in the Compass Partnership and this allows them to share good practice, training and teaching strategies.
All Pupils are Progressing
The Head is supported well by her SENCo and the Inclusion team, to ensure that the variety of need in the school is addressed and that progress is being made by all the pupils.
The Inclusion Team
The Inclusion team, led by the SENCo, plays a very important role in ensuring that all pupils make progress, behave well and access learning at their level of need.
Clear Priorities
The SENCo is clear about her priorities for the pupils and ensures that what they need is catered for. The parent that I spoke to was full of praise for the school and staff and was very appreciative of the support that her child and her family had received.
A Well Resourced School
The school is very well resourced, which includes ICT equipment and staff, and these are used to their greatest effect. Luton works very hard to support its parents and uses a wide variety of ways to communicate with them to keep them well informed of their children’s learning and specific needs. The Home School Support Worker has been vital in the school to ensure that from the very start of a child’s journey through Luton, the parents have a contact who has built positive relationships with the parents. The school utilises a number of other specialist staff from the Local Authority that support teachers and TAs to assess and provide intervention and support for its pupils, so that they can succeed in their learning. These include the EP service, Specialist Teachers and Speech and Language therapists. They also utilise the expertise of a Reading Recovery Teacher and use Teaching Assistants to support pupils in class.
Improving Life Chances
All the staff that I met understand what it means to be an inclusive school and work tirelessly to improve the life chances of all the children in their care.
Sources of Evidence
The IQM Coordinator/SENCo produced a very comprehensive Self Evaluation Report and provided a wide-ranging selection of documentary evidence to support all elements of the IQM Self Evaluation Report. I was also able to verify the information contained within it during my visit, and in the interviews that had been arranged. Meetings were arranged with the: –
• Head Teacher.
• IQM Coordinator/SENCo.
• Senior Leadership Team/Teachers.
• Governors.
• Parents and Pupils.
Tour of the School
During my tour of the school, I was able to see how strategies had been put in place to help all children to make progress in their learning, including those in the most vulnerable groups. Classrooms and displays were used to support learning and teachers used a variety of teaching methods and strategies to support learning. Interventions and adult support were used to enhance children’s learning, from their individual starting points, and this allowed for progress to be made.
Behaviour for Learning
The behaviour in classes was very good and demonstrated behaviour for learning. The children were engaged in the activities they were doing and understood what they were learning. The children I had lunch with showed that they were proud of their achievements, and their school, and could clearly articulate why they liked being at Luton Infant and Nursery School.
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.