Outwood Academy Bishopsgarth has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence status.
Sense of Inclusion
Outwood Academy Bishopsgarth is a growing secondary school in a deprived area of Stockton-On-Tees. The school’s previous Planned Admission Number (PAN) was 120 per year group but it has been increased to 180 due to the number of first choice places for Year 7. The Inclusion Lead believes this is in part due to the increased transition with feeder schools, including primary schools where they would historically take one or two pupils. The school currently has 601 pupils on roll and an increasing number of those children have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). A total of 27% of children are on the SEND register and 6.9% have Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) both of which are above the national average. The school has a higher-than-average number of Pupil Premium (PP) children; 60%, which is an increasing number.
As soon as our Assessor walked into Outwood Academy Bishopsgarth, there was a sense of inclusion. The atmosphere was a calm and happy one and a sense of unity was apparent. A small number of children were coming into school late; they were not reprimanded for this; they were greeted with a smile and asked how they were, then let through the doors. This meant that the students were going to their first lesson feeling positive about the day. Any student who needed an extra bit of support to come into school was given it.
Pupils are Respectful
Pupils love coming to this inclusive school. Pupils are respectful, well-mannered and polite and are a credit to the school. Staff model respectful and positive relationships and there is a real culture of rewarding good behaviour and positive choices; something the school has been working hard on over the past few years. The school has high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils are taught about their feelings, and about ways to recognise and manage these independently. Those who need support with this have the opportunity to take part in short- and long-term interventions and through this they develop strong relationships with key members of staff whom they know they can talk to whenever they need to. The students flourish in this nurturing environment and are proud of Outwood Academy Bishopsgarth.
Behaviour for learning was excellent and those few children who were struggling to go into class were dealt with calmly and fairly and quickly reintegrated themselves back into the classroom. Pupils who struggle with their behaviour benefit from the pastoral care they receive from leaders and staff. They know who to turn to if they have a worry or a problem, feeling confident that they will get the help they need. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and supportive. Staff expect all pupils, including those with SEN/SEND, to achieve well. Pupils rise to these expectations. Staff provide effective support for pupils with SEN/SEND. Careful adaptations are made in all subjects so that they have full access to the curriculum. Staff who support individual pupils show understanding of their needs. For example, they provide opportunities for pupils to develop their independence and resilience.
Every Child Can Succeed
Outwood Academy Bishopsgarth is part of the Outwood Grange Academies Trust and works collaboratively with other schools in the Trust to improve outcomes for all students. Staff continue to work on relationships with families, particularly those hard-to-reach families working in partnership with parents to develop a school where every child can succeed.
Every member of staff spoken to emanated this value and every child spoken to talked of the feeling of belonging and trust.
Our Assessor added, “From the conversations I had with staff and students and the opportunity I had to look around the school and to drop into lessons, it was very clear that every member of staff, every child and every member of the community are valued in the same way. Everyone is proud to be part of the school and all who I spoke to understand the value of inclusion which is driven by leaders who have worked hard to develop an ethos of inclusion. As soon as you step through the door at Outwood Academy Bishopsgarth, you feel the inclusivity of the school and the warm and welcoming atmosphere.
“This is a highly inclusive school where pupils are articulate and polite and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.”
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.