Outwood Academy Carlton has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Flagship status.
Impact of Newly Launched Oracy Strategy
Outwood Academy Carlton is a secondary school with academy status located in Carlton, near Barnsley. The school serves the communities of Carlton, Athersley and Royston and has a mixed intake of boys and girls aged 11–16 with a comprehensive admissions policy. Currently there is a Pupil Admission Number (PAN) of 1200 pupils.
Carlton Community College was established in September 2009 through the merger of Edward Sheerien and Royston High schools. Initially operating from the site of Edward Sheerien School, it was a community school administered by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. In 2011, the school moved into a newly constructed site, built as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme and funded through the Private Finance Initiative. In February 2016, the school converted to academy status under the sponsorship of Outwood Grange Academies Trust and was renamed Outwood Academy Carlton.
The IQM assessment visit started with a learning walk through the academy. Our Assessor was privileged to visit several lessons and see the impact that the newly launched Oracy strategy is starting to have with learners. The way that students have embraced the strategy, which includes key subject vocabulary and sentence starters, is incredible to see and hear. The way that students respectfully speak and interact with each other is preparing them very well for life, particularly the Year 7 students that have known nothing but this way of communication and interaction from the start of their secondary schooling.
Best Possible Environment to Flourish In
The academy feels like a spacious, well designed modern college where a lot of time and thought has been spent on ensuring the students have the best possible environment to flourish in. The use of the connecting open space between the art classrooms has been turned into an inspirational gallery exhibiting General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) work from students past and present, as well as celebrating student achievement through a ‘Proud Thursday’ display.
Pride was a recurring theme throughout the visit, from the impeccable dress code modelled by the students both in and out of lessons through to their eagerness to discuss and demonstrate their understanding of learning developed in lessons that were pacy, challenging and well structured.
Centrally in the heart of the school is an impressive performance space, used to host presentations and plays put on by the students for their parents, carers, and the community. Rare for a modern build is a second large space, utilised as a lecture theatre for daily year assemblies and there is even a complementary indoor sports hall.
Outdoor spaces were similarly well presented and conducive to high quality education. Grassed football and rugby pitches are supplemented with hard court areas for tennis, netball, and basketball, whilst still allowing for enough green space and outdoor breakout areas to be made available for students to relax at break and lunch time.
Transformed the School’s Culture
Our Assessor met with two teachers who discussed how PRAISE has transformed the school’s culture. Incredibly, over 15,000 personalised ‘praise points’ have been given since September. Whenever staff log positive praise, this is automatically shared via the parents’ portal; a feature that later in my meetings with parents was seen as a positive and well received development.
Learning champions are selected at the end of each lesson for reasons including contribution, focus, effort, developing confidence and self-esteem. At the end of the week, the top ten students are celebrated, and the top student is rewarded with a class visit by SLT and receives class buns/cakes. This is then promoted on social media for parents and the community to see.
The top reward is ‘Praising Stars’, a termly celebration of students who have worked exceptionally well in subject areas and an end of term assembly is held where parents are invited. This celebration culminates with a Principal’s ‘breakfast’. The student panel spoken to, very much valued and appreciated the time and personal touch by their Principal to facilitate this.
Linked to the whole-school priority of raising attendance, rewards and PRAISE have been the key focus this term. Students are keen to check their PRAISE points, in tutor and lesson time.
Rise to Their Potential
Our Assessor met a student panel of seven Year 8 and 10 students who were eloquently able to articulate how inclusive they felt the academy was. Representative of the wider cohort of students with SEND, four of the students had assigned ‘key workers’. They explained how these staff knew them well and were always on hand to help ensure their needs and issues were addressed through a ‘plan’ which is helping them achieve their targets through a better understanding of what they need to do or change to rise to their potential.
They further went on to discuss how the Oracy strategy was a key driver in helping them develop transferable skills and a better understanding how to listen as well as communicate verbally inside and outside of their lessons; key skills they felt would help them in their future careers and the wider world. One student went on to explain how, because of this, his confidence had improved to the point where he felt he could address a hall of parents at a recent Year 6 transition event.
Transition adjustments for new students or starters are also well thought through. In Year 7 when some students may find the step from primary to secondary education daunting, the academy has developed a series of character-building tasks and challenges at bronze, silver and gold level which are rewarded with blazer pin badges. The Year 8 students spoken with explained how this had been key in helping them start positively in a fun and engaging way.
Students Effectively Supported
Our Assessor spoke with three parents and one staff Governor. They felt their students have been very effectively supported by the learning manager who is available by email and telephone as well as face-to-face. They felt that their children are respected by all staff. Changes they had noted over the past 12 months were bespoke homework plans for all years as well as support through after school intervention sessions. The new Year 10 Red, Amber and Green (RAG) rating has placed an emphasis on earlier intervention and tracking further down in the year groups as well as improving the AP curriculum to give students access to more qualifications. Parents felt that the PLC was doing a good job helping vulnerable students prepare for life in the community.
One parent with a son with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) said that he is thriving in the school environment. She feels he is safe, happy and in a place that he will get the support he needs to flourish.
Staff Development
Staff development has been a key force for transformation throughout the Outwood Academy Carlton. Instructional coaching and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions are held for staff and teachers every Tuesday where SLT have worked through a script of lesson entrance, exits and structure. This has turned habit into ritual and the positive impact has been felt across the school, with major improvements getting students off the corridors and into lessons in a calm and purposeful way. A starter activity is always ready and a uniformed starter slide with a lesson question, recap and recall as well as the learning journey and scheme of the subject provide real consistency. Additionally, subject specific vocabulary is included as well as oracy prompts with sentence starters linked to the specific lessons.
Every member of staff is visited over the half term with positives and areas of improvement based on the learning walk and followed up with a professional conversation that aims to make the academy a better place for all to flourish in.
Students with SEND are well supported in this school, particularly through the PLC and Resourced Provision. A total of 76 students currently have Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), a larger than average number for a school of this size and there are five members of staff assigned just to ensure they get the support they need.
Within the PLC, our Assessor observed a group of ten students enjoying a life skills curriculum. The school is working with The Prince’s Trust on an ‘Achieve’ programme that includes delivering a community project, learning new skills to help with meeting new people and building confidence, it culminates with the students taking on a business challenge to put their entrepreneurial skills to the test as well as improving knowledge and ability to look after themselves and live a healthy life.
Enrichment and Therapeutic Opportunities
Enrichment and therapeutic opportunities are numerous and varied. The Duke of Edinburgh’s (DoE) Award was relaunched in July 2022 at bronze level to Year 9 as a boost to employability skills. Two expeditions took place and even included a planned expedition and camping under canvas. Planning and practice were managed during the well-attended after school enrichment sessions. This has led to a noticeable improvement in behaviour from some of the most challenging students who participated in the DoE Award.
Therapy is provided by Baxter Brown, a cocker spaniel. Trained through the organisation ‘Paws’ as a therapy dog, he provides therapy linked to the targets of the students with an EHCP or behaviour plan.
Additionally, Carlton is a THRIVE school where students with a developmental gap access bespoke interventions as well as the new outdoor horticulture area, taking advantage of the outdoor space.
Any behaviour escalation for a student with SEND must be seen and noted by the SENCo before being ‘approved’ and that ensures all reasonable adjustments have been followed/implemented. Again, this is ensuring inclusivity filters through to all and in all areas of the academy.
The new Principal is instilling a ‘culture of character’. Where there is a high level of need, no need is greater than preparing the students for a successful future. From our Assessor’s observations and discussions with students, staff, and parents during the assessment visit, under his leadership the academy is making significant strides to ensure the needs of all its students are met, academically as well as socially and emotionally.
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: admin@iqmaward.com 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.