Park Academy Centre of Excellence

June 17, 2026

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Park Academy is a primary school in Lincolnshire with an exceptionally strong and incredibly deeply embedded commitment to inclusion across all elements of provision. There is a tangible sense of belonging, warmth, and shared purpose throughout every interaction. Pupils and engaged and enjoy purposeful learning. Staff describe the academy as a “big family”, and this is reflected in the lived experience.

Senior leadership make courageous decisions and have a strong sense of moral responsibility and purpose which drives continuous improvement.

Park Academy proudly serves a diverse and complex community, with a high percentage of learners with English as an Additional Language (73.2%) representing 21 nationalities. Leaders work hard to understand the pressures and difficulties facing pupils and families and support them proactively.

Inclusion at Park Academy is not an add-on or an additional initiative but is an integral part of the school ethos. The curriculum, assessments, grouping, behavioural policies and partnership work reflect this. There is an unmistakable positivity and pride among staff.

Inclusion values

The academy motto “Ready, Kind, Safe”, is lived, spoken, and modelled every day. Children are confident and ready to learn and listen. They are kind in recognising and valuing difference in themselves and others. Safety, emotional and physical, is a priority, and these values shape how pupils and staff interact, how conflict is resolved, and how success is celebrated.

Visuals, symbols, spoken language, Makaton, Colourful Semantics, WellComm and trauma-informed strategies are embedded across all classrooms. Staff draw from multiple research-based approaches and techniques to ensure that barriers are understood and reduced. Consistent, thoughtful practice has contributed to a reduction in suspensions and has strengthened early intervention.

Pupils articulate their understanding of inclusion and of protected characteristics. They understand that nobody can or should discriminate against you for being different.

A curriculum for all

The curriculum at Park Academy is thoughtfully designed to ensure that every individual child is engaged, included and able to succeed. Vocabulary is a “golden thread” which runs through every subject, ensuring that all pupils and staff share language surrounding key concepts. Pupils learn precisely identified words and encourage the use of these as students move through the academy. Vocabulary is explicitly taught, revised, and proudly displayed, empowering pupils to articulate themselves with confidence.

Lesson design is consistent and purposeful, with key questions planned carefully. Core skills including oracy, reading, writing and mathematics are woven through all subjects. Knowledge statements and skills progression are clearly mapped across year groups, with medium-term plans detailing prior learning as well as what is to come. Retrieval practice is embedded within lesson design, ensuring that pupils revisit and secure learning over time.

The curriculum reflects and celebrates all the academy’s diverse community, including studies of histories, cultures and perspectives reflected within the school community. Pupils explore Polish Christmas traditions and Islamic art, design and mathematics, amongst other topics. Religion and World Views education includes visiting a variety of local places of worship and working with community projects.

Part of the community

Park Academy demonstrates a strong and authentic commitment to working as a community hub, extending the academy’s inclusive ethos well beyond the school gates. Park Academy maintains links with local organisations and provides practical and social support for families.

Staff signpost families to services such as the Family Hub Project, Norfolk Lodge, and local Children’s Centre, as well as a local food bank. The Park Pathway programme, careers events for Years 5 and 6, visiting professionals, and an extensive extra-curricular offer support pupils in exploring future possibilities.

Through these extensive and purposeful links, Park Academy ensures that learners experience a rich, connected education. We are proud to have Park Academy as an IQM Centre of Excellence.