Phoenix Primary School in Chatham has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence status.
Warmth of the school
The warmth of Phoenix Primary is palpable from the moment you enter the school. Our Assessor said it clear from this visit that Phoenix Primary has a history of commitment to inclusion with a desire to continuously evaluate and develop this focus. This statement from the Headteacher sums up the caring ethos of this school, “Primary school days should be the most magical, fun filled days of a young person’s life. A time to make friends, to sing, dance, laugh, run, jump, play as well as learn. I hope every child that attends our school will leave with these positive happy memories.”
There is however also a constant focus on teaching and learning so that pupils in the school are given the best possible opportunities, expectations are high.
The school sends a clear message to parents and carers and states it will “work hard to ensure that your child enjoys their time at our school and leaves ready to start a new chapter in their lives. While attending our school your child will be encouraged to be independent, to persevere, be honest and caring, whilst feeling safe and valued.” This aspiration was endorsed and evidenced time after time during the visit by a range of different stakeholders. Aspirations are nurtured with and for individuals and with the broad curriculum offer including external and extracurricular experiences.
Strong relationship with pupils and parents
The strong relationships with pupils and parents were evident during the visit and when the Headteacher said, “[We] place a strong emphasis on building relationships with our children, parents, and their families. At Phoenix there is a dedicated team whose job it is to support children and their families so that all children can attend school and receive an education” and evidence supports that this is consistently put into action.
The previous school on the site was closed in 2012 and reopened as Phoenix Junior School. The current Headteacher joined in 2014 and made immediate positive changes. He reflects that the children “captivated” him as soon as he arrived saying how they “just want to learn,” driving his desire to make this happen in the best possible way. He quickly identified that a way to build on any success would be to develop into a primary school. He felt this would provide consistency for the families and children, support transitions and facilitate earlier identification of need.
By 2021 all year groups were operating in the newly formed primary school. The school is part of the ‘Beyond Schools Trust’ whose ethos clearly aligns with Phoenix Primary when it states “We have a strong belief in the value of lifelong learning and in our strategic plan, we set out to develop a Trust that fully prepares children, so they have the skills, knowledge, values, and character to be successful in the world beyond our doors. We also believe that our greatest asset as an organisation, is our people, and we are privileged to be involved with such courageous, committed and child-centred employees.”
Innovative and creative
The Headteacher feels encouraged to be innovative and creative to achieve these aspirations and has ensured that this approach is shared by his staff. His financial decisions are made in this context. One teacher described the Senior Leadership Team as having a “how can we turn this around together” attitude which involves all staff. There was a strong view from staff that they felt supported, both professionally and pastorally in the school and it is clear the ‘values’ apply to all. One incredibly powerful comment from a member of staff was that they themselves had been “searching for belonging all their life and found it here at Phoenix.”
The school serves a community with significant needs, which are well understood and sensitively and proactively supported by all staff in the school. These social issues are complex and compounded by many of the local population being transient, often placed by other local authorities, mostly from London, for indeterminate but often short periods of time. This impacts on the sense of ‘belonging’ for pupils and their families, which is recognised, addressed, and compensated for in a number of ways by the school including excellent induction processes involving as wide a range of staff as is appropriate.
Phoenix is responsive to the changing demographic of the school population. A recent example of this is their response to support a number of families newly arriving in the UK. Advice was sought from expert services on how to best meet need and match expectations of education and care between school and families. This advice and training was offered out to other schools in the area who were responding to similar changes, a marvellous illustration of the collegiate view of the school. A Governor representative said she was proud that “Phoenix Primary is a school that really knows its catchment area and community and is prepared to fight for what’s important for them to cope and thrive.” Parents commented that “this school is the heart of a very big community that pulls us together.”
Positive change in approach
The school has 307 pupils with 27% identified as having SEN and 20% of those working at least a year behind age related expectation. The SEN practice within the school has significantly changed since the appointment of the Inclusion Manager, a key member of the Senior Leadership Team. She is committed to the model of distributed leadership in this area, with all class teachers being accountable for pupils in their care. Staff are well supported to achieve this, have clear expectations, are monitored, and have great access to advice and expertise from the Inclusion Manager.
The Chair of Governors commented on the positive change in approach to SEN, supported by case studies provided to the Governing Body which evidenced the “shift in responsibility for the progress of individual children resting with the class teacher.” This allows the Inclusion Manager to quality assure the provision for pupils during regular class visits.
She also stated that it was clear how all staff have been involved in the inclusion journey, with a change in focus for Teaching Assistant support having a significant positive impact. A skills audit carried out by the Inclusion Lead has been used to inform CPD needs and has facilitated a more flexible deployment model to best use the current expertise as it develops.
The practice in Early Years is growing an excellent reputation, both within the Trust and the local area with a number of requests for organisations to come and experience the practice at Phoenix. Staffing in the school reflects the commitment to inclusion. There is a strong Pastoral Team who are responsive, dynamic in their thinking and who achieve positive outcomes for pupils and their families.
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.
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