I had the pleasure of conducting the IQM assessment at the Pinvin Federation of Schools consisting of Pinvin Church of England (CE) First School and St Nicholas CE Middle School which share a site in the village of Pershore. The Federation is highly inclusive and the Leaders and staff, supported by the Diocese of Worcester Multi Academy Trust (DOWMAT) Trust, ensure inclusion is central to the life of the schools.
Inclusion practice is embedded across all aspects of the schools. This is the Federation’s first IQM Assessment and they clearly meet the Inclusion Quality Mark standards. The self-assessment report was completed to a very high standard and the school ensured I could speak to the right staff, Governors, pupils and parents during my visit, who all spoke very confidently and passionately about each IQM element.
Both schools share the same Leadership team and many staff work across both sites. The two schools are undergoing an amalgamation which is due to be completed by the start of the 2024/25 academic year when Pinvin CE Academy will be opened. The IQM assessment has considered evidence from both schools to ensure that the IQM Quality Mark Standard has been achieved in both, enabling the award to be accredited to the new academy from September. Pershore is planning to move to a two-tier education approach from 2027 moving away from the three-tier First, Middle and High School structure leading to further changes for the school, with Pinvin Academy ultimately becoming a single-form entry primary school, with preschool, for ages 2 to 11. Due to the additional workload in the school as a result of the 2 schools amalgamating the school has taken the decision not to be considered for Centre of Excellence until the new academy has been fully established and joint policies and practices embedded.
Pinvin CE First School is a small 1-form entry school with a Published Admissions Number (PAN) of 25 for students from Reception to Year 4. The school opened a preschool on the site 2 years ago which takes pupils in the term before they are three and takes a maximum of 24 children at any 1 session. Parents access their 15-hour and 30-hour funded places and are then able to pay for additional hours, including staying for lunch on days when they are attending for a full day. Pupils within the preschool facility adapt quickly to the school setting and are included in whole school activities including assemblies within their second term.
The preschool building offers a beautiful, calm environment where pupils confidently select activities and work together. The preschool has created a delightful sensory room as part of its provision which is used to support a pupil with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and also provides a space for any child needing to re-regulate. At times during the nursery day, the room is open for pupils to access as part of their free-flow learning. During my visit, all pupils were well-focused and engaged in their learning. Excellent relationships were in evidence between staff and pupils and all pupils appeared to be happy and confident within the setting.
St Nicholas CE Middle School takes students from Years 5 to 7 and has a PAN of 112 giving the Federation a combined roll of 316 pupils.
Both schools have higher than national levels of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) on the roll. Pinvin First School currently has 34% of pupils registered with SEND. 10 of these pupils (7.5%) have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The Middle School has 25% SEND with 9 pupils (5%) having an EHCP, a combined SEND figure of 26%. The most recent Ofsted Reports recognise that significant improvements have been made in the quality of SEND provision: “Staff take the time to get to know pupils well. Parents and carers value this.
Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive good support and are included fully in all aspects of school life. Staff receive regular training on how to identify and support pupils with SEND. Leaders and teachers work with parents to put suitable plans in place. Staff understand pupils’ needs well”. (Pinvin, Ofsted 2024) “Leaders quickly identify pupils who need additional support, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All pupils follow the same curriculum. A small number of pupils with specific SEND needs receive effective support in a separate classroom. Teachers use information about pupils’ additional needs to adapt their teaching. This means pupils with SEND can successfully access learning in line with their peers”. (St Nicholas, Ofsted 2023)
Leadership across both schools has stabilised and strengthened over the last few years with the current Acting Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher (DHT) being in post across both schools since September 2023. A significant amount of work since then has been on developing consistent practices across both schools and bringing staff together.
Both schools have a significant cohort of families from the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) Community and the staff has worked exceptionally hard to develop positive links with the community, raising levels of trust and ensuring that children, who in other settings would be being educated at home, are attending school full time. The GRT Community feels exceptionally well communicated with and knows that the school is prepared to listen to their viewpoints and needs and to make reasonable adjustments to both the curriculum and the school to enable their children to be part of the school community. The work that the school has done with the GRT community is a real strength of its inclusive practice.
Greater consistency of practice and expectations across the two schools has been identified by Leaders as the next step in their journey to becoming a Centre of Excellence School. The Acting Headteacher and his team set high expectations and monitor practice closely to ensure both the learning environments and practices across both sites are the same for each child. Clear expectations on presentation and behaviour are also highly evident.
