Rivermead School in Kent has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Flagship status for the second time.
The Different Provisions
There are 3 different provisions/sites that make up Rivermead School, the environment at each provision is vastly different from the next but at each one, the core values run solidly through the environment and staff and are evident as soon as you walk through the door. Each provision has developed an effective curriculum that is tailored to the needs of its learners. Leaders promote a flexible approach to the curriculums to ensure they are under regular review and have appropriate amendments made where needed. Leaders recognise a shift in the needs of learners transitioning into Rivermead and are forward planning to ensure that environments and staff skill sets are matched to learners’ needs.
Staff Are Adaptive
Rivermead School provides an extensive CPD programme for all staff to ensure they are skilled to support learners in the best way possible. As a result of targeted training and the relationships staff build, all know learners very well, meaning staff are able to effectively personalise activities to learners’ needs. The staff team is very adaptive and constantly has learners at the centre of decision-making.
Raising Awareness
Leaders have successfully developed an appropriate programme for developing learners’ understanding of sexual abuse. This can be a very challenging topic for learners at Rivermead School but carefully considered planning has allowed support staff to successfully support learners to recognise what might be abuse and what to do if they feel it is. This project led to some difficult conversations with the learners, but ultimately raised learner awareness of the topic.
Supporting Transitions
Leaders prioritise transition across the provisions and recognise that learners need personalised transition programmes to support their needs. Rivermead School has a multidisciplinary approach to transition led by the Transition Lead. Learner and parent voice is a very important part of this process. Leaders and staff from Rivermead School regularly visit each provision and photos of key staff are displayed for learners to see across each site. This informal handover very effectively supports learners’ transitions.
Wellbeing Is Important
Leaders are mindful of staff wellbeing and are constantly reviewing ways to develop practices to further support this. Examples of activities on offer to staff to support their wellbeing are an employee assistance programme and a Zoom meeting making Jammie Dodgers! Staff speak highly of the support available to them and commented on the supportive line management system that is in place. The school has a wellbeing week each term where staff choose activities that support their wellbeing and share with others, there are also no after-school meetings during this week. Leaders understand the emotional and physical stresses that working at Rivermead School can have and ensure all staff have time for daily debriefs at the end of the day.
Open And Honest
Therapy offered at Rivermead School is fully integrated into provision and therapists support and equip staff to be able to assist learners to reach their potential. Therapists have an open-door policy for staff to ask for advice to best support learners. Leaders are not afraid to have difficult conversations with parents and professionals if needed and always have the needs of the student central to decisions that are made. Open and honest communication results in a trusting professional relationship between parents and staff.
A Warm Welcome
From the moment learners arrive at Rivermead they are greeted warmly and positively by all staff. It is very clear from the moment you enter each provision that they are all purposeful environments that are needs focused with the learners at the centre of all decisions. Staff are all extremely proud of the work they do and spoke with a real passion about supporting their learners to be the best they can be.
Learners Are Proud
The students at Rivermead School are a delightful group of learners, who are all happy and confident to explain what they love about Rivermead School, staff supported the learners to answer to the best of their ability, it was very clear from the discussion that all learners feel secure and proud of their achievements with one quoting that he “loved every minute!” Staff make a conscious effort to enable learners to understand their diagnosis in order to support them to take ownership of it and learn what they need to do to be the best possible version of themselves. As a result, the levels of self-advocacy displayed by learners is inspiring.
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