Saint Edburg’s C of E Primary School Achieves IQM Flagship Award

August 27, 2026

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Saint Edburg’s C of E Primary School has achieved the IQM Inclusive School Award with Flagship status in recognition of its deeply embedded inclusive ethos and its unwavering commitment to ensuring that every child is supported, valued and empowered to succeed within a nurturing and aspirational school community. 

Saint Edburg’s Primary School is an excellent school that has clearly continued to demonstrate inclusion as a priority throughout its key stages. Through a combination of strategic leadership decisions, targeted investment in staff development, and a strong commitment to relational practice, leaders have established a culture that prioritises both academic achievement and the holistic development of every child. On both sites, the school ensures inclusion remains at the heart of all that it does, honouring and living their school ethos that ‘all are valued and all are loved.’ 

Relational Practice Strengthening Belonging 

One of the most significant developments this year has been the successful completion of an 18-month relational practice programme. This work has had a profound influence on the school’s culture and approach to behaviour, wellbeing, and pupil support. Leaders have ensured that the principles of relational practice are embedded throughout the school, moving beyond isolated interventions to become a central aspect of daily interactions between staff, pupils, and families. As part of this work, the school’s transition policy was comprehensively reviewed and revised to place greater emphasis on relationship-building and emotional readiness. Arrangements now provide vulnerable pupils and those identified as requiring additional support, with opportunities to spend increased time with future teachers and classes before formal transitions take place. This proactive approach has strengthened pupils’ sense of belonging, reduced anxiety, and contributed to smoother transitions between year groups and phases of education. 

The school’s commitment to understanding and responding to the root causes of unwanted behaviours is evident throughout. Leaders have introduced a structured framework that supports staff in exploring the underlying factors contributing to dysregulation. Staff are growing in confidence with regard to recognising behaviour as communication, as well as responding in ways that maintain both high expectations and positive relationships. 

Specialist Support Meeting Individual Needs 

Leaders have further enhanced their pastoral systems this past year through the implementation of an AI-supported behaviour monitoring platform. The system provides a more sophisticated means of analysing behavioural incidents and patterns, allowing staff to identify emerging concerns, evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, and develop personalised support plans. By encouraging reflective practice and prompting staff to consider incidents from the pupil’s perspective, the platform allows for a deeper understanding of individual needs.  

Classroom teaching is adaptive and responsive, and inclusion is regarded as everyone’s responsibility rather than an ‘add-on’ to the curriculum. The inclusion team however provides a wide range of additional specialist interventions to support staff, pupils and families. The inclusion team are to be praised for the depth and breadth of work that it covers: the team have developed a multidisciplinary approach which includes therapeutic provision, assessment services, speech and language support, trauma informed practice and other targeted programmes designed to address both academic and social-emotional needs.  

The development of the school’s specialist pathway provision is a clear strength. The existing pathway has already demonstrated success in supporting pupils with complex communication and developmental needs, but leaders have now identified further need and intend to respond to increasing demand by establishing a second pathway class. Importantly, the new pathway is not to be viewed as a separate provision but as part of a continuum of support that enables pupils to access mainstream learning as successfully as possible. Pupils in the current pathway are provided with carefully planned opportunities to participate in mainstream classes as well as their bespoke curriculum, developing confidence and familiarity for the children within the wider school environment.  

Empowering Pupils Through Leadership and Responsibility 

Pupil voice is reflective of the wider culture of inclusion and responsibility. A wide range of leadership opportunities enables pupils to take active roles within the school community while developing confidence, independence, and a sense of civic responsibility. The school council and pupil leadership groups play an important role in promoting equality, children’s rights, and school improvement. Pupils described taking responsibility for initiatives such as reading, sports and wellbeing, being anti-bullying ambassadors, junior librarians, sports captains, and rights leaders. Fundraising events, trips and visits aligned with pupil responsibility, and community engagement projects are topics of pride for the pupils, who also tell me they enjoy learning, and enjoy helping others. 

Find Out More About IQM 

If your school is interested in achieving the IQM Inclusive School Award, contact the IQM team on 028 7127 7857 or email admin@iqmaward.com. 

To find out more about IQM and request a free information pack, visit www.iqmaward.com.