Shenstone School Achieves IQM Inclusive School Award

September 3, 2026

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Shenstone School has achieved the IQM Inclusive School Award in recognition of its deeply embedded culture of inclusion and its unwavering commitment to ensuring that every student is known, valued and supported to achieve their potential. The assessment highlighted a school where aspiration, personalised support and strong relationships enable students to engage, thrive and achieve. 

A School Built Around Every Student 

Shenstone has inclusion at the heart of its practice. The student is put at the centre of all decisions. The students have complex needs and the school has an ethos of “always going a step above” as stated by a parent in a meeting held on the assessment day. To meet these wide and varying needs, be they physical, social, emotional or sensory, the school works alongside a wide range of partners to individualise the offer for all students, thus allowing them to engage, thrive and achieve. 

The Shenstone values of Success, Happiness, Excellence, Nurturing, Safe, Teamwork, Opportunities, Never Giving Up and Equality are clear to visitors, being demonstrated by all members of the school community. 

Highly Personalised Learning 

The curriculum is highly personalised for every student and this is possible due to the in-depth knowledge that the staff have of each child. There are four pathways which cater for different learning needs and allow the students to access the curriculum in an engaging and meaningful way. Multi-disciplinary teams work seamlessly to provide holistic support for each student. A wide range of teams work together including Speech and Language Therapists (SALT), Occupational Therapists (OT), Physiotherapists, Health Care Assistants and the school nursing team to ensure the best possible care and support. The support is also in class whenever possible. 

As one therapist explained, “So we’re popping in and providing advice in the real setting, not taking children out of the class, but in the real context, how they are working within the environment.” 

Communication Without Limits 

Communication is a key pillar of the school and is viewed as fundamental to students’ development. Shenstone School is a Total Communication environment. Every child has a personal communication system, whether that is a communication book, photo choice book, objects of reference or technology-based support. One student was very keen to share his new topic words which had been added to his communication device that morning, “landslide” and “thunderstorm” to link with the new book about extreme weather. 

Student voice is vital in Shenstone School. During the pupil meeting, students shared what they liked about school, including “laptop,” “swings” and “I like school because it is fun.” 

Increasing opportunities for students to be able to advocate for themselves is seen as a vitally important life skill. 

Preparing for Life Beyond School 

The vision of what students will need in their future lives is held across all therapies and throughout the wider school community. The Speech and Language Therapy team shared, “what we’re trying to do is create lifelong communication, not communication just from primary school to the end of secondary school. They’re going to be individuals who are in society who are going to need to communicate with people outside of school.” 

Many students have physical management programmes and these are incorporated into the school day. Shenstone School works closely with families to ensure goals and aspirations are relevant to students’ lives in the community and beyond the school. Trips within the local and wider community help to develop independence, communication skills, money management and self-advocacy, while visits to places such as the Globe Theatre and the Tate broaden horizons and build cultural capital. 

Supporting Families Every Step of the Way 

Parents could not speak highly enough about the Shenstone staff. One parent commented, “they are amazing. They are amazing with our young people. I know that she is safe, happy and they are learning.” Parents feel that communication in the school is strong and value the support available through the Family Wellbeing Lead, who works with families across all three sites. Parents described the school as “wonderful” and praised the balance between nurturing children’s needs and maintaining high aspirations. As one parent explained, “I love the fact that it gets the balance right between looking after the children’s needs at the basic level of making sure that they’re comfortable, so that they can stay regulated for as long as possible in order to be able to access their education, but also that they get pushed.” 

Find Out More About IQM 

If your school is interested in achieving 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.