St. Colman’s PS and All Saints’ Nursery has achieved the Inclusive School Award.
Educationally Inclusive School
An educationally inclusive school such as St. Colman’s PS and All Saints’ Nursery is one in which the teaching and learning, achievements, attitudes and wellbeing of every young person matter. Effective schools are educationally inclusive and this was evident to our Assessor from entering the school grounds. Our Assessor was greeted by the school’s caretaker who knew so much about the pupils from each year group. It was clear he had invested a lot of time getting to know the pupils and building a strong relationship.
One of the first meetings was with the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) who explained the sensory-motor group and ‘Relax Kids’ programme. The sensory-motor group was created to help pupils with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), ADHD, dyspraxia and other special educational needs that can lead to motor and sensory difficulties. The group was created pre-Covid but halted after Covid until last year. It is laid out like circuits with each station having a different exercise. These skills-based activities can involve heavy muscle work with exercises such as scooter boards, bench pulls and yoga poses. The class will always start with a warmup to prepare the pupils as well as a calming down session before the class finishes. Our Assessor was fortunate enough to witness a class in action and staff and pupils were able to explain how these exercises are helping their self-esteem, confidence, listening skills, handwriting skills and providing techniques on how to self-regulate.
Meticulous Planning
It was clear that meticulous planning goes into each session to ensure that pupils identified with special educational needs and/or disabilities enjoy the same curriculum opportunities as their peers.
‘Relax Kids’ which is a seven-step programme of movement, games, stretching exercises, massage, breathing exercises, positive affirmations and relaxation was discussed. This is carried out with different year groups and helps pupils be mindful of how their body feels. The fun games can get the endorphins going and the breathing exercises educate the pupils on calming techniques. These coping mechanisms have had a clear impact on improving pupils’ resilience and helping them to believe in themselves. Several members of staff explained how they noticed these mechanisms being used by individuals in the classroom.
The Nursery dress rehearsal was next on the agenda and what a treat it was. Our Assessor was amazed at how every single pupil in the Nursery took part, but the highlight was the excellent display of inclusiveness when some pupils started to use sign language within their acting roles. This was a fantastic display of respect and equality among peers of such a young age. This was clear evidence of an educationally inclusive school.
An important aspect of St. Colman’s PS and All Saints’ Nursery Flagship Project has been their ICT journey. During a meeting with the school’s ICT Lead and P7 teacher, our Assessor received a snapshot roadmap of where the school was, where they are now and where they aim to get to as part of their next steps. A vision for ICT cannot become a reality without devices was dicsussed. The school budget was stretched so fundraising was required and a local company (Colin Aerospace) was delighted to sponsor 16 new devices for the school which shows the excellent relationship the school has within the community and with local businesses. Additional fundraising efforts meant the school was able to purchase a Chromebook trolley and 15 new iPads.
The school’s ICT Lead has formed an excellent partnership with Google which started due to the demands on staff having to upskill themselves very quickly during the pandemic. In 2020 it started with staff using Google Classroom for teaching and Google Drive for sharing documents. Their ICT journey involved collaboration with other schools to share best practices and ideas. As a result of the excellent progress that the pupils and staff of St. Colman’s PS and All Saints’ Nursery made, their ICT Lead was asked to present to a delegation in Google’s Headquarters, Dublin about their journey.
This inclusive project means that staff and pupils with a range of abilities and educational needs have received ICT accreditation. The ICT training has upskilled teaching and support staff to provide more interactive lessons, provide work for pupils when they cannot attend school and further improve the already excellent home-school communication.
Training and Upskilling
The creation of a clear ICT scheme of work for each year group in collaboration with three other schools and the Education Authority has provided an excellent transition document for teachers within St. Colman’s PS and All Saints’ Nursery but also for the schools the P7 pupils will transition to.
Training and upskilling staff will be continuous and as part of the school’s next steps they plan to organise a ‘Tech and Toast’ morning with support staff to discuss current strategies and to help upskill anyone on a certain programme in place. This is an excellent idea to break down barriers to ICT abilities among staff and provide a friendly environment to learn. Accreditation opportunities will also be provided so that staff can be acknowledged for the hard work, effort and time they are putting in. The school’s ICT Lead has shown great leadership in progressing not only their staff and pupils, but also staff in other schools through an excellent network created through effective collaboration and sharing of good practice.
A tour of the school was followed by a meeting with pupils from P6 and P7. The three pupils who took the tour were remarkable ambassadors for the school. Their knowledge of the school and local area was exceptional. The corridor displays were of extremely high quality and floor areas were designed with games to help pupils if they needed time to regulate themselves. Creating inclusive corridors fosters a welcoming environment for all students, promoting a sense of belonging and ensuring that the physical space is navigable for everyone, regardless of their abilities or challenges. The classrooms viewed also had creative and bright displays that reflected the learning taking place in the rooms. Pupils from different year groups were engaged in their learning and it was clear that staff take the time to make the environment and the materials they are using, stimulating. Our Assessor was also able to view the outdoor classroom and ‘Live Here, Love Here’ flower beds.
St. Colman’s PS and All Saints’ Nursery is over 50 years old but in 2017 there was an extension added to create more classrooms and teaching areas. During the tour, our Assessor was able to witness break time and could see pupils talking and socialising with each other in friendly and positive ways. During break time the Assessor was introduced to the playground buddies. This is a leadership role for older pupils and their duties include setting up and playing games, but mainly to ensure that no pupil is left on their own. This was great to see in action.
Leadership Role
In the pupil meeting, our Assessor was informed about the different roles within the pupil council such as counsellors, prefects, buddies and digital leaders. There was an application process to go through to be considered for a leadership role and within this each pupil had to explain their ideas on how to help the school improve as well as discuss their personal qualities. This process shows that student leadership within the school promotes responsibility, teamwork and communication skills. It empowers students to take initiative, contribute to decision-making processes, and foster a positive school culture. This not only enhances their personal development but also creates a more inclusive and engaged school community where students feel a sense of ownership and pride in their learning environment.
The next meeting was with the Chair of Governors who was enthusiastic and eager for the school to succeed and to further develop its inclusive work. The Chair provides leadership, strategic vision, and governance expertise. She appreciates the excellent work that the Principal/IQM Lead does and the regular information that she shares with the Governing body as a whole. The Governors fully support the views of both the Principal and staff that the child should be at the centre of everything they do so that all can achieve their potential. They recognise that the staff have high expectations for all pupils.
The Chair has been in the role for seven years and comes with a wealth of experience and knowledge. Up for discussion was how the Principal is asked to provide data as evidence of the school’s success with PTE/PTM so Governors can compare how St. Colman’s PS and All Saints’ Nursery performs against the Northern Ireland average and similar schools. The Chair has had family members pass through the school and shared with me the journey of some local pupils with disabilities and special educational needs. These stories were truly inclusive as at the heart of them it was about local pupils being educated in their community at their closest school. Alternative options would have been a special school miles away.
Classroom Assistants (CAs) play a vital role in the engine room of school life. The well-trained CAs in the school provide tailored support, foster inclusive environments, and enhance learning experiences for students with diverse needs. Their expertise promotes a more inclusive and accommodating educational setting. Our Assessor had the pleasure of meeting with four CAs, and was impressed by their SEND knowledge and ICT expertise. TAKE TEN and how this is used for all pupils and not just those with educational needs was discussed.
The CAs spoke very highly of the strong relationships between all staff in St. Colman’s PS and All Saints’ Nursery and how their views are respected by the school’s leadership. They detailed the training they have been provided with and how RISE NI recently provided the sensory-motor group course.
Diverse
The Principal created an excellent agenda for the IQM visit which allowed our Assessor time to discuss the inclusiveness of the school with different stakeholders. The next meeting was with the newly elected chair of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). This was the first time since the pandemic that it had restarted. The Chair explained that she has a daughter in the school and that she has previous experience of being involved with parent groups. Up for discussion was the school’s IQM journey and the positive contribution a PTA can make. Several events will take place this year to help with fundraising but mainly to show the strong bond between the school and the community. The Chair also explained how the Principal has been fully involved and is always only a phone call away when advice or guidance is needed. It was also great to hear how diverse and inclusive the committee is and how this was important in initial conversations with the Principal.
There was further evidence of collaboration with the school when our Assessor met with one of the Nursery teachers. They spoke about the ‘Sharing from the Start’ programme and how the school was paired with Fair Hill Primary School. This programme allowed schools from different sectors to work in partnership to engage in collaborative and meaningful learning experiences. It was great to hear that parents were also involved and that it was not just school staff and pupils. The programme involved the schools visiting each other and sharing experiences. Each school put on an event and the attendance of both pupils and parents was excellent.
In Nursery, the school also wants to create a strong relationship with the parents/carers and as a result, started the ‘Stay and Play’ program. This allows parents/carers to pick a date and time when they can come into the Nursery and spend time playing with their child. As well as this, there is also a close link with the local mothers and toddlers’ group in the local Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club.
The penultimate meeting of the visit was with a member of SLT who was also the school’s Literacy Co-ordinator and P4 teacher. The school’s Literacy Co-ordinator is playing a pivotal role in promoting literacy skills among students. She is designing effective literacy programs, providing professional development for teachers, and implementing strategies to enhance reading and writing abilities. It was great to hear about how data was being effectively analysed and as a result, it was clear there was a learning gap in pupils across all schools. Literacy and numeracy were identified as priorities and strategies needed to be put in place to improve spelling.
Linguistic phonics has proven to be an issue for a lot of parents during homeschooling. To close the knowledge gap in literacy a two-fold approach was created. Linguistic phonics and spelling were now going to be given two separate lessons to provide as much support as possible to enable progression. To track the progression of the strategies the Progress Tests in English (PTE) assessments and results were used. After Year 1 progression was evident and this proved to be happening year on year. To ensure this continued staff training was provided and accelerated reading was now introduced into P4 for the first time.
The special needs teacher was heavily involved with the strategies so that lower-ability pupils with special needs could also be targeted for progression. This was evidence of a whole school-inclusive strategy to improve literacy skills.
Inspirational and Inclusive Principal
The final meeting of the day was with the school’s inspirational and inclusive Principal. In difficult financial times and through industrial action it was evident that she leads by example, championing diversity and fostering an environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging. The school prioritises equity, listens to various perspectives, and implements inclusive policies that support the needs of all students and staff. Their leadership inspires a culture of respect, collaboration, and continuous improvement, creating a school where everyone can thrive.
During the meeting, our Assessor was informed that the school currently has no Vice-Principal (VP) with the heavy lifting of this role currently falling on other members of the SLT. The school hopes to appoint a VP in the new year. The knock-on effect of this means that several temporary teaching positions cannot be made permanent. Even through challenging times the school is thriving and is currently oversubscribed resulting in a temporary variation in admissions places being applied for each year. Financially the school is facing challenging times and with the demographics of the local area changing, the number of children who can access free school meals is decreasing which affects the finances.
The school has 181 students and ten teachers. Nursery is also oversubscribed with 30 children currently in attendance. The school’s website is extremely active and alongside the monthly newsletter and weekly update, communication with home is fantastic. It was great to discuss how data analysis has been a priority after returning from homeschooling and the benefits of this are clear to see with the progression data provided with for literacy, numeracy and ICT. This was being tracked and compared against each year.
The Principal explained how staff and student wellbeing is crucial for creating a positive and thriving learning environment. Focusing on this has created a culture of care with both staff and students feeling supported, motivated and able to reach their full potential. It contributed to a healthy and productive school community.
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. They have a strong knowledge of the issues facing young people in the local area. Appropriate referrals are made for all pupils who may be at risk of harm and leaders ensure that vulnerable pupils receive extensive, well-targeted support. Staff receive appropriate training each year and leaders have worked to enhance their safeguarding professional development. Leaders keep accurate records of the support provided. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe.
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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