St Cuthbert’s Achieves Centre of Excellence Status

September 3, 2026

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St Cuthbert’s RC Primary School & Nursery has achieved IQM Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence Status in recognition of its deeply embedded culture of inclusion and its commitment to ensuring that every pupil is known, highly valued and supported to achieve their full potential. The assessment highlighted a school where relationships are exceptional, barriers to learning are actively removed, and every child experiences a genuine sense of belonging. 

We Love, We Learn, We Grow 

St Cuthbert’s is a highly inclusive Catholic school guided by their vision, ‘We Love, We Learn, We Grow,’ and this is at the core of everything they do both in and out of the classroom. The lead HMI captured the essence of the school’s inclusive culture by stating, ‘Children are cherished here.’ 

There is a shared commitment to ensuring every child is loved, while all members of the school community take collective responsibility for removing barriers to learning and participation. 

A Culture of Collaboration and Care 

Leaders describe inclusion as a strength of St. Cuthbert’s, and it is clearly woven into every aspect of school life. The school promotes a strong culture of collaboration in which staff work collectively to plan, implement, and review practice. Leaders describe this as a ‘collegiate approach,’ and this is firmly embedded across the school, reflecting a professional culture of mutual respect, shared accountability, and continuous improvement. This collective commitment to inclusion ensures that responsibility for supporting pupils is shared across the whole staff team rather than resting solely with specialist colleagues. Staff spoke passionately about working at St Cuthbert’s and described feeling well supported, valued and listened to by leaders. 

Every Child Included 

St Cuthbert’s provides a broad, balanced, and ambitious curriculum that is carefully designed to meet the needs of its school community. Teachers adapt learning effectively to ensure that all pupils, including those with SEND and those who are disadvantaged, can access the curriculum. Evidence-informed adaptive teaching, carefully planned scaffolding, targeted support, and personalised approaches enable pupils to participate fully and achieve success within the classroom. Pupil engagement is a significant strength of the school. Pupils demonstrate consistently positive attitudes towards learning, participate enthusiastically in lessons and approach new learning with curiosity and confidence. As a result, the curriculum enables all pupils to experience success, develop confidence and make progress academically, socially, and personally. It reflects the school’s commitment to ensuring that every child, regardless of need or starting point, is fully included, challenged, and prepared for the next stage of their education. 

Exceptional Relationships 

Leaders have developed an exceptionally strong culture of inclusion in which all stakeholders work together to ensure that every child succeeds. Relationships are exceptional and characterised by trust, respect, and warmth, while high expectations are consistently matched by highly personalised support. Inclusion is not simply reflected in policies or strategic planning; it is evident in every aspect of school life and is experienced daily by pupils, families, and staff. This collaboration, ambition and compassion ensures that pupils make academic progress, develop confidence and resilience, and experience a genuine sense of belonging. 

Strong Partnerships with Families 

St Cuthbert’s Primary School places great value on developing strong, trusting relationships with parents and carers, recognising that effective partnerships between home and school are fundamental to pupils’ success. Parents consistently spoke about the exceptional support provided by staff, describing communication as: ‘incredible’ and highlighting the school’s commitment to going ‘the extra mile’ for children and families. Many parents described transformational improvements in their children’s confidence, attendance, wellbeing, and engagement since joining St Cuthbert’s. 

A Lasting Legacy 

The Headteacher has provided exceptional leadership and throughout the visit, it was evident that he is held in the highest regard by all stakeholders, who spoke warmly of his leadership, integrity, and genuine care for the school community. Over the past seven years, he has led a remarkable transformation, creating an inclusive, ambitious, and nurturing school where pupils flourish academically, socially, and emotionally. The school knows and understands what work needs to be done and has robust plans in place demonstrating the strong commitment to inclusion that permeates every element of the school. 

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.