St Edwards CE VA Primary School in Romford, Essex has been awarded the Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence status.
Pupils Love School
“We love our school. It is a positive environment where children excel.”
This was said by a Year 6 pupil who was part of a Key Stage 2 group, speaking with enthusiasm and great passion about why they value their school so much. They described themselves as a very welcoming school where all the children play together and are very kind to new starters. This sense of inclusion for all is a thread that runs throughout the school and was mentioned by everyone. This school is extremely inclusive in all areas.
A Passionate Headteacher
The school is led by an inspiring and charismatic Headteacher who is passionate about the children who attend St Edward’s Primary School and their families. He supports the local community in every way that he can, placing the values of the Christian ethos at the forefront of the school’s day-to-day practice and his decision-making.
Strong Values
The senior leadership team, including the Governors, lead the school under the banner of “Life in all its fulness” and bring to life these strong Christian values that form the school’s moral purpose. The senior leaders are enthusiastic and passionate about children’s learning and are a very strong team who leads from the front, being highly respected by their colleagues.
Positive Changes
The Governors spoke about the huge amount of positive change that has taken place in the school in the last three years: the school’s reputation in the community has improved with parents from other schools asking for their children to be admitted to the school. Pupils enjoy their lessons. Year 2 pupils spoke about their writing lessons and how they like writing about Superheroes! Swimming, music and computing are also great favourites of the children. Discussions with pupils emphasised how many learning opportunities there are and how much they benefit from the wide range of them.
The Curriculum
All teachers are involved in designing and updating the curriculum. Their views are sought about what works and what needs adapting as they are recognised as the experts on their group of children. Teachers from other schools come to see the curriculum in action, some examples are maths teachers from other schools observing the highly experienced maths lead deliver her lesson as well as teachers coming to see how the school does their lesson planning.
A Wonderful Supportive Team
The staff appreciates all the support that they get from a very approachable senior leadership team. A member of staff said that there is the ethos of SLT wanting everyone to do well. One teacher commented that she feels part of a wonderful, supportive team. They describe it as a family-friendly environment with many staff having their own children here. Staff feels confident about their roles due to the proactive work that is put in place by the senior team. For example, a teacher who was new to teaching phonics was given the opportunity to observe the phonics specialist teaching a session so that she could see how the lessons flow in practice.
Wellbeing Is Priority
Pupils’ physical wellbeing is also a high priority. The school lunches are healthy, generous portions, all cooked on-site and very nutritious! Pupils have access to drinking water throughout the day and the younger pupils have fresh fruit and milk. All pupils, including the Nursery, eat lunch together in the dining hall. There is a wide range of before school, lunch and after school clubs in sports, music and creative activities as well as a breakfast club. All pupils are offered a place and no child is denied a place due to financial constraints. The pupils enjoy having a role on the school council, they also have an eco-warrior team. The school is one of the few in the Local Authority that recycles all its food.
Everyone Is Valued
The school has a strong mental health and wellbeing team who have introduced a wide range of initiatives for pupils and staff to support each other as much as they can. The ELSA team has its own bespoke, calm room. Staff model the idea of it’s ok not to be perfect as part of the Growth Mindset ethos of the school, to help pupils be more confident. The school counsellor is available for pupils and staff where needed. The mental health team is now part of a consortium with local schools so that they can share practices and discuss particular issues or themes that are in the local community. There is also an ELSA consortium that meets with ELSAs from other schools as well as with an EP. They take it, in turn, to host with different schools. They value this experience greatly. Staff are regularly asked for their views about how their mental health is supported via staff surveys. The school is highly inclusive in all of its practices, it has been a pleasure and delight to hear so many children, members of staff and parents speak about how they feel valued and supported by this remarkable school. Everyone’s voice is heard and included.
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