Timbercroft Primary School has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Flagship status.
Strong Values Underpin All They Do
Timbercroft is a thriving, extremely inclusive and successful mainstream school, built on strong values which underpin all they do.
The Executive Headteacher and her Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) team have an acute understanding of the school’s context and a drive and passion to support their pupils and their families. There is constant reflection on how to improve and adapt approaches to meet the changing needs of the pupils and leaders are proactive in planning to meet these new challenges. Due to its reputation for excellent inclusive provision, the school has become a magnet for inclusion within the local area and beyond.
In addition to the extra staff needed to support individual needs, leaders have had to be creative with the learning environment, maximising the use of every space in the school to provide suitable areas, such as the sensory room and the Cwtch (‘a cuddle’ in Welsh) room. Meetings with new families are arranged as soon as possible, often before the pupils are even on the roll, which enables leaders to put provisions in place, initiate referrals and seek advice at the earliest opportunity. The shortage of trained and experienced professionals in the Local Authority has led to the school commissioning specialists, such as Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language and Educational Psychologists. Leaders collaborate closely with these professionals to ensure outcomes are bespoke and impactful. One pupil needed to access specialist support to treat their speech stammer; however, long waiting lists prevented this from being given. The school prioritised additional time from their Speech and Language Therapist to support this need in school, working with the pupil and parent, as well as sharing strategies with the class teacher. Specialist support that is delivered is recorded (with permission) and shared with the wider staff, leading to a large number of staff at all levels with a developed understanding of complex needs and how best to meet these needs.
Everyone Feels Included and Represented
Due to high demand, the school continues to grow its before and after school wrap-around care, ‘Timber Time’. This provision has enabled families to return to work knowing their children are being looked after by adults who know them. One parent commented how her daughter has been able to easily access this provision with her needs being accommodated. Staff assured her they would make it work – and they did. The parent returned to her job without worrying about her child.
Leaders at Timbercroft have evolved their view of inclusion and know that being fully inclusive is more than just ensuring that people with special educational needs are represented. Inclusion at Timbercroft is ensuring diversity is utilised and the school is working hard to provide a healthy, fair and equitable space where everyone feels included and represented.
Teachers use a variety of learning styles to deliver the curriculum and the content and scope of resources being used are constantly under review. Following an audit of the literature available at school, leaders reflected there was a lack of diversity in their reading curriculum and that diversity was not represented in other subjects, for example, significant people in sport, art and music. Leaders completed a significant amount of research and met with Scholastic and other Academy Trusts to identify books which would be appropriate for the school and promote reading for pleasure.
The school’s 100-Book Challenge has been launched across all classes, with high-quality texts specifically chosen that reflect the Timbercroft community. This challenge is displayed extensively throughout the school, with the books being the first thing you see when you walk into the building and each classroom. Each class has its box of books which the pupils can sign out to take home and read. Time is given weekly in assemblies to discuss the books and ensure the challenge retains its momentum and staff have read the books allocated to their Key Stage, which has promoted reflective conversations which challenge stereotypes and provide opportunities for discussion in a safe space. Oral book reviews are given by pupils to their peers and when books are returned to the box having been read. They are immediately ‘snapped up’ by another pupil, highlighting the growing enthusiasm to read for pleasure. One pupil has recently joined the school from Nigeria and was ecstatic to be able to select a reading book containing African tales. Another pupil commented that she would never have thought she would enjoy a certain genre until she heard it read aloud by her class teacher and now, she is reading the second book in the series.
Calm, Purposeful, Teaching and Learning Atmosphere
The IQM Leads gave our Assessor a tour of the school, enabling them to see pupils and staff at work. A calm, purposeful, teaching and learning atmosphere was evident throughout the whole school and the behaviour for learning observed during the review day was exemplary. All adults know all the pupils and relationships between pupils and school staff were observed as being excellent. A positive culture was witnessed in every classroom visited with teachers actively listening to pupils and giving praise and encouragement in response to answers given and questions asked.
Improving metacognition and collaborative learning is a focus at Timbercroft and Kagan, dual coding and interleaving strategies, were used by class teachers to further develop pupil understanding in lessons. Pupils were seen to utilise Chromebooks both for whole class learning and as a personal learning resource, for example, supporting spelling or alternative word choices. The school has reviewed their computing curriculum to ensure there is effective practice in teaching essential digital skills.
Pupils higher up in the school are beginning to use their devices as confidently as they would use books, paper and pen, autonomously selecting their preferred method to research and/or record their learning. Classrooms are set up to support and scaffold pupils’ learning with supportive working walls and bespoke visual supports for pupils who need them. There are individual stations in place for pupils who need time away from a busy room and peers. There are high expectations of presentation at all levels, from pupils’ books and digital work to classroom walls and corridor displays. The whole school environment is calm, stimulating and well-organised.
Welcome the Community Inside
The school uses every opportunity to open its doors and welcome the community inside. Curriculum Big Outcomes are planned and delivered annually with great excitement. These outcomes allow the pupils to share their learning with a wider audience and are designed and implemented by the children with the class teacher facilitating. The pupils decide what they are aiming for and how to get there. They plan activities in school, such as a cake sale or an afternoon tea, to raise funds and ensure trips and visits can go ahead.
This year, Year 6 pupils have been learning about Africa, past and present, with a particular focus on Benin and the West African slave trade. Their planning ensured the delivery of a workshop in school and a trip to the British Museum to see the Benin bronzes. Parents Pop-ins are offered on the last Friday of every month where families are welcomed into the classroom to observe lessons being taught and all families are invited to be part of Timbercroft’s annual Aspiration and Achievement week. This is an annual event held to provide experiences and environments which will encourage children to do more and be more than they presently aspire to be.
The school continues on its journey to develop its outdoor provision and approach to play and on the review day, the many successes of this initiative were clear to see. Pupils were observed to be immersed in their play and cooperation was evident, with pupils having the skills to find solutions to problems.
Pupils from older year groups were fully engaged with resources such as sand and water, areas that previously they could not play with beyond Reception. The pupils spoken to reflected that the change to their lunchtime provision has made the school much better and promoted imagination as they are now creating games and leading their play. They were also appreciative that they had the opportunity during the school day to see their siblings. The variety of stimulating opportunities for creative play has led to a significant reduction in both behaviour and first aid incidents. Teachers have reported a positive impact in the classroom as pupils are burning off energy at social times and returning to class engaged and ready to learn.
Outward-Facing School
Discussions with key members of staff during the review were extremely useful in confirming that the school continues to successfully address all elements of the IQM Award, supported by documentary evidence, both before and during the review, to enhance and underpin discussions. Timbercroft is an outward-facing school and wants to ensure that all pupils can achieve success no matter their starting points and differences.
They use trends in data to identify need and put support in place accordingly. If they do not have school support, they will look beyond the school, using evidence-based research to understand how best to address this area of concern, for example, the 100-Book Challenge.
Teamwork was a word used regularly when speaking with adults on the review day. One teacher reflected that, “children flourish here because we all communicate and we all support each other”. Everyone is passionate about making positive differences, big or small. Teaching staff agree that Senior Leaders are reflective and are always approachable for advice and support. One staff member commented, “I can go to the Headteacher and ask for help and help will be given. We are listened to and supported”.
There was a real feeling of warmth and support in our Assessor’s meeting with parents. Children who have certain needs are very well supported by the school and parents highly praised the school’s practice describing the school as, “working in partnership with parents”.
One parent reflected that, “the school meets the need, not the diagnosis”, noting how children are treated as individuals and their needs assessed and supported this way, rather than a blanket approach. Parents were confident that their child’s voice was always heard and they were kept central to any support put in place. They appreciated how well staff know their children and how empathetic staff are to any concerns and worries they may have. They recognised that, “the staff go above and beyond to help individuals”.
The parents spoken to agreed that they make decisions with the school and as parents they feel listened to. One parent commented that, “staff recognise I am the expert on my child, and they work with me to plan support. This school listens!”
Trusted Relationships
The importance of establishing trusted relationships with pupils was recognised by the staff at all levels throughout the review day. The school goes above and beyond to understand each and every child and staff recognise presenting behaviours (both expected and unexpected) as a communication of need.
Office staff have had training on Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) and are constantly reaching out to pupils and families when they are struggling to enter the school gate. A member of the Catering team ensures pupils with restricted diets can access the food they are comfortable eating and has even shared her special meatball recipe with one family so they can re-create the dish at home. One child at risk of exclusion last year is now thriving in school, with the class teacher having a weekly Tea & Talk session to nourish their relationship.
Timbercroft puts relationships at the heart of their approach by truly hearing and responding to pupil voice. The Chair of Governors reflected, “this school knows every child, they want the best for every child and they know what each child needs”. Our Assessor discussed with leaders on the review day that a possible next step for the school would be to review their behaviour policy, ensuring their relational approach is rightly reflected and that their good practice becomes an expectation shared with and understood by all.
Our Assessor added, “I would like to thank Timbercroft for my warm welcome to the school and the time they gave to me during the day. It was a privilege to meet such passionate and dedicated staff, who are supported to achieve success and deliver outstanding support in such an inclusive school. What continues to stand out very clearly is the pride and passion of the staff and this is demonstrated in the way they engage and work with each other, pupils and families to more than meet needs, going above and beyond what is expected.”
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.