Vauxhall Primary School in Lambeth has achieved Centre of Excellence status for the third time.
Culturally Diverse
Vauxhall Primary School is a one form entry. The school is culturally diverse with a high portion of students having English as an additional language. The school has held the Centre of Excellence award twice and are getting ready to renew it for a third time. The school is welcoming from the minute you arrive from the office staff to the children. Every person that I passed said good morning to me as I walked through the school.
Welcoming and Happy Ethos
Inclusion at Vauxhall Primary can be seen through the learning environment from the displays to the children’s work. School staff are happy, and this is reflected in the welcoming and happy ethos that can be felt as you walk around the building. The culturally diverse staffing ensures that all the children have a positive role model that they can relate to. They are proud of the work that they do to meet the needs of all their students. The students are motivated and keen to learn because the school provides a safe and supportive environment.
Children’s Well-Being is Key
Children’s well-being is key at Vauxhall primary. Three members of staff are fully qualified Mental Health First Aiders and a teaching assistant has recently qualified as an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA). The ELSA has started a group where key children are invited to attend small groups to help develop their emotional literacy and language. The SENCO has also ensured that all children that need additional emotional interventions get these. With the support from the Head First Mental health team, mental health is woven through the schools PSHE curriculum as well as their overall ethos. By introducing Philosophy for Children (P4C) which has allowed children to develop critical thinking skills around topics such as respect, the environment and healthy living.
Safe and Supportive Environment for Families
This safe and supportive environment extends to the families. The parents at this school were all happy to share the journeys they have been on, especially those who needed additional support for themselves and their family. One parent explained that they have received was explained as “above and beyond” from one parent and they all agreed that at this school all the staff are helpful and know the parents well. This is reflected in the fact that some of the parents explained that they continued to bring their children to Vauxhall Primary even though they had moved up to two hours away!
A Positive and Stable Staff
Staff are all positive about the school and this is shown through the little change in staffing. On meeting with teachers and support staff, they were all positive about the leadership team and all agreed that they are supported through their professional development as well as being provided with opportunities to further develop their skills within a classroom environment. Staff I met with were all actively part of initiatives to ensure the teaching and learning was specific to all the children’s needs. These included Reading Masters, Grammar Masters and Maths Masters – all which have contributed to the school’s strong data.
Supporting All Staff to Develop
The school also supports support staff who wish to enter teaching, and many choose to stay to complete their training as well as remain at the school once they qualify. When I met with the teachers, they all agreed they love their job, and this is partly to working in such a welcoming and friendly school.
A Family Feel
The family feel is something you can feel throughout the school from the leadership team, who were welcoming and very supportive of each other to the support staff who were positive about the school as a whole. I met with Team 12, who are the student council. They were all very excited to tell me about everything they do as a the “voice of the children who find it hard to talk about things” and how they make sure all children know their rights. The children talked about being a Rights Respecting School and how they ensure there is gender equality in sports and that all children get to have a voice in the school events.
IQM Cluster Meetings
The IQM Coordinator has ensured she’s made it to the cluster meetings. She regularly attends the Lambeth forum and meets with the other SENCOs within Wyvern Federation including supporting the other federation IQM schools.
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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