The Wainscott 100 experiences have resulted in improvements in attendance, parental engagement and relationships, access to school clubs, and family reading time.
Parent workshops and parent consultations have strengthened how parents feel supported, and parents reported how comfortable they felt about their children being at the school due to their own accessibility to resources and support.
The school continues to adjust to the needs of the pupils. It is not one approach that fits all.
Staff said: “We see the child as a unique child; they present themselves in different ways. Because of this, there is a culture of continuous improvement through training and research throughout the school for all staff and all roles.
“From pupil feedback, the school changed ‘worry monsters’ to ‘worry boxes’ because of the implications the language had for some of the children.”
The range of inclusive practice and acceptance is wide. There is support for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community, and the school has supported families of children who have wanted to transition.
Staff and children have created an inclusive community for children with physical mobility needs, enabling children to be independent in the environment.
All staff—breakfast club, dinner staff, and office staff—are able to identify needs and act proactively to support the children and each other.
One member of staff confirmed, “We all take an active role in supporting the children, and training is available for our needs if we do not feel equipped.”
After spending the day in the inclusion office, it is clear that inclusion is at the heart of Wainscott. Everyone is welcome in the space, whatever the reason, and it was clear that the staff dealt with every situation with empathy and compassion. It was not only children who accessed this space.
The Nest and The Den
Staff were welcomed with their troubles, and it is evident that the wellbeing and mental health of everyone are at the centre of their practice of inclusion. Other spaces are also made available to both children and staff, such as The Nest and The Den.
For the children, The Nest is predominantly for sensory needs, whereas The Den is used more for nurturing opportunities. Sessions are timetabled, but there is also flexibility for children to access the spaces as and when required. The Fairy Tree Log is a popular resource the children use, where your hand can be placed on a representation of a part of a tree trunk, and the colour changes to take your worry away. Another resource the children find beneficial is the bubble tube. One child said, ‘It feels like my body staff, help me to turn it down’.
For adults, The Nest and The Den provide additional spaces for them should the inclusion office be busy, and adults need a personal space to talk to the inclusion team. This is inclusive of parents.
On arrival, there was a warm, friendly greeting from the Headteacher, and it was clear from the reactions of staff, pupils, and parents that this is the embedded practice and ethos of the school. Wainscott operates with a soft start to the day. This is not lip service; it promotes inclusivity by ensuring that children who find it difficult to attend school is offered opportunities to encourage attendance, but more importantly, it’s used to ensure the children are emotionally prepared for the day.
There is also the adjustment of a soft ending for the school day, should families need it. The success of their ‘6 by 6 Club’ (which provides children with regular opportunities to engage in enhancement activities such as art) is another example of how the school works hard to encourage regular attendance for children to achieve the best emotional support and education they can prepare them for their futures.
School Tour
A tour of the school highlighted the calm and purposeful learning environment, and the children were happy, polite, and confidently engaged in their learning and conversations.
Year 6 children were seen participating in ‘Stop, Relax, and Read’ which creates a purposeful reading opportunity as well as helps mindfulness and wellbeing in the ‘ snuggle areas. Children were seen to be supported appropriately and could independently access resources. There is a drive for all ages to access manipulatives to develop metacognition and prevent cognitive overload by allowing children to secure the concrete operation of learning before being exposed too soon to abstract concepts.
Curriculum days are important at Wainscott, as is the Forest School, which is available for all year groups. As well as visiting places, the school has visitors into the school, including a petting zoo and someone bringing in a range of creepy crawlies. Their cultural capital is focused on the cultural representation of the school, and the curriculum is supported through religious visits as well as different religious leaders coming in to speak with the children.
Registers are taken in a range of different languages, and there is a system of buddying for children new to the school who need support in their language. The school has a function on its website where languages can be changed to ensure accessibility for all. As well as ensuring the curriculum closes learning gaps, the curriculum is planned around 21st-century living, and teachers and children are proud to showcase their personalised work.
Staff commented on how diversity is threaded into the curriculum and how the school changes alongside societal changes. Interventions are thoughtfully carried out, and pre-teaching for some children is embedded in practice throughout the school. Adapted approaches to learning, behaviour, and emotional needs mean that staff adjust their behaviours to suit the needs of the children.
Leaders appreciate the real strength of teaching assistants who streamline their expertise and strength to benefit all of the children. Timetables are very flexible and are adapted to suit whole classes, groups, and individuals, depending on how some children come into school. Staff have the autonomy to make decisions, which is supported by the leadership team.
There is a live and deliberate practice of inclusion in Wainscott. All of the people in the community speak consistently about the same themes running through the inclusive practices and projects being undertaken. All staff have a passion for inclusion – there is a sense of successful relational practice, and this emanates from the practices that have created feelings of safety and productive collaboration.
It is clear that everyone strives to go above and beyond for the children and the community they serve. There is a strong sense of inclusive teamwork: ‘It is inclusive, safe, and secure here—strong teams, always someone to lean on, and you get the support when you need it. I do not feel different, but differences are celebrated.’
Support staff said the school is supporting ”exceptional’ and stated that everyone offers far more as a school than most. They recognise how the school is ‘growing and growing’ and how their learning continues to grow through the use of The National College and their access to Creative Ed, which they can access individually depending on their training needs. The comment ‘It’s not one size fits all’ was once again used. Communication is excellent, and the inclusion team ensures the best person is in place for the needs of children – the support staff are happy that they may be redeployed – ‘we go where we are needed’. They appreciate that rapid assessment is undertaken for children when a need is recognised, and that planning is readily available for them.
The school and its leaders recognise that they ‘have been on a journey for the last 4 to 5 years’. The Centre of Excellence allowed the school ‘to celebrate where we had come on the journey, and everyone was a part of that journey’. There is a clear sense of pride at Wainscott. One member of the inclusion team said, It’s wow—we’ve done this, we’re doing it for the children and the community. It’s part of our everyday – it’s our ethos.
The school has a strategic plan to ensure trauma-informed practice and approaches, and this is reflected in the calm, purposeful environment the children learn in. It was clear that all stakeholders knew the vision, ethos, and values of the school.
Wainscott Primary School, Rochester.The inclusion team works hard to communicate the best practices, which include before, during, and after school, to support children and parents with a range of needs and challenges. There is consistency in the language used to describe the practice in the school—”unique”’ and ‘culture’ are only two of the many descriptions used that show how the community values and appreciates the work of inclusion in the school.
Pupils describe being at Wainscott as ‘fun’, ‘welcoming’, ‘caring, and somewhere people are ‘encouraging your dreams’. They are aware of the children who have different needs, need calming boxes, or need time out, but they said how important it is that no judgements are made and that it is important to recognise and celebrate people’s differences positively. They spoke about the flexibility in the classroom depending on needs and how children are feeling.
They recognised the importance of behaviour awards and articulated how small steps for some could be a huge achievement for others and how the system was fair as it was on an individual basis. Again, even the children made a reference to not one size fighting all. Play leaders help teachers at break time, and the children have identified how this has helped to prevent altercations in the playground, as ‘no one wants to see their friends having to deal with bad situations’.
When I asked them about what they could change about the school, they all agreed that they should be allowed to wear jewellery! The children agreed that a wider knowledge of inclusion other than Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) would be something they think should be taught explicitly.
Parents described how special the school is from the way “the school has supported my child… they are very accommodating and will always include children… very
impressed with the ways that they help. They put things in place. “The school “really
does have an open-door policy.” One parent described the school as ‘lifesaving’ and how they feel valued and the confidence they have in the school knowing their child is important and valued.
They praised the school for not being judgmental and biassed towards the differences the families have or challenges they face, and for being inclusive of everyone. They commented on their own mental health and how the school helps parents as well as the children.
They complimented the school on the events that help to engage patents and the use of a variety of communication (‘as not everyone does technology’) and how nothing is too small to be followed up on the day that it happens. They appreciate that someone is always available to talk to. They appreciate the respect the staff show to all and how it is a two-way communication, no matter which agencies are included parents are involved at all stages. They were aware of the improvements in pupil’s voice and how now it is captured to embrace the culture of inclusion. ‘Everything is perfect – what do you have if not this?’
The school has a supportive governing body that provides appropriate support and
challenge and are actively engaged in the life of the school. Everything that staff, children, and parents commented on was supported by the Governor.
The assessor emphasised the need for the school and trust to remove barriers for children and families to be successful in the wider world. “Inclusion is a whole. We do it exceptionally well and have no limitations on families…we build from the ground up.”