The William Allitt School, Newhall in Derbyshire, has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence status.
Introducing William Allitt
William Allitt is a smaller than average Local Authority 11 – 18 Secondary School in South Derbyshire. Numbers entering the school at Year 7 have increased recently due to the excellent links being made with the local primary schools in the area. School attendance in June 2020 was 92.5% and remained stable during the early part of the Covid pandemic. Since returning to school in September attendance has dropped to around 88% as result of the ongoing impact of Covid. The culture of ‘family and belonging’ is evident across the whole school, driven by the school’s motto ‘Learning Without Limits’ and the P.R.I.D.E. values.
Engaging and Vibrant
The classroom environments are engaging, vibrant and welcoming due to the hard work of the school staff and their determination to provide the pupils with a great Secondary School experience. Classroom expectations are extremely consistent across the school ensuring support for learning is mirrored across subject departments. This is particularly beneficial for pupils on the SEND register who may struggle with moving rooms for each subject. The environment in school is fully accessible to all pupils with lifts providing access to most areas of the school. Effective timetabling of rooms ensures any student with physical disabilities does not need to access areas without lifts.
Learning Without Limits
In striving to deliver a quality Secondary experience for pupils the school exemplifies that inclusion is at the heart of everything it does. All members of the wider school community see the school as being one big family community and visitors are warmly welcomed when they arrive on site. The school’s motto ‘Learning without Limits’ driven by the school’s PRIDE values and the ‘GREAT start’ for lessons, embed the ethos of the school, characteristics of learning and engage the pupils. Expectations of pupils and staff are clear. The school’s behaviour policy intends to support all members of the school community to live and work together in a mutually beneficial way and aims to promote an environment in which everyone feels happy, safe, and secure.
Positive Communication
Communication with the parents is a strength through the school’s Inclusion Team, consisting of Family Worker, Child Protection and Wellbeing Officer, SENDCo, Alternative Learning Lead and the Senior Lead for Behaviour and Welfare. The school uses the SIMS App, emails, phone calls and newsletters to ensure good communication with all families. Parents stated that both phone and email queries to the school were always dealt with quickly and efficiently. Communication through Covid was particularly strong. All families received weekly phone calls, with a focus on both learning and wellbeing. The school’s emphasis on the wellbeing of pupils and their families was much appreciated by the parents.
Student Voice
Raising pupil aspirations is a high priority across the school and the provision of a full time Careers Adviser in school is driving this forward. Great emphasis is placed on raising awareness of Higher Education, starting as soon as the pupils join Year 7. An ‘Alumni’ display is being created in school to show destinations of pupils Post 18 and beyond in the bid to continue to help students believe they can succeed and aim high. The school provides significant opportunities for pupils to take on roles of responsibility as, Sports Ambassadors, Literacy Ambassadors and Anti-Bullying Ambassadors. Students willingly engage in community projects local to the school and readily take part in national fundraising activities. The Head Boy and Head Girl, supported by their Deputies are also heavily involved in the school.
Heart of the Community
The school is situated at the heart of the local community and the site is used by local organisations out of school time. The school is in the process of setting up a youth club for the local area in conjunction with the Local Authority making the William Allitt facilities available for the group without charge. The local community has contributed to the life of the school through the ‘Friends of Newhall Park’ who hold their meetings at the school. The school regularly supports events run by the ‘Friends’ including litter picking, tree planting and Remembrance Day events.
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