Inclusion Quality Mark Success for North Lakes School 2018

A Report published on 24th October 2018 found that the school fully meets the standards required by the national award for the Inclusion Quality Mark. Headteacher, Mike Pincombe commented, “We are delighted that our Quality Mark Assessor really understood and reflected the values of our school. She has emphasised the real commitment of all our staff, the qualities of our children and the great support of families, carers and governors. Along with our recent Ofsted Report, we feel that the achievements of our learning community have been recognised and we look forward to building on our success together.”

The summary of a thorough 19 page Report described the school in glowing terms. A selection of extracts are given below:

“North Lakes is a school where children and their families are welcomed into the warm and inclusive atmosphere and are given a voice. The wellbeing, social and emotional needs and inclusion of children is given as high a priority as the academic needs so that the whole child is nurtured.

…there is a determination and willingness from staff to support the school in its drive to move continuously forward.

There are high expectations for every child to achieve their best… The impact of this can be seen in the most recent statutory assessments which demonstrate that gaps are narrowing, and pupils are making good progress.

2018 saw strong results in attainment with very high average scaled scores and high percentages of pupils reaching the expected standard. However, the school is not content to rest on its laurels and continues to help pupils move towards mastery and greater depth.

The Headteacher, staff and governors lead by positive example, holding high aspirations for their pupils and working relentlessly to provide equality of learning opportunities for all children in school regardless of gender, race, age, or disability…. inclusion can be seen in practice as mainstream pupils are very accepting despite disability or needs.

The Resourced Provision (for pupils with additional needs) is physically based within the heart of the school building and is accessible to all which serves as a metaphor for the aims and vision for the school.

The environment in school is calm, happy and purposeful. Respect and tolerance are key values which are demonstrated through positive relationships… singing is joyful and of a very high quality as music is a key feature of this school’s success.

The curriculum is planned to be exciting and innovative with pupils enjoying highly creative cross curricular links. This makes learning memorable for pupils and they enjoy a variety of themed weeks which are brought to life by an exciting range of trips, visits by artists, musicians, dancers, historians, poets and authors.

Relationships between staff and pupils are excellent and pupils thrive within the atmosphere of care and challenge. They cooperate and work harmoniously and are confident to contribute within lessons. They are helped to reflect on the 5Rs to build learning power, showing growing independence and resilience when facing challenges. The school uses technology exceptionally well.

Teaching assistants work alongside teachers within the class to provide swift support for any learning misconceptions and also provide specific withdrawal to deliver recovery programmes.

Pupils enjoy the interaction they have with each other and their teachers. They are polite, helpful, articulate and enthusiastic, showing they value their school and respect adults by their exemplary behaviour in and around school. They speak highly of staff and trust them to help with their needs. They give willingly of their time, as one pupil said, “I like to be a role model and care for others” and another “I love to help other children, it means I have more friends.” A pupil noted “This school is the best because there are no bullies, only friends”.

Parents are very supportive of the school and were eager to demonstrate the positive relationships they enjoy. All of the parents spoken to commented on the excellent communications, praising the range of technology and social media used that keeps them informed and which allows them to support their child at home. A parent spoken to said, “I’m proud to be a part of this school, who wouldn’t be?”.

Governors challenge and support and have been instrumental in ensuring value for money and driving plans forward. They know the school well and are clear about what is needed to make it even better.”