SEN Inclusion Award
sponsored by Mike Ayres Designs
Presented to the UK Mainstream School that can demonstrate an increase in the quality of care and education services provided to students with Special Educational Needs.
2011 Winner: Baxter College, Worcestershire
Since 2004 Baxter College has relentlessly reshaped itself and directed its educational principles to eradicating the ‘crisis school’ image that arose in a ward considered the seventh most deprived in England. Baxter College’s equal opportunities, attitudes and values, cohesive school life, curriculum flexibility and proactive community perspectives, have a critical impact: from personalised ‘hot lesson’ learning, mentoring and hardship funding to external, assisting partnership groups recognised as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. Such is the resolve and creative teaching expertise the school also runs nurturing sessions for five local primaries. That is testimony enough to both their emerging worldly learning vision and their desire to catch every pupil ‘doing something good’.
Commended
Manford Primary School, Essex
At Manford Primary School, teachers operate a carefully crafted induction process, onsite/offsite management and use teaching materials, style and differentiation effectively. And strengthening welfare monitoring, external support services, parent-teacher liaison and transfer pathways, helps create a balanced foundation for all pupils. In an ethnically and culturally diverse school, clear objectives meet the challenge of a nationally above average SEN pupil ratio: the broad, rich curriculum that stimulates a ‘believe-in-themselves’ learning ethos, while persistently breaking down any barriers to achieving that without exception. Teaching leadership has a whole school connectedness where everyone is mutually supportive. Building strong relationships with pupils’ families engenders understanding, harmony and respect.
Childwall Sports College, Merseyside
Applause for Childwall Sports College’s exemplary inclusion practises came with the SSAT’s National Inclusive Schools award for a school that two years ago Ofsted observed was a ‘harmonious community’ where ‘inclusion lies at the heart of all it does’. In part that reinforces the school’s new drive for CPD, nurturing teachers’ thorough-going capabilities and commitment to meeting the multiplicity of student needs. Designed to create a reflective, knowledgeable community, it is intended peer learning and coaching will become structured and commonplace. The specialist sports and science college encourages all to make a constructive all-round contribution. Every individual is shown attentiveness and respect; while supported learning translates pupils’ effort into personally valued landmarks.
The Belvedere Academy, Liverpool
When Belvedere Academy – characterised as ‘an outward looking school’ – received its advanced Inclusion Charter Mark Award last year, the school’s educational ambitions grew markedly when they started ‘turning lives around.’ Sights are now set on working with primary and secondary schools, local universities, public services, businesses and a large number of cultural organisations in Liverpool and across the UK, even internationally. It creates a two-way street. Sharing a range of educational ideas, knowledge and practices, as Belvedere does, is possible when a high level of internal teaching command is achieved. Pupils can reach their full potential, via out-of-class target-set support, numeracy and literacy tools and counselling. An evolving vision with a comprehensive strategic plan to make it happen.
