Prestigious national award for inclusion given to Barnehurst School

The IQM is a nationally recognised framework designed to recognise educationally inclusive schools. The Flagship Status recognises schools that have held the IQM Centre of Excellence status for at least three years and have played a strong leadership role in developing inclusion best practice across a network of schools.

Part of The Primary First Trust, The Barnehurst Federation of Schools is one of only 239 schools to have achieved this award and is a testament to the school’s commitment to ensuring inclusivity is at the heart of everything it does.

It joins other Primary First Trust schools including Wainscott Primary School, Lessness Heath Primary School, and Mayplace Primary School as one of the few schools to have accomplished this.

The inspector applauded the school for ensuring that every child receives adequate support regardless of their needs. Leaders were praised for being “visible” and available for parents to talk to if they have any concerns or issues they wish to raise and for working with families to improve attendance and punctuality. The report highlighted that there is “a strong focus of wellbeing at the school for both pupils and staff.”

The Barnehurst Federation of Schools was also commended for designing and delivering a brilliant curriculum.

The report stated: “The curriculum is inspirational and provides opportunities for all pupils to flourish. This was noted by Ofsted in 2023: “Leaders have designed an aspirational curriculum that goes beyond the expectations of the national curriculum. The curriculum is well sequenced.”

The curriculum is accessible to all children and the school has put a strong emphasis on ensuring all pupils are able to continually strengthen their knowledge and understanding of it.

The school has also implemented an innovative and dynamic approach to using technology, which has broken down learning barriers for children.

The implementation of iPads has been “phenomenal” and “pupils find them a huge benefit” and the “impact that the one-to-one iPad model has had on the pupils’ outcomes was reiterated by the staff who all agreed it has supported the structure of lessons and made learning incredibly engaging.”

The report emphasised that the school’s use of technology has helped pupils develop “a range of skills” which has improved their independent learning and helped them become “extremely productive and confident”.

Overall, the school was praised for being “a vibrant place where high expectations are maintained and held by everyone”. The entire school community has been thrilled with this achievement and are looking forward to continuing to evolve their inclusive learning practices to ensure every pupil can flourish.

Louise Shields, Headteacher at The Federation of Barnehurst Schools, said: “I am very proud of our school for achieving the IQM Inclusive School Award with Flagship Status. It is heartening to see IQM recognise the work undertaken to deliver an innovative and engaging curriculum that empowers and ensures every pupil thrives.

“In particular, I want to thank our staff for their continued dedication to nurturing our pupils and fostering a learning environment which helps them achieve and succeed together.”

Andrew Moorhouse, CEO of The Primary First Trust, said: “Congratulations to Ms Shields and the entire school community at The Federation of Barnehurst Schools for this outstanding achievement. It reflects the school’s continued commitment to ensuring they provide every pupil with a first-class education, which empowers them to have a fulfilled and successful future.”