IQM

Overview

This is the first Centre of Excellence review following the award of Inclusion Quality Mark status last year. It has been a privilege once again to be invited back to evaluate the school's progress against the targets set in the previous year. Once more, I found the school to be a calm, highly supportive yet ambitious environment. Leaders have fully embraced the IQM process and have carefully considered the steps they are taking to embed and make further improvements on their journey towards flagship status, which exemplifies the school's motto: ‘Tenacity’.

While there is a strong academic focus, the school equally prioritises students’ health, welfare, and social and emotional well-being. Establishing robust partnerships between the school, parents, caregivers, and the local and broader communities remains a key priority for the school.

I was delighted to hear about the growing links with primary schools and to see that the impact of this work is already evident in many departments, such as Design Technology (DT), Modern Foreign Language (MFL), and History. The effect of this can be seen not only in the revised KS3 curriculum offer but also in the increased opportunities for some primary schools to use the Churchdown facilities, including the Technology and Design workshops or school grounds.

In particular, a strong connection has been established between the Learning Support Department and Churchdown Village Primary School, which has a Forest School. As a result, the previously unused garden at Churchdown has been cleared and is now utilised as a therapeutic gardening space, with the aim of developing a Forest School within the school grounds for use by all subject departments, as well as providing a facility for local schools to access.

The Learning Support Department has continued to develop this year. Recognising an increase in girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), and anxiety, the school improved its pastoral space and now offers programmes for girls, such as on ‘Body image’. A specialist Learning Support Assistant (LSA) led the development of a Nurture programme, based on research and adapted for Churchdown, focusing on family dynamics. It is currently trialled for Year 9 students, involving breakfast with tutors and a therapeutic programme including mindfulness and crafting. From September, the programme will roll out in phases: an intensive phase in Term 1, followed by a reduced version in Term 2, for different groups. Art Therapy is now also available, and together with the Forest School and increased opportunities for boys, such as bike maintenance, the school is right to be proud of its pastoral support.

Revamping the offer to parents regarding transition, as well as working to refine parent communications and engagement, the school has also had a positive start, although it recognises it as a work in progress, particularly in engaging harder-to-reach and more vulnerable families. To address this, a key part of the enhanced transition programme involves key pastoral workers meeting with parents and signposting them to Triple P (Positive Parenting Practice) courses. Pastoral workshops have been introduced and launched as a positive opportunity to support parents with common issues, such as Year 7 transition, which can be difficult for some children. Consequently, courses from September will be led by the pastoral team, offering sessions on strategies to support student wellbeing and cyber awareness.

The school emphasises consistency in teaching strategies, shown by the comprehensive routines employed by all staff in every lesson. This approach is highly valued by students of all abilities and notably reduces anxiety, especially for SEND or more vulnerable students. This year, working walls and an increased focus on Tier 2 vocabulary have been introduced in each department, while Knowledge Organisers (KO) have been trialled. A simplified version of the KO has also been created to help with low-stakes questions in examinations. Recognising that this is an ongoing process, leaders have formed a staff group to review its impact and to examine the use of KO and retrieval questions. They are currently researching best practices with the aim of developing a consistent yet effective approach that meets the learning needs of all student groups.

The new SENCo, while recognising the department's strengths and good practices, is now eager to gain a fresh perspective and adopt a different approach. Edukey is being established as a central resource hub, and a SEND administrator is being hired. This will create more opportunities for developing pastoral work and increase the SENCo's capacity to be a more visible presence within the school. This change will also help raise the profile of the Learning Support (LS) department, enhance staff awareness of students' needs, and improve staff understanding of gaps in meeting those needs.

Following a period of research and reflection, the next steps involve prioritising and pinpointing which exciting opportunities will eventually be incorporated into a new SEND three-year plan. Working closely with curriculum teams, they intend to work collaboratively to identify strategies tailored for each department and offer CPD opportunities to develop a consistent approach. The focus initially will be on honing QFT, reviewing the LSA role, interventions, and progress tracking.

As part of an exciting new phase in the school's development, senior leaders recognise that Heads of Department and Heads of Year have not always maintained a strategic focus. After reviewing research, they aim to ensure each department team concentrates on what truly matters. Consequently, they are developing a new strategy with HoY, examining students' barriers to learning, such as late arrival to lessons and missing the start, identifying the reasons, and addressing the core issues.

The development of student leadership and parent partnerships has also been a key priority this year. Speaking with a group of Year 8, 9, and 10 members of the school parliament was an absolute privilege. While discussing the working walls and the focus on vocabulary, the reviewer highlighted a display in the English department on the morality play 'The Inspector Calls.' While discussing how the display supported their learning, which they responded positively to, I asked what they knew about the author, JB Priestley. Revealing that I had had the privilege of meeting him and having tea when I was their age, the resulting wide-ranging discussion revealed not only their keen interest but also their ambitions and aspirations for their future careers.

The students also shared that they felt more involved in decisions this year, such as giving their views on the Phone Charter and homework, Parent Partnership Forum, and homework, so that there is now more variety and interesting tasks like quizzes to test knowledge and recall, as well as videos to support what was taught in class. Students were particularly proud that their views about the ‘state of the boys’ toilets’ were taken seriously! The students’ maturity, confidence, and ability to articulate their thoughts, as well as ask insightful questions, demonstrate how well this school prepares young people for the next stage of their education.

I am firmly of the opinion that the school fully meets the standard required by the Inclusion Quality Mark to maintain its status as a Centre of Excellence. I therefore recommend that the school retains its Centre of Excellence status and is reviewed again in 12 months. The next review will look closely at how the school has interacted with its Inclusion Cluster and promoted continuing outreach. Evidence of Cluster working will underpin the capacity for the school to maintain its Centre of Excellence status.