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Millthorpe secondary in South Bank has been praised for its work on inclusion, becoming the first school in the city to receive the Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM).
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Following a lengthy process of self-evaluation, feedback and a formal two-day assessment visit from inspectors, Millthorpe School has not only been awarded the IQM but has also been named as a Centre of Excellence for inclusion.
Head Gemma Greenhalgh said: “This is wonderful recognition for everyone at Millthorpe. I’m really proud to have been awarded the IQM Award but even more thrilled that we have been recognised as a Centre of Excellence.
“We all work really hard every day to make sure that inclusion is a priority and that it can be evidenced across everything we do. It’s not simply about integration or treating everybody the same; instead, it’s about meeting individual needs, being prepared to be different and about equality of opportunity.”
The IQM provides UK schools with a nationally recognised validation of their inclusive practice and ongoing commitment to developing educational inclusion. Schools must be able to demonstrate that inclusion has a school-wide impact and is sustainable.
The Centre of Excellence Award recognises those IQM Inclusive Schools which continue to demonstrate a commitment to outstanding levels of inclusive best practice.
The IQM states that in a school or education setting, inclusion means that every child and every adult who learns and works in a school is valued and whose educational and personal needs are met, and that it is also about parents and the community in which the school exists.
In the IQM report, the assessor stated that “Millthorpe School truly is a school where, as one parent told me, all pupils and staff are able to “find their tribe or people.””
After speaking to parents about the impact of being a pupil at Millthorpe has had on their children and their families, one parent told the assessor that “she believed the school had saved her child’s life due to their support and acceptance of their child. This had allowed their child and the family to grow and hope for a better future” with another who had experienced a somewhat traumatic journey saying “there was never a day she regretted moving her children into the school.”
Millthorpe School is part of the York-based South Bank Multi Academy Trust (MAT) alongside York High, Carr Junior and Knavesmire, Scarcroft and Woodthorpe Primary Schools.
Sue Wight, director of SEN and Safeguarding at the MAT, said: “The assessment process is rigorous, culminating in a two-day formal inspection which examines every element of school life, policies, processes, teaching and learning, staff and student wellbeing and more. The team at Millthorpe absolutely deserve this recognition.”
Mark Hassack, the MAT’s CEO said: “Huge congratulations to Millthorpe, the first of our six schools to achieve the IQM. This award, which epitomises the great work which happens at Millthorpe, and the recognition as a Centre of Excellence, mark the pinnacle of the extensive effort which the school, supported by the Trust, has pursued over the past couple of years.”
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