Sheffield Secondary Academy Earns National Inclusivity Award
A secondary academy based in Sheffield is celebrating after it was awarded a nationally recognised award for its work on inclusion.
Outwood Academy City, based on Stradbroke Road, was awarded the Inclusion Quality Mark Award by IQM. The award provides UK schools with a nationally recognised validation of their inclusive practice and ongoing commitment to developing educational inclusion.
The academy’s success comes after a long assessment process, which was split into two phases beginning with a self-evaluation followed by a two-day assessment by the IQM team.
Andrew Downing, Principal at Outwood Academy City, said:
“We are delighted to have been accredited with the IQM Award, showing that inclusion at all levels is paramount to us.
“At Outwood we believe that every child deserves the best education, no matter their start in life and we work tirelessly to ensure we deliver on this belief. This accreditation is testament to that work.”
There are over 5,500 academies and schools in the UK who have either received an IQM Inclusive School Award, or are actively working towards meeting the standard required.
During self-evaluation, the criteria for Outwood Academy City was broken down into five sections, focusing on inclusion values and practice of the school, the learning environment, resources and ICT, learner attitudes, values and personal development, learner progress and impact on learning, and learning and teaching.
The follow-up two-day inspection consisted of the academy being visited by Inspector Barry Carney, who went through the five self-evaluation topics in detail for a full formal assessment.
Following this assessment, the IQM praised the academy in its report, with the academy’s work with students with SEND being highlighted. The report noted that there are ‘specialist teachers for SEND and a very strong and skilful team of teaching assistants,’ and the needs of these students are ‘exceptionally well identified and catered for’.
Other highlights from the report were the academy being praised for its ‘strong sense of warmth and an ethos and culture that ensures that everyone is respected and offered every opportunity to achieve their potential.’
Mr Downing added:
“The assessment process was very professional and thorough and we were happy to welcome the IQM Inspector to our academy.
“The accreditation is not the end of our inclusion journey, and we will continue to promote the inclusion quality principles of promoting access and diversity, raising achievement for all, creating an environment for all to succeed, and improving the inclusive nature of all schools.”