OA Foxhills Earns National Inclusivity Award
A secondary academy based in Scunthorpe is celebrating after it was awarded a nationally recognised award for its work on inclusion.
Outwood Academy Foxhills, based on Foxhills Road, was awarded the Centre of Excellence 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 after which the IQM team noted the academy was a place where ‘diversity is not just welcomed but celebrated.’
Darren Smith, Principal at the academy, said:
“We are proud and delighted to have been accredited with the IQM Award, highlighting that inclusion at all levels is of paramount importance 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.”
During self-evaluation, the criteria for Outwood Academy Foxhills was broken down into eight 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 report highlighted the high-quality work the academy does regarding inclusion, noting that 24 languages are spoken by the academy community and stating it is ‘a school where high standards and expectations are embraced by all’.
The IQM report was full of praise for the academy’s work in the community, highlighting the work staff do to ‘honour the different cultures of their school demographic’. This included holding events like the academy’s annual 'Love of Languages' during which students hold stalls where they share interesting information, realia and foods from their home cultures.
It was noted that staff at the academy felt a ‘shared responsibility for ensuring pupils have the highest quality educational experience’ and that there was a firm collective belief that there was a ‘transparent, open-door culture and a collective sense of accountability’ at the academy.
Darren added:
“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 and creating an environment for all to succeed, as we work towards IQM Flagship status.”