OA Newbold Becomes IQM Centre Of Excellence
A secondary academy in Chesterfield has been named as an inclusion Centre of Excellence by an Inclusion body for its work on best practice in the area.
Outwood Academy Newbold, based on Highfield Lane, was given the title by national body Inclusion Quality Mark, just months after it received the IQM Award in November for its work and commitment to inclusion.
Rob Southern, Head of School at Outwood Academy Newbold, said:
“This achievement recognises the continued commitment and dedication of all our stakeholders, and reflects the high level of work that is being done at the academy.
“Our staff regularly go above and beyond to ensure that every student succeeds and achieves their full potential in all aspects of life.
“We look forward to continuing our work to provide a happy, safe, and inclusive school for all.”
In its assessment of the school, the IQM said the school had a ‘warm and cheerful atmosphere’ and that ‘the values and practice of Outwood Academy Newbold are centred around inclusion.’
The IQM assessors were also impressed by the school’s commitment to supporting and developing its staff, as well as its students, noting that ‘teachers are supported to learn from each other in finding the most effective strategies to deliver the highest quality of education.’
According to IQM, 'becoming an IQM Centre of Excellence is an opportunity for schools to build on the success of being one of the very special schools which hold the Inclusion Quality Mark Inclusive School Award.’
Just over 200 schools in the country have been awarded the title of Centre of Excellence by IQM, a stat which helps highlight the great work being done by Outwood Academy Newbold to get this level of recognition.
With its Centre of Excellence status providing an opportunity to build on current capacity, with ongoing support from the IQM team, Outwood Academy Newbold is looking to progress further having developed an action plan to continue the academy’s work.
As part of the IQM process, this will be reviewed annually against pre-agreed targets with support and advice to help the school to move forward in terms of its inclusive practice. This will be aided by the academy coming together to share and build on their existing good practice in inclusion within an IQM Cluster group.