Introducing Windmill Education Conferences

(Almost) Free CPD on G&T or Storytelling for one lucky school in an area

IQM(UK)Ltd has created Windmill Education Ltd to develop training opportunities and a series of occasional conferences, which we feel will be of great interest to IQM schools. We are currently working on a Gifted and Talented Conference harnessing the skills and expertise of a number of experienced professionals working in this area and a Storytelling Conference with workshops for children and adults. Others are being explored, with experts in a number of areas.

In order to keep the costs down in the current economic climate, we would like to hold the events in existing IQM schools, with the host school receiving five free adult places, or two groups of 6 children free as a “thank you”.

Our requirements:-

• Access to the school from 8am-5pm to allow set up and take down time.
• A hall capable of holding up to 150 delegates comfortably.
• Three to eight comfortable classroom spaces (adult colleagues may get uncomfortable on infant chairs after an hour) for workshop or breakout activities.
• Catering facilities for up to 150 (including speakers and organisers); example of G&T conference, coffee/tea biscuits on arrival; mid morning coffee etc; lunch; afternoon tea. We know teachers like to chat over their break times, so we’d like to ensure this is an integral part of the conference. Catering is charged to IQM.
• Parking for potentially 130 cars, (playground?).
• A willingness to support the distribution of event information and promotion of the event locally.
• A closure day planned within this, or next, academic year that the host school is willing to devote to a conference.

If you think that you can offer these facilities and would like to be considered as a host school, either just for one event, or for future conferences, please fill in the form below and return to info@inclusionmark.co.uk so that we are able to plan our diaries.

Thank you for considering this request. We hope that you will wish to attend the conference when it comes to your area.

Centres of Excellence for Inclusion and Flagship School for Inclusion

These are similar in theme, but will be applicable to different schools.

Centres of Excellence are developing from groups of schools which hold the Inclusion Quality Mark award, which then join with other IQM schools to make a working group furthering their work in Inclusion through cooperation and building on their existing good practice in Inclusion.

The principle of the Flagship School idea is that an individual school can further its work in Inclusion through internal research activities.

Flagship Schools and Centres of Excellence will determine for themselves who will be involved and the direction in which they choose to make progress. There is still the opportunity for Flagship schools to work alongside other schools in an area, with the others acting as a Centre of Excellence, if they hold the IQM award. We have also considered the place of non-IQM schools and would advise a cluster of schools that, in order to move forward as a group, they will allow non-IQM schools to attend discussions and meetings as associates and hope that they will, in time, have an IQM assessment.

The criteria for the awards are as follows:-

Flagship School. A school with at least two successful IQM assessments who:-

Centres of Excellence. A formalised grouping of two or more schools with a current IQM award who:-

• Are committed to sustaining the IQM ethos through collaborative activities.
• Have demonstrable plans to sustain and develop inclusive internal practice.
• Have good mechanisms to disseminate and share good practice between the schools.
• Have, or are able to develop, the capacity to share and disseminate good inclusion practice across a broader cluster of schools.
• Are willing to engage in classroom level research activity that explores inclusive practice.
• Agree to have an annual IQM visit to ratify or validate the progress and develop an annual plan for development.
• Agree to contribute an annual written update of progress against the ten elements as the basis for the annual review.
• Are prepared to contribute to the overall development aims of IQM, supporting the need for expertise or trialling practice.

A copy of the detailed planning for sustained practice, details of classroom research, as well as a copy of plans for the dissemination of good practice will be lodged with IQM annually. The timing of annual IQM visits will be agreed.

Contact details of a specific adviser will be sent from IQM. One hour of consultancy by telephone or email is included annually, subject to the annual payments being received.

Costs include £150 for the new plaque, then a fee to cover the cost of ongoing annual assessment visits. This varies with the size of the school, as at present.

The assessment process will be streamlined and be based on a school updated portfolio of evidence, to ensure that all criteria are being progressed.  

If you are interested in becoming an Inclusion Quality Mark Flagship School or a Centre of Excellence, please contact us on:-

Tel No: (01256) 316536 Fax No: 020 7190 5860 Email: info@inclusionmark.co.uk

A formalised commitment letter will be signed by all parties before this becomes a binding agreement.

Samia
Uddin, five, Isabella Saul, six and Charlie Gibbs, six, of Manor Infants

By Aline Nassif Portsmouth Evening News

Published on Wednesday 26 October 2011 08:32

An infant school which embraces different cultures and backgrounds is the first school in Portsmouth to win a prestigious award. Staff and pupils at Manor Infants in Buckland are celebrating the Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) that demonstrates excellence in provision for all children – regardless of special needs, ability or disability.

Jan Christie, headteacher, says: ‘I am very proud of all my staff for making Manor Infants a warm, inclusive and welcoming school for all members of our local community and as such this award is testament to that. ‘We also feel very proud to be the first school in Portsmouth to achieve this award.’ Jan was praised by the IQM assessor for encouraging care and respect for every individual and developing ‘a community where everyone’s personal and learning needs matter’.

Despite challenging backgrounds, every student is seen as ‘special’, the assessor Chris Chivers says in his report, adding: ‘The over-riding impression given by Manor Infants is of a school that has an understanding of what can be provided to enhance the learning experience for children. There is an energy and enthusiasm from the staff which is clearly visible in the attitudes and behaviour of the children. There is a values-based ethos, based on openness, honesty and humanity, which ensures that the inclusion agenda is assured.’

A recent event at the school that backed up the report was the Harvest Festival, which hosted several visitors from Harry Sotnick House, a care home for elderly people in Fratton. The theme of the day was an ‘intercultural harvest’ with children singing songs and dressing up in clothes from across the globe, and Year Two youngsters donated foods to Hale Court sheltered housing run by Portsmouth City Council and Age UK.

Isabella Saul and Charlie Gibbs enjoyed learning about Sri Lanka on the day. Isabella, six, says: ‘We learnt about tea, cinnamon and coconuts and dressed up in saris.’

Charlie Gibbs, six, says: ‘The people in wheelchairs enjoyed our singing and we brought lots of different foods in from around the world for older people.’

Manor Infants will receive its award on November 11.

http://www.westlondonacademy.co.uk/Academy%20News/continuum/Issue%205.pdf

A Wrexham secondary school has been given an award measured on meeting “the needs of every single child”.
Rhosnesni High School received the Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) after a three-day assessment.
It is judged as “one in which the teaching and learning, achievements, attitudes and well being of every young person matters”.
The company IQM – which is run by teachers – described the school as “fantastic”.
Head teacher David Hughes said he was “delighted” that Rhosnesni had gained the award.
“My thanks and congratulations are extended to all members of our school community.”
Joe McCann, managing director of IQM, said awards were given after looking at how schools “meet the needs of every single child that comes through the door”.
He said schools were also judged on how they had become part of the local community.
He added: “The school was assessed back in November. The assessors came back with fantastically positive reports.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/8389251.stm