'Incredibly proud' - Boston school awarded Centre of Excellence status for inclusion, skipping three-year wait after impressing assessors

Staniland Academy has received the honour through Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM).

IQM aims to help schools create learning environments where ‘every pupil feels valued, supported and able to thrive’, as it puts it.

The Centre of Excellence status recognises schools that have achieved its Inclusive School Award and continue to demonstrate ‘exemplary practice in inclusion’, it says.

Schools can achieve the accolade after holding the Inclusive School Award for three years. However, some schools meet the criteria for Centre of Excellence during their initial assessment, meaning they can progress straight to this level – Staniland Academy was one of those schools.

As part of the assessment process, the school had to demonstrate how inclusion is embedded across eight key areas: inclusion values of the school; leadership, management and accountability; curriculum – structure, pupil engagement and adaptation; teaching and learning – learning environment, planning, resources and pedagogy; assessment; behaviour, attitudes to learning and personal development; parents, carers and guardians; and links with the local, wider and global community.

The school said its original aim was to obtain the Inclusive School Award, however, the assessor encouraged it to go for Centre of Excellence status, based on what they observed during their two-day visit.

Headteacher Rachel Bailey said: “We are incredibly proud to receive this award, as it recognises our unwavering commitment to inclusion and the values that sit at the heart of our school community. Inclusion is not simply an initiative for us – it is embedded in everything we do, from teaching and learning to leadership and wider community engagement.

“For us, inclusion means ensuring that every child feels valued, safe, and fully supported to succeed. It is about having high aspirations for all pupils, regardless of their starting points or individual needs, and removing barriers so that every child can thrive both academically and personally.”

Paying tribute to the team at Staniland Academy and the wider school community, she added: “This recognition reflects the dedication of our staff, pupils, families, and wider community, who work together to create a culture where diversity is celebrated, individuality is respected, and every member of our school community knows they belong.”