Church Road Primary School picks up top award

Only around 100 schools anywhere in the UK have been given flagship status of an Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM.) But Bolton’s Church Road Primary School is now one of them after working for three years to pick up the accolade.

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The IQM recognises schools which are inclusive and they have to work for three years after first being validated to obtain the accolade.

The school in Smithills has worked on its special educational needs provision, mental health wellbeing, breakfast clubs where bagels are provided and social events at school in order to show it has met the criteria.

And now it has been told that it has made the cut and joined the prestigious list of schools with an IQM.

Headteacher Deborah Docherty responded to the award.

She said: "Receiving this allocation has been quite a journey, we were first awarded the IQM status three years ago.

"Our initial assessment validated all of the hard work and dedication given by all stakeholders in helping to create an inclusive environment in which our children feel safe, welcomed and free to be themselves.

"We have continued to build on this success and were delighted to be made an IQM Centre of Excellence soon after.

"Three years on, we are delighted to have achieved the flagship status for our inclusive practice.

"At Church Road Primary School, we pride ourselves on celebrating each others differences and we strive to ensure that all children who attend our school, and the staff that work here, feel valued and respected.

"I am always immensely proud to be able to say that I am the headteacher of this incredible school, but I have never been more proud. "I would like to thank our kind, caring children, our hard working staff and governors and all our parents and carers whose support is unwavering."