Tanbridge House School achieves Inclusive School Award

Tanbridge House School is delighted to announce that it has been awarded the prestigious Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) Inclusive School Award, in recognition of its commitment to inclusivity and ensuring that education and opportunities are accessible to all.

Following an assessment in the summer term (2021), the school was thrilled to learn that they had been successful in achieving the award and received a glowing report from the IQM assessor.

The IQM assessor commented on the fantastic ethos and community within the school: “The ethos of the school is exceptional everyday care – care, kindness, and achievement. Staff and students talk about the importance of the Tanbridge House community where each student can thrive and develop…Students were happy and confident communicators and were all extremely proud of their school. They spoke highly of school staff, and all said that the school was very much about ensuring equality for all.”

The assessor also commented on our excellent SEND provision, stating: “Provision for pupils with SEND is a strength of the school. The Inclusion Lead and Assistant Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) ensure that the offer for pupils with SEND is fully inclusive.”

The Inclusive School Award award builds on the recent achievement of the Equaliteach Equalities Gold Award, which the school received in July 2020 in recognition of the school’s work to embed equality, diversity and inclusion throughout all aspects of school life.

Mark Sheridan, Headteacher, said: “I am incredibly proud that Tanbridge House has been awarded the Inclusion Quality Mark Inclusive Schools Award. We are committed to ensuring that our core education and additional opportunities are accessible to every student, and we pride ourselves on our work around equality and diversity.

Our fundamental values of care, kindness and achievement are instilled in every student and member of staff and influence all that we do at Tanbridge House. I believe that they have been a key factor in our achievement of this award, and I am thrilled to see our values and ethos recognised and validated by an outside agency.”

The IQM website explains: “The Inclusion Quality Mark Award provides UK schools with a nationally recognised validation of their inclusive practice and ongoing commitment to developing educational inclusion. There are three award levels, beginning with the IQM Inclusive School Award. Two higher award levels are available to schools that continue to grow and develop their practice in conjunction with other like-minded schools.”