IQM Flagship School: Inclusion at William Ford

We are thrilled to share that, following our review in September 2026, William Ford C of E Junior School has been awarded Flagship School status by the Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM).

IQM is the UK’s national award for inclusion, looking closely at how well a school includes and supports every child. There are three levels, and Flagship is the highest. Schools can only be considered after holding Centre of Excellence status for at least three years, and only around 100 schools in the UK hold it.

Flagship schools are recognised not just for excellent inclusion, but for leading the way: carrying out research in the classroom and helping other schools improve. The assessor described our inclusive practice as “superb”.

What this means for your child

At William Ford, every child is known, valued and supported to do well. As a Church of England school, this comes from our belief that every child is made in God’s image and has unique gifts to offer. Our vision is for pupils to be “successful, healthy, fulfilled and empowered to make a difference”, and the assessor found that this vision “is clearly lived out in practice”.

During her visit, she spoke with pupils, parents, staff and governors. Here are some of the things she found.

Families feel listened to. Parents described the school as “phenomenal” and told her staff “go above and beyond not just for the pupils but the parents as well”. If you have a concern, we will see you the same day.

Children who need extra help get it quickly. Our Inclusion Team meets every week to check on every child, so support changes as soon as a child’s needs do. Our Lighthouse provision offers specialist, personalised learning for children with additional needs, and one pupil told the assessor, “I went to the Lighthouse and it changed me.”

Every child can access learning. Each pupil has their own iPad, so things like coloured overlays or larger text can be given quietly to the children who need them, without anyone being singled out.

Wellbeing matters. Through Place2Be and our Hamish & Milo programme, children learn to understand their feelings, and they can ask to speak to a trusted adult whenever they need to.

Children are inspired to aim high. Visitors from many careers and backgrounds share their stories, showing pupils that success can come from any starting point. Trips, clubs, Forest School, our radio and TV studio and Young Voices at the O2 give every child experiences to remember.

We serve our whole community. Our community food bank, run with The Felix Project, helps local families with dignity, and we help with trip costs so no child misses out.

Leading the way in maths

Mantle of the Expert is already used across our curriculum. Children take on the role of experts solving real-world problems, and it makes learning memorable: many can still recall their projects years later.

As a Flagship School, we are now leading an action research project with UCL’s Institute of Education, bringing Mantle of the Expert into maths. We want to find out how it can help every child, especially those with additional needs or facing disadvantage, to enjoy maths and achieve well. We will share what we learn with other schools.

Please read the full report below.