Sir Jonathan North celebrates 20 years of achieving the Inclusive School Award

Since 2004, IQM have been celebrating the work schools across the United Kingdom undertake to promote inclusivity, with over 5,500 having either received an Inclusive Award, or working towards it. 

Each year, Sir Jonathan North Girls’ College are reviewed in order to maintain their status and, recently, an IQM assessor visited to evaluate the strategies they have implemented to promote diversity, inclusivity and to see first-hand how they celebrate their multicultural student community. 

Assessors discovered that students are able to express their opinions through schemes such as Student Voice, Student Council, Diversity Ambassadors and Sports Leaders; initiatives that ensure all our young people are able to have a say in the running of the school. 

One example was the renaming of the school buildings. Students proposed a list of inspirational female figures from throughout history, then voting on which ones would become the new building names. Now, the buildings and meeting rooms are named after Alice Hawkins, Wilma Mankiller, Murasaki Shikibu, Zaha Hadid, Dorothy Hodgkin, Ada Lovelace and Mary Seacole. 

Students also regularly deliver assemblies on a wide range of topics such as World Hijab Day, Hidden Disabilities and Black History Month. They also come together to celebrate multiple religious and cultural festivals that occur throughout the year, including Diwali, Navratri, Guru Nanak Dev Ji Parkash Purab, Hanukkah and many more. 

In honour of the fantastic work the school have done to promote inclusivity, in November 2023, they were one of only 12 schools to be asked to lead two workshops at the first IQM National Conference in Birmingham. Assistant Principal Nicola Coton and Humanities Leader Hannah Monk spoke about how they weave cultural diversity throughout all aspects of life at Sir Jonathan North. They also shared a video created by the diversity ambassadors which demonstrated the fantastic work they do. 

“We are delighted to have had the opportunity to share our work nationally,” said Nicola. 

“We are very proud of the outstanding work that goes on at Sir Jonathan North to celebrate diversity and enrich our student curriculum so their world and horizons are broadened.” 

The IQM assessor also met with students who spoke highly of the opportunities offered to them, including the extra-curricular provision, breadth of music opportunities and enrichment activities. They also praised the school for how it welcomes students from all cultures, the tailored support it offers and how the needs of EAL students are well met. 

Inclusivity is one of the key principals at the heart of our Trust. We are committed to ensuring that all our young people have an equitable education, a voice and the opportunity to thrive, regardless of background. Consequently, we are very proud that the outstanding work undertaken by Sir Jonathan North Girls’ College continues to be recognised by IQM.  

“The college continues to keep inclusion at the heart of its practice,” explained Nicola. 

“As a Flagship school we share good practice within the cluster, the Trust and more widely at local and national events.  

“We are innovative in our approach to ensuring all students needs are catered for and that all have equitable opportunity." 

The school are now aiming to go one better by applying for IQM National Champion status in the next selection period in 2024/25. 

For more information on the award from IQM, click here