St Mary's CofE School on the importance of inclusion

At St Mary’s, this culminates in musical workshops and sharing poetry from Black authors.

However, Black history should not just be celebrated in October but throughout the year.

Living in a multicultural city, it is important for all of our children to see themselves represented within all of the curriculum - not just for one month a year.

This is why we have spent time developing our inclusive curriculum. Regardless of the subject, we think carefully about the images we use, the people we choose, and the resources we find, so that all of our children feel seen.

As educators we know it is important for children to see themselves represented in lessons because when this happens it ignites their interests and opens up possibilities.

We take inclusivity very seriously at St Mary’s and extend this outside of the classroom by carefully selecting the trips and experiences we want our children to have.

Sarah O'Brien says inclusion is taken very seriously at St Mary's (Image: St Mary's CE School) Once a year we take our Year 6 children on a residential trip to Pendarren House in Wales. Pendarren House, owned and run by Haringey Council, was set up in 1970 to provide the children of Haringey with rural experiences such as caving and canoeing.

Residential trips offer an enriching experience for children, particularly those who have never left the city or those with additional needs, by providing a unique environment for personal growth.

Stepping outside the school setting into new surroundings gives children the chance to develop life skills, independence, and confidence in ways that regular classroom activities cannot always offer.

For those with additional needs, these moments of success are even more powerful, as they may face challenges more frequently in their everyday lives. Being able to overcoming obstacles, in a supportive and inclusive environment helps them to flourish, boosts self-esteem and fosters a sense of pride.

This year we took our whole Year 6 cohort, including five children with Educational Health Care Plans. This required a lot of careful planning and a whole lot of trust from their parents to let us give their children the shared experiences of adventure and exploration, helping to foster friendships, promote empathy, and create a sense of belonging, to carry back into the classroom after the trip.

By ensuring all of our children have experiences such as Pendarren House, our annual Paris day-trip, instrument lessons in Year 4, along with a wide, rich multicultural curriculum, we hope that our children don’t see race or additional needs as barriers to their dreams but instead see any career as a possibility and any ambition, achievable.

• Jane O'Brien is headteacher at St Mary's CofE Primary School in Hornsey (stmarysn8.co.uk).