When Inclusion Feels Like More Than a Word: My Visit to Stoke Primary School

Lucie Wheeler is the Founder of RECAP and a Research Fellow at Anglia Ruskin University.

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I visit and work with lots of different education settings, and one of the things I am always interested in is what a school feels like.

Yes we know that policies are important, and the curriculum a school provides is key and the way they do their provision is huge.

But there are some things that are much harder to capture on paper: the interactions in the corridors, the relationships between adults and children, whether children appear comfortable approaching members of staff, and whether you get a genuine sense that people belong there.

Recently, I was invited by Lucy Fox, Assistant Headteacher, to spend some time at Stoke Primary School in Coventry. During my visit, I met with Lucy alongside Headteacher Matthew Ascroft and Sarah Morris, Head of Inclusion, and had the opportunity to talk about the school's approach before being shown around both the main school and its Early Years provision.

And I came away genuinely inspired.

A team with a real passion for inclusion

One of the strongest things I took from my visit was the passion of the leadership team.

It is probably one of the most passionate teams I have met when it comes to creating a school where inclusion, welcome and belonging are not simply things written into policies, but something they are actively trying to build into everyday school life.

And importantly, that sense of belonging wasn't spoken about only in relation to pupils.

There was a real emphasis on creating a community in which children, staff and families all feel that they have a place.

We talk a lot about inclusion in education, but genuine inclusion isn't just about providing additional support for a child who needs it. It is about thinking carefully about environments, relationships, teaching, communication and the structures around children so that as many children as possible can participate and feel successful.

Stoke's own curriculum reflects this. The school describes inclusion as a cornerstone of its approach, with learning adapted and scaffolded so children can access the curriculum regardless of their individual starting points. There is also an emphasis on recognising the diversity of the school community and creating a culture in which children and families feel valued.

But what impressed me most was seeing how those ideas translated into everyday interactions.

Relationships everywhere you look

As we walked around the school, one thing became apparent very quickly and that was that the adults knew the children.

Matthew, Lucy and Sarah seemed to know every child we passed, and the children clearly knew them too.

Children were comfortable stopping to talk. There were conversations in corridors, smiles, little exchanges and moments of connection that might seem insignificant in isolation but, collectively, told me a great deal about the culture of the school.

Every classroom we entered felt warm, welcoming and inviting.

I also really enjoyed having the opportunity to speak with some of the teaching staff about how they organise their classrooms and adapt what they do to get the best from the children in their care. There wasn't a sense that every classroom had to look or operate in exactly the same way. Instead, there seemed to be thought behind how spaces and approaches could work for the particular children using them.

Even walking through the corridors, there was a strong sense of positivity, care and encouragement.

For me, these everyday interactions are such an important part of inclusion.

Children need to know that the adults around them see them, know them and are pleased that they are there.

Learning beyond four walls

Another thing that really stood out was the school's use of its environment.

Stoke explicitly states within its curriculum that learning should extend beyond classroom walls, with the school making use of the whole building, outdoor spaces, Forest School and other learning areas.

You can see that philosophy when you walk around.

I was particularly impressed by the outdoor provision. The classrooms really did feel as though they extended beyond four walls rather than the outside being somewhere children simply visited at breaktime.

This begins right from Early Years, where children are encouraged to learn through play, exploration, activity and creative and critical thinking, both indoors and outside. The school's Early Years approach also includes experiences such as growing food, engaging with the local community and learning about health, wellbeing and self-care.

That emphasis on exploration and meaningful experiences continues into the school's wider thinking about teaching and learning.

The Roundhouse: what happens when we take the screens away?

One of the absolute highlights of my visit was seeing The Roundhouse.

The Roundhouse is a unique learning environment used by Reception children. Each class spends part of the year using it as their main learning space, and its development has led Stoke to explore something particularly interesting: screen-free learning in Early Years.

The school has intentionally moved away from screen-led teaching within its Early Years provision, prioritising interaction, communication and hands-on experiences instead.

And I loved seeing this in practice.

Rather than relying on interactive whiteboards and digital presentations, learning in The Roundhouse centres around conversation, storytelling, role play, music, movement, books, objects, artefacts and exploration. Language and communication sit at the heart of the approach, with adults using interactions to model vocabulary, encourage children to explain their thinking and create opportunities for sustained shared thinking.

As a researcher, what I particularly liked about this wasn't simply that it was "screen free".

It was the thinking behind it.

Removing the screen hadn't meant removing learning opportunities. Instead, it had prompted the team to think differently about how those opportunities could be created.

It is a really interesting example of a school being prepared to question its own practice, try something different, observe what happens and continue learning from it.

The Aviary: support without separation becoming the default

Another incredibly important part of my visit was spending time in The Aviary.

The Aviary is Stoke's specialist provision for pupils with additional learning and communication needs. It provides a structured and nurturing environment, with personalised learning, small-group teaching, communication and language development, sensory-aware spaces, social and emotional support and opportunities to develop independence and life skills.

But again, reading a description of provision and actually experiencing the space are two very different things.

The children I saw there appeared happy, comfortable and cared for.

I loved the flexibility around how the space could be used.

For some children, The Aviary provides the level of support they need throughout their school day. For others, access can be more fluid – providing additional support or a place to regulate during more challenging periods while still enabling them to spend time learning alongside peers within the wider school community where appropriate.

I really liked that!

Inclusion doesn't have to mean that every child is physically present in the same classroom every minute of every day. Sometimes inclusion means recognising that a child needs something different at that particular moment. A quieter environment.

More individualised support. A different way of communicating. Time to regulate. A smaller group...

And then, where it works for that child, opportunities to reconnect with their wider peer group.

The important question here is

"Does this child have what they need to belong, participate and thrive?"

The Aviary felt like a really thoughtful example of that principle.

Inclusion is something you experience

I think that is probably my biggest reflection from the day.

Schools can tell us that they are inclusive. They can write it into policies, websites and vision statements.

But inclusion is ultimately something that children and families experience.

It is in whether a child feels safe approaching their headteacher in the corridor.

It is in whether an adult understands that regulation may need to come before learning.

It is in whether environments can change when children need something different.

It is in whether outdoor spaces are recognised as legitimate places for learning.

It is in whether staff feel able to question established practice and ask, could we do this differently?

And it is in whether children get the sense that the adults around them genuinely know and care about them.

That was what I saw repeatedly during my time at Stoke.

The school's stated aim is to inspire children through creative approaches to the curriculum, helping them become lifelong learners with high aspirations for their futures. Its values – being solution focused, truthful, optimistic, kind and empathetic – are displayed prominently on its website.

From my short time there, what struck me was how much of that philosophy could be seen in the everyday life of the school.

There will never be one model of inclusion that works perfectly for every school or every child. Contexts are different, communities are different and children's needs are different.

But there is so much value in seeing schools that are prepared to keep asking questions, experimenting with their practice and thinking creatively about what their children need.

I left Stoke with lots to think about – which, for me, is always the sign of a worthwhile visit.

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You can find out more about Stoke Primary School, including their work around The Roundhouse and The Aviary.

I also captured some of my visit on video, so head over to the RECAP social channels to see the reel and have a little look around Stoke with me.

Finally, a huge thank you to Matthew, Lucy, Sarah and the wider Stoke team for inviting me in, sharing your work so openly and taking so much time out of your day to talk to me.

You made me feel incredibly welcome and very much part of the Stoke family for the day.

Thank you for having me.