Inclusion Statement
At Ashcroft Technology Academy, inclusion is a core belief that shapes every aspect of the culture at the Academy, the ethos, and our way of operating each day. It also drives our performance and our students’ performance. As one of the top-performing schools in the country, we promote ambition, we provide exceptional teaching and personalised support and we take pride in achieving exceptional outcomes for all students, including those with special educational needs and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Our students achieve exceptional outcomes and secure impressive destinations at the end of Year 11 and Year 13 because we believe that every young person can achieve excellent things when exemplary behaviour, high expectations, and outstanding teaching are matched with the right support at the right time, we recognise and praise academic and personal development from all starting points. Our ambition is unwavering: every student, regardless of background, ability, or circumstance, is valued, and encouraged to achieve their full academic and personal potential. And our students develop a strong sense of belonging within this culture of success.
We make sure that all students have full access to the academic curriculum and extracurricular programme on offer, promoting participation, in full, in learning, enrichment activities, competitions and trips. At the same time, our Social Curriculum nurtures in students a sense of belonging, the importance of hard work and the importance of kindness. We never lower expectations or limit opportunities - instead, we adapt our support to remove barriers and secure access and success.
Through the expertise and diligence of our Special Educational Needs (SEN), Inclusive Care and Support (ICAS), Pastoral and Safeguarding teams, early identification guarantees that students receive the correct support at the correct time. The Academy invests in bespoke training for these teams to provide appropriate, targeted support and this underpins our commitment to ensuring that every student, regardless of background or academic start point, can be included and can achieve their full potential. In a climate of reduced Local Authority provision, our in-house expertise is vital. When we identify a barrier to a student’s ability to engage or achieve their potential - whether its source lies within the Academy or beyond - ICAS mentors will begin a formal, structured, and time-limited programme of mentoring. This targeted support equips the student with the skills and strategies needed to effectively manage challenges they face. Where appropriate, this work is complemented by tailored input from the SEN and Safeguarding teams. Both the SEN and ICAS teams play an invaluable role, providing both formal and informal support to help students engage fully in their education.
Our first priority is attendance. To take full advantage of the exceptional education the Academy provides, students must be present every day. Our message is clear: every day in school matters. This message is shared with parents and students during induction activities, and it is consistently reinforced by staff at every level thereafter.
The fact that the Academy is the number one school in the country for attendance is testament to our relentless focus in this area. We are unapologetic in declining requests for absence - unless there are truly exceptional circumstances - and we work closely with families to rearrange appointments that would otherwise disrupt learning. Excellent attendance is celebrated, and any missed time is recovered through mandatory catch-up sessions at the end of the school day.
We recognise that students with identified SEN or those considered vulnerable are statistically more likely to experience periods of absence from school, sometimes linked to physical or mental health challenges. Our approach is to proactively support these students in securing full attendance. Prolonged absence can erode a student's connection to learning and widen existing gaps; therefore, our attendance strategy combines high expectations with care. By maintaining these standards, by restoring full attendance after a period of absence, and by ensuring that any lost learning is recovered, we protect every student’s opportunity to thrive academically and personally.
Our commitment to attendance is also reflected in our extended school day, which enables both breadth and depth in our provision. From 7:30am, students have unrestricted access to the Sixth Form study area, the gyms and fitness suite, the library (LRC) and the restaurant for activities before the start of the school day. Catch up, Study Hall and Power Hours take place at the end of the school day and the LRC is open to anyone who wishes a quiet space in which to work before returning home. This provision is particularly important for students who do not have a quiet study space at home.
Our second priority is behaviour. Every moment in the classroom is valuable, and excellent behaviour is the foundation on which our students’ success is built. A calm, purposeful atmosphere allows teachers to deliver exceptional lessons and ensures that every student, regardless of background, can focus and achieve their best. We believe that when expectations are high, routines and boundaries are clear, and relationships are respectful, every student can succeed.
This environment benefits everyone and the Academy’s complete ban on mobile telephones exemplifies its commitment to a distraction-free learning environment. Calm classrooms and corridors are particularly important to our most vulnerable students, including our students in the Autistic Resource Centre and with sensory needs, many of whom rely on order, predictability and structure to thrive. By maintaining a disciplined environment, we create a space where all students can move confidently through the Academy, knowing that they are supported and free from conflict or abuse. Similarly, staff and students are explicitly trained to develop and maintain consistent routines and strong habits for learning. These behaviours reduce cognitive load in the classroom by automating key processes, ensuring that no learning time is lost.
When challenges arise, consequences are applied fairly and consistently, and we work with students to develop self-discipline and their capacity to succeed. Central to this is ICAS. ICAS ensures lessons remain focused and disruption-free, while providing tailored guidance and mentoring for students who need additional support. Mentors build meaningful relationships that help young people reflect, reset, and re-engage with their learning.
Our commitment extends beyond the school gates. Issues in the community or online are addressed swiftly so that they do not interfere negatively with our positive work in the Academy.
Our third priority is the curriculum - its design and delivery. Our curriculum is ambitious, academic, and inclusive by design. It is built on the belief that every student - whatever their background, ability, or circumstance - deserves access to a challenging and enriching education. All students, including those with SEN and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, engage with the same rigorous curriculum as their peers. We do not narrow opportunity; instead, we raise aspirations and provide the right support and adaptations to ensure that barriers are removed, and every learner can succeed through hard work. In the case of students who are in receipt of an Education and Health Care plan (EHCP), the support provided extends beyond the scope of the EHCP itself.
At Key Stage 3, all students experience a full and well-sequenced academic and homework curriculum that lays strong foundations for later success. At Key Stage 4, every student studies a minimum of ten GCSE subjects (from a possible 27 subjects), and 100% of students complete the full English Baccalaureate (EBACC) suite of subjects. This makes Ashcroft one of only two schools in the country to achieve such breadth for all students. At Key Stage 5, we offer the IB alongside A-Levels, further reinforcing our commitment to a broad curriculum.
The fact that the Academy sits amongst the top 15 schools in the country for progress in 2024 and in the top 5 non-selective schools for attainment in 2025, provides confidence that our curriculum and approach prepare all our students well for GCSE examinations and study beyond these threshold assessments. Over 30% of our population is classified as ‘disadvantaged’ and over 25% of our population has an identified Special Educational Need, and the performance among both groups exceeds the performance of non-disadvantaged students nationally.
The strength of our curriculum lies in its precision and coherence. Centralised planning ensures that lessons are expertly sequenced, delivered with a shared and consistent approach, and accessible to all learners. Teachers adapt, so that every student is both supported and stretched, specialist Teaching Assistants support students in-class and set numbers are reviewed and, where necessary, increased to provide more targeted support. To this end, the single most powerful driver of inclusion and excellence is high-quality teaching.
Every student deserves exceptional instruction - and every teacher deserves training and support to make this possible. We only recruit the very best teachers and invest heavily in their ongoing development so that they can promote their subjects with ambition and purpose, and foster curiosity and an enthusiasm for learning in every student. Professional learning at Ashcroft is high-quality, research-informed, and keenly focused on impact. Staff receive regular, evidence-based training on the most effective teaching strategies, ensuring that every lesson is ambitious, adaptive, and inclusive. Lessons are carefully sequenced for coherence and built around formative assessment, clear instruction, retrieval practice and motivation. Our teachers are reflective practitioners who engage in continuous professional development through collaborative learning, instructional coaching, and regular review. Curriculum teams also share best practice, align their approaches, and refine lessons to maximise progress for every learner.
This means that we provide every student with the academic advantages that come from excellent teaching - structure, clarity, challenge, and support. Through excellent attendance, excellent behaviour, consistent routines, and explicit instruction, we ensure that no student is left behind and that all are able to succeed.
Our students require regular training in this area too, and our ‘non-negotiables’ - clear learning and behavioural expectations - are taught through the weekly Praise Curriculum. These sessions reinforce personal accountability, self-discipline, hard work and integrity, helping students understand what it means to be an Ashcroft student. The Praise Curriculum also celebrates success, building motivation and a sense of belonging for every young person.
Our fourth priority is the range of opportunities we afford to students beyond academic learning. Our Social Curriculum supports the development of well-rounded, reflective, and responsible individuals. Through tutor-led discussions, students explore themes such as resilience, respect, kindness and equality. Weekly sessions encourage debate, reflection, and critical thinking while promoting inclusive values.
This personal development programme ensures that every student feels included and valued, while also learning to include others. By fostering empathy, confidence, and social awareness, we equip students not only to succeed academically but to become active, compassionate members of society.
The Academy's House System, STEAM programme, ARTS Week, Duke of Edinburgh scheme, Extra-Curricular and Trips and Visits programmes include a range of activities that enrich the Academy’s academic and social curricula and ensure inclusion. Each activity is planned with student development and cultural capital in mind. The Extra-Curricular programme is extensive and includes clubs that will interest students, and which students can easily join to explore new material, develop confidence and make new friends. The programme includes very popular sporting and dramatic clubs as well as more niche activities, which might not necessarily gain a large audience, but which will appeal. The important thing is that there is something to satisfy all tastes, and all opportunities are delivered at no cost to students.
Trips are also important because they can raise aspirations and provide important connections with the world of work, by giving students exposure to potential future pathways, and can develop confidence, by placing students in unfamiliar settings and encouraging them to imagine themselves in these environments. Some trips and activities are targeted to the inclusion of certain groups: girls in STEM subjects, SEND trips and visits and under-represented groups in specific career pathways. As a Technology Academy, the STEAM programme extends the students' understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics beyond the classroom with a programme of industry speakers, visits, projects and competitions for every student.
This inclusive approach benefits every student. Nevertheless, we remain reflective and ambitious in our practice. Through continuous review and feedback from our student forums, we develop the Academy’s physical space and resources and refine our systems and approach to ensure that all learners - particularly those facing additional challenges - are supported, and able to flourish.