'We are champions for our children': Penwortham Primary celebrates prestigious national award for inclusion

A primary school in South Ribble is celebrating after being crowned a winner at prestigious national awards ceremony.

Penwortham Primary School was announced as the winner of the Most Inclusive Practice award at The National SEND Awards ceremony on Friday, September 18.

The national awards celebrate outstanding practice in supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, with entries received from schools, settings and organisations across the country.

Penwortham Primary says its win places the school in the national spotlight for its commitment to inclusion and ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive.

A spokesperson also told the Post that the recognition is particularly special “because inclusion sits at the heart of the school’s ethos”.

Belong is one of Penwotham Primary’s four core values, alongside Aspire, Care and Discover, and staff describe themselves as “champions for children” — advocating for them, removing barriers and ensuring every child knows they are valued.

The judges were particularly impressed that inclusion at Penwortham is not regarded as an additional provision for particular children, but something embedded throughout the whole school.

Richard Daniel Curtis, Chair of The National SEND Awards, said: “Penwortham School truly reflect inclusion, it is apparent that they consider inclusion as a basic universal provision that every child has a right to. For so many children with additional needs, inclusion is an add on, whereas at Penwortham the judges felt that it is embedded in every aspect of the school.”

The school received a winner’s trophy alongside the prestigious Most Inclusive School shield, which bears the names of previous winners and will now take its place at Penwortham Primary.

Headteacher Kate Penarski said: “To win a national award for inclusion is an incredibly proud moment for our whole school community. We are a small school with very big ambitions for our children, and to have the work happening at Penwortham recognised on a national stage is something very special.

“At Penwortham, we believe our job is to be champions for our children. Every child deserves someone who believes in them, advocates for them, removes the barriers in their way and makes sure they know that they belong. Inclusion isn’t a programme or an add-on here; it is woven through who we are and the decisions we make every day.

“This award belongs to our amazing children, our incredible staff who go above and beyond for them every single day, our families who put their trust in us, and our governors and wider community who share our belief that every child matters.

“Of all our values, Belong feels especially important at this moment. Whatever a child’s needs, starting point or circumstances, we want them to walk through our doors knowing: this is my school, there is a place for me here and there are people here who will champion me.

“We are immensely proud to bring this national award home to Penwortham, but it also strengthens our determination to keep improving. We will continue to champion every child, every day, so that they are happy, included, supported and able to achieve.”

Penwortham Primary add that the award comes as significant recognition of the whole-school approach that has been developed at the school, where staff work closely with children and families to identify individual needs, adapt provision and remove barriers to participation and learning.

Celebrations continued back at school, where the trophy and historic shield were shared with pupils and staff.

Children were able to see their school’s name joining previous winners on the national award shield — making the achievement tangible for the pupils at the heart of it.

For the school, the national recognition reflects the meaning behind its ethos, “Happy Children Who Achieve”: that achievement begins with children feeling safe, understood, valued and that they truly belong.