A PRIMARY school has become the first school in Bradford to be handed Centre of Excellence status for the quality of its teaching.

Horton Park Primary School, in Dawnay Road, Canterbury, was given the title by Inclusion Quality Mark, just five months after being awarded the Inclusive School Award.

Horton Park was described as a “beacon of hope”, and was praised for its vision and focus on belief in the development of children being at the centre of its work.

The school was granted the IQM Inclusive School Award in January, joining a small band of schools in Bradford to hold the title.

It was then handed Centre of Excellence status in June by Joe McCann, managing director of IQM.

A statement from IQM said: “IQM were delighted to have such a dedicated school join the ever increasing number of schools across the country which hold the IQM Inclusive School Award.

“Horton Park’s dedicated and innovative approaches to engaging pupils is appreciated and valued not just by the pupils who attend the school but also other stakeholders.

“This was hugely recognised during the assessment. In recognition of the excellent practice, the assessor recommended the school be awarded Centre of Excellence Status.”

Joe McCann added: “We at IQM are delighted to recognise Horton Park Primary School as the first IQM Centre of Excellence for Inclusion in Bradford.

“Horton Park has now joined the Inclusion Pioneers cluster groups set up across the UK to support and promote inclusion by sharing best practice across the family of IQM Schools.”

Salma Rahman, headteacher at Horton Park, said: “This achievement recognises the continued commitment and dedication of all our stakeholders.

“They go above and beyond to ensure that every child succeeds and achieves their full potential in all aspects of life.

“We look forward to attending the award ceremony in London and accepting the award on behalf of our pupils, staff and families.”

Duncan Jacques, chief executive of Exceed Academies Trust, which runs Horton Park Primary, added: “We are delighted that Horton Park has achieved this recognition for the outstanding work it does in this area.

“Our trust encourages and promotes an ethos of inclusivity and we are very proud of the staff team that have worked so hard to achieve this award.”

Assistant headteacher Shahmyla Gulshan led the IQM assessment at the school.

She said: “We are delighted that Horton Park has been highly recognised for the inclusive provision provided to all our children.

“As a school community, we believe that our inclusive education and holistic approach enables us to successfully remove barriers to learning and maximise learning experiences.”

The IQM award recognises the commitment by schools to provide the best education for all children irrespective of differences.