Award for inclusion at Williamston
A West Lothian primary school has been recognised for its excellent work to celebrate, promote and support inclusion.
Williamston Primary in Livingston was named as a winner in the Success Looks Different Awards by the Inclusion Ambassadors, a national group of secondary school-aged pupils with a range of additional support needs, which is supported by Children in Scotland and Enquire charity.
The Inclusion Ambassadors chose Williamston Primary School as winners of the Primary School category, impressed with the many real-life examples used in their entry which demonstrated how pupils and the wider school community are involved in sharing different types of success.
A neurodiversity squad of pupils from P4-7 was set up, collectively developing an action plan for change based on raising awareness and supporting self-esteem. Parents and partners were invited in to talk to a range of classes about their experiences and successes as neurodivergent learners.
A successful pupil-led lunchtime club for P4 offered support and guidance on how to best utilise supports available in the classroom, including assistive technology. Pupils then led a parental engagement session around how we meet the needs of all learners in the school, sharing resources, strategies and tools available as well as sharing the success and impact of the lunchtime club with parents and carers.
Williamston's Support for Learning teacher Sharon Blair, who led the project as part of a professional accreditation for Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice, said: "We are so proud to accept the Success Looks Different Award for all of the hard work from our Williamston pupils, families, partners, staff and community over the past couple of years.
"Our Neurodiversity Squad have been so determined this year to ensure that our school community has a better understanding of how important neurodiversity is to all of us and how exciting it makes the world we live in.
"Thank you to the pupils, parents, local charities, partners, organisations and authors who have shared their experiences with us to support us on our learning journey. We couldn't have done it without you."
Williamston Headteacher Jane Livingston added: "We pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive community at Williamston, so we were delighted to receive this Success Looks Different Awards.
"It's fantastic to see all the amazing efforts of our neurodivergent pupils being recognised, and our whole school community can learn a lot by listening to their views."
