Carr Junior School has been officially awarded the Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) and recognised as a national Centre of Excellence for inclusion, in recognition of its exceptional commitment to every child, its families and its wider community.
The award follows a rigorous process of self-evaluation and a formal assessment by an accredited IQM assessor, who spent a full day at the school on Ostman Road meeting leaders, staff, pupils, parents and academy committee members, observing lessons and interventions, and scrutinising evidence against the eight IQM elements.
Carr Junior is the seventh school in Excel Learning Trust to be recognised at IQM Centre of Excellence level, joining Millthorpe School, York High School, Scarcroft, Woodthorpe and Knavesmire Primary schools, and Inspire Academy.
In her report, IQM assessor Nichola Russell praised Carr Junior as a school where “positivity radiates throughout” and described it as “a home from home for its whole community.” She highlighted the school’s clear strategic approach to improvement, the “boundless enthusiasm and energy” of staff, the richness of its bespoke SPARKS and NEST provisions for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and the “highly collegial atmosphere” she observed between leaders, staff, parents and pupils. Pupils themselves told the assessor that “no one ever feels excluded here,” while parents described the school as “family” and spoke of staff who “genuinely care.”
Laura Winston, Head of School at Carr Junior, said:
“Receiving the IQM Centre of Excellence award is a proud moment for every member of the Carr Junior family. It belongs to our children, our staff, our parents and our governors, who live out our values — Be Kind, Be Curious, Be Resilient, Be Yourself. To hear an external assessor describe our school as ‘a home from home for its whole community’ captures exactly the kind of place we want Carr Junior to be. I am incredibly grateful to our whole staff team whose care, expertise and relentless commitment to every child has made this recognition possible, I’d also like to thank Lisa Goliger, Vice Principal, who has worked incredibly hard on the assessment.”
James McGann, Executive Principal at Carr Junior School, said:
“Carr Junior has been on an incredible journey of improvement, and this award is a powerful acknowledgement of just how far the school has travelled and how high it has set its sights. What the IQM assessor witnessed is the result of a clear, strategic approach to inclusion, combined with the aspiration, energy and expertise of a truly dedicated team. I could not be prouder of Laura, her leadership team and every member of staff at Carr Junior for putting inclusion, belonging and high expectations at the heart of everything they do.”
Mark Hassack, Chief Executive Officer of Excel Learning Trust, added:
“With Carr Junior becoming the seventh of our schools to be recognised as an IQM Centre of Excellence, this is a remarkable statement about the culture of inclusion we are building right across Excel Learning Trust. The IQM award is never a box-ticking exercise — it is earned by schools that genuinely place the needs of every child, and every family, at the centre of everything they do. On behalf of the Trust, I would like to congratulate Laura, James and the whole Carr Junior community. They are setting a standard for inclusive education that we are immensely proud of.”
The IQM Centre of Excellence status lasts for three years, during which Carr Junior School will be subject to annual reviews and will continue to share its inclusive practice with schools across Excel Learning Trust and beyond.
17 April 2026