Effective Practice Archives - Page 15 of 66 - Estyn

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Children in school uniforms happily running in a school hallway.

Information about the school

Ysgol Emmanuel is a two form entry English medium primary school in Rhyl. The school is located in an area of multiple deprivation and the school catchment area covers two of the most deprived areas in Wales. There are 460 pupils on roll and 63% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, significantly higher than the average for the local authority and Wales. Currently 7% of pupils have English as an additional language with 11 different languages spoken. Currently 3% of pupils are looked after or previously looked after. The school also has a school funded resource provision for ALN pupils.

The school vision is that ‘as a community, we learn, grow and achieve together’. The main aims of the school are to help young people to understand how to be happy and to develop and maintain their own emotional, physical and mental well-being; to be inclusive; to create a community that builds tolerance, respect and empathy in young people; to reduce the impact of poverty on outcomes and well-being for pupils and to further the professional development of staff. This whole school approach aligns with all of these aims.  

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

The school is located in an area of high deprivation and as such, has high numbers of pupils with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). It is a priority to improve pupil engagement and to support educational and emotional success. Historically, some pupils had struggled with self-regulation which impacted on learning and engagement. There were rising numbers of pupils with other learning needs and they needed bespoke support to help them to achieve. The school recognised that a different approach was needed as the existing style of pupil well-being and behaviour management was not working effectively. It was agreed that a research based trauma informed approach was needed. This would allow staff to understand the needs of pupils and how trauma and adverse childhood experiences may be a barrier to learning and succeeding. 

Description of nature of strategy or activity

After evaluating provision in the school, senior members of staff completed professional learning which focused on neuroscience, toxic stress, attachment theory and mental health and well-being for pupils. This evidence based training explained the effects of toxic stress and confirmed the reasons behind much of the negative behaviour or worsening pupil mental health that had been observed in school. As this change in mindset required a whole school approach, training for all staff which focused on the use of trauma informed approaches including attachment theory and the detrimental effects of ACEs on pupils was rolled out. This professional learning offer also focused on different strategies to regulate and calm pupils and the importance of an emotionally available adult for every child if required.   

A graduated response for pupils was introduced to meet their individual needs using the same approach as for pupils with additional learning needs (ALN) in line with the new requirements of the ALN bill. Well-being assessment tools, referrals from professionals or requests from parents and carers were used to identify pupils with the most urgent need of intervention. Once the approach had been implemented, professional learning was extended to include training additional staff in trauma informed practitioner approaches and additional support staff were trained to deliver a wider range of bespoke well-being interventions as well as restorative justice practice. A qualified play therapist, based at the school two days per week, was recruited to support pupils with the highest need. Senior leaders including the additional learning needs coordinator (ALNCo) implemented a meet and greet every morning on the school gates to give parents and carers the opportunity to express any concerns before pupils start their school day. Staff meet and greet pupils at the classroom door. Daily check-ins with pupils who were reluctant or who needed additional support to come into the school building were implemented by the well-being team. A trained assistance dog provided gentle and friendly support to pupils. Staff were also trained in child mental health first aid and the school became a case study for the CAMHS inreach pilot programme.   

ysgol emmanuel - tilly

Behaviour management policies, procedures and strategies were adapted to change the school’s approach to behaviour and well-being and to focus on the positive rather than the negative. The physical school environment was adapted to better meet the needs of pupils and to reinforce this approach; calming corners were introduced in classrooms and sensory spaces were created to help pupils to regulate if they were heightened. Strategies to support pupils to regulate their behaviour and emotions were re-introduced and a dedicated well-being team was created to provide direct support for pupils. Following on from this trauma informed approach, the school worked collaboratively with local schools to support refugee pupils who had recently arrived in the area having experienced the trauma of war or persecution.  

ysgol emmanuel - garden

What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?

The school’s approaches changed the mindset of staff and made them more aware of the signs of poor mental health or the effects of adverse childhood experiences on behaviour and engagement. This allowed senior leaders to put the most appropriate support in place for pupils. Standards have improved due to better levels of pupil self-regulation and engagement; in addition levels of exclusion have fallen and negative behaviour incidents have reduced. The school is a calmer environment and as a result, pupils are ready to learn and able to achieve their potential. Attendance levels are returning to pre-pandemic levels and pupils feel safe and cared for at school.  

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school 

Corpus Christi Catholic High School is a voluntary aided 11-16 Catholic comprehensive school situated in the north of Cardiff. There are 1130 pupils on roll and pupil numbers have increased significantly in the last five years. Around 21.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (FSM). There are currently 337 pupils with English as an additional language.  

It is a close-knit Catholic community based on Gospel values. The school’s mission is to place Christ at the centre of all the school does. Catholic Social Teaching is used to instil in learners a sense of social justice, and to care for others and the world.   

Pupils live in a wide catchment area, and they come from a wide variety of socio-economic backgrounds which include wards of Lisvane, Cyncoed, Whitchurch, Llanishen, Adamsdown, Llanedeyrn, Pentrebane and Pentwyn. Around half of the pupils use public transport to travel to school. Pupils come mainly from six partner primary schools but there is a diverse catchment area that goes beyond the six feeder primary schools.  

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice 

Following the global pandemic leaders recognised a need to support vulnerable learners who had fallen behind with their learning. Funding from the Recruit, Recover, Raise Standards grant was used to appoint two Associate Assistant Headteachers and ten Progress Recovery Leaders to support learners who had not engaged with blended/hybrid learning. The school developed a programme called ‘ExCEL’ to build confidence, raise aspirations and inspire learners to progress in their academic studies. The name ExCEL stands for Empower Confident Engaged Learners.  

Description of nature of strategy or activity 

Following the pandemic, the ‘ExCEL’ programme identified and worked with the 10% most disengaged learners in each year group. Those learners with the lowest ‘attitude to learning’ scores were identified by the Pastoral Team and vulnerable pupils or those eligible for free school meals were prioritised. This was approximately 120 pupils, 24 from each year group. Progress Leaders were responsible for meeting weekly with learners after school. Sessions focused on developing learners’ softer skills: growth mindset, good learning habits and independent learning.   

Upon selection of learners, parents/carers were contacted to explain the purpose of the programme and the reason for their child’s selection. The benefits of ‘ExCEL’ for their child, barriers to learning and bespoke interventions were discussed and targets agreed. A home-school partnership agreement formed an integral part of this programme.  

On a half-termly basis, learners participated in a range of sessions to improve specific areas in need of development. Barriers to attendance were overcome by the provision of transport home, rewards in the form of refreshments and recognition of positive engagement.   

After a successful first year of raising the attainment, attendance and engagement of the school’s vulnerable learners, Corpus Christi continued ‘ExCEL’ into 2022-23 as it evolved into a programme that supported the school’s improvement priorities (SIP). All staff involved received further training to equip them with the skills to provide sessions on literacy, numeracy, mental health, behaviour and attitudes to learning.

What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards? 

‘ExCEL’ has had significant impact on learners and has been supported by strong parent/carer engagement. As part of its evolution, the ExCEL programme has forged stronger links between the pastoral and academic systems within the school, which has resulted in improved attainment, well-being, and attendance across the school. Leaders aim for the ‘ExCEL’ programme to be one that evolves and responds to the needs of learners.   

In its first year, over 85% of participants significantly improved their attitude to learning. Eighty-two per cent of ExCEL learners in Year 11 improved on their projected academic targets. ‘Excel’ includes a literacy programme for pupils in Years 7 and 8 and 76% of pupils involved in the programme improved their reading ages by at least 6-12 months, which had a positive impact on all areas of learning. The programme has also delivered ‘Thrive’ to in excess of 60 pupils to support those with poor attitudes to learning and to support their emotional health and well-being.   

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Rhiwbeina Primary is a three form entry school serving a predominantly suburban community in north Cardiff. There are 683 pupils on roll. Around 2% are eligible for free school meals and the school has identified around 1% as having additional learning needs (ALN). Approximately 3% have English as an additional language (EAL). The school has a strong creative ethos, priding itself in creating authentic local and cultural links within a cross curricular context. 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Rhiwbina and Cardiff have a rich historical heritage that the school has sought to harness to enrich the pupils’ understanding and sense of belonging to their locality and heritage. 

The school uses a humanities based ‘thematic’ approach as the driving force behind their curriculum. They use drama effectively to improve pupils’ spoken and written communication. A number of the staff have, over a significant period of time, researched and investigated events, places and people from a range of periods. They use this information to build accessible and inspiring fact-based ‘stories’. Robust historical research, using local libraries and the National Record Office, underpins this approach. 

The school has, through this process, established strong community links where pupils regularly visit the places that they are studying in order to consolidate and extend their learning experiences. Interacting with members of the local community, businesses, community groups and public services has been crucial in facilitating this approach. 

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Each half-term, every year group studies a new topic, focusing on either local, national or global contexts. 

Examples include: 

Local: 

  • ‘Y Ty Glo’, the lives of the Trehafod mining community in 1900. 

  • ‘The Wenallt Warriors’, lives of members of the Silures Celtic tribe. 

  • ‘For King and Country’, lives of actual Llandaff residents in the Civil War of 1640s. 

  • ‘An Orphan’s Tale’, lives of workhouse children in Victorian Cardiff. 

  • ‘Keep Calm & Carry On’, lives of children evacuated from London to Rhiwbina. Based on the first-hand account of an octogenarian who was evacuated to the area from Tottenham. 

National: 

  • ‘Rebellion 1400’, lives of those supporting the uprising and rebellion of Owain Glyndwr, taken from historical records. 

  • ‘Pudding Lane 1665’, lives of Pudding Lane inhabitants, taken from the Hearth Tax, during The Great Fire of London. 

  • ‘Prisoner in the Keep’, lives of the followers of Welsh Princes in 1066. 

  • ‘Raiders of the Storm’, the lives of Bartholomew Roberts and his crew. 

  • ‘A Titanic Tragedy’, lives of the passengers and crew and the subsequent enquiry. 

Global: 

  • ‘Guardians of the Planet’, the lives of indigenous Amazon tribes who are under threat from deforestation. 

For each of these topics, teachers provide pupils with authentic characters’ names and information based on detailed research for each period. The children then actually ‘live’ as their character for the entire half term, discovering more as their story unfolds, through the use of empathy and suspense. Much of their understanding and empathy with the character is built during drama and spoken activities and followed up through written work in the classroom. 

What impact has this work had on provision and pupils’ standards?

Authentic contexts and characters enable the children to: 

  • Engage at a deeper level with their learning 

  • Develop empathy 

  • Become ethical and informed learners, in line with the four purposes, for example ‘I know about my culture, community, society, and the world, both now and in the past’ 

  • Develop the quality of their spoken language; the sustained role-play allows children to ‘hide’ behind their character, thus developing greater confidence, fluency and expression  

  • Explore relevant Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE) issues and dilemmas in a safe context 

  • Take ownership of their characters, ‘families and tribes’, which provokes an intensity of feeling, allowing them to explore conflict and its resolution 

  • Develop enthusiasm and motivation for creative writing; following drama activities, pupils’ reponses to a range of writing forms, such as diaries, poetry, stories, and persuasive writing, are positive – as they have ‘experienced it’, even reluctant learners have many creative ideas and engage well with their writing 

  • Develop the quality of their written language; the scaffolding provided by the drama ensures that the pupils have a clear framework from which to sequence their writing; this particularly benefits less able pupils and, in addition, this approach introduces thematic terminology that provides the children with the vocabulary to enrich their language and writing 

How have you shared your good practice?

This good practice has been shared within the school through the delivery of exemplar lessons and team teaching. Good practice has also recently been disseminated more broadly at Language, Literacy and Communication (LLC) liaison link meetings with feeder schools and the local high school. 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Pentrepoeth Primary School is situated in the village of Rhiwderin on the outskirts of the City of Newport. It serves the local area, which is largely residential and relatively prosperous. There are pupils on roll from the ages of three to eleven. A nursery was opened in January 2018. Nearly all pupils live relatively close to the school. Pupils have a full range of ability. When they start school in the reception class, children’s skills and experiences are generally in line with those expected for their age. Around 5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is well below the local authority average and the all-Wales average. 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Developing enhanced provision in mathematics to help pupils to apply their skills in authentic, real-life experiences is a key priority on the School Development Plan. Using the forest school area and suitably trained and experienced staff, Pentrepoeth Primary School wanted to extend the use of the forest to enhance the curriculum and provide authentic experiences to build and consolidate numeracy, literacy and digital skills across the primary age range. 

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Once a fortnight, each class from Year 3 to Year 6 has the opportunity to learn in the Forest School with a dedicated Forest School classroom teacher. Through regular discussions with class teachers, and using class teachers’ planning and pupils’ previous work, the Forest School teacher offers each class a lesson that uses authentic experiences to consolidate skills that pupils have already learnt in class. Each authentic experience strengthens pupils’ numeracy and literacy, and pupils use a range of information and communication technology (ICT) equipment to enhance and record their findings.   

Throughout the year, and in all weathers, each class has dedicated time in the forest. Each year group covers mini topics that include the natural world, explorers and a range of fiction and non-fiction books. These topics give a focus for the tasks and provide the Forest School teacher with a way to give meaning to their authentic task. Where possible, these also link to the pupils’ current class topic. 

Within each lesson, the teacher presents a problem or dilemma to the pupils, which they need to solve using skills and knowledge. Pupils learn that the most important approaches to solving any problem are group discussion (in mixed ability groups), trial and error and whole-class communication. Pupils work through the problem and create their own path to solving it, with minimal input from the teacher. Pupils share ideas and possible solutions before moving on to work in mixed ability groups to try and solve the problem during the time in the session. Including multiple plenary or check-in sessions throughout the lesson encourages the pupils to share ideas and evaluate their findings as they go along. This allows them to change and refine their methods with ease.  

What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?

Pupils in Pentrepeoth Primary love the forest and see it as an area where they can have fun and play while they are learning and applying their skills. This means that the forest has become an invaluable tool that enables them to practise and enhance their skills and see them as an integral part of learning. During each lesson, pupils use and apply their creative thinking, communication and team working skills. As a result, Forest School lessons promote self-esteem, confidence and independence. When class teachers speak to learners about their experiences, pupils discuss their learning in forest school with excitement and confidence. It is this ethos and approach that allows pupils to feel free to try new things and experiment with ideas and skills that they may otherwise have been reluctant to explore. Teachers observe pupils repeating these skills naturally in the classroom environment. There is evidence of improved pupil well-being, better planning and organisation of their work, and increased confidence and self esteem. 

By being involved in authentic experiences in the forest, pupils are more engaged and focused and understand that mathematical and literacy skills are an essential and useful part of life. The use of mixed ability grouping means that more able pupils have to communicate their ideas clearly and effectively to others, whilst other pupils are challenged by needing to listen to and question solutions suggested by their peers.   

Allowing all pupils in the school to experience the forest environment enhances their well-being, and consolidates and reinforces their literacy, numeracy and digital skills through hands-on experiences. For instance, by finding leaves and examining them closely, pupils explore and gain a better understanding of symmetry. Making numeracy, literacy and digital skills fun and authentic has helped to create independent, resourceful pupils who are excited to try new things and experiment confidently with what they know. Teachers in all year groups see clear progression in a wide range of skills, knowledge and understanding since they began to work in the outdoors more regularly and purposefully. 

How have you shared your good practice?

Pentrepoeth Primary shares its good practice with other schools within its cluster regularly, as well as through staff discussions. Pupils and staff display images and work completed in the forest in class books that are on display for other teachers, support staff and visitors to view, discuss and signpost as examples of good practice. 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the setting

Sychdyn Playgroup is registered to care for 19 children aged 2 ¼ months to 4 years. Playgroup sessions run five days a week from 9.00am-11.30am, and offers wrap around for nursery age children from 11.30am until 3:00pm. Sychdyn Playgroup operated in Sychdyn Village Memorial Hall for many years until September 2023 when it moved to a new build on the grounds of Sychdyn C.P School.  

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

The setting recognises the importance of children’s well-being on their ability to learn and focuses on supporting this in our setting. Practitioners want all children to be able to fulfil their learning potential and have worked hard to create a safe, warm, and welcoming environment in playgroup where children can make friends and learn successfully through play. Practitioners are consistent in their approach, respecting children and striving to build strong relationships with them. They aim to meet their emotional needs in a calm, kind and supportive way, encouraging children to develop self-regulation skills by guiding them sensitively to deal with their emotions. Practitioners believe that children’s well-being is supported by their ability to be independent as this gives them a feeling of control and develops their self-esteem and confidence.  

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Environment: 

Practitioners provide an environment that supports children’s ability to be independent. All resources are stored at child height and are readily accessible. Resources are well labelled, organised and developmentally appropriate. For most of the session, children are encouraged to choose from a wide range of provision areas and have free-flow access between the indoor and outdoor areas. Children recognise the different types of play they can engage in and use the areas purposefully. 

Children: 

  • are encouraged to develop their independence in taking off their coats and putting them onto their own identifiable pegs 
  • bring their own snack in from home and choose when to access this during the ‘snack period’ window 
  • pour their own drinks and tidy away after themselves including putting rubbish in the recycling bin 
  • choose what to set out and play with in a provision area; for example, tables, floor spaces, sand and water trays are clear with resources being stored nearby 
  • use a wide range of open-ended resources and loose parts confidently and imaginatively in ways that are meaningful to them 
  • self-register on arrival  
  • wipe their own noses by using the ‘Tissue Station’  
  • independently access handwashing facilities within the room 
  • independently access the outdoor ‘wellie station’ where they are encouraged to remove their shoes and put on wellingtons 

Adults: 

Practitioners understand that it is important to encourage independent thinkers and learners and use a variety of strategies to achieve this.  

They: 

  • have an expectation that children will tidy up as they go along and provide consistent reminders and support to enable children to learn to do this independently 
  • understand when to intervene and when to stand back to give children time to make their own independent choices and decisions 
  • support their oracy skills by modelling language and extending vocabulary 
  • make effective use of ‘I wonder’ questions whilst interacting with children to foster curiosity and motivate their independent exploration 
  • plan experiences within the local community such as visiting a shop, which involves children in decision making and accepting individual responsibility for elements of the experience 
  • support children’s ability to learn to assess risk independently, for example, considering whether to approach a particular hen during a visit to the school’s nature garden 

What impact has this work had on provision and children’s standards?

In the setting nearly all children develop independence well above expectations and interact with each other and practitioners exceptionally well. Supporting children’s ability to be independent learners and thinkers has had a positive impact across all areas of development. The children have high levels of well-being. Fostering their independence has improved their self-esteem and confidence and this in turn helps them to develop resilience and perseverance to become lifelong learners. 

How have you shared your good practice?

Staff from other settings have visited playgroup. 

The setting’s good practice will be shared through a cluster group meeting with other funded non maintained nursery settings in the local authority. 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Sketty Primary School is situated in Swansea. Currently, the school has 495 pupils on roll between the ages of 3 and 11, taught in 16 classes. The average class size is 30, which is slightly above the Local Authority (LA) average of 27. The LA Pupil Admission Number is 32. Pupil mobility is at 3% which is half the LA average. Seventy-four per cent of pupils living in the catchment area attend the school. Around 4% of the pupils on roll live in areas classed in Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) as being in the most deprived 30% of all areas. Approximately 8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is significantly below the LA average. There have been no fixed term exclusions or racial incidents recorded in the past three years. The school has almost 29% of pupils receiving extra support and 5% (children with IDP’S) on the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) register and approximately 14% of pupils have English as an additional language (EAL). No pupils speak Welsh at home. There are 23 teachers at the school, including the headteacher, who was appointed in September 2017. The deputy headteacher was appointed in 2022. The school is a modern building on two levels situated on a large site. There are extensive grounds, boasting a developed woodland, fields, yards, adventure playground and pond. The physical environment is well maintained, welcoming and vibrant.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

The school has a clear vision for the curriculum. It has been designed stemming from a strong culture of cynefin, creativity and pupil voice. The school strives to ensure that the curriculum is broad and balanced and builds systematically on pupils’ existing knowledge, understanding and skills in all areas of learning and experience. It provides many authentic learning experiences through a range of beneficial themes that engage and motivate. 

Description of nature of strategy or activity

To develop a culture of creativity the school has a number of considerations which are equally weighted and have no order of hierarchy. The school believes that these are the keys to creating a successful culture of creativity. 

The school provided the following set of questions and answers to describe the nature of its work.

  • Who is the school champion? 

The school is fortunate to have several very creative members of staff, teaching and non-teaching, who have experience and skills across the expressive arts curriculum. Utilising and building on in-house expertise is crucial in driving a project forward. Enthusiasm can be contagious and making the process fun and interactive for staff ensures “buy in” and increased commitment levels from all. 

  • Are staff appropriately trained to deliver high quality lessons? 

Even though the school has highly trained staff in areas of creativity, this is not universal across the school. Where staff are lacking the required skills or working outside their comfort zone, training has been sourced and had a huge effect on staff confidence, which translated into the children being enthusiastic, confident and motivated to try new experiences. A very successful example being the pottery skills developed by staff in Year 5. Both teachers lacked experience, so training was provided with a local ceramicist, who spent time going through the process and giving them the opportunity to learn hands on. The quality of work they can now support the children to produce is excellent and is a direct result of giving them the tools they needed to help them believe they could do it. 

  • Do we need an expert to support delivery of lessons? 

Where necessary a range of artists, authors, actors, and musicians have been accessed to enhance the learning experience for the children, continuing to develop the skills of the staff and providing children with role models “planting seeds of inspiration to fuel aspiration.” Over the past year, Year 4 have been involved with a creative project with Arts Council for Wales focused on cynefin through digital media, poetry and story delivered through the Expressive Arts. This involved them visiting the Royal Welsh college of Music and Drama to see a student wearable art show, which inspired them to create their own wearable art and exhibiting these in a show at the Dylan Thomas Theatre. 

  • Are resources adequate to deliver lessons? 

Investment has been key to delivering quality lessons. Within school, there are high quality resources across the creative arts, including a kiln for pottery, a good range of consumables for the visual arts including clay, glazes, printing inks, watercolours, spray paints, textiles, card, paper etc – with a focus of sustainably such as recycled art projects. Experienced local artists from the community are employed to work alongside teachers for specific projects as well as specialist teachers in music and dance to work with cohorts half termly. This has resulted in some very special end of term performances to parents in school and at the Taliesin Theatre, Grand Theatre and Dylan Thomas Theatre. 

  • Does the skills ladder adequately develop skills that can be built upon year on year? 

Skills ladders are used to ensure progression and continuity throughout the progression steps. For example, a simple clay progression ladder outlines the skill to be taught in each year group starting with exploration and marking making in the early years to a culmination of skills by the end of PS3 including slab building, coil pots. These skills ladders are not a scheme of work as it allows teachers scope to incorporate the skills in an authentic learning context, which can be developed and adapted to suit the needs of a cohort and to reflect pupil voice. 

  • Are the activities purposeful, authentic, relevant and reflect cynefin? 

The curriculum overview ensures that learners understand the value of creativity. A range of local and national artists, writers, performers and musicians are explored throughout the curriculum as well those from outside Wales. Many of the learning experiences are incorporated into real life, authentic learning contexts such as enterprise projects. For example, graffiti art designs transferred to merchandise and sold at the Year 5 enterprise sale, and the children have been given fantastic opportunities for performance at local theatre for parents and the local community. Inspiration is often taken from the locality in the form of landscapes, nature, people and stories.  

  • What quality assurance is in place, eg lesson observations, managing in the moment? 

Governors, the headteacher, the deputy head and the senior leadership team are visible across the school and Management by Walkabout is used extensively to impact change and move the school forward. Senior leaders are heavily involved in creative projects, ensuring that what is being produced is a very high quality and, as the school uses in-house expertise, this enhances the work produced further. All staff are involved in creative projects allowing them to utilise their own strengths effectively as well as being supported in areas of development from expertise within the school. Time is allowed for careful planning, implementation and evaluating outcomes. This collaborative approach is evident in the ‘Triad system’, which ensures high quality professional dialogue and collaboration across the whole school. 

What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?

The standard of work achieved is high year on year, with all children producing work to a very high standard. The curriculum has been developed through a skills-based approach, beginning in Nursery and then built upon year on year. By the time the children reach Year 6 they have developed a skill set that produces high quality pieces, which they are very proud of. 

As the approach to creative learning is embedded across the school and pupils have the opportunity to experience a range of creative activities each year, high levels of commitment and enthusiasm are guaranteed from pupils, as evidenced in music, dance and drama projects the older children have been involved in for a number of years, including Primary Partners and the Taliesin Dance Project, whilst also giving Year 6 pupils the opportunity to perform their end of year show at a professional theatre (Dylan Thomas Theatre) to experience first-hand the successes that can be achieved in the future. 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

  • Undy Primary School is situated in the village of Undy which is south of the M4 between Newport and Caldicot. We are part of the Caldicot Cluster. 

  • There are currently 380 FTE on role within the school. 

  • It is a two form entry school, with a morning and afternoon nursery. 

  • Six per cent of the pupils are eligible for free school meals. 

  • Sixteen per cent of pupils have additional learning needs. 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

  • The school was identified as a Lead Network School for Welsh Second Language in 2019. 

  • The school was Awarded the Cymraeg Campus Arian Award in May 2022. 

  • The Welsh Co-ordinator took on role in 2020 following a 12 week sabbatical in 2018. 

  • The headteacher has been in post since January 2020. 

  • The last inspection was in May 2023. 

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Although Welsh was deemed as good, in January 2020 the SMT identified the need to improve Welsh oracy across the school and promote the use of Welsh outside of the classroom. As a result, a range of strategies have been developed to support the consistent promotion of Welsh in everyday activities. Younger pupils are exposed to Welsh daily through the use of Fflic and Fflac with pupils leading their learning using the Helpwr Heddiw model. Pupils ask and answer questions with each other. Staff are integral in introducing incidental Welsh into routines and everyday activities, for example when eating snack, morning and home time routines and at playtimes. Parents are also encouraged to develop their Welsh oracy skills by attending Dewch i Drio events. These events are run by Criw Cymraeg and aim to introduce basic language patterns to parents so they can support their children’s use of Welsh at home.  

As pupils progress through the school, they take on further responsibility for using Welsh language around the school. Criw Cymraeg play with them at break and encourage pupils to use Welsh language outside of the classroom. All staff use incidental Welsh and plan for opportunities to use Welsh across the curriculum. ‘Star of the week’ pupils take a Ddraig Coch (red dragon) home and are encouraged to write about their weekends using familiar Welsh language patterns in a diary which takes the language beyond the school environment.  

The oldest pupils have the opportunity to become members of Criw Cymreag. This group is led by a very enthusiastic HLTA. Criw Cymraeg aim to make speaking Welsh ‘Cwl’ (cool). They use a wide range of approaches such as sharing the ‘phrase of the moment’ on social media, challenging staff to remember to use Welsh, presenting assemblies to the whole school, and sharing good practice with other schools. Their example has influenced many pupils who now encourage both peers and adults to speak Welsh. This has had a significantly positive impact on Welsh language skills across the school. The school also has Welsh Ambassadors who meet and greet visitors. The headteacher uses Welsh in assemblies, when communicating with parents and endeavours to find opportunities to reinforce language patterns introduced via the phrase of the moment.  

An online language app has been instrumental in promoting high levels of engagement when developing pupils’ oracy, reading and writing skills. There are weekly certificates for pupils and staff who engage well. Older pupils have the opportunity to use the app in school but many pupils and staff also choose to use it at home. Through friendly competition pupils are developing a broad vocabulary base.  

Thematic use of Welsh is also a key driver in developing opportunities for pupils to use Welsh in a range of learning contexts, including forest schools and PE sessions. Staff are becoming more adept at planning for Welsh language to be delivered through their themes rather than discrete lessons. Pupils develop vocabulary using games and daily oracy sessions. For example, they have enjoyed using their Welsh language to talk about famous people, write raps and perform as TV presenters. The use of ICT has also promoted and developed the use of Welsh oracy as pupils video themselves or each other and offer valuable feedback through self and peer assessment.  

When out of school, many pupils are keen to use their Welsh language skills during school visits and residential stays.  

What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?

Most pupils in school are able to use incidental Welsh confidently in a range of contexts. As pupils progress through the school, they develop a wide range of purposeful phrases which they use naturally to communicate to their peers and staff. Welsh is visible in all learning spaces and staff regularly use Welsh both inside and out of the classrooms. There is a true feeling of Welshness within the school and pupils are proud to speak Welsh.  

How have you shared your good practice?

As a Learning Network School (LNS), the school has shared best practice with other schools through local curriculum lead meetings and the Dewch i Weld event. The Criw Cymraeg have hosted Criw Cymraeg from another school to share their work and what they have achieved. The school has also worked closely with a cluster school to share their most successful strategies.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Blackwood Comprehensive School is an English medium, 11-16 mixed comprehensive school located on the edge of Cefn Fforest and Blackwood. The school has six main cluster primary schools and there are around 985 pupils on roll.  

Around 21% of pupils have an additional learning need and a very few have a statement or Individual Development Plan (IDP). Around 25% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. Nearly all pupils speak English as their first language and come from a white British background, a very few are fluent in Welsh. The school has very few pupils with English as an additional language. 

The headteacher has been in post since September 2018. Following her appointment, the school community co-constructed a shared vision based on providing a nurturing and aspirational learning environment in which pupils and staff feel safe and supported: 

Blackwood Comprehensive School is an inclusive school community where we use the power of learning and teaching to develop confident, happy, resilient and independent pupils.  In our safe, secure and nurturing learning environment, everyone is valued equally, and positive relationships ensure that, by working together, we raise aspirations, realise our potential and secure our future. 

The vision is well understood by the school community and is the key driver for the school’s systems, policies and procedures.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Background to the development and improvement of digital skills across the curriculum 

The development of the digital skills of both learners and staff forms part of the school’s ongoing self-evaluation and improvement planning process and professional learning offer. A Digital Competence Lead coordinates and oversees the development of digital skills across the curriculum to support learners and staff. They work closely with one of the school’s Curriculum for Wales (CfW) Champions, who is responsible for the development of authentic learning and digital experiences in the new curriculum.  

The Digital Competence Lead undertakes annual Digital Competence Framework (DCF) audits across the curriculum in order to evaluate how all learners use their digital competence skills effectively. These audits identify opportunities for the further development of digital skills in an authentic way across the curriculum. Additionally, the Digital Competence Lead uses evidence from the DCF audits to plan effective professional learning for staff to ensure pupils develop a full range of digital competence skills across the curriculum. 

The Digital Competence Lead and CfW Champion work alongside the school’s Assistant Headteacher for Learning, Teaching and Professional Learning. Together, they plan and facilitate a high-quality, focussed digital skills professional learning programme for staff, which also responds to the frequent and rapid developments in the digital world. 

The successful development of learner and staff digital skills has evolved over the last few years, particularly with the successful and effective introduction of blended learning during the pandemic. The return to face-to face teaching saw the school building on the digital skills developed during blended learning. The Digital Competence Lead has created a wide range of high-quality resources for all members of the school community via a DCF website, to further support development of their skills. The website includes digital safety information, digital ‘how to’ guides and parental digital support. The DCF shared drives contain a wide range of information, videos and guides to support both learners and staff in their digital journeys.  

Description of nature of strategy or activity

At Blackwood Comprehensive School, teachers focus on incorporating digital skills authentically within Areas of Learning and Experience (AOLEs), ensuring learners demonstrate and further develop their digital skills. For example, the professional learning and research carried out by the CfW Champion resulted in classroom trials, which then led to the delivery of professional learning for all staff on how to use a specific software package to deliver authentic learning experiences across the curriculum. Consequently, some AoLEs employed these skills to teach learners how to design informative websites. For example, in humanities, learners design interactive websites on topics such as Welsh Castles and tornadoes, which enables them to demonstrate and further develop their digital skills, as well as their subject skills and knowledge, effectively. 

The school believes in teaching these skills early, so that learners can continue to use and develop their digital skills throughout their learning journey. For example, in Welsh Baccalaureate Enterprise Challenges, learners apply the coding skills taught in Digital Technology to produce educational games for younger learners, whilst in BTEC Business Studies learners create websites, logos and cash flow spreadsheets to support their business plans. In Expressive Arts, the drama teacher supports learners in using video editing software to effectively edit their performances and create professional movies.  In Science and Technology, learners use 3D design software to design, evaluate and refine their designs for sustainable glamping pods.  

Most recently, the Digital Competence Lead has introduced Digital Skills Passports for learners in Years 7 and 8. Learners store their virtual files in this passport, which contains a list of DCF skills that can be tracked by learners when they use them across the curriculum. This virtual space for learners to link their digital work enables both teachers and learners to effectively collate work and track the progress of their digital skills development. These Digital Passports enable learners to take ownership of their own work, becoming digitally competent and resilient learners.  

What impact has this work had on provision and learner standards?

Through the professional learning led by the Digital Competence Lead and the CfW Champion, staff and learners have further enhanced and developed their digital skills across the curriculum. These developments, coupled with investment in devices across all areas of the school, have resulted in learners taking ownership of their digital learning journey and having more confidence in using their skills across the curriculum. The introduction of the Digital Skills Passports has given learners more autonomy over their digital learning journey, enabling them to track digital progress more effectively alongside their teachers.  

Next steps

Following the evaluation of recent DCF audits across the curriculum, the school will continue to embed the use of Digital Skills Passports, with Year 9 learners being included this year. Further professional learning will support all teaching staff to access and use these passports to track learners’ skills and progress across the progression steps.  

The Digital Competence Lead will continue to work with the CfW Champion to further develop the use of innovative digital skills across the curriculum and thus ensure that learners continue to access a wide range of software to enhance their skills. The school will continue to evaluate the progress of digital skills across the curriculum and plan suitable professional learning to further upskill staff.  

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Blackwood Comprehensive School is an English-medium, 11-16 mixed comprehensive school located on the edge of Cefn Fforest and Blackwood. The school has six main cluster primary schools and there are around 985 pupils on roll.  

Around 21% of pupils have an additional learning need and a very few have a statement or Individual Development Plan (IDP). Around 25% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. Nearly all pupils speak English as their first language and come from a white British background, a very few are fluent in Welsh. The school has very few pupils with English as an additional language. 

The headteacher has been in post since September 2018. Following her appointment, the school community co-constructed a shared vision based on providing a nurturing and aspirational learning environment in which pupils and staff feel safe and supported: 

Blackwood Comprehensive School is an inclusive school community where we use the power of learning and teaching to develop confident, happy, resilient and independent pupils.  In our safe, secure and nurturing learning environment, everyone is valued equally, and positive relationships ensure that, by working together, we raise aspirations, realise our potential and secure our future. 

The vision is well understood by the school community and is the key driver for the school’s systems, policies and procedures. 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

A culture of self-evaluation and Improvement planning 

Leaders and staff at Blackwood Comprehensive School believe that supporting pupil well-being and promoting inclusion should be at the heart of every aspect of the school’s work. They believe that, if pupils don’t feel safe, happy and secure, they will not have the resilience and confidence to develop, learn and achieve success. To facilitate this success, the school has established a culture of regular, rigorous self-evaluation and improvement planning, which is underpinned by strong professional learning opportunities for all staff.  

Self-evaluation and improvement planning has evolved over the last few years, particularly since the pandemic, but has consistently focused on improving learning, teaching and well-being. At the end of each academic year, the cycle begins with senior leaders evaluating overall progress against the school’s priorities for improvement. This evaluation is based on analysis of first-hand evidence gathered from a wide range of self-evaluation activities carried out throughout the year by senior and middle leaders. These self-evaluation activities include: lesson observations, whole-school and subject book reviews, whole-school, subject and year learner voice activities, subject leader learning walks, analysis of whole-school, subject and year group pupil progress data, and analysis of attendance, behaviour and well-being data. This broad range of approach enables a wide range of staff and pupils to play an important role in whole-school self-evaluation. 

Following this, senior leaders work together to identify priorities for improvement for the following academic year, including their associated activities, success criteria and responsible staff. The new school development plan is shared with all staff at the first INSET in September, along with the calendar that identifies when self-evaluation activities will be carried out by senior and middle leaders. The school’s self-evaluation and improvement planning cycle can be represented by the following:  

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The school development plan is under-pinned by departmental and year development plans, which are written by subject and pastoral leaders. These development plans mirror the same priorities as the school development plan, but middle leaders identify key actions at a subject or year group level that support the school’s improvement priorities. Because the school believes that pupils feeling safe and comfortable is an important precursor to learning, departmental development plans include a well-being priority, in addition to priorities for learning and teaching.  

Rigorous performance management and line management also play a vital role in the school’s self-evaluation and improvement planning. Performance management objectives are closely aligned with the school’s priorities for improvement, and regular line management discussions focus on learning, teaching, provision and self-evaluation. Developing effective leadership, particularly at a middle leadership level, has previously been a priority for the school and effective performance management, line management and high quality professional learning have been key drivers in improving the standard of leadership at all levels. Over recent years, most middle leaders have become effective in carrying out their roles, and subject leaders have a secure understanding of the general strengths and areas for improvement within their subjects. Pastoral leaders use a wide range of first-hand evidence from self-evaluation activities and attendance data to plan improvements that are tailored to the needs of their year groups. For example, well-being provision has evolved significantly over the last few years and has become very effective in supporting vulnerable pupils.   

The school’s self-evaluation processes have enabled staff to ensure that, in general, pupils make good progress from their starting points, have positive attitudes to learning and feel safe in school. Additionally, they have had a significant impact on improving the quality and consistency of teaching.  

Professional Learning Culture 

At the start of each academic year, leaders plan professional learning strategically to drive forward the school’s improvement priorities. Professional learning is evaluated as part of the school’s self-evaluation process and adapted throughout the academic year, where needed, to ensure continued improvement. For example, improving assessment has been a priority for the school over the last few years. As a result of high quality professional learning on this aspect, many teachers now use assessment information effectively to plan lessons and provide helpful feedback to pupils. 

Strong professional learning, based on use of evidence-informed strategies, is delivered through staff meetings and INSET, together with short focused fortnightly teaching and learning and pastoral briefings. This professional learning is both face-to-face and asynchronous; this facilitates professional learning for all staff, regardless of their way of working. Teachers can select and adapt the strategies introduced through professional learning to suit the needs of their subjects and pupils. Staff value this autonomy, and it has had a significant impact on improving the consistency in the quality of teaching across the school. Additionally, learners agree that these strategies support them successfully in their acquisition of knowledge and skills.   

The school’s supportive professional learning culture has enabled staff to develop the confidence to share good practice regularly both within and outside the school. The introduction of ‘Curriculum for Wales Champions’ has further enhanced the professional learning offer in school as these roles involve action research and sharing of best practice to support the school’s priorities. This further enables staff development and opportunities by creating a wider range of whole-school roles. 

Following self-evaluation activities carried out each term, senior and middle leaders ‘RAG rate’ their development plans to evaluate progress against priorities and identify next steps. Where areas for development persist, senior leaders provide further professional learning, as necessary. 

Next steps

Following this year’s self-evaluation activities (2022-2023), the school is now trialling a new format for school, department and year development plans. This format will be a live, working document and include updated links to evidence as it is gathered. It will also be easier for governors to navigate so that they can provide effective support to the school.  

Further refinement of professional learning through the school’s teaching and learning and pastoral briefings will also be implemented. The aim is to enable staff to continue to develop their own practice through action research and sharing of best practice across departments and AoLEs. 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

St. David’s R.C. Primary School is an English-medium 3 -11 school in Cwmbran in Torfaen local authority. The school has a wide catchment area and serves families from the full socio-economic range. There are currently 217 pupils on roll, this includes 22 part time nursery children. The school is organised into 7 full time classes, 6 single age and one mixed age class.  

Nearly all pupils come from homes where English is the first language. Around 25% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. Around 5% of pupils have English as an additional language. The percentage of pupils with special educational needs is around 17%. The 3 year average rate of attendance is 95.5%. 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

The school has developed an approach to professional learning with a strong focus on the teaching and learning of Welsh language skills. In 2019 the Welsh lead successfully undertook a sabbatical programme to improve her knowledge and confidence to speak the Welsh language through the Cymraeg Mewn Blwyddyn programme. Upon completion of the programme the practitioner joined a night school programme over a two-year period, which consolidated existing skills and further expanded her capacity as a Welsh speaker. This provided a secure platform to enable her to upskill staff and pupils within the school and across the cluster in her role as Welsh Strategic Lead. 

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Developing bilingualism at St David’s  

  • An audit of staff skills identified a need for training to build the capacity of the team. Time was allocated on a weekly basis in professional learning meetings to introduce and revise language patterns in focused sessions. In addition, the ‘Brawddeg y Pythefnos’ was introduced for the staff, to extend their language patterns. This phrase ranged from commands to sentence patterns which can be applied across the curriculum and in all aspects of daily school life. QR codes displayed in classrooms and around the school were also a visible reference to support staff.  

  • In 2022, the Welsh lead embraced the opportunity for a further professional learning opportunity through the Welsh Government sabbatical programme. For two days a week the practitioner works in a local Welsh medium school to further develop her oracy skills and observe the range of pedagogies used to embed language patterns. 

  • These skills and pedagogies are then put into practice back at St. David’s. The Welsh lead introduces bilingual sentence patterns and phrases which are linked to the school topics and applied in all areas of learning. This approach has been key to further enhancing the bilingual learning, with language patterns being seamlessly applied across all areas of learning by staff and learners.   

What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?

  • The capacity of staff to confidently use and apply their knowledge of Welsh language patterns and commands across the curriculum and in authentic, purposeful tasks has improved significantly. The bilingual nature of lessons is a strength across the school.   

  • Learners often use a combination of English and Welsh phrases in their work across the curriculum. Most pupils develop strong Welsh language skills and are confident and proud to be Welsh. 

  • The ‘Criw Cymraeg’ whole heartedly embrace their leadership roles and are central to highlighting and celebrating the use of spoken Welsh throughout the school. Pupils plan and deliver events for the school community such as ‘Caffi Cymraeg’ allowing them to utilise and showcase their Welsh language skills in authentic contexts. In addition, Welsh is promoted positively on the yard by using a portable music station for staff and pupils to enjoy a wide range of Welsh songs. The ‘Criw Cymraeg’ was successfully awarded the ‘Gwobr Arian’ in June 2022. 

How have you shared your good practice?

  • In 2020 the lead took on the role of Welsh Sabbatical Champion, sharing best practice with colleagues from across the region. In 2021 good practice was disseminated specifically to our Cluster schools through the role of Cluster lead.  

  • The Welsh lead met with colleagues at their schools to gain a detailed understanding of their current provision, strengths and areas that they identified needing development.  

  • This informed an action plan for bespoke support for teaching assistants tailored to the needs and requests for each school. The content of the training sessions ranged from the use of basic and incidental Welsh to Welsh in the outdoors and across the curriculum.  

  • The training was delivered using a range of pedagogies to upskill practitioners. A range of songs, rhymes and ‘total physical response’ (TPR) effectively supported the development of new phrases and sentence patterns. Each practitioner received a bank of materials and visuals to refer to in their own settings.   

  • Colleague feedback indicates that the bespoke training has improved their understanding of, and their confidence in using the Welsh language. It has also impacted positively in their settings by motivating other members of their team to use the bank of resources.  

  • The Welsh Lead continues to work with cluster Welsh leads to provide training materials to support professional learning within their schools. 

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