Effective Practice Archives - Page 20 of 66 - Estyn

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi VA opened in September 2018. Located across three campuses, the school serves a predominantly rural community. The school has a strongly inclusive ethos reflected in its motto “do the little things”. There are currently 622 pupils on roll, 191 in the primary phase and 431 in the secondary phase. Around 11% of pupils are eligible for free school meals and 24% are identified as having an additional learning need.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park serves the school with a unique natural learning environment with each campus having its own environment and community. Prior to opening, the interim governing body held a series of community stakeholder meetings establishing a working party to develop the outdoor learning environments. It has established strong community links where pupils regularly interact with local artists, community groups, farm businesses, and public services to extend their learning experiences. As members of the All Age Schools Forum, staff travelled to Sweden and Iceland to research outdoor learning initiatives. The post-14 curriculum offer includes courses in Hospitality and Catering, Agriculture, Engineering and Childcare in order to respond to local employment needs. The Cathedral provides a unique resource for learning about history, culture, religion and community with clergy contributing to the development of music and Christian values.

Description of the nature of the strategy or activity

Cynefin is used as a vehicle to drive learning. For example, funding from ‘Learning through Landscapes’, facilitated professional learning and acquisition of key resources for den building, fire lighting equipment and an orienteering course. Staff research resulted in learning strategies having authentic commissions. Pupils’ development of skills is associated with real life contexts linked to the four purposes. Learning has focused on local and national themes with pupils:

  • Being commissioned as content creators to research and create Olympic websites, for example when interviewing and writing about ex-pupil Jasmine Joyce, an Olympic and Welsh International rugby player.
  • Becoming event managers for an Olympic event at Whitesands Beach. Pupils were trained by the Royal Signals regiment based at Brawdy.
  • Creating theatre production teams to launch, market, cost, produce and perform the Lion King and raising £3000 for Ukrainian pupils at the school.
  • Staging numerous exhibitions at Oriel y Parc, (tourist information centre), including art exhibitions and ‘What makes Wales Wonderful’ 2022.
  • Working on sustainability, biodiversity and zero input farming which involved workshops with Car Y Môr, (the first commercial seaweed and shellfish farm in Wales) and visits to Ramsey Island with RSPB.
  • Completing projects with Pembrokeshire Coastal forum, Darwin Science and Dŵr Cymru on Climate Change and coastal pollution.

Pupils regularly visit Erw Dewi (a local sustainable community garden) and Lower Treginnis, Farms for City Children, to help grow, weigh and bag produce which is sold in aid of the local food bank. Learning has involved design of a natural playground, ‘bio blitzes’ and learning about life processes.

Pupils utilise community resources during ‘Thrilling Thursday’. This includes setting up pop-up shops to sell items made in school. There are ‘litter free zones’ in association with Caru Cymru (Keep Wales Tidy) and pupils participate in regular community litter picks as ethically informed citizens.

The school community has strong global links. A ‘virtual walk’ to Lesotho in July 2022 and a ‘North Peninsula Big Switch Off’ preceded a visit to a partner school in Lesotho, to collaborate and drive learning on sustainable development goals and pupil wellbeing. Pupils from the school participated in an exchange with pupils from Wexford to learn about the shared heritage, pilgrimage and culture.

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

These learning experiences are generally cost neutral and therefore inclusive.  Cynefin has acted as a vehicle to inspire and improve attitudes to learning. These activities have provided an engaging platform for developing the four purposes and pupils’ skills. Where ‘Cynefin’ or outdoor learning is embedded, planning for learning is sound and facilitates strong progress, the quality of teaching is consistently high and over time, most pupils make strong progress in their learning. Imaginative use of the ‘Cynefin’ enables pupils to learn in authentic contexts. Leaders plan the curriculum strategically for older pupils to study a wide range of suitable qualifications that makes worthwhile use of the local area, its resources and employers.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Anglesey authority’s Learning Service has made great strides during the last three years. Purposeful restructuring to add a number of senior managers has allowed the Learning Services to employ a senior manager with specific responsibility for co-ordinating and safeguarding learners’ well-being. The Learning Service’s senior leaders place great emphasis on promoting the well-being of the island’s children and young people and work closely and successfully with different departments within the authority smoothly and without barriers.

There is a strong culture of planning services that are aligned closely with the Well-being of Future Generations Act. The Learning Service has developed a ‘Tîm Môn’ ethos and mindset, where everyone works together and everyone’s contribution is valued, nurtured and used for the benefit of the island’s children and young people.

Within the Learning Service, a Senior Officer was appointed to pay particular attention to promoting well-being and cooperating across services and partnerships. The Well-being of Future Generations Act is at the heart of all of the work plans. Schools are aware of how their contributions to providing inclusive provision in their schools contribute within a wider context to regional and national priorities.  

The principle of preventative working is at the heart of all of the authority’s work. For example, an integrated method of co-operation has ensured that families in need have quick access to food banks.

The strong co-operation between different departments and agencies provides an integrated experience of support for all learners in the county, including those who are at risk of becoming disengaged and their families. The Learning Service works productively with partners, including social services, welfare officers, the Gwynedd and Anglesey inclusion services and youth services. They work proactively to prevent problems at an early stage to respond to the needs of vulnerable learners who are showing symptoms of anxiety to encourage attendance.

An ‘Early Intervention Hub’, which includes around twenty different agencies, is a good way of working together and planning efficient support for vulnerable learners and their families jointly, without duplicating the support unnecessarily. This, in turn, ensures that the children and young people of Anglesey are able to continue with their education at school, and exclusions due to anti-social behaviours are decreasing.

There is a strong focus on developing all practitioners’ awareness of trauma and the effect of trauma on children and young people. Training is co-ordinated at several levels, including teachers and assistants in schools and non-maintained settings, in addition to other stakeholders within the council who support children and young people. This practice has equipped the workforce to be able to communicate clearly when discussing the effect of adverse experiences on the development, self-image and confidence of individuals.

The preventative strategy ensures that there is a youth officer in every secondary school on the island. They facilitate the ‘drop-in’ service for learners and support provision of personal and social education. They also prepare employment courses for learners who are at risk of becoming disengaged so that they can gain alternative qualifications and experiences. Units from Agored Cymru, the John Muir Certificate and First Aid have been provided. Youth workers ensure that all secondary schools have established a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer + (LGBTQ+) group and evening youth clubs strengthen the link for young people to activities in the community and the link with school. As a result, projects such as ‘Prison Me No Way’ and ‘Gangs Getaway’ have had an influence within communities. 

The ‘Y Daith i Saith’ (The Journey to Seven) scheme by the Family Support Team promotes the development and well-being of the youngest pupils and is being developed jointly with a range of stakeholders, including a health service and a group of primary schools. As a result, this work strengthens the ethos of community focused schools and the preventative strategy at an early stage and provides the best opportunity for children on their learning journey.

The Learning Service ensures a strong link between national, regional and corporate priorities in terms of well-being and the practical and preventative work that takes place in non-maintained settings and schools across the authority. The close co-operation with different departments within the authority facilitates the work of schools in ensuring that inclusive provision in the classroom is manageable. The corporate strategy of providing training to improve practitioners’ understanding of the effect of trauma and adverse childhood experiences on pupils’ achievement and well-being is having a positive effect on the quality of provision in schools and now across services.

One of the strengths of the co-ordinated work is the way in which the Learning Service succeeds in involving headteachers in different forums to seek their views, influence, shape and plan new provision. For example, Safeguarding Champions has succeeded in raising the status of preventative work within safeguarding across their clusters and, as a result:

  • all schools submit safeguarding referrals of a high standard when concerns arise
  • investment in a common electronic platform has provided consistency in recording causes for concern across the county
  • all schools have adopted robust trauma-informed styles that align with a good safeguarding ethos

In addition to this, schools take confident action to make referrals to the Children’s Services Early Intervention Hub in conjunction with parents, where appropriate. All of this strengthens preventative work in schools and there is an ongoing commitment to safeguard and improve the well-being of learners. As a result, the most vulnerable pupils are given the best opportunities to engage with their education.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Ysgol Eglwys Bach is a rural Welsh-medium school with 62 pupils on roll, who are arranged across 3 classes. There is one class for the under 7s and two for the older pupils, one for Years 3 and 4 and the other for Years 5 and 6.  

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Independence in the under 7s class has developed well over recent years. Disseminating this practice to the top of the school was important and a part of the school’s vision for the Curriculum for Wales. The aim was to ensure that the oldest pupils are given more opportunities to lead their own learning pathways, to work independently and continue to overcome challenges. That is, rather than understanding the meaning of the 4 purposes orally, that pupils live and realise the principles of the 4 purposes within their class work and through the work of the ‘4 purpose councils’.

Description of the nature of the strategy or activity

Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are divided into 4 groups, or the 4 purpose councils. There is advice for all purposes. Every half term, the 4 councils work together on a project with each group, leading to activities linked to their purpose to respond to the context. For example, under the heading ‘Ukraine’, one group decided that it was necessary to collect money for charity by organising a walk. Pupils organised the bus after contacting several companies to get the best price. The group contacted other church schools by e-mail to invite them on the trip. Pupils organised the route of the walk, taking into account the distance, time, safety risk and facilities. A group made biscuits with the Ukrainian flag in blue and yellow icing for the halfway break. The last group organised all correspondence, including details of how to sponsor and donate to the charity, for parents and the community. During the work of the 4 purpose councils, our role as teachers is not to lead, but rather to support pupils to realise their ideas and ask, ‘How is this going to work?’ 

To coincide with the work of the 4 purpose councils, pupils aged 7-11 have two ‘Busy Afternoons’ each week. Teachers work together to create a grid of 6 tasks for both ages, namely Year 3/4 and Year 5/6. In Year 5/6, the tasks are placed on the school’s digital platform, together with links to websites and research texts that pupils will need to complete the tasks. In Year 3/4, there are fewer guidelines on the digital platform as more verbal instructions are given before pupils start their work. During the afternoons, pupils are able to choose which tasks to complete from the grid. The tasks always include technology activities, science, physical health, design and various aspects of the expressive arts. If a new skill needs to be learned to be able to respond to one of the tasks or something that requires more explanation than can be shared on the digital platform, then teachers hold a formal lesson on the specific aspect at the beginning of the half term. Pupils have the choice to work with a friend or work independently to complete the tasks. As pupils work on their tasks, without any pressure to finish in one lesson or afternoon, teachers can step back and allow the pupils to experiment. Teachers do not intervene if things don’t work. They let the pupils implement their ideas and are there to support them if mistakes arise. Again, the teachers’ job is to question, and facilitate the pupils’ thinking. They ask questions such as ‘Why didn’t that work?’, ‘Can you think of a different way to do this?’, ‘Is there anyone else in the class who has a similar problem?’ If the pupil is happy with the finished piece, they can move on to another task or work on challenges that nurture their emotional well-being. However, if the piece has not met the expectations, it is important that the pupil has time to re-think and try again. The ethos of the classes encourages pupils to test their ideas, learn through their successes or, more importantly, through their mistakes. 

During the half term, demanding tasks can be added as necessary to challenge pupils further. For example, Year 5 and 6 pupils designed and created a moving toy using battery power. Now that pupils understand an electric circuit, they have worked on creating a Christmas card that lights up an ‘LCD’ bulb when opening and closing the card, and connecting and breaking the circuit.

At the end of each task, pupils are required to upload their work or a photograph of their work and evaluate it on age-appropriate apps. Once they have evaluated their own work, they sometimes evaluate the work of their peers in pairs or together as a class.

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

Nearly all pupils are confident when choosing their tasks as they are allowed to choose what interests them. They choose and collect their resources carefully and are aware of reducing waste. They work safely and completely independently and know when to ask for help and whom to approach, when necessary. Nearly all pupils are willing to take risks and keep trying to improve their work. Creativity across the two classes has blossomed as pupils set out to complete the same task in completely different ways. Because of the ability to choose tasks that interest them, everyone is on task and this maintains a high standard of behaviour. When evaluating work, pupils develop their ability to receive feedback and see it as a positive thing. They also gain confidence by offering feedback to their peers and focusing on the important things. 

How have you shared your good practice?

Three local schools from our cluster have been to see our Busy Afternoons and the work of the 4 purpose councils. Our consortium, GwE, and the Diocese are aware of our vision to modernise and prepare pupils for a changing world.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Description of nature of strategy or activity

At Caban Kingsland, self-evaluation has always been the backbone of the setting’s work. Practitioners continually review their practice to ensure that the process remains a current reflection of the service. They consider what has taken place, and share ideas to encourage the well-being, engagement and educational outcomes for all the children in their care. This supports each child’s individual needs and enables the whole team to understand the best possible ways to create a provision that responds to the latest developments in early years education and care. 

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

It’s crucial that leaders ensure whole staff ownership of the self-evaluation process. It’s not just a routine that takes up time and effort. It’s a process that allows everyone to reflect on successes and aspects that need to be developed further. At the start, self-evaluation helps practitioners to identify the areas that need improvement and this can be stressful as they try to ensure that the provision is doing well. 

The process of regularly evaluating does have its own reward. Pin-pointing areas for improvement, introducing changes, reflecting and actioning further improvements reminds practitioners how well they are working. It’s an opportunity to recall the fantastic experiences and the challenges they identified and changes they introduced and worked hard to embed. In its own way, self-evaluation is the best continual personal development tool available. 
 

Challenges

It’s not easy to work closely with others and then call their practice into question, particularly if they are doing what they have always done. Changes to the curriculum, legislation, additional learning needs legislation and the impact of COVID-19 identify that, as a team, changes need to be continually considered. It’s crucial that leaders include all practitioners in the process, allowing them time to identify their own personal development and professional learning needs. The engagement of all practitioners in the process enables everyone to reflect on areas of best practice. This has a positive effect on the team who feel involved and empowered to shape the provision. 

Practitioners ensure opportunities for parents and carers to provide feedback about all aspects of the provision and their child’s experience at the setting. They provide opportunities to receive feedback from other partners and agencies with which they work. This also feeds into opportunities to develop awareness of successful practice and helps identify areas for improvement. Practitioners don’t forget to evidence the positive feedback they receive, and take pride in this as they move forward. As things develop in the provision, practitioners add those little changes. It could be as simple as how they respond to something a child said or did. As a reflective tool, it’s the little things that set the standards for inclusive practice and build a better future for the children at the provision.

Paperwork can be challenging at the best of times. The self-evaluation processes can be daunting. However, as every day is different and practitioners’ heads can be so full of information, they write down questions; how well are we doing? how do we know? How can we improve? Through analysing their work and moving things to a positive conclusion, they look out for the positive impact on the setting. Self-evaluation will clearly identify the best way forward and remind everyone of the great work they do. They enjoy knowing that everything they do is in the best interests of the children and moving things to a positive conclusion as a team. Then they move on to the next issue. 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Background

The main aim of the language centre is to provide successful and fun immersion education for pupils who are newcomers to the island. This is done by providing a full course, an aftercare course, a pre-centre course, face-to-face and digital support for teachers and schools in the county, producing and sharing resources and, of course, any bespoke training.

The language centre on Anglesey develops provision for newcomers to the language by:

  • Holding a full-time immersion course in two language centres (Moelfre and Cybi).
  • Preparing and presenting a new scheme for foundation phase classes.
  • Preparing and delivering support for the county’s secondary schools.
  • Providing aftercare to former pupils of the centre (secondary and primary).
  • Delivering digital resources aimed at newcomers, to be used in our schools for pupils in local schools.
  • Digital resources.
  • Providing training.
  • An app (being designed).

Full-time immersion course

The best possible opportunity is offered to our newcomers by arranging a place for up to 16 pupils in each centre each term. Pupils are taught full time for up to 12 weeks by two teachers, one for every 8 children. A carefully structured, bespoke scheme is delivered to introduce the language in a lively and intensive way – “Cynllun y Llan”. The aim is that 80% of newcomers have reached Level 2 or above (first language) in spoken language and that 75% reach Level 2 or above in reading and writing by the end of the course.

The results at both centres are consistently positive. At the end of each term, questionnaires are shared with headteachers, and headteachers note a clear development in the Welsh levels of pupils who have attended the Language Centre.

Aftercare

As a follow-up to the immersion course, we re-visit the centre’s newcomers annually by visiting the home school and providing aftercare sessions. Additional units of work from the scheme are presented as aftercare activities. Teachers from both centres present lively sessions that last up to an hour, once a week, in the home school. To measure the effect of this work, we send questionnaires to the schools at the end of the period and visit schools to check the pupils’ linguistic progression. All responses are positive and class teachers see the newcomers’ confidence expanding further following these sessions.

The aftercare scheme is usually offered during the summer term.

The teachers who remain at the centre provide a refresher course for pupils in Key Stage 2 who lack confidence in the Welsh language. These are pupils who have perhaps joined the Foundation Phase at the end of Year 1 or during Year 2 and have not had an opportunity to immerse themselves fully in the language.

 

New Foundation Phase scheme

The authority welcomes the views of stakeholders regularly. For example, during a  discussion with the school language co-ordinator for the Holyhead catchment area, concern was raised about the language of Foundation Phase pupils following the lockdown period. As a result, the Centre’s teachers have created and presented a unique scheme that was delivered in the Cybi catchment area during the spring term 2022. Nearly all schools in the Cybi catchment area took part in the project. A teacher from the Centre was seen demonstrating lively immersion lessons in the classroom and sharing various immersion methods and techniques during the lessons. Teachers and assistants observed during lessons and schools had digital access to the resources and plans to develop the work.

Following the success of the scheme, the sessions were delivered in the primary schools in the Syr Thomas Jones catchment area during the autumn term 2022. The intention is to co‑operate and demonstrate lessons in all catchment areas on the island.

Secondary support

Aftercare and support has been offered to pupils in all secondary schools from the Spring Term 2022. Teachers from the centre travel around all secondary schools providing weekly sessions and sharing plans and ideas in a dedicated digital class. A teachers from the centre works closely with each secondary school and responds to the needs of each school individually by providing aftercare or immersion sessions, as necessary. The response of secondary headteachers to this support has been extremely positive. The aim is to use grant funding to expand and develop this support further.

Pre-centre scheme

There is a waiting list of pupils who wish to access the centre’s services. As support for those pupils and schools, a pre-centre scheme is shared. All schools have access via a link to a digital classroom. This means that the scheme is available to pupils as necessary. Six units of work are delivered digitally, including oral activities and games. We will update and develop this scheme annually. These units of work provide pupils with a solid foundation before they receive the full immersion course.

 

Digital resources

Running full courses and providing face-to-face aftercare were not possible during the restrictions of the pandemic. As a result of, the lockdown period and the need for distance learning, a new digital class was created which included interactive resources with verbal support for parents. These resources were available to all schools on Anglesey and headteachers and teachers responded positively to these resources. The class now continues to grow and includes thematic resources, in addition to resources that present and review language patterns in the classroom.

The class is now available for schools to browse and select activities as necessary. There is also a simple plan and resources as a guide to introducing language patterns through the ‘Ysgol Camau Clebran’. The link to this class has now been shared with teachers across the county following visits from language immersion teachers from different areas in Wales.

Training

Following the lockdown period and the lack of opportunities for pupils in our schools to practise and use the Welsh language, a need was identified for training in language immersion methods for school staff. For this training to be available simply and conveniently in the midst of a very challenging time for school staff, a decision was made to create a new digital classroom. The classroom includes clips of immersion training. More clips are added regularly. The centre’s teachers visit schools and offer face-to-face immersion training for staff, according to the school’s wishes. The Anglesey language centre has worked with Canolfan Bedwyr for several years by providing immersion training sessions for assistants in the northern counties, namely the ‘National Sabbatical Scheme’. There were very positive responses to the sessions through the university’s evaluation processes.

App

As part of the need for modern resources for our newcomers, part of the funding from the immersion grant was used to begin to create a bespoke new resource for learners. The expertise of teachers from the Anglesey language centres is being shared with a local company to develop a bespoke app for newcomers. This app will be available soon and will be full of exciting resources and activities.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Greenhill is a special school, maintained by Cardiff City Council, that provides day education for 66 pupils aged 11 to 18. All pupils have statements of special educational needs in relation to their social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Many pupils have specific learning difficulties that may include dyslexia, dyspraxia or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A few pupils also have particular medical needs. 

Almost all pupils live in Cardiff and a very few come from neighbouring authorities. Currently all the pupils on roll are boys. About one fifth of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds. A very few pupils are looked after by the local authority. Currently no pupils speak English as a second language. No pupils speak Welsh as their first language at home. Around 80% of pupils are in receipt of free school meals. 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

The school’s vision and values are the driving force behind all interactions, initiatives and developments at the school. The vision is to create a school environment where pupils:

  • are happy, safe, secure and have the opportunity to develop their talents
  • thrive in a caring and supportive community
  • are equipped with the skills to help them to become the best they can in order to make a positive contribution to society

These aims underpin the school’s values of relationships, respect and responsibility and colour every conversation between the adults and pupils at the school.

Most of the pupils are effected by socio-economic disadvantage. As a result, the provision of basic equipment and uniform places additional economic pressure on the finances of the pupils’ families. The staff and governors have taken the decision to provide pupils with a wide range of experiences where there are no financial barriers to participation. In January 2020 the governing body decided to provide all pupils with free school meal provision. 
 

Description of nature of strategy or activity

There are a wide range of strategies to ensure the school provides pupils with full access to all educational experiences. The senior leadership team has played a very active role in sourcing grant funding and donations to the school’s charity. Leaders and staff firmly believe that outdoor education activities and visits to places of cultural interest are an essential part of achieving the school’s vision. As such, the headteacher, supported by the governing body’s finance committee, ensures that a substantial part of the budget is set aside to facilitate this and to fund the purchase and upkeep of the school’s fleet of five vehicles. The school has also developed a partnership with the Storey Arms Outdoor Education Centre, employing two of their staff for three days a week to enable the school’s approach to the curriculum for Wales.

All food at the school is provided free of charge, and includes breakfast, healthy snacks and lunchtime meals. The school employs a chef who provides a daily menu of healthy food and which provides for all pupils individual dietary requirements.

The school uniform is optional. However, it is free for the pupils who wish to wear it. This also extends to sports kit, specialised kit for outdoor activities and work specific wear for work experience. Where a student is in need of new clothing this is discreetly provided and individual needs are met. The pupils are encouraged to take pride in their appearance and receive free haircuts from the school barber.

Links between home and school are extremely strong and supportive. The school holds regular coffee mornings with parents to help foster positive working relationships. These opportunities beneficially develop parents’ understanding and support of children’s social and emotional needs. When a parent finds it difficult to arrange transport, the school provides it for them. During the pandemic, fundraising and food donations provided by local shops were used to provide food parcels for all families in need within our school community. This successful practice continues for those families who find themselves in need. In addition, the local authority has provided every student with a laptop to support learning.

Visits and educational experiences

There are ‘well-being visits’ each week to various places of natural beauty or of cultural interest. The focus of such visits is the development of positive relationships and appropriate social communication skills. For example, pupils who had never travelled by aeroplane or stayed in a hotel were taken to Edinburgh for a two day visit as a Key Stage 4 to 5 transition activity. This was fully funded by the school. 

Outdoor education is an essential part of the school’s work. The curriculum provides valuable opportunities for pupils to learn and enjoy the natural environment of Wales, via the school’s COED (Creative Outdoor Education Development) programme. Each child experiences the whole curriculum through the medium of visits, activities and experiences throughout Wales. Residential visits include expeditions to Eryri National Park, Bannau Brycheiniog, canoeing on the River Wye, developing camping skills in Hereford, fishing in Tenby, activities at Storey Arms such as caving, SUP boarding, orienteering, white water rafting and surfing. All pupils have the opportunity to attend one of the residential visits which are fully funded by the school. In addition, the school provides pupils with the opportunity to study music, cook meals for their families and to study vocational courses with no cost to the pupils. 

At Christmas, all pupils can choose a present to take home for themselves and we arrange a raffle where all pupils choose gifts for siblings or other family members. The school also arranges an Easter egg hunt at Easter.

The development of social skills is an important part of the work at Greenhill and pupils are taken to restaurants as part of this work. It also aims for all pupils to experience the arts and theatre – for example, pupils have attended performances of Matilda and Bugsy Malone at the Millennium Centre. All these activities are funded by the school.

Qualifications and life skills

The school ensures that all pupils experience a range of positive experiences to help to develop self-confidence which prepare them well for the next steps in their lives. Pupils are taught to use public transport with staff accompanying pupils on journeys that they will be required to make as part of everyday life. The cost of this transport for staff and pupils is funded by the school. Older pupils apply for provisional driving licences, are coached for driving theory tests and have driving experiences at no cost to the families.

Pupils gain qualifications in climbing and motorcycling, as well as more traditional qualifications such as home cooking skills, work focused skills such as a certificate in Barista training, construction skills and work experience with the Local Authority Parks Division in landscape gardening. Pupils also have the opportunity to achieve the Duke of Edinburgh bronze and silver award. Pupils are actively encouraged to find places of education, training and employment after Key Stage 5 and are given additional support with career or higher education choices. Pupils who decide not to stay at the school’s Key Stage 5 provision are accompanied to various places of training or employment until the pupils feel confident about their decision.

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

The impact of this approach to funding has been significant. The well-being at the school is monitored closely and data shows that nearly all pupils have a reduction in their barriers to learning and an increase in their prosocial skills. There has been a reduction in negative incidents throughout the school over the last three years and exclusions have reduced significantly.

Due to the improved relationships and trust forged via the many experiences provided by the school, nearly all pupils show improved focus on their learning in class and have increased their reading and numeracy scores. They also show improved attitudes to learning. Pupils also demonstrate a greater capacity to regulate their emotions as a result of being trusted when taking part in extreme sports and activities. Older pupils offer help and sit with younger pupils who have become dysregulated and share strategies they use to regulate.

There is a calm atmosphere at the school and behaviour during break and lunch times has improved significantly. There are positive relationships between staff and pupils and an openness to share feelings. Staff training in trauma informed practice has supported a positive change of culture and improved ethos at the school. Positive handling has reduced over the last three years.

How have you shared your good practice?

The school has ‘Flag Ship Status’ for the inclusion quality mark and has shared its practice through regular teams meeting with many schools who belong to this national network. The school has an open door policy and welcomes visits from other educational establishments and has been visited by other special schools and PRUs in Cardiff and the Vale. The school was also invited to the national TIS Wales conference to share its practice with a wide audience and has been featured as a case study for trauma informed practice with Key Stage 5 pupils. More recently, the school has been invited to share its journey on the TIS UK website.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni is a bilingual secondary school for 11 to 18-year-old pupils that is maintained by Isle of Anglesey local authority. The school is situated in the town of Llangefni in the centre of Anglesey and is mainly a Welsh-speaking area.

There are 719 pupils on roll, including 91 pupils in the sixth form. Seventy-eight point five per cent (78.5%) of pupils come from Welsh-speaking homes. The percentage of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is around 18.9%, on average. The senior leadership team includes the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, two assistant headteachers and two acting assistant headteachers.
 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

In preparation for the arrival of the new Code of Practice for Additional Learning Needs (ALN), the school has prioritised preparing staff to enable them to provide confidently for pupils with ALN. This has happened at several levels, including governors, the senior management team, middle leaders, teachers, assistants and support staff. The school believes that ALN is everyone’s responsibility and the ALNCo was given responsibility for ensuring that all members of staff have the ability to realise this.
 

Description of nature of strategy or activity

The ALN register is a live, comprehensive document that refers specifically to barriers to learning and includes specific guidance on how to overcome them. There are also direct links to the one page profiles of all pupils with ALN. Information is recorded about any personal support methods that are suitable for each individual, in addition to reference to universal support strategies.

A provision map refers specifically to all interventions that are provided by the school. Particular attention is given to the input and output criteria for each individual intervention. Attention is also given to the further action that will be needed if the intervention is unsuccessful.

When producing individual learning plans, attention is given to pupils’ aspirations and an attempt is made to produce outcomes that lead to those aspirations. As a result, it is ensured that any additional teaching provision is pupil-centred.

The school identified a decline in pupils’ basic skills following the lockdown periods and not necessarily among pupils who would need additional learning provision. In response to this, the school identified a priority to ensure ‘Quality First Teaching’ in the school development plan, which means developing teaching strategies that highlight the need for personal learning methods that encourage prioritising the needs of pupils with ALN when planning. 

The school is on a journey to becoming a trauma-informed school, which has included whole-school training, SMT training and facilitating a number of the school’s staff and stakeholders to complete a relevant diploma. This means that pupils with ALN are given opportunities to use alternative methods to communicate their feelings, placing less emphasis on verbal or written communication.

To realise this vision, the school has invested time and money in training classroom assistants. Comprehensive training opportunities have been prepared, such as the ‘Practising Teaching Assistant’ programme, ELSA and ‘Drawing and Talking’. The ALN department has also created discussion prompts to be used with pupils to promote independence; work that is based on EEF (Education Endowment Foundation) research.

Recently, the ALN department has transformed its approach to conducting departmental meetings. It now holds ‘Datrysiad’ (‘Solution’) meetings, which provide opportunities to share good practice and experiment with a range of support strategies.

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

As a result of the training presented to all staff on the new Code of Practice and the priorities in the school development plan, all members of staff are aware of their duty to provide appropriately to meet any barriers to learning for pupils with ALN. This has enabled departments to evaluate their provision for this specific group of pupils. These valuable evaluations are used to plan future improvement through the school development plan and departmental development plans.

Investment in provision-mapping software has enabled the school to evaluate the success and value for money of any interventions that are in place. In cases where there is no progress, reference can be made back to the provision map to adapt additional learning provision. Recent evaluations show that the assistants’ response scripts have led to a reduction in superficial support that prioritises ‘task completion’ and an increase in practices that prioritise the process of learning and metacognition. These indicators are also a strong reflection of the successes of staff in differentiating effectively for pupils with ALN. Evaluations of a secondary questionnaire on trauma also show the positive effect that the support given to pupils with ALN has on their emotional well being.
 

How have you shared your good practice?

The school works closely with primary schools in the catchment area and cascades good practice through meetings of the catchment area’s ALNCos. The school works closely with secondary schools on Anglesey and makes use of the ‘Cynghrair Ysgolion Môn’ (‘Anglesey Schools Alliance’) co-operation plan to share best practice and seek the opinions of other colleagues on this work.
 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Monmouth Comprehensive School (MCS) is an English-medium 11-18 school maintained by Monmouthshire local authority. It serves the town of Monmouth and the rural areas of Cross Ash, Llandogo, Raglan, Trellech and Usk, with around 27% of students travelling from the border counties of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire. There are 1,693 pupils on roll, of which 316 are in the sixth form. Around 15% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. Nearly all pupils speak English as their first language and come from a white, British background. Very few pupils are fluent in Welsh.

The percentage of pupils with additional learning needs, requiring at least reasonable adjustments is around 19% of the overall school population, including the specialist resource base (SRB). The proportion of pupils who have a statutory plan of additional learning needs (Statement / EHCP / IDP) is 3.9% (including the SRB).

The senior leadership team (SLT) consists of the headteacher, deputy headteacher and five assistant headteachers.

The school’s vision is summarised in the motto ‘Work Hard, Be Kind’, with its values (success, security, respect, responsibility and independence) and a school culture based on mutual respect between all. 
 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

From 2021, the school intensified its engagement with the Curriculum for Wales framework. The SLT was extended, via secondment, to include a role with specific responsibility for the development of curriculum thinking, working closely with the assistant headteacher responsible for pedagogy.

The school defined a curriculum approach and underpinning philosophy through a mixture of: engagement with the framework, research into curriculum design principles, experiences of curriculum development in other schools and reflections upon previous whole-school curriculum modifications. Curriculum development at the school was founded on a ‘knowledge-rich’ approach, drawing on Michael Young’s conception of ‘powerful knowledge’. This was supported by developing a whole-school pedagogical approach that could deliver the principles behind this type of disciplinary curriculum. 
 

Description of nature of strategy or activity

“Improving education is our national mission. Nothing is so essential as universal access to, and acquisition of, the experiences, knowledge and skills that our young people need…” 

This opening to the Curriculum for Wales framework had a significant impact on school thinking, correlating with the concept of powerful knowledge as a route to equity. The acquisition of empowering knowledge was also viewed as the route to fulfilling the Four Purposes.

A curriculum mission statement was constructed, part of which reads, “Our approach values a knowledge-rich curriculum, delivered by a pedagogically savvy, expert teaching staff. This aims consistently to provide engaging, effective learning opportunities through teaching that is passionate, precise and purposeful.”

  • A knowledge-rich curriculum has received significant interest within education systems around the world. Key components used at the school when constructing its curriculum include: 
  • The fundamental position of knowledge and its ability to enhance further learning.
  • Knowledge in different forms: declarative, procedural, experiential, disciplinary.
  • Individual subjects matter. They bring an established body of knowledge, skills and unique tradition. Subjects provide ready-made organisation, providing strong vertical coherence.
  • The knowledge to be learnt is specified in detail.
  • Curriculum time is limited; knowledge has to carefully selected. This knowledge is important and taught to be remembered, requiring the application of evidence-based research.
  • Knowledge is sequenced deliberately and coherently to optimise construction of secure schema (neural networks of learning).

The approach is that of a disciplinary curriculum, with students following a broad and balanced range of subjects. Significant responsibility for curriculum design rests with middle leadership, linked to increased autonomy. This autonomy (e.g. over feedback policies, curriculum decisions, assessment building, action planning) has been nurtured alongside the development of a robust culture of quality assurance.

Professional learning is targeted to enhance thinking around progression and assessment, with emphasis on Principles of Progression and Purpose of Assessment. This embraces the curriculum as the progression model: progression that is planned into the curriculum, not separate from it. A learner successful in the curriculum is making good progress.

The relationship between curriculum and pedagogy is considered in light of evidence-based summaries of effective teaching (e.g. Sutton Trust’s, ‘What Makes Great Teaching?’). Key is the development of pedagogically savvy, expert practitioners – expert both in their subject area and in their ability to apply effective pedagogy. 

Providing whole-school teaching strategies and developing the subject-expert teacher occurs through two components of professional learning:

  • Carefully selected techniques focus on habits of attention and classroom tone: what the school terms its ‘powerful routines’. Such routines streamline the learning experience – reducing the cognitive burden, engaging learners quickly and ensuring that all participate. This whole-school venture is supported by significant INSET time and new ‘teaching champion’ roles. 
  • All teachers receive instructional coaching observations conducted by subject leaders. The teacher decides the main focus as a specific element of practice, set within their disciplinary context. The coaching model includes both pre- and post- observation discussion. This precise approach within disciplinary areas aids development of subject-expert teachers. 

The implemented curriculum seeks to ensure that staff can be: passionate about what they are teaching by having ownership of their discipline content; precise in their practice supported by on-going professional development; purposeful in their determinations of both content and pedagogy in order to achieve strong student progress.

From rollout, it has been acknowledged that curriculum design, pedagogical development and work on valid assessment will be concurrent. This is not a compromise; it is a perpetual process of iteration and improvement: not a ‘once and done event’ (Journey to 2022). The school’s next steps are to: develop its work on horizontal coherence through cross-curricular links; develop a strong base of professional learning in the design and use of summative assessments; continue its work in supporting the best pedagogy.
 

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

Provision: a range of approaches has been trialled by subject teams. For example, in English  a ‘packet’ approach to resources has been developed collaboratively, with each lesson having its own packet. Teachers use this resource to plan how they check for understanding in the context of the needs of their class and to correct misconceptions. 

In mathematics, a topic booklet approach has been developed alongside frequent use of visualisers at a standing desk, so that teachers can work on live modelling in partnership with the pupils.

The pedagogical development at the school in recent years has informed curriculum sequencing and planning. Retrieval practice as a conscious exercise rather than a by-product of other tasks is starting to become embedded in curriculum provision.

Other subject areas use different delivery models and methods of recording pupils’ work such as digitally, in exercise books or a hybrid of these; autonomy and accountability for the approach taken rests with subject leaders. There are regular opportunities for colleagues to share good practice.

Learners’ Standards: the introduction of ‘powerful routines’ has had a signficant impact on student progress, for example by ensuring they are engaged in learning from the very start of the lesson. Pedagogical techniques to improve participation ratio and to check for understanding have accelerated student progress. Vocabulary development has been notable, with complex subject-specific language understood and used regularly by pupils. Subject knowledge is becoming embedded, and pupils are better able to make connections between different parts of subject schema due to the careful sequencing of topics. 

How have you shared your good practice?

The school is still in the early stages of curriculum implementation: continual iteration and refinement of thinking continues at pace. Sharing of its approach has happened through discussion with partner primary schools, within the regional consortium’s Curriculum Design Group and via National Network Conversations.
 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Monmouth Comprehensive School (MCS) is an English-medium 11-18 school maintained by Monmouthshire local authority. It serves the town of Monmouth and the rural areas of Cross Ash, Llandogo, Raglan, Trellech and Usk, with around 27% of students travelling from the border counties of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire. There are 1,693 pupils on roll, of which 316 are in the sixth form. Around 15% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. Nearly all pupils speak English as their first language and come from a white, British background. Very few pupils are fluent in Welsh.

The percentage of pupils with additional learning needs, requiring at least reasonable adjustments is around 19% of the overall school population, including the specialist resource base (SRB). The proportion of pupils who have a statutory plan of additional learning needs (Statement / EHCP / IDP) is 3.9% (including the SRB).
The senior leadership team (SLT) consists of the headteacher, deputy headteacher and five assistant headteachers.
Forty-eight students are placed in the Specialist Resource Base (SRB) across years 7 to 13. The SRB is a local authority additional learning provision which provides for pupils with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC), speech, language and communication difficulties, severe learning difficulties and physical and medical difficulties. The SRB is fully integrated into the school community, both in its environment and staffing structure.

The SRB provides an inclusive educational experience for pupils with complex additional learning needs within their local community, providing opportunities to learn with and from their peers. Person-centred practice ensures that nearly all pupils placed within the SRB have appropriate provision, achieve beyond the preconceived expectations and progress to appropriate post-16/18 placements. 
 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

The SRB opened in 2017 with two pupils. The provision grew to 48 pupils by September 2022. The objective is to develop an integrated and inclusive provision which enhances existing provision and practice, allowing a person-centred approach to meet the needs of pupils. A senior leadership post was created to develop and implement a shared vision and inclusive provision in the SRB and across the school. The on-going review of the provision, resourcing and the needs of changing cohorts has ensured continual refinement, with inclusion and integration central in its development.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Vision
A whole-school INSET was used to explore the meaning of inclusion for the school, considering existing and evidence-based practice at the school and elsewhere.  Case studies were developed around existing practice for mainstream pupils with additional learning needs (ALN), ASD and Down’s Syndrome. At the heart of the agreed vision is that all pupils learn best with and from their peers.

Integration in the School
The SRB is led by an assistant headteacher alongside a lead teacher. Whole school policies inform the systems and practices in place, with adjustments as needed. The school curriculum plan and daily timings are followed with full access to the school environment. A pupil representative from the SRB sits on each Year Council.  

Person-Centred Practice
Person-centred practice allows the development of provision to meet individual needs. The majority of pupils attend a mainstream form group and elements of mainstream learning, such as technology, expressive arts and PE lessons, supported by SRB teaching assistants (TA). These pupils also attend extra-curricular clubs and activities, alongside mainstream peers. SRB pupils take an active role in school productions and carol services. Reasonable adjustments include TA support and upskilling mainstream staff.  Post-16 provision includes work experience placements in the local community and the school.
    
Dosbarth Enfys
During the 2022-2023 academic year, Dosbarth Enfys was developed to provide for pupils with more complex ALN in Years 7 and 8, who are unable to access any elements of mainstream provision. However, these pupils access all communal areas and specialist facilities within the SRB. This is an area of continued development due to changing needs, with an increase in appropriately trained staff and on-going refinement of multi-sensory learning and communication approaches. 
 

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

Staff in the SRB include primary and secondary trained teachers, as well as those with specialist qualifications or experience in ALN. Staff disseminate best practice to develop consistency in the SRB and across mainstream curriculum areas.

The development of a broad and balanced person-centred curriculum leads to high levels of engagement and progress within the SRB and when pupils access mainstream lessons. Pupils develop independence and resilience. They interact successfully with mainstream peers in a range of situations. Access to extra-curricular activities has extended their experiences and increased positive relationships. Post-16 work experience placements lead to significant improvements in pupils’ communication skills and resilience. Nearly all pupils achieve appropriate qualifications to progress to appropriate post-16/18 placements.  

SRB pupils have a sense of identity and belonging rooted in being a pupil at Monmouth Comprehensive School, rather than identifying as a member of the SRB.  
 

How have you shared your good practice?

The assistant headteacher worked across south-east Wales during a secondment focused on the implementation of the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (ALNET) Act. Both the assistant headteacher and the lead teacher for the SRB contribute to regular network meetings with the local authority (LA) SRB Team.  These meetings inform the development of SRB provision across the LA. The assistant headteacher leads ALN co-ordinator meetings with partner primary schools to refine inclusive approaches to ALN.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Ysgol Morgan Llwyd is a Welsh-medium secondary school that is situated in the city of Wrexham and serves the wide catchment area of the county of Wrexham. There are 857 pupils on roll, including 79 in the sixth form. Eighty per cent (80%) of pupils come from non-Welsh-speaking homes and 20% are eligible for free school meals. The school is a proud, welcoming community where staff convey their passion for the ability for each individual to achieve their potential and ambition and to develop to become happy, confident, independent and responsible members of society.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Over recent years, the school has seen an increase in the number of pupils who need well-being support. In response to this, the ‘Pastoral Hub’ was established in 2019 to ensure a central place for pupils to drop in for support with any pastoral issue, whether it be a physical or mental health problem or a social or emotional problem. Following the pandemic, the need for such support was seen to have increased and the Pastoral Hub was developed further, for example by appointing a second well-being officer who is also responsible for supporting parents. As a result of the pandemic, the demand for academic support and intervention for pupils also increased; therefore, the second hub was established, namely the ‘Learning Hub’, to provide support for pupils with their schoolwork. Between them, both hubs ensure support and care for all pupils who need additional help, whatever the nature or scale of the problem.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

The Pastoral Hub has a team of staff, including the Assistant Headteacher – Well-being and Behaviour, the heads of years 7-11, two well-being officers, a physical and mental first aid officer and an administrative officer. Between them, they work together to ensure care and guidance for all pupils. Support includes one-to-one sessions for the most vulnerable pupils, drop-in sessions, group sessions and support sessions from external agencies. 

The Learning Hub is a haven where pupils of all ages can come to work. There is space for whole classes in the centre of the hub and around the edges there are work pods of various sizes that are ideal for independent study, intervention groups, educational workshops and lunchtime clubs. The Learning Hub team includes the Assistant Headteacher – Teaching and Learning, the Assistant Headteacher – Progress, two progress co-ordinators, two learning mentors and the additional learning needs co-ordinator. Through the Learning Hub website, pupils can self-refer for general or subject-specific academic support. Staff and parents can refer pupils in the same way and in the Learning Hub team meets on a weekly basis to discuss the referrals and organise appropriate intervention. This can include mentoring sessions, intervention from a specific department or support to catch up with missed work. Alongside the hub, the Learning Hub website was established, which includes a wealth of resources to support pupils with their schoolwork and encourage independent learning. It also includes a section for parents that provides guidance on supporting children and a section for teachers to share good practice in terms of teaching and learning.

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

The work of the Pastoral Hub contributes to ensuring that pupils have healthy attitudes to learning and that they treat each other with respect. The support that is given to the most vulnerable pupils means that all pupils succeed in continuing with their education until the end of Year 11. In addition to creating a timetable tailored to the individual’s circumstances, the support and guidance provided to pupils with profound behavioural difficulties is one of the reasons why the school has not had to exclude any pupils permanently since the Pastoral Hub was established. The school’s attendance rate is consistently above the national percentage.

Since being established, the Learning Hub has dealt with hundreds of referrals from pupils, staff and parents and this has led to clear academic progress in the case of several pupils. Some pupils have seen subject-specific progress following intervention, while others have made general progress following mentoring sessions. The Learning Hub has developed to be an effective learning centre, with workshops and clubs – several of which have been organised by learners themselves – providing rich learning experiences for pupils of all ages and abilities. Between the hub and the purposeful website, the school is able to place an increasing emphasis on nurturing independent learners. 
 

How have you shared your good practice?

Recognising the work of the Pastoral Hub as good practice led to establishing a second hub at the school, namely the Learning Hub. Leaders now work together to ensure that good practice in one hub influences the effectiveness of the other. For example, the Learning Hub website, which includes an abundance of resources to support learning and a simple referral form to be used by learners, staff and parents, has been identified as good practice that the Pastoral Hub can emulate. Pupils and parents have the opportunities to visit both hubs during open evenings. The school website includes a great deal of information and a link to the Learning Hub website and we are currently creating a similar website for the Pastoral Hub. The school welcomes visitors from other learning organisations to come and see both hubs in action.