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Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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The pre-school setting is based in the village of Benllech, in Anglesey local authority. The leaders are new to their posts since September 2021. The setting contributes to the local authority’s new curriculum piloting group to share strategies and practice.
       
Leaders and practitioners have established a positive ethos throughout the setting. Children are thriving and flourishing in an inclusive environment, and are developing the confidence to make decisions about their play within clearly defined learning areas. Their learning is valued by practitioners. There is an open flow to the provision and children decide where they would like to play and learn.  

Outdoor play is a must with the door open throughout the session. There is a wide range of resources to help children be healthy, confident and resilient individuals, from the large outside sand pit to the digging area where they can build, move, destroy and role play different scenarios. 

Children are making very good progress and are developing a range of skills. For example, they can concentrate for extended periods whilst playing. Language and mathematical skills are developing naturally through their play across the stimulating environment, and through interaction with skilled practitioners. Art work has a purpose and demonstrates their own learning and development, from the splashes of paint they chose and poured independently, to the jagged cuts from their own use of scissors and stickers which they chose and carefully peeled themselves. Working in this way has fostered the children’s personal, social and emotional skills such as taking turns, self-regulation and independence, which in turn supports all other areas of learning.

The children are resilient and lead their own play. ‘Invitations to learn’ are placed in the provision based upon information gathered from parents and the children themselves. Photos of the children with their families and pets are displayed in the setting, which supports “belonging” and encourages children to develop confidence and feel good about themselves. Staff have a friendly, warm approach and take delight in celebrating achievements. All staff recognise the children’s individual needs and are actively engaged in the children’s learning throughout. The staff wait to be invited to play alongside the children and will sit on the floor to encourage communication skills. As a result, children show good collaboration, for example when writing instructions about how to care for the cat and giving instructions verbally whilst drawing a picture. Children work together to solve problems, such as when constructing complicated builds, creating obstacle courses and playing in the role play area. Practitioners facilitate their learning by directing when required and holding back when appropriate. Children remain fully engaged and curious for long periods, for example when investigating and becoming engrossed with a bowl of keys, transporting and weighing.

The “Focus Child” strategy ensures that all children are provided with equal opportunities and that the quieter children develop confidence through supportive guidance rather than direct instructions. The livelier children are calmer and more interested as they are able to follow their interests. By making their own choices, children extend their learning at their own pace. By identifying schemas, practitioners have enabled children to express their needs in a nurturing and supportive environment. For example, where a child shows evidence of trajectory schema, staff have ensured that resources are available to satisfy the child’s needs.
    
Responsive planning has revolutionised the way the setting works, placing the child at the centre of the learning. Practitioners have embraced this change positively.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera Bro Dur is an all-through school in Neath Port Talbot, which is situated on two sites – Ystalyfera in the north of the county, which is a 3-19 campus, and Bro Dur in Port Talbot which is an 11-16 campus. There are currently 1,519 pupils on roll, with 160 of primary age and 1,359 of secondary age. The school serves a wide area and provides Welsh-medium education for pupils in Neath Port Talbot local authority and the south of Powys. Around 15% of pupils are eligible for free school meals and 24% of pupils live in the 20% most disadvantaged areas in Wales. The school is currently working with Welsh Government and other schools to progress developments in relation to reforming education in Wales as a pioneer school.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

The school’s motto, Dysgu Gorau Dysgu Byw, encapsulates the school’s vision of ensuring a broad and comprehensive curriculum that inspires and engages pupils from all backgrounds and abilities to give everyone an opportunity to develop as principled and knowledgeable citizens. The school’s enrichment curriculum takes place on several levels with an emphasis on flexibility and the willingness to adapt according to pupils’ needs, the context of the school, local needs and global events.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

There are designated periods where the formal timetable is overturned for specific periods with the aim of developing pupils fully as principled and knowledgeable individuals who are ready to be citizens of Wales and the world. This means focusing on their identity and their role within the community and their commitment to ensuring sustainability within their local area. Some of the opportunities from which benefit from during the summer includes looking at Welsh Giants as a theme by walking the Cribarth mountain, looking at present day heroes and responding to these experiences through literature. They work in partnership with the community to improve their local environment through the Fy Nyffryn Gwydd (My Green Valley) project and, during the Summer Challenge trips, pupils connect, enjoy and care for their environment by looking at the areas of Kenfig and Margam. They also look at the area’s mythology and research Windrush and the effect Jamaican traditions have on the area.

Pupils lead on curricular plans and focus days throughout the year and according to global issues. Through the school Senedd, pupils raise awareness of their aspirations to discuss current affairs. An example of this was the Green Friday that was planned by pupils, with a series of curricular activities focussing on global and local sustainability. During the lockdown period, the Pwyllgor y Dreigiau (Dragon Committee) raised concerns about the effects of the pandemic on their use of the Welsh language. In response, a Dragon Day was planned jointly, which provided an opportunity for pupils to attend music, art, culture and language activities virtually that promoted the Welsh language and Welshness. Every year, the school holds a campaign to raise money for the Brainstrust charity, as a result of the charity’s close link with the school community. This support and commitment can be practical as well as financial, with pupils undertaking voluntary work in the community to working with old people’s homes, leading memorial services and completing a community mural to adorn the village of Ystalyfera.

There is a focus on broadening horizons and developing links with foreign communities while planning each residential trip to ensure pupils’ awareness of their identity as citizens of Wales and the world. In Vancouver, close links were forged with the Welsh community by holding concerts while broadening pupils’ horizons. Each year, the First World War memorial trip to Compiens places an emphasis on linking the arts and sports and does so as an integrated part of the commemorations in the area.

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

The effect of this is that pupils are empowered to take ownership of their learning, to make purposeful contributions to their learning environment and to address issues that arise in the world around them. Across the school, most pupils interact with each other happily and naturally during lessons, break times and lunchtimes. They communicate politely and confidently with adults and are extremely welcoming towards visitors. Pupils are proud to be part of the familial Welsh community at Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera Bro Dur and show resilience and perseverance to complete their work successfully. Here are the responses from some pupils:

‘……the school ensures that there are opportunities for everyone to pursue their interests and develop life skills in exciting ways.’

‘……. I understand better how I can use my personal strengths to improve the lives of others through the work I completed for the charity project, ‘Diwrnod Eifion’, and I had a lot of fun.’

‘…. I was chair of the Senedd during the lockdown and leading on focus days gave me an opportunity to develop skills in working with others and definitely my leadership skills.’

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context and background to excellent/sector-leading practice

The main aim of LWNW is to produce active users of the Welsh language and facilitate the process of assimilating those users into the local Welsh-speaking community. As a result, the emphasis of LWNW’s courses is to develop oral skills and give learners the confidence to use the language

Developing confidence to use the Welsh language in the classroom

The classroom is the starting point for developing learners’ confidence to use the Welsh language, and LWNW’s tutors succeed in creating a Welsh ethos within their classes. English is reduced gradually as a means of communication within the classroom, and by using language that is within the learners’ grasp and creative use of gestures and body language, holding lessons in the medium of Welsh is achieved very quickly.

Developing confidence to use the Welsh language in the community

Pronunciation and dialect

Care must be taken to ensure that learners’ confidence in their linguistic ability allows them to understand what the residents of northwest Wales are saying in Welsh and emulate that dialect. Dialect is introduced mainly by ensuring that the pronunciation used by the tutor when introducing vocabulary is consistent with what is heard in local communities. This can be seen mainly by pronouncing a number of diphthongs as monophthongs, for example – gwybod – gwbod, chwarae – chwara.

Local vocabulary is also introduced, such as ‘hercan’ for ‘haircut’.

Learners praise the fact that they are introduced to the language of the community.

Extra-curricular sessions

Using the Welsh language outside the classroom is a key step in order for learners to gain the confidence to use it in the community. The lockdown period was challenging in terms of being able to provide opportunities for learners to try out their language in extra-curricular sessions.  

In order to provide learners with an element of normality, a number of online sessions were provided for learners, including a number of beneficial sessions e.g.  

  • Cuppa and chat  
  • Reading Club
  • Gardening Club 
  • Quiz
  • Dysgwyr Dwyfor Summer Festival (with writing competitions etc)  

During spring and summer 2021, some events were also able to be held to support learners face-to‑face e.g.

  • Walks
  • Cuppa and chat in a cafe

Reading clubs

Reading Welsh reinforces the development of oral language. Learners encounter new vocabulary, see it in context and become more familiar with Welsh syntax. When planning the programme for 2020-21, it was seen that learners needed more contact with the Welsh language. A series of virtual clubs was planned at all levels, to run for short periods.

Nine reading clubs were provided in the autumn term, all of which were filled almost immediately and a further 14 clubs were provided in January. During 2020-21, 346 learners enrolled on these reading clubs.  

A designated team of tutors is responsible for running the reading clubs and for sharing electronic resources and ideas among the staff.

Sharing good practice

Tutors share good practice in terms of teaching and learning in area fora that are held each term, in addition to through online tutor meetings in which there are discussion groups for each level.

What impact has this work had on the quality of provision and learners’ standards

The greatest effect is on learners’ willingness to use the Welsh language in their community. LWNW’s emphasis on conversation and understanding and emulating local pronunciation helps learners to assimilate into Welsh-speaking society effectively.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

The Tai Education Centre is a pupil referral unit (PRU) for up to 56 primary age pupils whose main additional learning needs (ALN) are for social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. More recently, there has been an increasing number of pupils who also present with ALN due to neurodevelopmental difficulties. About 52% of pupils have a statement of special educational needs, 40% are eligible for free school meals, and 29% are registered as children looked after by their local authority.   
 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Pupils often begin their journey at the PRU disengaged from education having had what they perceive as negative experiences in previous schools. Upon entry, all pupils benefit from the PRU’s universal provision, which encompasses a holistic school-wide positive behaviour system. 

During the first few weeks at the PRU, all pupils participate in baseline assessments for literacy and numeracy, and complete wellbeing surveys to explore the extent of their social, emotional and wellbeing needs. Following a period of observation, and in collaboration with partner schools, a literacy, numeracy, wellbeing and behaviour target is agreed with each pupil. These targets form the basis of their personal development plan, which is monitored and reviewed regularly.  

The PRU’s initial assessment frequently shows that a pupil will require a more intense level of intervention to support their social and emotional development. Most often this is because these pupils struggle to communicate their thoughts and feelings, make and maintain friendships and regulate their behaviour independently. In response to this need, the PRU trained its own staff to provide these pupils with a bespoke intervention programme to develop their social, emotional and behaviour skills.  The programme is based largely on a commercial programme, which is designed to fit the PRU’s and individual pupil’s contexts.  
 

Description of nature of strategy or activity

The PRU’s programme usually has two groups of six pupils who benefit from weekly two-hour intervention sessions over a twenty-week period.  Currently, one group consists of foundation phase children and lower key stage 2 pupils, and the other Year 5 and Year 6 pupils. Sessions take place in a discreet room that provides for activities such as video-based learning and the use of puppets to model and role play social and emotional skills including managing ‘big feelings’, turn taking, sharing, problem solving and exploring friendships. Every session offers structured opportunities for pupils to practise these skills in a variety of ways including at healthy snack time.  

During each session, pupils earn ‘marbles’ as rewards for positive engagement, which contribute towards a weekly community-based activity incentive such as playing in the local park or visiting a local cafe or shop.  The social and emotional skills that pupils develop during the programme are then practised further in real-life contexts in the community.  

Pupils usually have straightforward homework tasks that provide the opportunity for parental involvement in the programme activities too. The PRU also offers support to parents to help their understanding of how collaborative engagement with the intervention increases its success. Both  school-based and home-based activities are planned to be lively, interactive and fun. 

The PRU’s 20-week programme concludes with a celebratory graduation where parents, carers, partner schools and partner agencies are invited to share the success of the programme ‘graduates’. 

During the pandemic first national lockdown remote learning period, the PRU’s leader of the programme took a creative, flexible and responsive approach to continue to meet the specific behavioural, emotional and learning needs of pupils following the programme. For example, staff made short videos using puppets to focus on particular issues and dilemmas that pupils might face during this time. The puppets reminded pupils of the ‘top tips’, tools, techniques and skills that they had learnt whilst attending the PRU to address these issues. Activities included the opportunity to explore emotions, which were then followed up by staff as part the PRU’s pastoral weekly welfare calls to pupils and their families. Staff sent videos two or three times a week. 
Leaders at the PRU report that continuation of this programme during lockdown was vital to maintaining and improving these pupils’ behaviours.  When the PRU re-opened fully, each group celebrated meeting together before continuing with the usual face-to-face programme, with almost all pupils highly engaged within a short period.
 
 

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

The positive progress of pupils involved in the intervention programme is evidenced through:

  • increased attendance
  • improved engagement and progress in lessons across the curriculum
  • higher ‘daily points’ for engagement and behaviour
  • the achievement of more weekly certificates

As a result of improvements in behaviour and attitudes to their learning, these pupils have made measurable progress in their literacy, numeracy and wider skills across the curriculum.  Most pupils also develop better self-regulating skills, which is evidenced through fewer visits to the designated calm areas of the PRU and far fewer serious behavioural incidents. The PRU’s records show that there has been a significant reduction in bullying incidents and fixed term exclusions due to the successful implementation of this intervention. 

More widely, the positive impact of the programme is observed in increased constructive and collaborative relationships between peers, including emerging skills in managing unsupported play with peers, as well as more appropriate communication with staff.  These combined issues have contributed to increased success in the reintegration of the PRU’s pupils into mainstream school settings. Additionally, there has been a clear increase in parental engagement with the PRU. 
 

How have you shared your good practice?

Leaders and staff from the PRU communicate more frequently with parents and carers about the intervention programme strategies, which helps them with supporting and improving their child’s behaviour at home.  

The strategies used in the intervention programme are also shared formally and informally with mainstream schools and outside agencies.  For example, mainstream teaching staff are routinely invited to join the sessions at the PRU.  Visits are often made by staff from other organisations such as trainee educational psychologists and the education co-ordinators for children looked after by their local authority.  Staff from the PRU’s local authority behaviour support services and specialist provisions in neighbouring local authorities also visit the PRU to observe and discuss the different aspects of the intervention progamme. 
 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Identify how the excellent area of practice/sector-leading practice that was identified during the inspection relates to a key question, quality indicator and/or a specific aspect:

When the Centre was first established, a purposeful decision was made to invest in developing a unique digital platform for the sector. It is a multi-layered platform that includes various elements that provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for learners. The platform includes:

  • Course Search: this enables learners to search, enrol and pay for courses
  • Virtual resource library: this includes over 1,500 digital resources to support learners’ learning
  • Data Management System: which allows the Centre to gather data that it is able to release as a Publisher of Official Statistics
  • Learning Management System: this includes a unique ‘My learning’ area for all learners, where they are able to track progress, identify resources to support learning and recognise achievements
  • Course Builder: this allows the Centre to add to the learning methods that are provided for learners, including self-study methods and virtual learning.

The platform is also important for sharing information and news.
 

Description of the nature of the strategy or activity that has been identified as excellent/sector-leading practice:

In 2018, the Centre published a Digital Framework for the sector, which outlines in detail the provision that it intends to develop in order to develop and promote digital teaching and learning. Based on the Digital Framework, and in consultation with the sector, an annual plan is agreed to continue to develop the platform. Plans for 2021-22 include:

  • A ‘catch-up’ service for learners who miss lessons, which will be tracked and recorded
  • A third party area, which will provide a focal point for some sector partnerships and allow resources and courses to be contextualised and tailored to specific sectors
  • An Academy area, which will include a ‘my learning’ area for tutors, where it will be possible to provide a range of professional learning opportunities that will be tracked and recorded individually for each user.
     

What effect has this work had on provision and learners’ standards:

The digital platform has become a central part of the Learn Welsh service, and prospective learners, learners, tutors, support staff and the Centre’s staff use elements of it regularly.

  • Over 85,000 individuals have an account on the digital platform.
  • The digital platform has had over 500,000 visitors over a 12-month period.
  • Over 2,000 Learn Welsh courses are advertised on the digital platform. 
  • All of the Centre’s learners (17,000+) are enrolled on 30,000+ courses across the digital platform. Each has a unique account and access to a ‘My learning’ area, which provides important information about their learning.
  • There are over 1,000 digital resources available to support learners with their learning.
  • There are 300 hours of self-study content on the platform, all of which records and tracks learners’ progress. 
  • There are over 130 of varied digital resources available to tutors to support their teaching.
  • There are over 140 varied data reports within the digital platform’s data management system. 

The digital platform was central to facilitating moving most of the sector’s provision online within a matter of weeks at the beginning of the pandemic, with the enthusiastic and professional co-operation of individual Learn Welsh providers. As a result, and despite the pandemic, the Centre has succeeded in increasing the number of adults who are learning Welsh. 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Identify how the excellent area of practice/sector-leading practice that was identified during the inspection relates to a key question, quality indicator and/or a specific aspect:

Establishing a national body has provided a focus for the sector to expand its formal and informal provision by forging and maintaining strategic partnerships with a variety of bodies. The opportunities that have been developed by forging these partnerships provide a variety of opportunities for people to use the Welsh language in meaningful contexts, turning learners into users of the Welsh language. 

Learners are encouraged to take advantage of the new offer by their tutors and providers. The Centre is able to communicate directly and effectively with tutors to ensure that all tutors have knowledge of opportunities that are available to learners. As external bodies come to see that their services for learners are valued, this leads to continuing to plan and develop these services for the future.

Context and background to the excellent/sector-leading practice:

The Centre proceeded purposefully to forge strategic partnerships with various bodies (public, voluntary and cultural) in order to create opportunities for learners to use the Welsh language outside their lessons, and promote the opportunities and advantages that can arise from including learners in partners’ schemes of work. By explaining more to partners about the profile, ability and desire of learners to be involved in experiences through the medium of Welsh, beneficial and constructive discussions were held. The Centre was able to share information about learner numbers, age profiles and explain the different levels of learning. The existence of a national body for the first time (the Centre) to hold discussions with other national bodies, including the Books Council of Wales, National Museum Wales, the National Eisteddfod of Wales, BBC Radio Cymru/Wales, S4C, Mudiad Meithrin, Mentrau Iaith Cymru (Welsh Language Initiatives), Merched y Wawr and others, has led to creative action. By agreeing on plans, the Centre has been able to support partnerships practically, for example by offering training or support with marketing. As a result of partnership work, learners have been able to practise their Welsh and gain confidence in enjoying using the language. The infrastructure of the Welsh language has also been supported and strengthened, for example by increasing the sales of shops that sell Welsh language products.

Effective strategic partnerships have also been forged with national bodies in order to realise the objectives of ‘Work Welsh’, which teaches Welsh to employees. By working with partnerships, for example Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and Cwlwm, tailored courses have been developed. One thousand three hundred and twenty nine (1,329) individual employers have taken advantage of the ‘Work Welsh’ scheme since its inception in 2017.

Description of the nature of the strategy or activity that has been identified as excellent/sector-leading practice:

The Centre and its partners wish to welcome learners to the ‘Welsh language world’ and have provided encouragement in an inclusive environment. For example, a week of celebrating learning Welsh by BBC Radio Cymru introduces learners to the station’s programmes and music, as well as giving s a voice to Welsh learners and raising the profile of learners among Welsh speakers.

Another example of a productive partnership is the co-operation with the Books Council of Wales, which has led to publishing a series of more than twenty books for learners, which are graded by the different levels of learning. The Centre has provided practical support by providing training for editors and by sharing vocabulary that is suitable for learners. Learners have benefited by being able to access reading materials that are suitable for their level, with the series of books opening the door to a world of Welsh language books of all kinds.

The partnership with the National Eisteddfod of Wales has led to activities throughout the year, not only during the Eisteddfod. For example, a successful reading festival has been held for learners with partners which include Golwg 360, the National Eisteddfod of Wales and the Books Council of Wales, which provides an opportunity for learners to listen to, and read brand new stories by experienced authors. This leads to improving learners’ skills and introducing them to the cultural world of the Welsh language.

The Centre has forged a good working relationship with its partners, and members of the Centre’s senior team meet with organisations regularly. In some cases, a Memorandum of Understanding has been established. Meetings include an opportunity to review activity and re-plan for the future.
 
The Centre also holds a termly meeting with all community partners in order to share good practice and plan jointly.
 

What effect has this work had on provision and learners’ standards:

The Centre’s providers make every effort to ensure beneficial opportunities for learners to use their Welsh outside formal lessons. As a result, a vast majority of learners are given an opportunity to practise and enjoy the language in an informal environment, and also get to learn more about Welsh culture. The ‘Siarad’ scheme, in which Welsh speakers are asked to ‘pair’ with a learner for 10 hours in order to chat, is a successful example of co-operation with volunteers across Wales. All of this work is central to the sector’s vision of creating speakers who use the Welsh language, rather than passive learners. As a result, the Centre contributes effectively to the Welsh Government’s aim of achieving a million Welsh speakers by 2050.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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St David’s College has an outstanding outdoor education and activities programme that lies at the heart of the school’s life and mission to foster pupils’ spiritual, intellectual and physical wellbeing. This programme includes a range of enriching cultural, recreational and sporting opportunities as well as specific ‘compassion’ projects to enhance and extend pupils’ learning experiences.  

Pupils participate enthusiastically in the engaging, challenging and exhilarating outdoor education and expedition programme that includes a fortnightly full day’s activity for all pupils up to Year 10 with the option of further extension into Year 12 and 13 with a BTEC in Outdoor and Adventurous Activities. All pupils participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award with many developing valuable teamwork and leadership skills and achieving high success rates at all levels.   

Pupils also have valuable opportunities to take part in stimulating international trips and pursuits such as husky sledding in Sweden, surfing in Lanzarote and scuba diving in the Mediterranean.   

Overall, the outdoor education and activities programme makes a fundamental and extensive contribution to pupils’ skills, personal development, health and wellbeing. It supports pupils extremely well to show respect and tolerance, take responsibility for themselves and others, to develop resilience and to acquire confidence and self-esteem; all of which can be transferred back into the classroom.   

The school’s ethos encourages all members of the community to develop compassion, respect and tolerance for others. For example, the school has established a valuable partnership with a local food bank to which pupils regularly donate food and provide Christmas presents for children in the community. There are valuable and regular opportunities for pupils to develop their understanding of the wider world and to reflect on important issues that impact on their lives and the lives of others. An annual trip to Uganda and close links to schools in that country helps pupils to learn about the challenges experienced by children living in remote parts of Africa. These activities encourage pupils to develop respectful attitudes and secure values and beliefs.  
 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

St David’s College is an independent day and boarding school that educates boys and girls from age 9 to 19 years. There are currently 250 pupils on roll, of whom 95 are boarders. The school is situated just south of Llandudno in North Wales.  The school’s mission is to ‘develop the whole person through a broad education founded on Christian principles, a wide choice of interest and activity, and an achievable personal programme for each pupil’.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

St. David’s College specialises in educating pupils with specific learning difficulties, including dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, autistic spectrum conditions and attention deficit disorder. Nearly 70% of pupils are on the school’s SEN register. Class sizes are small, ranging from 6-14 pupils. From its foundation, St David’s College has pioneered teaching that focuses on the whole person, allowing all pupils, whether they have specific learning needs or not, to thrive and excel. Alongside this, the school aims to develop each individual’s character, enabling each pupil to gain an extraordinary range of transferable life skills and discover true self-confidence through an individually tailored programme that sees pupils far exceeding their expectations.  

At St David’s College, pupils from Year 5 to Year 13 learn together on one campus. The school believes that this allows pupils across the year groups to thrive and learn the values of a whole-school family – respect, strong communication skills, integrity and relationship building – that are essential life skills. The school provides a full mainstream education, leading pupils towards GCSEs, A Levels and BTECs Level 2 and 3. The opportunity to mix and match A Levels and BTECs enables pupils to learn appropriately and progress to university, further education courses, apprenticeships or direct entry to the workplace.
 

Description of nature of strategy or activity

The Cadogan Centre, the school’s learning support department, was founded over 50 years ago, and provides the hub for the school’s educational approach and specialist one-to-one support. The school does not employ teaching assistants, but rather, small class sizes and mainstream teaching staff with postgraduate qualifications in the ‘Teaching and Learning of Pupils with SpLD’. Twenty specialist support teachers work together with curriculum teachers to deliver around 550 one-to-one specialist support lessons each week. Teachers monitor pupils’ academic learning as well as providing a substantial level of pastoral support and guidance to both pupils and parents. Assistive technology allows pupils to be independent learners for life. All curriculum and one-to-one lessons are delivered using online platforms that allow pupils and teachers to share course content and collaborate. 

The school provides individual tutoring for pupils with specific barriers to learning. These barriers may be hindering children from reaching their full academic and personal potential, which may have a negative impact on their social and emotional well-being and future opportunities. St David’s has broad experience in teaching pupils with: 

•    challenges associated with literacy

•    extra support needed with maths 

•    difficulties with memory and recall 

•    slower processing skills 

•    focus and attention challenges 

•    language and communication support needs. 

The school’s ethos celebrates pupils’ strengths alongside high-quality teaching and learning, where pupils are encouraged to reach for, and exceed, their full potential through individual targeted intervention. The school monitors and adapts the curriculum in order to ensure that teaching and learning match each pupil’s aptitudes and abilities. The pupil passport populated by mainstream teachers and therapists shares important information with mainstream teachers regarding individual pupil’s needs and strengths. Pupils learn resilience, communication skills, focus, self-control, and the use of assistive technology and related strategies in a multisensory way. These are an essential part of the school’s approach to intervention and help pupils to become self-directed, independent and engaged learners who can go out into the world and flourish. 

The evidence-based annual tracking of all pupils by dyslexic specialist assessors allows use of up-to-date data to reflect pupil progression and to adjust provision when necessary, and to identify and share best practice in weekly multidisciplinary team meetings. This approach has a positive impact on learners’ outcomes regarding baseline literacy and numeracy skills but also their executive functioning, communication and emotional wellbeing.  

In the last five years, the school has employed speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and counsellors as members of Cadogan staff. They work with pupils, teachers and parents to provide an integrated therapeutic approach. In addition, the school’s Social Use of Language Programme, overseen by the speech and language therapist, supports vulnerable pupils who struggle with social interaction and communication. These therapies and programmes use the same individual learning plans (ILPs) for pupil target setting and reviews.   
 

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

Pupils of all ages make strong progress in developing their social and communication skills and achieve high standards in relation to their learning needs and abilities. In particular, the school’s high-quality learning support provision helps pupils to develop effective learning strategies to overcome their difficulties, improve their self-confidence and to make secure progress in line with their abilities. These outcomes prepare pupils of all abilities well for relevant further educational experiences and future employment opportunities.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Ysgol Bryn Derw, Newport, provides day education for children and young people between the ages of three and nineteen. 

All pupils that attend the school have a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Nearly all have speech, communication and language difficulties and the majority of pupils do not communicate using speech. Nearly all pupils have severe learning difficulties also. 

Pupils come from a large catchment area across Newport. Just over a third of all pupils receive free school meals. No pupils speak Welsh as a first language. Just under a third of pupils come from ethnic minority backgrounds. A very few pupils are looked after by a local authority.  

The school opened in September 2017.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

All pupils present with significant communication challenges. When they join the school, many have anxieties and a degree of educational disaffection, and experience sensory overload in a school environment. They need a consistent whole school approach to communication.  

A lead teacher strategically plans and manages the school’s dedicated total communication system. This teacher, along with the senior leadership team, agreed a set of core values on which the school would operate. These are:

  • recognising all behaviour as a form of communication
  • ensuring that all staff understand the impact of processing time upon pupils with ASD
  • a commitment to unconditional positive regard for all pupils

Description of nature of strategy or activity

1.  Assessment

A joint assessment by the total communication lead and the speech and language therapist provides the school with a detailed analysis of the communication needs and barriers to learning for each pupil. This baseline assessment helps identify the most effective approaches, systems and resources required. These include a broad range of internationally recognised approaches, such as direct teaching, highly structured classroom environments and co-ordinated communication systems. 

2. Planning the environment
The entire school building including corridors and shared spaces is set up as a ‘sensory supportive environment’ with minimal ambient noise or visual distractions. Sound dampening panels, a clearly defined purpose for every room, and a blank wall along each corridor and each room contribute to ensuring an appropriate environment for all pupils. The approach to all signage is also consistent and includes Welsh and English vocabulary, a photograph, a symbol and a physical object. 

3. Training staff
The school has a clear focus on improving staff skills. Outcomes of an audit of staff training needs has led to the development of an extensive range of professional development opportunities. These include peer observations, access to and discussions about international research, and the provision of exemplar resources.  

A communication champion in each class helps maintain an overview of pupils’ needs and resources, and ensures the effective implementation of the whole school communication strategy.

4. Additional advice and support
The support and additional advice for teachers from the total communication lead, senior leaders, the speech and language therapist and other key staff are always available to help identify the most useful intervention for individual or groups of pupils. This advice, support or intervention also provides useful opportunities to model effective practice. 

5. Support for parents and carers
The school provides a regular series of coffee mornings and training workshops to showcase methodology and troubleshoot challenges that individual families have in their home environment.  Where necessary, the local authority ethnic minority service provides interpreters to support families to access these sessions. 

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

The whole-school approach to Total Communication has fundamentally driven provision at Ysgol Bryn Derw. It provides an environment that enables all pupils to communicate effectively, to be understood by staff, and to understand the communication of others successfully. This has had a significant impact on all aspects of their learning and school experience.

Pupils are able to function effectively throughout the school, as their environment is familiar and follows the same system as their classroom. They can effectively communicate with staff throughout the school as all have the same awareness of their needs and a working knowledge of the systems they use.

Parental surveys have consistently confirmed that pupils are making strong progress in their communication and many are effectively embedding these at home as well.

Quantitatively, the number of behaviour incidents logged has significantly reduced, falling by 57% over a two-year period. There have been no exclusions, either fixed-term or permanent. Pupils have met 88% of the communication targets in individual education plans. Over 90% pupils make progress in core subjects in line with or above their expected rate of progress, and progress in all strands of language, literacy and communication are above expectations for the cohort. 

There has been a noticeable improvement in these measurements for pupils with English as an additional language, with EAL pupils now outperforming their non-EAL peers.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the local authority

Monmouthshire County Council is located in the east of Wales and has a total population of just over 94,000 people. The local authority maintains four secondary schools, 30 primary schools, and a pupil referral unit. There are 12 maintained nurseries and 25 non-maintained nurseries in the authority. Currently, the average three year percentage of pupils receiving free school meals is 10.9%, which is below the Wales average. 
The Leader of the Council has been in post since 2008 and Chief Executive was appointed in 2009. In 2017, the local authority appointed a new Cabinet Member for Education and the Chief Officer for Children and Young People.
 

Context and background

In the previous inspection in November 2012, Estyn identified a number of shortcomings in safeguarding arrangements across the local authority. These included the lack of a clear safeguarding policy and significant operational weaknesses.

This case study describes the steps that the authority took to improve operational practice and establish a culture where safeguarding is recognised as ‘everyone’s responsibility’. As a result of this work, Estyn identified a number of practices and procedures worth sharing as effective practice following Monmouthshire’s local government education services inspection in February 2020.  

The authority began its work to improve its safeguarding arrangements with a sharp focus on schools and educational settings, followed by an extension of the approach across all aspects of the council’s work.

The development of a safeguarding quadrant, underpinned by strong leadership and governance, has enabled the local authority to structure strategic thinking, organise effective evaluation mechanisms and develop a holistic approach to ensure that the different aspects of safeguarding complement each other effectively. Over time, officers established a clear and well-understood picture of ‘what good looks like’ within each aspect of the quadrant.

Description of the strategy

Strong leadership and a continuous focus on embedding safeguarding culturally across all parts of the Council at a “hearts and minds” level has ensured that safeguarding for children and adults at risk is understood and accepted as “everyone’s responsibility”.  The development of robust safeguarding policies and operating procedures supports schools, settings and wider services effectively to respond appropriately to concerns as they arise. 

The development of a Whole Authority Safeguarding Group (WASG) built ownership, commitment and accountability for safeguarding for senior leaders across all of the authority’s directorates.  The emphasis on continual improvement within this group has ensured that specific learning from safeguarding cases are discussed regularly, and that they inform practice and are reflected in routine Corporate Safeguarding Policy updates.  

A Safeguarding Audit Framework for Evaluation (SAFE) has been developed to clearly set out the safeguarding standards within the policy.  The SAFE has become the mainstay of how the authority develops understanding, compliance and development of safeguarding systems across every directorate within the Council. Its completion is supported by the Safeguarding & Quality Assurance Unit to offer consistency across standards and to maintain a healthy and robust level of challenge.  Robust monitoring arrangements are in place to ensure that statutory processes and procedures are adhered to and reported on within the overall safeguarding evaluation framework.

The information from SAFE is collated to identify key safeguarding themes and standards where support and improvement is needed.  This process is overseen by the WASG and provides additional support and challenge at senior level.

A strong process for safe recruitment is a key development, placing an emphasis on policy and compliance, supported by safe recruitment training for all managers.  Clear arrangements have been established to ensure that the process for DBS certification is consistently and rigorously applied for the whole workforce and for external providers.  Some specific challenges in recruiting and managing volunteers safely led to a thorough review and further tightening of the authority’s approach.  As a result, a database was introduced to support the safe recruitment and training of all unpaid workers and volunteers across the Council. 

A safeguarding training strategy has been developed to identify who needed training and at what level.  A range of training tools and programmes has been developed to ensure that every individual is trained appropriately regarding safeguarding.  There is a forum in place to support trainers in delivering the Level 1 programme and a ‘Training for Trainers’ approach to ensure sustainability.  As a result, roles, relationships and responsibility within the safeguarding process are clearly understood by staff and supported corporately.  There are opportunities to discuss any concerns, with support and guidance provided at the referral stage through the Safeguarding and Quality Assurance Unit.

Services operating in Monmouthshire, including commissioned services and those outside the direct control of the Council, are expected to operate in ways which promote the welfare and safety of children and adults at risk.  A tiered framework for safe commissioning has been developed using agreed minimum standards for safeguarding for these services.  This allows safeguarding to be a key consideration of contract monitoring arrangements and the council’s hiring and lettings.  Extensive support, advice and practical assistance is provided to community settings and volunteer activity to ensure they have a good understanding of safeguarding practice and policy.

There is a whole systems approach to safeguarding in place across the council and developed through the Children and Young People’s strategic partnership, Place Based approaches in adult services and the Early Help Panel within Children’s Services.  These networks foster good information sharing around themes and issues which helps to build a better understanding of our communities.  The close working relationship between the Safeguarding and Quality Assurance Unit and key parts of the authority in respect of community safety enhance this work further such as, with the Public Protection Unit, Licencing and Partnership Officers.

There is a proactive approach in place for PREVENT and VAWDASV training and awareness raising with specific focus on issues specific to Monmouthshire, early recognition and referral of concerns.  The authority has led multi-agency work around exploitation and modern day slavery to raise awareness and ensure signs are recognised and referred appropriately.
 

What impact has this had on improving safeguarding practice in protective process for children and adults at risk?

The continuous focus on embedding safeguarding culturally across all parts of the Council has established and embedded a culture where safeguarding in the local authority is recognised as ‘everyone’s responsibility’. 

Sustained engagement with services within the Council and external partners has embedded a common understanding of safeguarding processes and standards set by the authority. As a result, the delivery of safeguarding is effective in supporting children and adults at risk across the system.

The development of the whole authority safeguarding group provides an effective forum within which safeguarding is monitored and evaluated to manage on-going improvements in safeguarding practice. 

The establishment of strong working relationships across the local authority for the effective delivery of safeguarding means that education services and schools are supported well.