Effective Practice Archives - Page 4 of 63 - Estyn

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Two children in a recording studio with one operating audio equipment and another wearing headphones, both facing a computer screen with audio production software visible

Information about the school 

Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Teyrnon is a Welsh-medium primary school in Newport. The school is a happy, inclusive and caring community that places a strong emphasis on celebrating Welshness. The Welsh language is central to all the school’s work and almost all pupils are proud of their ability to use the language inside and outside the classroom. Since the school was established over a decade ago, the headteacher has succeeded in establishing a purposeful learning environment that celebrates Welshness and maintains high standards in terms of the Welsh language. 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice 

 A low percentage of learners (7%) come from Welsh-speaking homes, so establishing a community where pupils take pride in the Welsh language is vital. Pupils have useful opportunities to take pride in and develop their Welshness across the school which builds towards creating learners who are confident in speaking Welsh in formal and informal situations, inside and outside the school.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

The school structures specific experiences to give pupils opportunities to be proud of their Welshness across the school and ensures that the wider community is part of this fulfilment and pride. Year 5 pupils have the opportunity to perform a show as part of a Theatr Iolo Project to develop their confidence, resilience and enjoyment in using the Welsh language outside of school. The Trysor Gwent cluster show at the end of their school journey has also ensured that pupils take pride in their local community through exploring historical events that have instigated change and made a difference in the community. This has had a positive effect on pupils’ confidence, as expressed by their parents. 

The school’s radio station has been an informal way of getting pupils to use their Welsh beyond the classroom. They create a podcast and broadcast it to the whole school in the lunch hall and on the yard during lunch and break times. This has increased pupils’ confidence in using the Welsh language and ensures a Welsh atmosphere throughout the school.  

Pupils are rewarded for speaking Welsh through a Welshness celebration ticket system. Each month, they have the chance to win a Welsh language book to take home, and this encourages pupils to use their Welsh at school and at home with their family. Language ambassadors are proud of their Welshness and ensure an atmosphere that encourages learners to use their Welsh in various situations. In addition, Year 6 learners spend time with the youngest pupils every morning, to use their Welsh to improve pupils’ confidence and accuracy. 

In the classroom, the school has invested in staff’s professional development in the use of a variety of plans and strategies to raise pupils’ oracy standards. This ensures that pupils across the school are more confident in using their oracy skills and Welsh phrases with accuracy.  

In addition, leaders provide good opportunities for staff to receive regular language refresher sessions which strengthen their language skills. The school has a structure to support adults who are at an early stage in their journey to gain confidence in the Welsh language. Adults in the community have voluntarily supported the school and then developed skills and confidence to work as assistants, higher level teaching assistants, and progressed to become classroom teachers. The school delivers hopes for the whole community. 

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

In providing opportunities to ensure a sense of belonging, a supportive atmosphere and pride in their Welshness, we have developed and improved our pupils’ oracy skills across the school. Pupils participate in exciting and unforgettable experiences, and consequently develop a strong emotional bond that leads to a passion for the language. Pupils’ questionnaires indicate the positive effect of such experiences on their self-confidence and resilience. Emotional connections to experiences drive their use of the language and we ensure high standards throughout the journey. We make an effort to ensure opportunities for the wider community to take part in activities with pupils through the medium of Welsh. Most importantly, parents praise the excellent opportunities their children have on their journey in learning the language, experiencing fulfilment and creating memories that make them proud of their Welshness. 

How have you shared your good practice?  

The school has shared our good practice with schools in the cluster, in networking meetings and in meetings with consortia co-ordinators and other schools. They are also willing to discuss their case study with other leaders. 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Three children exploring and looking at a large rock in a dense forest with tall, green trees.

Information about the School

Ysgol Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd is located in the rural village of Llanfair, two miles south of Ruthin. It is a bilingual controlled school where parents choose the teaching language for their children, either Welsh (around 80%) or English (20%), but Welsh is the school’s everyday language. The school has 4 mixed-age classes: Nursery and Reception, Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6. The school moved to its new home from the old building to the new building in March 2020.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Ysgol Llanfair has a great deal of appreciation for the outdoor learning philosophy and pedagogy, and has invested in this over the years. Staff have been learning through the use of outdoor Forest School provision for several years. After seeing the positive effect this has had on pupils’ learning and well-being, plans were made to expand such opportunities further. The decision was made to teach science in the outside area in order to encourage pupils’ curiosity, problem-solving and teamwork through real life experiences. Pupils develop their independence and also their cooperation skills, and take responsibility for the type of activities and investigations they would like to undertake, which develops engagement with their learning and their wider life skills. 

Description of nature of strategy or activity 

At the beginning of each term, pupils learn about new jobs such as engineers, ecologists or farmers. They then adopt the job role and get to know the types of skills that require development in order to undertake the role. Through a letter, phone call, e-mail or advertisement, pupils receive a task or problem to solve. Their assignment is to respond to the task and solve the problem, or respond to the challenge given. They must gather relevant information by quantifying the theme, creating questionnaires, weighing, testing soil, recording the weather, for example. Sometimes, they need to research historical and contemporary concepts in the area in order to gather ideas. 

After gathering information, pupils are expected to create a prototype: a water wheel or a boat, for example. During this process, pupils are given plenty of opportunities to give it a go, try again, improve and refine their work, persevere and reflect on their learning and the process of learning from their mistakes. Sometimes, a problem must be solved by answering a question such as: ‘How can we improve the field’s drainage?’ or ‘How can we reduce the noise of the school bell?’. They have opportunities to research before making decisions such as: ‘What material is best to suppress the noise of the bell?’ or ‘Which parts of the field are the wettest?’.  

The final step is to present their prototype or idea to the company, committee or community. They do this by email or a presentation, a poster to promote their idea, or through role play. 

Throughout the process, pupils keep records, just as if they were in the real job, by drawing up maps, plans to scale, information sheets, questionnaires, letters and emails. The whole process plays an important role so that pupils have opportunities to learn about different jobs. Pupils also develop skills through the use of a variety of tools such as a ‘data box’, pH strips, thermometers and measuring wheels, and provide reasoning for their choice in order to boost their confidence and experience, and to reflect on their effectiveness as they learn. 

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

Discussions with pupils and parents/carers have revealed that pupils enjoy and look forward to activities that promote their well-being and their attitudes to learning. Through these valuable experiences, pupils experience an increase in their confidence to learn independently and to choose and use equipment, and in their confidence to work together in a group, leading or receiving instructions, for example. Pupils manage their time and complete their tasks well and decide when to move on to the next task after evaluating and reflecting on the success of their learning. 

Through practical learning, pupils discuss with confidence what they have learned. They remember and recall information well about previous activities in order to make predictions and reach valid conclusions when discussing what they have observed and experienced. 

There is also evidence of an increase in pupils’ confidence, and more notably in the opportunities for pupils who have difficulty recording information to thrive in these activities, and develop confidence and success. Staff place value on the context of developing the whole child as pupils receive lessons to foster their scientific curiosity and an interest in the natural world outdoors. 

How have you shared your good practice?

The headteacher delivered a presentation at a headteachers’ cluster meeting on what we do at the school. Subsequently, teachers from other schools have come to observe activities and discuss what we are achieving. Furthermore, the school’s work and developments have received praise in the Bevan Foundation’s Young Future Thinkers scheme, and received a recognised award. 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Letters spelling 'cymraeg' which means 'Welsh' in the Welsh language, hanging on a line against a clear blue sky.

Information about the school 

Ysgol Gymunedol Peniel is located in a small village near Carmarthen, and comes under Carmarthenshire education authority.  

The school provides education for 123 pupils aged 4-11 years. There are 5 classes, comprising 3 mixed-age classes and two single-age classes. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language and the majority speak Welsh at home.  

The three-year average for pupils eligible for free school meals is around 3%. Approximately 6% of pupils have additional learning needs.  

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice  

The school’s motto, ‘One team, one family – succeeding together’ is implemented successfully. The school has a strategic ambition to improve and raise standards continuously, placing a strong focus on the Welsh language. The school community is passionate about nurturing Welsh citizens who are proud of their language and identity. Raising and maintaining Welsh language standards was a whole-school priority during 2021 – 2022. 

Initially, to identify the school’s needs and areas for improvement, provision was evaluated by examining pupils’ use of verbs in communication, accuracy with mutations, and the syntax of sentences in general, together with staff’s language pedagogy and their willingness to challenge pupils. There was evidence of a lack of consistency in provision in terms of opportunities for pupils to develop their Welsh language skills and practice their oracy skills.  

As a result, sufficient opportunities were ensured to upskill staff by examining good practices and attending training based on development of pupils’ language. Actions were decided as a team with a clear focus on consistency, high expectations, language drills, and planning specific opportunities for pupils to practice a specific oracy skill. 

Description of nature of strategy or activity 

The school has very effective strategies for developing pupils’ Welsh language oracy skills in a natural way, such as planning clear language drills to develop their extended spoken language. This method promotes their understanding and use of linguistic elements such as mutations and verbs and it has been embedded and implemented across the school. The teaching team are strong and effective linguistic role models and all members focus on developing pupils’ oracy skills for a specific period each day. Support staff are also very strong linguistic role models, reinforcing oral linguistic patterns and focuses that are drilled in the classroom from day to day. 

Language drill sessions build coherently on pupils’ existing knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure progression as they move through the school. Among the minority of pupils from non-Welsh-speaking homes who begin school, the use of singing and repeating rhymes has been essential in learning linguistic patterns. Subsequently, provision has been developed purposefully and constructively for a different age range. 

Through the delivery of this regular provision, we develop pupils who are confident communicators with sound Welsh language oracy skills by the end of their journey in the school. 

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

The school community’s commitment and dedication to ensuring that the Welsh language thrives has had a significant impact on pupils’ oracy skills and willingness to use the Welsh language naturally and fluently. Purposeful planning ensures a continuum across the school, building on linguistic depth, linguistic breadth, and understanding of language. Pupils are now much more prepared to converse in Welsh, and they do so proficiently in both formal and informal situations. Undoubtedly, opportunities and purposeful planning are at the heart of progress and development in Welsh language oracy skills. 

How have you shared your good practice?

 The school has shared its good practice with local authority staff and the authority’s schools. Leaders and staff have welcomed visits by other schools.  

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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A classroom scene with a teacher explaining a lesson at the blackboard and a student raising their hand for participation.

Information about the school 

Ysgol Gymunedol Peniel is located in a small village near Carmarthen, and comes under Carmarthenshire education authority.  

The school provides education for 123 pupils aged 4-11 years. There are 5 classes, comprising 3 mixed-age classes and two single-age classes. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language and the majority speak Welsh at home.  

The three-year average for pupils eligible for free school meals is around 3%. Approximately 6% of pupils have additional learning needs.  

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Ysgol Gymunedol Peniel is a supportive and inclusive community. This is reflected in its motto which is implemented successfully: ‘One team, one family – succeeding together’. The school has a culture of continuous improvement which puts pupils at the centre of all the school’s activities, ensuring that learning experiences are of high quality, stimulating, interesting and rich.  

At the heart of this practice are detailed and successful self-evaluation procedures for the whole team, and the voices of governors, pupils and parents are included on a regular basis. This provides a detailed and accurate picture of the school’s current situation and allows the teaching team to adapt provision to be innovative, timely and the best possible for each pupil. 

The first step, in order to identify the school’s needs and areas for improvement, was to evaluate current provision in order to understand whether pupils owned their learning, had a strong voice as part of the planning process, and were encouraged to be independent learners. After simply asking whether the school offered pupils the best possible experiences, it became evident that pupils were having valuable and purposeful experiences but that there was room to enrich these further. Although pupils had a voice as part of the planning process, they were not given any say in the choice of method for learning nor opportunities to be independent learners. The means of addressing these issues are described below.  

Description of nature of strategy or activity 

In recent years, especially in the wake of COVID, the school has focused on improving its self-evaluation procedures and ensuring that all stakeholders resume their roles fully and effectively. 

The school has worked hard to ensure that a quality assurance calendar is in place and that it is operational and evolving. The calendar and self-evaluation processes include stakeholder questionnaires, visits by governors, regular learning walks, scrutiny of work and conversations with pupils. Everything is triangulated to ensure that staff provide a detailed and accurate picture of the school’s current situation. These processes are owned by all stakeholders. Nevertheless, one important aspect in maintaining momentum is flexibility – the flexibility of the senior team to respond to national priorities, local priorities and what is happening within the school community itself, and the flexibility of teaching staff to ensure the best for pupils. 

Another aspect that has led to planning for improvement in order to ensure the best experiences for pupils is the school’s approach towards, and management of, personalising provision for each pupil, ensuring fair and equal treatment in the classroom and beyond.  

This has led to a change in pedagogy and the approach by all teaching staff across the school in the way they teach, and giving pupils a choice about the way they learn. During thematic activities, pupils choose what they learn, when they learn it and how they present their learning, following differentiated criteria. This has led to improvement in pupils’ confidence in their learning and to greater independence. In doing so, pupils are better at owning their learning and there is ongoing improvement in their achievements. 

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

The school community’s robust focus on continuous improvement has ensured that almost all pupils make sound progress from their starting point. The community provides a broad, balanced and rich curriculum based on thematic work, and it challenges almost all pupils to make the best progress possible. Pupils have developed to become independent learners who aim to achieve high standards and demonstrate ownership, enjoyment and pride in their learning. 

How have you shared your good practice? 

The school has shared its good practice with local authority staff and advisers in meetings. The senior team and staff are more than happy to welcome other schools to visit and discuss the processes in place. 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Colorful cards spelling out "CYMRAEG" on a wooden background.

Information about the partnership 

The Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) adult community learning (ACL) Partnership was established in 2010, however over the last twelve months it has undergone significant changes. The lead partner, RCT County Borough Council, works alongside Adult Learning Wales (ALW) to deliver most of the adult community learning provision across the county. The partnership has strong links with Menter Iaith Rhondda Cynon Taf who deliver a range of adult learning programmes through the medium of Welsh. Multiply provision also forms part of the partnership offer.  

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice 

When the partnership undertook a total review of their purpose and activity, it became apparent that there was a requirement to understand the offer for Welsh speakers, Welsh learners, and the wider community.  

All partners agreed that embedding Welsh language in all aspects of adult learning was an effective starting point. A decision was taken to make Welsh language provision a standing agenda item on both the strategic and operational board agendas. As part of the review of the operational group it was also decided to introduce a Welsh language subgroup to take responsibility for all aspects of Welsh learning across the partnership. 

Recruiting tutors to deliver via the medium of Welsh was a challenge and therefore the partnership took a decision to commission Menter Iaith RCT to deliver a pilot programme of activity, and to undertake a survey to gauge an understanding of learner needs. 

Rhondda Cynon Taf county borough has a diverse population, and the geographical spread of Welsh speakers means that being able to offer provision across a wide area was challenging. To help to overcome this, a proportion of learning is being offered online. This has proved to be successful in bringing learners together. 

Description of nature of strategy or activity 

Embedding Welsh across the ACL offer involves all tutors introducing a word or phrase of the week in their classes. The intention is for all classes to have an opportunity to use conversational Welsh at whatever level a learner may be. Learners are encouraged to ‘give it a go’ and not to be afraid of using a mix of Welsh and English. 

In our Learning Steps provision (learners with additional needs) learners enjoy using triple literacy in their class, English, Welsh and BSL. 

The Menter Iaith offer allows learners to choose their language of choice when undertaking their chosen courses such as yoga for parents and ukulele sessions. Following this pilot, the partnership is in the process of working with Menter Iaith RCT to further develop the offer further for the coming academic year. In addition to this, Menter Iaith RCT is accessing Multiply funding is to deliver a range activities designed to raise numeracy levels via the medium of Welsh.   

Future plans include working with RCT Work and Skills team to identify Welsh speaking employment opportunities. 

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

Conversational Welsh levels have increased across classes and fluent speakers have opportunities to engage in learning through their chosen language. 

One learner commented that they had gone through formal education in Welsh medium provision but had not used the language in the work environment. However, following a serious car accident and a significant head injury they reverted to speaking and learning in Welsh rather than English. 

Learners with additional needs have commented how much they enjoy using their Welsh language and recently undertook a series of sessions studying the Mabinogion, a collection of Welsh tales based on old Celtic legends and mythology in which magic and the supernatural play a large part. As part of this learning, they made a video to showcase their learning. A copy of this is available by contacting the partnership contact. As part of our succession planning for tutors, a newly qualified Welsh tutor is shadowing the current tutor and supporting the Welsh language provision to learners. 

How have you shared your good practice? 

Good practice is shared at strategic and operational levels across the partnership. In addition, partners promote the offer on their websites and social media channels. Community members are made aware of the service through promotional material and attendance at events in the county borough. 

The partnership is currently developing a new ACL website which will carry good news/practice stories and learner experiences. 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Four professionals collaborating around a table with digital devices and notebooks during a meeting, viewed from above.

Information about the partnership 

The Greater Gwent Adult Learning Partnership, which is led by Coleg Gwent, was established in 1990. There are five main delivery partners, all of whom are local authorities. They are: Aneurin Leisure (Blaenau Gwent), Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport, and Torfaen. The partnership offer includes curses in essential skills alongside a range of full-cost recovery courses and clubs.  The tutors who deliver the programme, in community learning venues, are employed by the local authorities. The head of partnership is assisted by a small team at Coleg Gwent, including three part-time Development Support Coordinators (DSCs). The DSCs develop cross-borough initiatives which, once agreed with the partnership managers, are implemented across the partnership and are overseen, facilitated and supported by the DSCs.   

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice 

Although ACL tutors are well supported by their employing authority, they often have very few opportunities to meet with other tutors of the same subject, as they are almost all part-time staff who travel to community education centres to deliver their classes. This situation can result in duplication of effort by tutors, limited opportunities for continuing professional development (CPD), and failure to share ideas and good practice across the partnership. The initiatives described below ensure that a cross-partnership approach is taken to supporting and developing tutors. 

Description of nature of strategy or activity 

Cross-partnership subject-specialist task groups 

There is a group for each main curriculum area. The group members are curriculum co-ordinators or experienced subject-specialist tutors from each local authority, led by one of the DSCs. The groups meet when needed to carry out such tasks as: 

  • producing common assessment materials for popular units in the curriculum area 
  • planning standardisation events for assessors, in line with awarding organisation requirements 
  • writing new units in consultation with Agored Cymru, where needed 
  • ensuring that good ideas and innovative practice by tutors are disseminated to all tutors in the curriculum area 

Digital mentors’ group 

This group supports tutors in all curriculum areas to embed digital tools in their teaching, and to help their learners to develop digital skills. The digital mentors each have up to four hours per week to support tutors in their own local authority and to collaborate as a group on cross-partnership activities such as: 

  • monthly “Digital Tool of the Month” and webinars, which tutors can watch in real time or asynchronously 
  • a website of ideas, and links to useful sites for using digital tools 
  • a termly newsletter with tips, ideas, and links to useful websites 

 
Continuing Professional Development 

While professional learning for tutors is also provided within each local authority, cross-partnership training and CPD is offered in a number of formats including classroom-based workshops, online courses that are available to partnership staff at any time, and webinars.   

Tutor conference  

An important feature of the CPD programme is the annual tutor conference day, which enables tutors to attend talks by guest speakers, participate in a choice of workshops and meet with other tutors from their curriculum areas to exchange ideas and share good practice. The themes of the conference are based on current needs and developments. The theme of the 2023 conference was mental health and well-being, while the 2024 conference will feature the use of artificial intelligence for tutors and learners. To remove some of the barriers for part-time tutors to attend, classes are cancelled for the day of the conference and hourly paid tutors are paid to attend. 

Professional qualifications 

The Training, Assessing and Quality Assurance (TAQA) assessor and Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) qualifications are available as blended learning courses, which tutors can start at any time, and work towards as and when their workload permits. The partnership also offers tutors who aspire to be observers the opportunity to undertake the Agored Cymru Observing Teaching Practice qualification. The partnership used the Adult Support Fund to good effect to offer accredited training from two external training organisations who provided Google Educator courses at basic and advanced levels, and the level 3 award in Leading First Aid for Mental Health.   

Other partnership support 

Tutor Briefing Meetings: These are meetings held in each local authority of the partnership at the beginning of the academic year. The head of the partnership provides a briefing to update all tutors on the outcomes of the previous year, and to inform them of new developments. Relevant professional learning, such as Prevent training, is often included in these meetings. 

Tips from Tutors: This is a collection of good practice ideas, distributed to tutors in the form of a newsletter or e-book. The good practice is identified by observers in the cross-borough observations, and other tutors can adopt, or adapt them for their own courses. 

Welsh Champion: A new cross-borough initiative is the role of a Welsh Champion who provides tutors with ideas for embedding Welsh language and culture into their courses through a termly newsletter and a shared resource site. 

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

The cross-partnership approach is effective in supporting the continuing development of tutors. The impact of the CPD programme is assessed by asking tutors, at the end of the academic year, to rate the usefulness of the CPD that they have undertaken for their practice as a tutor. In 2022-23, 88% of tutors rated the benefits of their CPD as four or five, on a scale of 1-5. 

The collaborative approach is also very effective in reducing duplication of effort. A recent example is the cross-partnership approach to AI. Guidance for tutors and learners has been produced, as well as a risk assessment of potential misuse of AI in assessments. AI awareness units at different levels have been written for Agored Cymru by the digital mentors and ICT curriculum groups. Suggested assessment tasks and resources for these units are currently being produced, which will be made available to tutors across all curriculum areas. The tutor conference in March 2024 will feature AI, with guest speakers and the opportunity for tutors to try a range of AI tools. 

How have you shared your good practice? 

The sharing of good practice across all areas of the partnership is the main focus of the initiatives detailed in this case study. In addition, whenever the opportunity arises, good practice is shared beyond the partnership including with other departments in Coleg Gwent and with other ALC and FE providers, via regional or national training and network meetings.  

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Three people gathered around a laptop in a modern library setting.

Information about the setting

The Greater Gwent Adult Learning Partnership, which is led by Coleg Gwent, was established in 1990. There are five main delivery partners, all of whom are local authorities. They are: Aneurin Leisure (Blaenau Gwent), Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport, and Torfaen. The partnership offer includes provision that is franchised through the college, direct grant funded provision, and a range of full-cost recovery courses and clubs. The franchised provision includes courses in essential skills, English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), independent living skills (ILS), and information communication technology (ICT). The grant funded provision includes essential skills and employability courses, non-accredited engagement programmes, and a range of personal interest courses. 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice 

Mental health awareness plays an important part in the Gwent Partnership’s continuing professional development (CPD) offer and in ensuring that learners have access to a good choice of health & well-being courses. The COVID pandemic presented a unique set of challenges for adult learning and staff were redeployed across the partnership delivering schools meals and manning COVID testing centres. However, learners required increased levels of digital and well-being support to enable them to continue their learning.  Therefore, the partnership had to explore how it could support its learners when many local authority staff were redeployed.  

The partners agreed that a cohesive approach to mental health and well-being was needed, and a well-being strategy was developed for its learners and staff, with a clear aim “to contribute to the positive well-being and lifestyles of our adult learning communities”. Adult support funding, first introduced in 2021/22, was instrumental in enabling the partnership to plan a comprehensive range of CPD and events for tutors, as well as learner focused activities.  

Description of nature of strategy or activity 

Welcome to wellbeing for learners was an online module developed for learners by an external training organisation. The content was offered in different formats to suit all learner needs, and  sessions were recorded so new learners could access the module at any time.  

Learner health and well-being fairs, which were held in each local authority, were attended by representatives from health boards, leisure centres, youth academies, sports centres, employment and training organisations, Gwent Police, and MIND. The event also included sessions on Indian drumming, karate, singing, sign language, healthy eating, gardening, storytelling, and health checks. Due to the success of this event, it is now held annually.  

To further support learners’ mental health,17 tutors across the partnership successfully achieved the L2 Accredited Mental Health First Aid qualification, seven of these then progressed to the L3 Award in Supervising/Leading First Aid for Mental Health. These courses enabled staff to have a better understanding of mental health conditions and to signpost learners to appropriate organisations. Six tutors also attended an Introduction to Supporting Learners with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a course that was aimed at those tutors who work with refugees.  

To provide learner and tutor support with digital skills, digital mentor roles were established in 2020/2021. These mentors provided in-borough training, targeting tutors from all subject areas to help them to use digital tools and technologies in their teaching, and to encourage their learners to develop their digital skills. The digital mentors also provided support for learners on digital well-being, online safety, security, and responsibility.   

Gwent Police have visited partnership’s digital skills classes to give talks on on-line safety. There are many examples of collaborative working with external partnerships, such as Growing Spaces for gardening & cookery courses with a focus on the correct and safe use of garden tools, kitchen safety, and food hygiene. 

A tutor conference was held in Spring 2023, which focused on mental health & well-being. There were two keynote speakers who delivered presentations on stress management and financial literacy. The conference also included workshops on well-being, everyday mindfulness, wasteless homes, and alternative therapies. Seventy-one tutors and managers attended the event.   

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

As a result of the Welcome to Wellbeing course , 98% of learners said their knowledge had increased and 98% knew where to go for support on mental health issues.   

The 2022/2023 learner questionnaire outcomes showed that 93% agreed that their course contributed to their own personal well-being and 93% agreed that the course had a positive effect on their general mental health.  

During observations learners were also asked what additional skills they had obtained during their course. All groups shared that they had gained additional skills that contributed to their well-being, with the most frequently mentioned being confidence, communication skills and digital skills. Learner comments included:  

“We have learnt so much and use our IT skills all the time”.   

“The tutor supports us to move forward and explains things in more than one way.  The knowledge and skills we are learning are giving us more confidence and choices”.   

“The support of our tutor, and each other, makes the course so enjoyable that we are motivated to continue”. 

How have you shared your good practice? 

All CPD offered through the adult support funding have been uploaded to Hwb and translated into Welsh. In addition, whenever the opportunity arises, good practice is shared beyond the partnership, for example, with other departments of Coleg Gwent and with other adult community learning and further education providers, through regional or national training and meetings such as JISC workshops and network meetings. 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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two students in school uniforms are engaged in solving mathematical equations written on a whiteboard.

Information about the setting

Ysgol y Creuddyn is a Welsh-medium comprehensive school for pupils aged 11–18, and is maintained by Conwy local authority. There are 669 pupils on roll, including 89 in the sixth form. Approximately 17% of pupils are eligible to receive free school meals. 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Over the course of a decade, the school’s mathematics department has published a range of free resources on their website. This provision is supported by a YouTube channel which explains the concepts behind the resources. These materials are based on the department’s interpretation of mastery, where pupils develop a deep, enduring, sound and flexible understanding of mathematics and numeracy. 

In the period leading up to the formal introduction of Curriculum for Wales, the mathematics department cooperated with the local primary cluster to develop a rage of resources for progression steps 2 and 3. These included resources on deeper research into place value, using manipulatives to work with negative numbers, and explaining the concepts of commutativity, associativity and distributivity. 

Description of nature of strategy or activity 

On arrival at the school in Year 7, all pupils complete a series of on-entry assessments which give a score out of 90. There is a strong correlation between the results of these assessments and final GCSE Mathematics grades, so the mathematics department uses the results to target specific groups in order to offer appropriate support and challenge. For example, pupils who score between 20 and 40 in the initial assessments receive one-to-one help from sixth-form mathematics students during morning registration periods. More extensive data on pupils starting at the school are also available, contained in an information sheet provided by feeder primary schools, and primary teachers have an opportunity to visit the school early on in Year 7 to discuss how their former pupils have settled at the school. 

The school also runs a series of numeracy support sessions for everyone in Years 7 to 10, using “Registration Games”, “Numeracy with the Romans”, “Mastering the Skills” and “Unknown” packs in weekly morning registration sessions. In Year 11, a target group receives sessions on calculation techniques, and after-school revision sessions provide opportunities to prepare for external exams.  

Outside formal lessons, there is an opportunity for all pupils at the school to take part in an annual darts tournament, with the final round taking place during the Eisteddfod at the end of the year. A weekly mathematics club offers a quiet refuge for playing board games such as Cluedo and Monopoly, or an opportunity to compete internationally in coding activities. This develops pupils’ mental numeracy skills and contributes to developing their confidence. 

The mathematics scheme of work has been carefully designed to build on previous subjects (without repeating them), it offers frequent opportunities for retrieval of previous work (to develop fluency), and include carefully varied exercises to develop conceptual understanding. The scheme of work and teaching resources are kept stable over time so that teachers in the department can examine the best ways to teach a specific subject, rather than ‘reinventing the wheel’ every year by developing new resources. 

Across the curriculum, the numeracy co-ordinator has worked with middle managers to map the provision against current numeracy frameworks in Years 7 to 9. Regular opportunities are provided to scrutinise books in order to evaluate the numeracy provision. A series of ‘extra tasks’ packs have been authored to offer opportunities to incorporate numeracy skills across the curriculum, including opportunities to incorporate the 5 new mathematical proficiencies. 

The school’s numeracy strategy includes opportunities to engage with pupils, parents and staff. A series of “numaracy for parents” workshops is held to promote the importance of a positive attitude towards numeracy and to explain how to access and use the school’s support resources, including a diagnostic questions website. The mathematics department also celebrates Pi Day each year (March 14th) with activities such as a pi-themed cake baking competition, an opportunity to draw a pi-scraper, and an opportunity to recite pi to as many decimal places as can be remembered. 

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

In many cases, the Year 7 cohort that receives additional support from sixth-form pupils demonstrate better progress in their national numeracy test scores than the rest of the Year 7 cohort. Regular questionnaires in Year 9 indicate that many pupils enjoy their mathematics lessons and that most pupils want to do well in mathematics. As a result of this purposeful planning, many pupils apply their numeracy skills independently to solve problems in various contexts across the curriculum.  

How have you shared your good practice? 

Leaders in this subject provide tailored training to school staff, primary school teachers and parents on the best ways of supporting pupils. This has enabled leaders to develop a positive attitude among staff towards raising everyone’s awareness of the importance of numeracy. The school is innovating by sharing its numeracy resources on its dedicated website, and these resources are used in other areas across Wales.  

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the setting

Meadowbank Day Nursery is a privately owned day nursery, established in September 2016. In a short space of time the nursery has built up an excellent reputation. It is managed by a former teacher and nursery nurse with over 15 years teaching experience in Early Years education and staffed by highly qualified, dedicated, and experienced practitioners. 

The setting is registered for 92 full time places for children from birth to five years and is open from Monday to Friday between 7.00am and 6.00pm. At the time of inspection there were 31 pre-school children, 19 of whom received funding for early education.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

The setting has been funded for nursery education since 2020. As a newly registered setting it benefited from attending EAS professional learning for new setting leaders. This course is led by experienced nursery leaders in the region and helped to develop capabilities at leading change in practice and pedagogy at Meadowbank. In January 2021, it was a pilot setting for ‘A Curriculum for Non-maintained Nursery Settings’. This provided an opportunity to trial something completely different to what was done before. By trying it out in practice, processes continued to evolve, and the setting increasingly focused on using observations to inform planning. This has led to the development of an observation and planning process, which includes the individual needs and interests of every child.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Prior to the publication of the new curriculum, the setting used the Foundation Phase curriculum and planned focused tasks. As a pilot setting, it benefited from being able to use ‘A Curriculum for Non-maintained Nursery Setting’ whilst in its draft version. This gave the team an opportunity to learn together and try new approaches. It found that the pedagogy of the new curriculum made sense, it has the child at the centre, it aligns well with children’s development, and it was easy to implement in the setting. It was useful and accessible for all practitioners, and practitioners quickly and wholeheartedly embraced the new curriculum. Consequently, everyone is fully involved in the planning process, and all have a better understanding of why they are planning the environment and experiences the way they are. 

Leaders and practitioners attended EAS professional learning, introducing them to the new curriculum. Through staff meetings they shared and discussed the pedagogy and the five developmental pathways of the curriculum in detail. This led to changing the planning documentation to make it more manageable, to use observations more purposefully and to ensure that children’s needs and interests were being met. This included developing a process to manage observation and ensure that every child is being observed regularly. Previously, this had been ad-hoc and not as equitable or inclusive as the current process. The current process involves observing all children incidentally, but also focusing on a few children each week. The team will discuss their observations of the focused child together and use this analysis to inform the planning of the environment and learning experiences. By doing this, they know every child well and planning caters for their individuality.

Involvement in weekly professional discussions and analysing observations has helped staff to gain a deeper understanding of what interests the children, what engages them and how they are playing, learning, and developing. This process helps them to understand how they are progressing, and what can be done to support them. As the process has become embedded, practitioners are able to revisit the children’s previous observations, assessments, and individual planning, which helps them to see how they are progressing over their time in the setting and to share their learning with parents and carers. This process is supporting the ongoing professional development of staff, as they are gaining a greater understanding of child-development, and how children play and learn. Leaders provide support to new staff to write observations and develop their skill at observing children’s play. As the process is embedded, and practitioners become increasingly experienced and skilful observers, they are planning more engaging experiences and children’s levels of involvement in their play increase. 

Leaders feel that through the support provided by EAS and the professional learning they have attended, practitioners are more knowledgeable, and understand the importance of play, authentic experiences, the environment, and the role of the enabling adult to support children’s play and learning. As a team, they have become more reflective and able to self-evaluate their own practice, pedagogy, and professional development needs. 

Leaders use the supervision and appraisal process to identify practitioners’ strengths within the setting and set individual targets. These are closely linked to the planning cycle in terms of role of the adult, environment and continuing professional development. Consequently, practitioners work well together to support each other. Staff meetings and ongoing professional learning opportunities are provided to ensure that the team have a shared understanding and ethos.

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

Practitioners have grown in confidence and have more autonomy to plan learning experiences. Consequently, they enjoy and understand their role more. Previously, the three rooms (babies, toddlers, and pre-school) had different planning processes. Now the process is the same throughout the nursery, which has supported practitioners to work together and have a shared understanding of pedagogy throughout the setting. 

Having implemented the new curriculum and attended professional learning opportunities, the team understand why authentic learning experiences are important. They use their observations of children’s play to develop the environment and plan responsively to provide rich learning experiences. Practitioners have observed how children’s levels of involvement and joy in their play have increased because of the changes they have made. This cycle of observing, analysing, planning and observing again supports the practitioners to reflect on their practice and further support their professional development.

Practitioners are now able to observe children’s play to find out what motivates and interests them. Having attended professional learning on schematic play, practitioners understand that children’s repeated patterns of behaviour are their schemas. This supports practitioners to analyse their observations more effectively and plan stimulating learning experiences.

Initial and ongoing assessments are written using our observations of the children. The team discuss children’s previous and current assessments, to analyse what progress they have made. This discussion supports them to understand and identify children’s individual learning and progression, but also to evaluate what is working well in the setting and identify what else could be done to support children’s learning more effectively. This then leads to further changes to provision and identifying professional development needs. 

Through the development of observations and assessments and planning, practitioners know how well every child is learning and progressing and know that every child has their individual needs met. This is evident in their enjoyment at being in the setting and their engagement in play and learning.

How have you shared your good practice?

Practitioners attend termly network meetings, where they have shared their approach to observation, assessment, and planning. They have hosted setting visits and have been involved in the production of a toolkit on schematic play available on HWB.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the setting

Little Lambs Emmanuel is a privately owned setting based in Ysgol Emmanuel primary school in the seaside town of Rhyl. It aims to provide a homely, loving, and nurturing environment where each child is encouraged to develop to their full potential. 

The setting is registered with Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) to care for 61 children between the ages of 2 years and 11 years. It offers playgroup sessions, wrap around and After-school club during term time only.  

  • It offers flying start, Early Education, Childcare offer and private paid sessions. 
  • 2% of children are looked after or previously looked after  
  • 1% of children have English as an additional language 
  • 106 children on roll (48 after-school club, and 58 playgroup) 
  • 10 children currently access Early Education 
  • 30 children currently access Flying Start 
  • 10 children attend part-time school and attend wrap around at the setting 
  • 10 staff on roll 

Little Lambs took over the playgroup and After-school club in January 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The setting is open for five days a week from 8am-6pm Monday to Friday, term time only. 

 There are 10 members of staff, including the nursery owner. All staff are suitably experienced in working with young children.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Having a clear vision for the setting and a proactive approach to fostering positivity, leaders believe, can significantly influence the outcomes they achieve. Once they took over the setting, they realised quickly that they were operating within a community affected by diverse socio-economic challenges and they identified various external factors impacting the dynamics between parents and the setting.  

Recognising the inherent challenges that life presents, leaders understand the potential toll it can take on the mental health and well-being of staff, parents, and children alike. By proactively addressing these issues, they create an environment conducive to happiness and engagement. This, in turn, boosts confidence and creativity among staff, parents, and children, and contributes to a more vibrant and fulfilling experience for all involved.  

Practitioners actively engage in partnerships with school staff and Family Link Workers, recognising their invaluable roles in the community support network. Through these partnerships, they ensure that families facing challenges have access to a comprehensive array of support services tailored to their unique needs. This collaborative approach not only strengthens the ability to address the multifaceted issues faced by families but also develops a sense of unity and shared responsibility in uplifting the community as a whole. 

In Denbighshire there is a team of Family Link workers that are employed by the local authority. These Family Link workers work closely with families, schools and settings to make sure that all children have a positive experience of education and aim to foster opportunities to help support children to reach their full potential.  

Description of nature of strategy or activity identified as sector-leading practice

At the heart of the approach is the development of robust partnerships with key stakeholders. The close relationship with family link workers serves as a cornerstone, facilitating a seamless exchange of information and resources to address the unique needs of each family. Furthermore, collaboration extends the school environment, where collaborative efforts are directed towards fostering a supportive learning environment conducive to the academic success of children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Examples of collaborative approaches:

  • Leaders approached the professionals they see daily and asked to have a collaborative meeting in order to discuss all children at the setting and ensure that information was being passed on to allow for any early interventions. They agreed to hold termly meetings to discuss children, progress and support needs with professionals from Flying Start, Early Education and Family Link Workers. During these meetings, they discuss individual children’s progress and development as well as the best ways to support families based on individual needs.  
  • Care and Share cupboard: The ‘Care and Share Cupboard’ is an open cupboard that is available on the playground for parents and families to access. This was introduced to support families who may be struggling or need urgent supplies. The supplies are provided free for parents and the cupboard is freely available during drop off and pick up times. Parents can take as many supplies as they need. Supplies include elements such as wet wipes, sun cream, shampoo, shower gel, hats and gloves and the setting also has a community library where children can borrow or keep books to use at home.
  • Strong Relationships with Flying Start, Early Education and Family Link Workers When concerns arise regarding the well-being of children, the setting relies on its collaboration with Family Link Workers to help facilitate early interventions. They provide support with things like helping parents fill out forms, signposting to other services, and support with behaviour.
  • Utilising funding, grants and finances appropriately: Every end of term (July) the setting purchases a selection of resources to send home with each child, which in turn allows them to have supplies for summer holidays. Practitioners call this the ‘Summer Care Package’. It contains shower gel, shampoo, wet wipes, sun cream and sanitary products. This care package allows families to have enough supplies to get them through the summer when the setting is closed. The setting purchases all these supplies through leaders’ own finances and allows for this in its budgeting.
  • Homework Challenges: The setting provides families with small family led homework challenges during school holidays and half terms when it is closed. It invites parents to send photos of children completing the challenge and practitioners print these out for the homework challenge book and each child receives a certificate for taking part. Leaders believe that these opportunities provide parents with the early steps to forging strong partnerships with professionals and people in the childcare and education sector, which bridges the gap and supports attendance and attainment. Examples of homework challenges are: Do something kind for someone, watch a movie together, play a game as a family, go on a nature walk, what landmark can you find in our local area, and send photos of a castle.

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

Working in partnerships has had a profound impact on the provision and standards for the children. By cultivating strong collaborative relationships, leaders have established highly effective communication that facilitates open dialogue between parents and staff. This has resulted in a more proactive approach to addressing issues and concerns, ensuring that they are promptly identified and effectively resolved. As a result, parents feel empowered to engage with staff, fostering a sense of trust and transparency within the setting. 

Collaborative efforts have contributed to notable improvements in attendance rates among children. Through joint initiatives with partner organisations and schools, leaders have implemented strategies to address barriers to attendance, resulting in a significant reduction in absenteeism. This not only enhances the learning experience for children but also emphasises a commitment to providing consistent and reliable support. 

By working closely with partners to design and implement targeted interventions, leaders have created tailored pathways for children’s development and academic success. This holistic approach to support ensures that children receive the necessary resources and assistance to reach their full potential.   

Little Lambs strives to empower families to overcome barriers and thrive despite the challenges they face. 

How have you shared your good practice?

The setting actively shares best practices through various channels to maximise their impact and reach.  

 Utilising social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, as well as a dedicated parent app, the setting showcases its achievements and successful initiatives to a broad audience. This not only promotes transparency but also encourages engagement and feedback from parents and stakeholders.  

 Little Lambs is dedicated to fostering a culture of continuous improvement. It achieves this by prioritising regular staff meetings and maximising the utility of staff training days to enhance and refine practices. Through these structured sessions, it provides opportunities for team members to collaborate, share insights, and participate in professional development activities. By investing in the growth and skill development of staff, leaders ensure that practices remain current, effective and aligned with the evolving needs of children and families. 

Practitioners share their practice, ideas, insights and experiences among colleagues across different sectors, including early education, Flying Start, and local authorities. By facilitating these exchanges, they harness the collective expertise of the team to enhance practices and ensure the delivery of high-quality services to children and families.