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Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Two students in blue school uniforms browsing books in a library, one smiling at the camera while holding books.
Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

In 2010, the school adopted a reward-based programme that had been developed in the USA, in response to the severe problem behaviour presented by a small number of pupils.  Senior leaders at Aran Hall refined the programme so that staff could implement the programme successfully across both the education and residential settings.  Using a behavioural skills training package, a small number of teaching and residential staff were initially trained to use the programme with two pupils.  Senior leaders then implemented the programme across the school.  Staff now implement the programme in all classes, the residential units and when pupils access the wider community for college and work placements.

Description or nature of strategy or activity

The programme is an integrated point and level system that rewards pupils for demonstrating pro-social skills linked to success in mainstream school, college or workplace.  Pupils receive points for attending school or college on time, working on the set task, completing the set task and demonstrating safe and respectful behaviour.  Pupils then exchange the points awarded by staff for back-up reinforcers such as computer games, magazines and portable music devices.

All pupils have a daily activity schedule that breaks the day down into ten 30-minute periods.  At the end of each 30-minute period, the staff member allocated to each pupil allocates points contingent on the pupil having demonstrated the appropriate behaviour.  As pupils demonstrate increasing rates of pro-social and academic behaviour, they earn promotion through the level system and in doing so are able to access a greater range of reinforcing activities.  Concurrent with this, the pupils spend more time on academic tasks and less on reward activities.

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

The programme has helped the majority of pupils to manage their own behaviour successfully.  As a result, pupils now attend school regularly, treat others with dignity and respect, use the community safely, attend college and work experience placements and gain relevant accreditation for their work.

How have you shared your good practice?

The school has shared its good practice via three academic papers and at conferences in the UK and the USA.  The school regularly hosts visitors from schools and other professionals across the UK.  A small number of schools in both Wales and England are using variations of the programme.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

As the school was newly opened in 2012, staff had the flexibility to make far-reaching decisions about the kind of school that they wanted to establish.  Teaching and learning issues have been at the heart of all decisions.  Staff decided to focus on purchasing mobile technology rather than spending heavily on classroom computers in order to promote teaching and learning of the highest standard.  As a result of this, it was decided to provide all pupils at Bro Edern with tablet computers.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

The vision at Bro Edern was to incorporate information and communication technology seamlessly into all lessons, and use the latest technology as an additional tool for both pupils and teachers.  Since the early days, the use of technology has been adopted across the subjects, and the arrival of the Digital Competence Framework has reinforced this mindset.

Staff training

The confidence and digital competence of staff are key to ensuring that digital has a positive effect on teaching and learning.  The aim is to try to ensure that staff are well informed about the latest digital developments, and regular training has been provided to equip the school’s teachers.  As a new school that grows significantly each September, a number of new members of staff join each year.  In 2017-2018, all new staff had a personal digital mentor, also a member of staff, as well as a personal ‘Digital Leader’ from among the pupils.  Pupils apply each year for the role of ‘Digital Leader’, and the successful group receives training, holds meetings to discuss digital issues, mentors staff and provides training for new staff.  This enables them to learn from pupils what the digital learning experiences are across the curriculum at Bro Edern.  At the beginning of the 2017-2018 academic year, a training evening was held for all members of staff, and a choice of 16 sessions were available.  Sessions were provided by members of staff and pupils from the school on a number of digital teaching and learning techniques, and useful new apps and software were introduced.  With the freedom to choose their sessions, this enabled staff to take responsibility for their own professional development and to spend an evening refining their skills in line with their individual and subject needs.

On Thursday mornings at 8am, the school holds a ‘Good Practice and Pain au Chocolat’ session.  These voluntary 20-minute presentations are extremely popular, and are a means for staff to receive weekly training on a digital idea or a practical aspect of good classroom practice.  The tasty ‘pains au chocolat’ from a local bakery are an effective incentive.  All staff training presentations are made available on the school’s internal Teaching and Learning website, so that staff can refer to them at a later date.  The website is now a useful store of digital training resources for existing staff and any new members of staff who join the school.

The School Improvement Working Groups also have a digital focus each year.  All of the teachers are members of one of the school’s working groups.  Whether it is the ‘Flipped Learning’ working group or the ‘Responding to Targets’ working group, there is constant digital input.  The Responding to Targets working group has devised a whole school system, whereby pupils in all departments scan a QR code at the end of tasks in order to complete further exercises in response to targets.  All departments have created a bank of purposeful resources for this, and this enables pupils to work independently and take their next step in their understanding of their subjects.  Planning commenced in the school’s first years, with activities across the curriculum that would develop suitable digital skills for pupils in the twenty first century.  With the arrival of the Digital Competence Framework, existing provision was mapped to the new framework’s headings, and departments planned additional activities that would enrich pupils’ understanding of their subject, while continuing to improve their digital skills.

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

The effect of digital learning can be seen in all lessons across the school.  The fact that technology is accessible to all pupils in their bags means that they have a powerful tool to enrich their learning.  Departments provide iTunes U courses for their classes, which means that pupils are able to access any resources immediately on the iPad, whether they are in class or at home.  The daily homework club until 5pm is a means for pupils to stay at school to complete all kinds of tasks, but they are also able to access the school’s wireless network and the support of one of the learning coaches.

In the classroom, scanning a QR code to see a video in a physical education class happens completely naturally.  Filming scientific experiments, taking pictures for art, composing and recording songs in music lessons, and recording conversations in German and French lessons mean that pupils learn in various ways across the school.  In particular, the ability to record and film across the curriculum in order to improve pupils’ oracy skills means that a variety of new tasks are possible as pupils submit or review their work.

At the outset, the school looked at the SAMR model (‘Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition’) of adopting the use of technology at Bro Edern.  This is an effective model for incorporating digital work into education.  At Bro Edern, the R or Redefinition, is achieved constantly as staff redefine what is possible for them to achieve with pupils.  Pupils are given specific experiences in handling data, using spreadsheets and suitable graphs when solving equations.  Pupils have an increasingly sound understanding of different kinds of coding programs in order to create various activities.  An example in key stage 3 is the use of computer programs in order to promote number skills.  They create a surface area program using suitable software, as well as creating a mathematics engine in a spreadsheet in order to solve equations.  The climax of the work can be seen in the Year 11 Baccalaureate work, as pupils handle and present data in their individual projects.

In terms of adopting the Digital Competence Framework, pupils at Bro Edern are given a variety of different experiences in their lessons, including creating promotional videos for the Health Service in science lessons, sending German videos to promote Cardiff to their exchange partners in Germany, and creating documentaries about the flooding of Tryweryn in Welsh lessons.  In geography lessons, classes have worked together on one central document to plan a trip to Italy.  When adopting the citizenship strands in relation to safety, identity, reputation and cyber bullying, the school has been very fortunate in their community police officer, who visits regularly in order to help convey important messages to pupils and their parents.

How have you shared your good practice?

As a Digital Pioneer School, Bro Edern is working with the consortium and the Welsh Government to implement the Digital Competence Framework.  All of the digital pioneers have been welcomed to Bro Edern in order for them to observe lessons and discuss good practice.  The school provides training courses on different aspects of the Digital Competence Framework through the consortium for English-medium schools, and through Gyda’n Gilydd (the professional development network for Welsh-medium schools in the central south consortium) for Welsh-medium schools.  Teachers have given presentations in a number of meetings in Wales and England, and the school has provided Inset sessions for a number of other schools, including sessions on raising staff’s digital confidence and planning for the arrival of the Digital Competence Framework.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context and background to the innovative practice

Olchfa School has been a Curriculum Pioneer School since November 2015, and launched its innovative ‘iLearn’ curriculum in September 2016.

The school had been reviewing its key stage 3 provision for a number of years prior to this and used its pioneer status to explore new possibilities, particularly around the grouping of ‘traditional’ subjects.

Description of the innovative practice

The iLearn curriculum is the school’s response to Professor Donaldson’s ‘Successful Futures’ report.  The following six Areas of Learning and Experience have been adopted:

  • iCommunicate (Language and Communication)
  • iCalculate (Mathematics, Numeracy, Computing and IT)
  • iDiscover (Science and Technology)
  • iThink (Humanities)
  • iCreate (Expressive Arts)
  • iThrive (Health, Wellbeing and Enrichment)

Learning managers are charged with designing schemes of work that focus upon the development of the four purposes according to ‘Successful Futures’.  Teachers engage in collaborative planning and evaluation.  Consequently, the new curriculum seeks to maximise what Professor Donaldson calls ‘the common integrity’ between and across Learning Areas.  Unrestricted by the need for National Curriculum coverage, lessons have real-life contexts and allow space for teachers to challenge and develop pupils’ deeper understanding.

Significant planning and preparation time was allocated in the summer term of 2016, allowing for the iLearn launch for Year 7 pupils in September 2016.  Following subsequent roll-outs, in September 2018 every pupil in key stage 3 will experience the iLearn curriculum.

From September 2017, the school has deployed a research team, comprising five teacher-researchers.  These researchers teach a half timetable, and use the rest of their time to undertake detailed and relevant research to inform the school’s teaching and learning practice.  A major function of the team is that it continues to conduct an ongoing evaluation of the new curriculum and associated pedagogy.

Impact on provision and pupil standards

The new curriculum is still in the early days of its development.  However, the research team’s early findings are that pupils are achieving high standards in their oracy, problem solving capabilities and critical thinking.  Pupils are ambitious and confident learners, quick to raise pertinent questions and engage with the subject matter.  Moreover, pupils have grown in creativity and originality, work successfully in collaboration with others and take measured risks.  Increasingly, pupils apply their literacy and numeracy skills within unfamiliar contexts and recognise the interconnectedness of their learning experiences.

The research team has found that the curriculum is engaging, relevant and challenging.  It has enriched pupil experience and enhanced the ownership of learning.  It has also engendered a pedagogical approach that embraces Professor Donaldson’s ‘twelve principles’.  Teachers and pupils are empowered by the greater flexibility and choice afforded by the new curriculum.  The use of pupil voice in the review process ensures that the curriculum remains dynamic and energising.

Moreover, the research team has identified areas that need development.  These include the need for the explicit teaching of group work skills, and the question of how to assess progress against the four purposes.  As such, the team provides a vital role in the school’s attempts to continue to improve its key stage 3 provision.

How have you shared your good practice?

As a Pioneer school, Olchfa has hosted nearly 20 visits from other schools and interested parties.  The school has also participated in a number of national and local conferences, and presented to the Welsh Government, local consortia, the local authority and higher education providers.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Standards in the school are good.  Staff implemented a structured approach to planning to ensure coverage of the national curriculum through a three-year cycle of topics.  However, the topic and themes lacked ownership from the pupils and did not ensure that pupils’ creative skills developed successfully across the curriculum.

Mount Pleasant Primary School is not a pioneer school, although staff were eager to develop and work towards the implementation of the new curriculum for Wales in the foundation phase and key stage 2.  The questions that drove the development of the curriculum were:

  • How are we going to do this successfully?

  • When is the right time to start?

  • Who will trial the new approach?

  • What will the curriculum look like?

  • How do we know this is right?

  • Where can we see effective practice?

Description of nature of strategy or activity

All staff were grouped into learning teams for the six areas of learning and experience.  Following a thorough self-evaluation process, these teams created an action plan with a focus on developing literacy, numeracy and digital competence across the curriculum.  All plans were linked to the school’s key priorities for improvement.  The aim was to ensure that curriculum teams were familiar with the approach outlined in ‘Successful Futures’ and were able to use their knowledge and understanding of this to work collaboratively with pupils to plan learning experiences.

Staff training sessions were used to explore ‘Successful Futures’.  During the initial stages of development, teachers considered the four core purposes and chapter 5 of ‘Successful Futures’ and tried to link it to current effective practice.  They talked and explored what it looks like to be an ambitious, capable learner, a healthy, confident individual, an enterprising, creative contributor and ethical, informed citizen.  The school’s aim was to create a curriculum that was suited to the pupils at Mount Pleasant.

This process quickly evolved into a half termly reflection exercise.  Staff were given the freedom to explore new topics with their pupils, and to trial ‘Wow’ days where pupils can be submerged in experiences for learning, for example by participating in a Tudor banquet or a Victorian classroom, or by dressing up as people who inspire.  The aim was to explore a creative curriculum with a strong element of pupil voice.  Topics quickly became creative, with pupils taking ownership of the direction of learning.  Staff were asked to review curriculum links to the four core purposes half termly and reflect on skills coverage.  These live documents were highlighting gaps in learning, which could be addressed when planning for the next half term.

Following research from pioneer schools, the senior leadership team created a topic web, which linked directly to the six areas of learning.  This was then disseminated to all staff to trial.  Staff could now begin to plan their topics with their pupils, ensuring that all areas of learning were demonstrating coverage.  Leaders consider that this has been most successful in Year 6, where the class teacher uses a shared online tool so that all pupils could plan the topic according to their interests.  The topic webs have evolved and developed according to the interests of the pupils.  Teaching staff ensure that skills coverage is being tracked half termly.  Pupils are encouraged to review topics at appropriate stages and create new areas of learning to develop.

Whole school displays have supported the development of the creative curriculum at the school.  All staff and pupils have taken part in creating four large displays in the hall, which are linked to the four core purposes.  On these displays, evidence is captured from every area of school life and pupils highlight the skills developed.  These principles have quickly transferred to a whole school display, exemplifying the six areas of learning.  Planning documentation has been amended in line with the four core purposes and staff identify how the core purposes are met.  This has aided transition to a more creative curriculum that is in line with the vision of the Curriculum for Wales.

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

Pupils are more engaged in their learning and have taken direct responsibility for the development of their skills.  For example, topics such as ‘Our Wonderful World’ are introduced by simulating what happens when people travel through an airport during an aeroplane flight. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pJOQHFflLQ)  

As a result of the very effective team spirit in the school, collaboration between staff has facilitated sharing of knowledge and understanding effectively in order to develop a creative curriculum.  Pupils’ wellbeing and independence have improved, with most pupils concentrating well in class and older pupils having a mature attitude to learning.  Pupils’ interest in their learning is sustained particularly well in reasoning and problem-solving activities.  Learning has become thoughtful and relevant, with pupils showing a good understanding of the requirements of each area of learning and experience.

Pupils have better opportunities to influence the life and work of the school.  In addition to their role in planning the curriculum, they have developed the school grounds and suggested activities that improve their entrepreneurial skills.  Their work influences priorities for school improvement planning and has a positive impact on the school.

How have you shared your good practice?

The good practice at Mount Pleasant Primary School has been shared with colleagues through peer review meetings and cluster school collaboration.  The school exemplifies its practice via social media.  This has helped to raise the profile of a non-pioneer school working towards a successful future for its pupils the Mount Pleasant way!

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

After the previous inspection in 2011, the school was placed into the statutory category of requiring special measures.  Learners were passive and did not take responsibility for their learning.  The school did not engage with assessment for learning strategies.  Whilst relationships were generally good, pupils found it difficult to meaningfully collaborate with each other.  There were no effective systems to track the progress and attainment of pupils.  Pupils did receive extra support; however, they were not strategically identified, and intervention did not take place often enough and was not matched closely to need.  Pupil voice was underdeveloped.  Overall, the curriculum failed to provide a range of experiences that met the needs of all pupils.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Teachers undertook extensive work on assessment for learning strategies.  Learning objectives formed the basis for self-assessment.  Marking ladders were introduced, allowing pupils and teachers to comment on success criteria and provide feedback.  Marking symbols were used by both pupils and teachers, including “next steps” feedback for pupils.  Teacher feedback has become specifically related to the learning objective.  It is more detailed and pupils can see how to improve their work.  Pupils often answer teachers’ marking comments with their own.  Colour coded marking is used so that pupils can see where they are successful and what needs to be addressed.  Over time, pupils have taken more control of their learning, which in turn has increased confidence and the sense of achievement.  Self-assessment is highly developed, providing a significant positive impact on standards.  Verbal feedback and positivity play a major part in daily lessons, along with school assemblies.  Pupils’ readiness to learn is fuelled by celebrating achievements, with focused celebration of specific skills feeding into the assessment for learning process, resulting in a cyclic motivating culture of focused learning and pupil achievement.

The school has undergone training in collaborative learning structures.  Teachers facilitate pupils’ learning in pairs and groups to encourage the use of talk to support learning.  Levels of participation for all learners have increased.  Teachers and staff use strategies to hold pupils accountable in a non-threatening way, to encourage and persuade all pupils to engage in their learning.  Through collaboration as a form of peer coaching, pupils support each other in generating and refining ideas.  This has increased their confidence well and the greater participation encourages them to take responsibility for their learning.

The school also nurtures confidence and self-esteem in other ways.  Specialist practitioners work alongside existing school staff, enabling pupils to undertake a wide variety of creative experiences and providing them with the opportunity to perform.  As a result, pupils regularly sing and create music to a high standard and participate in a variety of dance and visual arts projects.  The school is currently investigating how drama techniques can be used to drive up standards in narrative writing.

The school has developed successful ways to track progress and check levels of attainment.  It has a very clear understanding of expected standards of attainment for each year group.  Pupils are ‘mapped’ on attainment grids, to enable staff to identify clearly which pupils are not on track and to facilitate appropriate support.  Progress is also carefully measured and provision is altered as a result.  The additional learning needs co-ordinator is able to pinpoint those in need of extra support.  Her knowledge of interventions, based on experience and by visiting other schools, has led to the development of a considerable breadth of provision for a wide range of needs.  Programmes are finely tuned to the needs of individuals or groups.  Teacher assistants undergo high quality training on new intervention strategies before supporting pupils, and the impact is evaluated by analysing pupil progress.  Purposeful training and deployment of teacher assistants for intervention work allow them to lead initiatives across the school.  The impact of their leadership is considerable.  There is a wide range of support interventions for literacy at the school, including to support reading, and a phonic and spelling programme for pupils with specific needs, such as dyslexia.

The school successfully uses programmes targeting anxiety, self-esteem and social development, such as those involving attachment theory.  Parents can also access training.  The school uses particular methods to work with pupils who show marked levels of anxiety and low self-esteem.  The impact of intervention work is that pupils make very good progress from their starting points.

The use of pupil voice has developed well.  There is considerable breadth of opportunity for pupils to have a say in matters that affect them, developing confidence, self-esteem and leadership potential.  Foundation phase pupils suggest ideas for enhanced provision activities and help plan topics and investigations.  Members of the school council perform learning walks, looking at health and safety issues, behaviour for learning and the use of the Welsh language.  They consult pupils on current school developments, for example on their thoughts about a new maths scheme.  They have developed the latest version of the school’s behaviour policy and consulted with the governing body and parents about healthy eating.

The curriculum includes issues involving the local area, using real life situations.  As a result, pupils have a well-developed sense of belonging.  Older children learn about the historical importance of the church and draft leaflets for visitors.  Local businesses hold workshops on the scientific concepts they promote.  Pupils write letters to the town council governor, helping her with an application for funding for the local playground.  Pupils consider how building a wind farm may affect their local community.  It is the school’s belief that these activities foster a strong sense of belonging and sense of place in a community and that they have a positive effect on self-esteem and wellbeing.

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

Standards have greatly improved.  This involved working on many aspects across the school’s curriculum to transform the school’s provision.  In the recent inspection, the judgement for wellbeing has moved from adequate to excellent.  Nearly all pupils are confident, enthusiastic learners.  They participate fully in lessons, sustain concentration purposefully and persevere well when they find tasks challenging.  Pupils now have an exceptionally strong voice in the school and, as they move through the school, they develop an exceptionally clear understanding of the importance of supporting their community and the welfare of others.

The judgement for care support and guidance has also moved from adequate to excellent.  Pupils now know what to do to improve their work.  In the foundation phase, pupils develop their independent learning skills successfully and have a sound understanding of how well they have achieved in lessons through their regular involvement in self-assessment.  Key stage 2 pupils talk knowledgeably about how the marking of their work helps them to develop their skills.  Pupils now make strong progress in learning to work with purpose and resilience.

How have you shared your good practice?

The school believes that it has influenced the practice of other settings through training that it has provided.  The school has organised training for other schools on collaborative learning strategies and the specific literacy programmes, and staff have benefited from working collaboratively with other teachers.  As a small school, leaders believe that this has enabled them to be more outward looking and to share costs.  The Lead Creative Schools project provided further opportunities to work creatively with another local school.  Similarly, joint arts projects funded by The Arts Council for Wales have created opportunities for joint staff meetings, community celebrations and joint evaluation.  Digital leaders have also shared their learning with teachers from other settings in events held outside of school and in training events led by the ICT co-ordinator.  The headteacher has shared school improvement and self-evaluation processes with leaders in other settings.

 
 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Coedcae School is an English-medium, mixed 11-16 secondary school situated in Trostre, Llanelli in the county of Carmarthenshire.  There are 820 pupils at the school.  Pupils are drawn mainly from the neighbourhood around the school and from further afield within the town of Llanelli.  Around 25% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.  This is much higher than the national average of 17%.  Around 44% of pupils live in the 20% most deprived areas in Wales.  Around 60% of pupils are on the school’s additional needs register, which is well above the national average of 22%.  Four per cent of pupils have a statement of special educational needs, which is above the national average of 2%.  Ninety-six per cent of pupils are from a White background and most pupils come from English-speaking homes.  A small number of pupils speak Welsh fluently and around 7% of pupils have a language other than English as their first language.  The headteacher has been in post since 2012 and the senior management team consists of a headteacher, two deputy headteachers and a senior teacher.

Context and background to the effective practice

School managers carried out a robust self-evaluation exercise, which included evaluating the effectiveness of inclusion and support services.  Historically, a number of learners had been undergoing a managed move or permanent exclusion, or had entered specialist provision in PRUs within Carmarthenshire local authority.  Following consultation with staff and pupils, leaders concluded that there was a significant strength in the skillset of staff at all levels at the school that could allow for the planning of an appropriate curriculum and targeted support for vulnerable learners.  This meant that, with appropriate funding and provision, more pupils could successfully maintain their school place without the need for a managed move to another provider.

The school therefore started to strengthen its provision for vulnerable learners.  Policies and procedures were crafted so that they encapsulated the school’s new and stronger ethos of inclusivity.  Due to financial constraints, the school had to work hard and creatively to identify the most beneficial and effective training and guidance for its staff.  Leaders focused on areas that would provide its staff with a greater understanding of social and economic issues affecting its pupils and their families.  Training was given to all school staff in attachment awareness and in emotional coaching.  Whole-school training focused on ensuring that staff understood the importance of empathy, tolerance and patience during any behaviour support programme and staff were trained in restorative approaches to behaviour modification.  All staff were trained in person-centred planning and the school produced a valuable person-centred toolkit for its staff in order to support them in their work with vulnerable pupils.  A new school policy was adopted to ensure that any child who began to show signs of emotional or behavioural difficulty would have timely access to a key worker of his or her choice.  To this end, a number of staff at all levels opted to train as either in-house family liaison officers or pupil key workers.  This included support staff, administrative staff and the school youth worker as well as teachers.  These key workers and family liaison officers play a vital role in the school’s Team Around the Family (TAF) support and planning meetings.

Description of activity

The main driver in promoting an inclusive ethos at the school is the ‘Behaviour for Learning Policy and Guidance’.  Through this comprehensive policy, the school has mapped out the direct link between pupil inclusion and support and targeted teaching and learning.  Bespoke literacy and numeracy packages are planned for vulnerable learners as well as opportunities for individual morning mentoring sessions, social stories group sessions and bespoke accelerated reading groups.  Early morning nurture clubs take place, which build trust between vulnerable pupils and their adult key workers.  Older pupils who display more negative attitudes to learning or signs of disaffection are given valuable opportunities to work with established partners of the school, for example through beneficial basic skills and life skills programmes provided by Swansea City Football Club.

As part of the choices at key stage 4, all pupils choose an option from the ‘Enrichment Column’. More able pupils study extra GCSE courses, for example in sociology, psychology or an extra modern foreign language. In addition, there is a broad range of vocational and enriching courses to choose from, including a cookery course written by a well-known celebrity chef, extended work experience, handwriting skills, catch-up literacy and numeracy and valuable social skills programmes. These options provide valuable experiences for vulnerable learners and often provide them with a vital alternative curriculum which supports their attendance at school when they otherwise might choose not to attend.

The school’s youth worker also provides bespoke courses for individuals with particular emotional needs. The school has worked hard to establish many valuable and successful partnerships with organisations, which provide beneficial experiences and training for young people, such as the Fire Service’s Phoenix Course and Scarlets’ Rugby Club’s Tackle Project.

Key workers organise regular break time meetings with refreshments for teaching staff of the individual pupils they are responsible for to gather information on standards and attitudes to learning and behaviour. Pupils’ one-page profiles are working documents that are regularly updated by key workers and shared with staff. Behaviour plans are simple and manageable. They have only two sections – ‘concerns’ and ‘agreed terms’. These two documents form the basis of all discussions on pupils in the regular TAF meetings.

Impact on provision and standards

Leaders have found that maintaining a consistent level of focused intervention, together with a positive, productive relationship with parents, resulted in better attainment and attendance and improved behaviour for pupils at risk of exclusion. Over time, the school has seen a notable reduction in the number of fixed-term exclusions and in managed move requests to the Local Authority Moderation Panel. The whole-school ethos of inclusivity and support and its emphasis on showing empathy towards all pupils have had a positive impact on pupil wellbeing and attendance.

The strong focus on continuous professional development for teachers and support staff in inclusion matters has strengthened the school’s ability to provide for the most vulnerable and challenging learners without the need for external support. Staff have benefited from valuable and beneficial training from established professional bodies. For example, the Carers Trust provided training on pastoral support and staff learnt how to support children whose parents are in prison from the Invisible Walls charity.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context

Cwm Glâs Primary School is in the village of Winch Wen in the City and County of Swansea.  There are 294 pupils aged 3 to 11 years on roll, including 38 part-time pupils in the nursery.  Very few pupils with mild to moderate learning difficulties attend the special teaching facility on the school site.

Around 32% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.  This is well above the average for Wales.  The school identifies 54% of pupils as having additional learning needs, which is higher than the national average.  A very few pupils have a statement of special educational needs, with a majority educated in the special teaching facility.  A very few pupils have English as an additional language, whilst no pupils speak Welsh at home.  The current headteacher took up his post in September 2017.

Culture and ethos

Cwm Glâs Primary School lies at the heart of its community, offering a positive and inclusive ethos that welcomes all pupils, whatever their background or circumstances.  Staff at all levels celebrate achievement and champion success.  Leaders ensure that the pupils have a memorable, relevant and balanced learning experience at Cwm Glâs.  The school notes that it has a relentless aim for pupils to leave Cwm Glâs as confident, resilient, ambitious and capable learners, ready to take their place in the world.  The school provides a happy, family environment where pupils grow in learning and in life.  The school is proud of its inclusive and nurturing ethos and it promotes pupils’ rights as a main principle that underpins all of its work.

Action

The school invested in an effective nurture provision in January 2013 and this has grown to support many identified learners.  All staff refer pupils into the provision using an in-house system and standardised tests.  The school has worked effectively to develop its practice, seeking training and network links with other settings.  Further investment in the nurture provision has seen it flourish into a centre of best practice, now offering support to other settings and hosting nurture training events.  This is having a profound impact on the self-esteem and self-confidence of some of the school’s most vulnerable pupils.  Recently, the school has become affiliated with ‘Team Around the Family in Schools’ to strengthen the impact further.  The school works with an effective multi-agency approach, developing strong, nurturing and trusting relationships with parents, ‘nans’, carers and families.  Each Monday, classes host ‘check-ins’ after the weekend to explore pupils’ feelings.  Pupils can be referred to the Pastoral Support Assistant for emotional support where needed.  The school hosts regular learning café events, focusing on reading or maths.  As a result, the percentage of pupils with reading scores equal to or higher than their chronological reading ages have increased from 18% to 52%.  The pupils are the true hosts at these events, with pupil voice groups chaperoning, demonstrating and enthusing other pupils, whilst empowering parents and carers to support learning at home.

Family learning sessions are strategically targeted towards reception pupils’ parents and carers, to strengthen home-school relationships from the outset and to offer early strategies for supporting and valuing learning at home. 

The inclusive ethos is a key area of strength.  Rigorous tracking of each individual learner ensures that all achievements are valued and secures accountability for outcomes.  School leaders are prepared to support and work alongside families and agencies to secure the very best for every child, whilst engendering a positive attitude to learning.  Provision for pupils who require additional support is very strong and the additional learning needs co-ordinator supports teachers and support staff effectively in tailoring high quality provision.  Well-trained staff deliver a range of beneficial intervention programmes and support to improve pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills as well as their emotional and wellbeing needs.  All pupils with additional learning needs contribute well to their own specific and measurable individual education plans, which they complete alongside key staff and parents or carers.  As a result of this high quality provision, nearly all targeted pupils make good progress at least in line with their abilities and needs.

Another strength of the way the school facilitates pupil voice is through groups such as the school council, healthy schools group and the eco Schools group, which are all involved in strategic school planning.  They help to determine the school development plan priorities, offer challenge to school leaders and cascade information back to their peers and parents.  Pupils contribute to policy writing, ensuring that their voice and opinions are heard.  ‘Digital Leaders’ create and share important messages about online safety and host seminars for parents and carers.  All Year 6 pupils are given a role of responsibility, engendering pride and confidence and strengthening staff and pupil trust. 

Outcomes

All pupils develop into resourceful, reciprocal, reflective and resilient learners.  Attendance has placed the school consistently in the top 25% when compared to similar schools for a number of years.  Parents, carers, children and families feel supported by the school.  Standards of progress show an upward three-year trend, with the performance gap between boys and girls significantly reduced.  Likewise, trends for learner groups demonstrate the positive impact of the school’s inclusive and nurturing approach.  The school has achieved the highest accolade regarding its commitment to being a healthy school.

 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

A major factor that proved to be a catalyst for change at Tavernspite was the release of the Successful Futures report, published in early 2015.  The leadership team had already, through evaluative processes, identified that there was a need for significant improvements in provision in order confidently to attain the statutory demands of the New Curriculum for Wales.  

An alternative planning process and professional development strategy for staff were outlined, which would support teachers to engineer a stimulating skills curriculum that was aligned with best practice models in Wales.

The school proceeded to create a rich and immersive skills-based curriculum at key stage 2, which requires teachers to be creative, and to track and manage the skills coverage of their planning.  It also requires leaders to be trusting, supportive and appreciative of the complexity of such tasks.  The school believes that the attainment of consistently high standards across a whole key stage is not a short term project; it is instead the product of a longer term commitment to a leadership philosophy that identifies teachers as learners.

The vision at the school is one of teacher support and empowerment.  The school believes that consistently high standards are facilitated by enthused, motivated and creative practitioners who are given every opportunity to thrive.  Leaders focus on supporting and developing staff to design and refine sequences of absorbing learning activities, and to stretch learners, focusing around engaging themes and meaningful contexts.  

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Planning and managing the blending of skills through absorbing thematic tasks required reflective, independent and collaborative processes.  To provide a real-time picture of curriculum coverage across key stage 2, leaders and teachers use a skills and range tracking management system, accessed through Hwb, for each of the cross-curricular purposes and specific subjects.  This system allowed multiple authors to enter information on what skill they had covered in each unit of work.  Over time, this allowed staff and leaders to see what was being covered, when, and to what degree in specific year groups and across the key stage.  As a result, this supports teachers to identify any skills or areas that require further development, facilitating effectively the planning of future learning activities.

In order to create a skills-based curriculum, staff were provided with training sessions and time to work collaboratively.  The starting place for the design of the new skill-rich learning activities was the selection of a compelling topic under a general overarching theme, for example Alan Turing breaking the Enigma code under the banner of the Second World War theme.  Staff would be encouraged to research a topic and think about what they would have found interesting if they were the pupil studying this for the first time, for example, in this case, Alan Turing’s backstory, his genius Enigma code breaking machine, and the personal injustices he suffered.  Once the learning stage had been set, time is provided for staff to consider how the range of skills from subjects across the curriculum can be facilitated into a meaningful sequence of lessons.

An example of a cross curricular sequence of lessons in this instance could include: the teaching of algebra, then the working of the associated rules into codebreaking activities related to the Second World War topic, which develop pupils’ reading and reasoning skills.  These cracked codes could then be shared using oracy, drama or writing activities and further enhanced using ICT.  It would also be easy to incorporate history, geography and personal and social development into the sequence of lessons. 

The school believes that it is important to avoid tenuously forcing skills into tasks when they are not complementary.  The selection of engaging themes, with depth and scope, gives teachers ample room for creating engaging cross-curricular tasks.  This is most effectively achieved when teachers are trained to think more creatively and to feel like they can take risks.  In order to create a culture of innovation and experimentation, regular forums and bespoke training sessions for staff were held, based upon an assessment of needs.  These events sharpened the focus on standards and pedagogy.  This led to a consistent approach by teachers in the use of certain strategies and resources. 

Identifying teacher skill sets, and committing them to teach the same year group for a number of years, provided stability to the team and allowed for the progressive refinement and improvement of provision and practice.  The confidence and peace of mind that this gave to staff acted as a powerful incentive for investing time, energy and creativity for the long term: leading to reduced future workload, higher standards in teaching and learning experiences, and a greater confidence and expertise in the effective delivery of their lessons.

Coaching and mentoring processes were initiated that help staff to share and develop their expertise with each other.  The focus moved away from scrutiny and competition, towards support and growth, allowing for greater trust and closer working practices to flourish between the staff.

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

The pupils have benefited from experiencing engaging and exciting learning experiences that are well structured and thoughtfully engineered to refine and develop a wide range of cross-curricular skills in meaningful contexts.

This impact has been identified through the study of pupil questionnaires and learning walks, and by observing improvements in pupil outcomes.  The standards of work in pupils’ books and e-portfolios has been monitored by the leadership team over time through scrutiny and self-evaluation practices, and the school considers that notable improvements in consistency and quality have been observed.

How have you shared your good practice?

  • through Estyn thematic surveys: ‘Primary School Improvement Journeys’ and conference at Principality Stadium

  • the ERW consortium Professional Learning Schools project

  • learning visits from schools across Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire

 
 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Ysgol y Preseli is a designated bilingual community comprehensive school for pupils between 11 and 18 years old in the Pembrokeshire local authority.  There are around 900 pupils on roll.  Around 5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals and around 20% have additional learning needs.  Forty‑one per cent of pupils come from Welsh-speaking homes, and most pupils speak Welsh fluently. 

Context and background to the effective practice

In 2013, leaders identified that, while the school had a clear definition of more able and talented pupils, practices for challenging and nurturing their progress varied too much by department and were not consistent. 

The school refocused its interpretation of more able pupils and updated its practices to ensure that it considered pupils’ individual needs.  It identified that it needed to improve the proportion of pupils who achieve level 7 or above at the end of key stage 3 and the proportion who achieve 5A* to A grades at GCSE. 

Description of activity/strategy

Since 2013, leaders have ensured a consistent focus on more able pupils within improvement plans.  The school’s initial action was to set up a specific leadership role and identify a leader who would have responsibility for more able and talented pupils. 

The school’s leader for more able and talented pupils began to work with all staff using guidance from the NACE to audit and evaluate the school’s provision and practices.  Leaders recognised that, while this work may lead to the successful attainment of the NACE award, the real strength of this process lay in helping to identify areas for improvement that would have a positive impact on provision and pupil outcomes.

Following this, the leader for more able and talented pupils led staff training sessions to help teachers consider and develop a clear, shared understanding of what more able and talented means in their school.  As a result, staff are more confident in their ability to identify these pupils and place them on the school’s register for more able and talented pupils.  This supports other teachers to challenge these pupils effectively in lessons. 

Using the NACE framework, leaders undertook an audit of provision for more able and talented pupils across all departments and identified improvement actions, for example mentoring individual pupils and improving the transition from key stage 2 to key stage 3 to ensure that teachers build progressively upon pupils’ prior skills and knowledge.  The school continues to use the NACE auditing tool to evaluate its practices and plan for improvement.  Subsequent actions have been to develop schemes of work with more challenging content and enrichment tasks for more able and talented pupils. 

As part of the school’s ethos of supporting and enabling all pupils to fulfil their potential, leaders and staff work diligently to allow more able pupils to undertake extra GCSEs where they wish.  This means supporting these pupils’ learning outside of the normal school timetable.  For example, where a pupil asks to study one more GCSE than the timetable allows, teachers work with more able pupils to ensure that this can happen.  Teachers provide pupils with course work and relevant study books and often work with pupils at lunchtime or after school.  Pupils work conscientiously to complete coursework in their own time and teachers provide individual support when necessary.  The school’s work in this area allows more able pupils to study a wider range of subjects than is usual and, in nearly all cases, pupils completing these extra GCSEs achieve high grades. 

As well as providing rigorous challenge in the classroom, leaders have developed a mentoring strategy for more able pupils in key stage 3.  They recognise that, while these pupils are more able academically, they might need support with settling into secondary school or with issues of wellbeing.   For example, leaders identify those pupils who feel pressure to perform consistently at a level above their peers or whose progress is slowing.  Teachers also identify those more able pupils whom they consider may need mentoring support.  The lead teacher meets with those identified regularly.  This allows her to discuss their individual needs and identify how the school can support or accommodate them.  She is then able to communicate with other teachers, to ensure that they meet pupils’ needs.  For example, a pupil identified as more able was performing highly across the curriculum but causing concern in one particular subject area.  Teachers identified this quickly and provided mentoring.  As a result, the pupil’s engagement in lessons and progress in learning improved in this subject. 

From the mentoring system, leaders identified that many more able pupils in Year 7 wanted extra challenge, both in and out of class.  To facilitate this they developed a challenge booklet.  Heads of departments of different subject areas helped to develop tasks to include in this.  Pupils complete these challenges if they have time during the school day or work through them at home.  The booklet contains a self-assessment tool linked to pupils’ wellbeing that allows these pupils to identify and share their feelings.  As a result, the booklets provide academic challenge while forming the basis for identifying issues linked to pupils’ wellbeing, which are discussed during individual mentoring sessions.

Impact on provision and standards

As a result of effective self-evaluation, the school’s work on improving provision and practices to support more able and talented pupils has had a strong impact on outcomes over the last four years.

The proportion of pupils achieving five A*-A at GCSE or equivalent has improved consistently during this period, rising from 23% in 2015 to 31% in 2017 (Welsh Government, 2017c).

Nearly all pupils who receive mentoring respond positively to the support and appreciate having an individual with whom they can discuss any concerns.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Evenlode Primary School is a community school in the western suburb of Penarth in the Vale of Glamorgan.  It has around 450 pupils between the ages of four and eleven years.  Very few pupils are eligible to receive free school meals.  English is the predominant language of the pupils.

Context and background to the effective practice

The school caters for many able pupils across all year groups.  Over the last few years, it has been a priority to improve the writing of more able pupils throughout the school.  Working in partnership with an ex-parent of the school, who has experience as a specialist language teacher, has enabled many older pupils to succeed in developing their extended writing skills.

Description of activity/strategy

The school implemented a strategy to extend the writing skills of more able pupils in Year 6.  This strategy required pupils to attend a weekly half-day session with an ex-parent, who is a specialist language teacher.  Working with the local comprehensive school’s Year 8 pupils, the school’s more able Year 6 pupils were required to read a specific novel and use its structure as a narrative framework to help them write their own extended story over the course of a year.  The process involved innovative homework, highly effective and unique classroom teaching strategies and parental support through weekly contact and termly meetings.

The specialist worked successfully with pupils on a wide variety of effective strategies and techniques to improve their creative writing.  He based his creative writing and literacy programme on vocabulary acquisition and simple writing techniques used by professional authors.

Liaison with the local comprehensive school’s English department enabled Year 6 and Year 8 pupils to participate in peer mentoring and editing which, in turn, led to the Year 6 pupils acting as peer mentors to Year 5 and Year 4 pupils.  This increased their confidence and improved their wellbeing.

The pupils taking part in the programme have a confidence and flair for creative and non-fiction writing that is infectious, and all pupils produced their own novels of between 12 and 16 thousand words.  Many of those pupils have a reading age of between 13 and 14 years.

Impact on provision and standards

Many pupils who took part in the programme produced work in oracy, writing and reading at level 6 in English.  As a result of the success of the initiative, a second cohort of pupils are currently working on the programme. 

The Year 5 pupils who were mentored during the first phase of the programme were very keen to participate demonstrating a passion for writing.