Effective Practice Archives - Page 59 of 66 - Estyn

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Mynydd Cynffig Primary School is in the village of Kenfig Hill, about four miles west of Bridgend.  The primary school opened in September 2015 and is an amalgamation of the former Mynydd Cynffig infant and junior schools, but still operates on two separate sites.  There are 470 pupils on roll with 23% eligible for free school meals.

Context and background to sector-leading practice

Mynydd Cynffig Primary has been a Curriculum Pioneer School since November 2015 and for the past 12 months has focused on the expressive arts area of learning.  During this time, the school has prioritised pedagogical approaches to be at the forefront of their teaching.  In addition, pupils have become significantly more involved in leading their learning, which has had a clear impact on engagement.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Pedagogy

Teachers explored the 12 pedagogical principles highlighted in ‘Successful Futures’, identifying two to be developed further in their planning, namely creating authentic contexts for learning and encouraging pupils to take increasing responsibility for their own learning.  ‘Immersion’ days encouraged pupils to plan their own learning, and teachers ensured that the experiences provided are rich, stimulating and engaging.  Experiential opportunities within the local community, such as visiting a Chinese restaurant, coffee shops, places of worship, theatres and museums, as well as inviting ‘experts’ in to work alongside pupils, helped to create an ‘innovative’ curriculum.

Expressive Arts

Expressive Arts has been at the heart of the school’s curriculum.  Themes are chosen specifically to allow opportunities to develop pupils’ skills in music, media, art, dance and drama.  For example, in drama, strategies such as ‘Observe, Wonder, Infer’, ‘Thought Tunnels’, ‘Mantle of the Expert’ and ‘Tableaux’ have enabled pupils to become increasingly confident, as well as helping them to develop critical and creative thinking skills.  This purposeful multidisciplinary approach is stimulating and exciting for pupils and teachers alike.

Visual Literacy / Thinking Skills

Teachers carefully select books, video clips and pictures, which have deepened pupils’ understanding of character and plot, developing their thinking, oracy, reading and writing skills.  Stimuli such as ‘Into The Forest’ and ‘The Spider and the Fly’ capture the pupils’ interest and imagination, leading to high-quality oracy work, which in turn gives confidence and motivation to write extensively, especially for boys.

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

The innovative curriculum has a positive impact on pupils’ enjoyment of learning and results in very good progress in their speaking, listening and writing skills.  The increase in confidence, the positive teacher-pupil relationships and the willingness to participate and ‘have-a-go’ are changing pupils’ mindsets positively.  They encourage them that it is acceptable to make mistakes, and that it is important to do your best.  As a result, independent learning and metacognitive skills are developing well.  Pupil performance tracking and teacher assessments indicate improvements in speaking and listening.  The school believes that much of this can be attributed to the increased opportunities for pupils to discuss, collaborate, debate and have the freedom to think and perform creatively.  This in turn has led to improved outcomes in writing, especially with boys.  The school believes that the biggest impact of all, however, can be seen in pupil engagement, where pupils are happy in their learning and celebrate each other’s successes.  Assessment for learning strategies are constantly evolving and are a pillar of the school’s approach to pupils’ learning, such as in readily appreciating constructive feedback from their peers and adults to improve their work and to move confidently on to the next step of their learning. 

How have you shared your good practice?

The school shared its curriculum pioneer work with schools within their cluster of schools, the local authority and the regional consortium through organised training events.  It has also shared its work with individual schools on request.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Hendy C.P. School is in the village of Hendy near Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, and serves the village and the immediate area.

There are 164 pupils aged between 3 and 11 years of age on the school register, including five nursery pupils.

Around 10% of the pupils are eligible to receive free school meals, which is below the national average.  Around 16% of pupils have additional learning needs, which is lower than the national average.  Very few pupils have statements of educational needs.

Around 29% of pupils come from Welsh speaking homes.  The school provides education through the medium of Welsh or English in two separate streams.  There are four classes in the Welsh stream and three in the English stream.  Pupils in the English stream learn Welsh as a second language.  Very few pupils are learning English as an additional language.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Following a difficult period where the school had been removed from the category, ‘in need of significant improvement’, a new headteacher started in September 2014.

An initial focus meeting with parents and pupils highlighted the need to tackle unresolved bullying incidents.  The behaviour of a few pupils was also a cause for concern and there were several fixed term exclusions. 

The school has established and maintained a wide range of innovative arrangements, which promote anti-bullying across the whole school.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

The focus meetings led to a complete overhaul of the anti-bullying policy, systems and strategies across the school at all levels.  The process involved all stakeholders.  This incudes facilitating clear opportunities for pupil voice, for example to create and review the pupil version of the anti-bullying policy every year.

An initial anti-bullying task force was set up in the school.  This group comprised of the headteacher, a teacher and pupils.  The group was carefully chosen and included one pupil who had been bullied and one whose behaviour was a cause for concern and was at risk of being excluded.

Pupils on the taskforce decided to create a video policy, as they felt that this would be inclusive and understood by all children in the school.  They worked with the IT co-ordinator and created a child‑friendly video version of the anti-bullying policy that included every pupil in the school.  The group presented the policy to the whole school and to the governors and parents in an open evening.  The policy has clear guidelines of what is bullying and what pupils can and should do if they are being bullied.  This led to the school motto, ‘gyda’n gilydd cymaint mwy’- ‘together so much more’.

The video policy is revised and adapted every year and now includes guidance for cyber bullying and on-line safety.  It involves members of the the school council and ‘grwp.com’ (the digital champions group) and the participation of every single pupil in the school.  The adaptations reflect any additional support, advice or systems available in the school.  Members of the production team share the policy with the whole school in assemblies, for parents and governors through the website, and in governor meetings and open evenings for parents.

The statutory school anti-bullying policy (adult version) was reviewed at the same time and involved all stakeholders in the process.  A draft policy was uploaded to the school website for consultation so that staff, parents and governors could respond.

If any bullying incidences arise, the revised policy and procedures includes a satisfaction survey for parents and pupils, so that school is aware of any areas it needs to improve on when dealing with issues.  All instances of bullying are recorded and monitored.  School leaders and teachers follow up any issues and ‘check-ins’ take place with pupils and parents to ensure that issues are resolved.  Open lines of communication are valued and maintained.

A whole school approach is strongly evident through the school with a wide range of systems in place that promote positive behaviour, the development of pupils’ wellbeing and a zero tolerance to bullying.

Targeted training for staff has increased the school’s capacity and expertise for dealing with issues such as bullying and wellbeing.  All staff attended restorative justice training and this has a positive impact on staff confidence in conflict resolution and for dealing with issues on the school yard and in class.  The headteacher and several members of staff attended training in emotion coaching and attachment awareness.  This has led to a whole school focus on modeling language and implementing consistent strategies that encourages empathy, healthy brain development and guidance.  Nearly all pupils understand boundaries and take responsibility for their actions.

All staff are actively involved in a range of playground games at break times and model how to play and how to resolve incidents.  Pupil ‘Playground Peacemakers’ are trained in mediation and run playground games at break times.  Training updates take place every term following the initial training programme to maintain the momentum and make changes as necessary.

In response to pupil voice in key stage 2, where many pupils felt uncomfortable recording their worries in a worry box, a computer app was introduced.  This allows pupils to record their feelings and send messages to a trusted adult within the school.  The app is available for use by the pupils at all times in school.  This extra ‘private’ line of communication is valued very highly by all pupils in key stage 2.

Super Ambassadors introduce and lead the ‘hawl y mis’ special whole school assembly.  These focus on a variety of different human rights and the rights of the child.  Each right is always linked back to the right to be safe and free from harm.  Sensitive issues such as homophobic and racist language and bullying are tackled safely through personal and social education (PSE) and ‘circle time’, where pupils interact and discuss issues in a safe and supportive environment.  Pupils in Years 5 and 6 attend workshops run by ‘Show Racism the Red Card’.  

The school is aware that bullying can always occur.  However, an ethos of ‘zero tolerance’ is clearly established in the school and as one pupil said ‘in our school anti-bullying is not for one week but is for every day’.

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

All pupils have a clear understanding that they have the right to be safe and free from harm.

In a recent confidential pupil satisfaction survey :

  • all pupils are confident that feel safe and valued in school
  • all pupils are confident that they would be happy to tell someone if they are being bullied
  • all pupils are confident that they would be listened to if they are being bullied, and the school would deal with the matter.  

Pupil participation and building positive relationships are an integral part of the school.  Visitors comment on the special ethos of happiness, manners and care within the school.  Pupils’ behaviour in the school is outstanding.

Nearly all pupils understand they have a voice.  Nearly all pupils have a very positive attitude to their learning.  Pupil voice is very strong through out the school and this has had a positive impact on pupil confidence and engagement. 

How have you shared your good practice?

Pupils have presented their pupil friendly anti-bullying policy in a county anti-bullying youth conference.  The conference comprised of secondary schools and youth groups across the county. The school was the first primary school to be invited to the annual conference.

The school and pupils have shared the pupil policy and strategies with schools in the county Healthy Schools network.

The school’s strategies and pupil anti-bullying policy have been shared through the ERW regional consortium ‘areas of excellence’ programme.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

 
Darran Park Primary School is in Rhondda Cynon Taf local authority.  The school caters for pupils from three to eleven years old.  There are 340 pupils in 12 classes, three of which are mixed age.  There is also a local authority learning support class for up to eight foundation phase pupils.
 
Approximately 22% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is around the national average.  The school has identified 32% of pupils as having additional learning needs.  This is well above the national average.  Nearly all pupils come from English speaking homes.  A very few pupils have English as an additional language. 
 
The school is currently a pioneer school and is working with the Welsh Government and other schools to take forward developments relating to the curriculum.
 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

 
Following the recommendations in the school’s 2011 Estyn inspection report regarding a lack of provision for ICT opportunities across the curriculum, the school embarked on its journey to address this issue. 
 

Description of nature of strategy or activity

 
Digital learning is at the heart of the curriculum at Darran Park Primary school.  The school believes that establishing a vision for digital learning, involving all stakeholders, has played an important part in its digital journey. 
 
The school believes that staff development is vital for the effectiveness of the teaching and learning of digital learning.  When leaders introduced the digital competence framework (DCF), all teaching and non-teaching staff completed a baseline confidence assessment in each of the strands.  Leaders used the results to produce specific targets for staff to become more confident in certain areas of the DCF.  As well as this, if staff were particularly confident in certain areas, leaders encouraged them to share good practice with others and to lead training.  All teachers have worked closely with the school’s leader of digital learning to develop DCF rich tasks and opportunities to develop the DCF across the curriculum. 
 
Through a thematic approach to learning, the school ensures that learners have consistent opportunities to develop digital competencies in an engaging and innovative way.  Teachers carefully plan to develop the DCF and digital learning within medium and short term planning.  In the topic ‘Blitz: Wales at War’, pupils worked collaboratively with 10 schools from the Central South Consortium to learn about a child’s experience of the Second World War.  Pupils learned about their local area during the war, and created their community using modelling software, developing multimedia presentations to share with other schools.  Pupils also made a shared animation, “From Cardiff to the valleys”, about an evacuee’s experience of war.  Schools created a shared narrative, each taking responsibility for animating a scene.  Using ICT in this way helped pupils to understand how children living in different parts of Wales experienced war in very different ways. 
 
At Darran Park Primary School, staff use digital learning effectively to raise standards in English.  In the project ‘The Wonderful World of Roald Dahl’, pupils used Roald Dahl’s texts and emerging technology as a stimulus for writing.  To celebrate Roald Dahl’s 100th birthday, pupils created their own Roald Dahl inspired narratives using innovative software packages.  Due to the success of the project, the school created a global competition, with pupils from 95 schools across the world taking part.
 
At the school, pupil leadership plays a crucial role in the school’s approach to digital learning.  Digital leaders are assigned specific areas of responsibility, including communicating and collaborating, the science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects (STEM), and e-safety.  Pupils are involved in the school’s monitoring of digital learning through listening to learners and learning walks.  As part of its approach to sharing good practice, the school provides digital leaders with opportunities to work with classes throughout the school to deliver DCF focused workshops.  As part of their digital leader roadshow, pupils developed their own digital training enterprise company to support schools using emerging technology in the classroom.  Over the last two years, pupils have visited over 100 schools, delivering a range of workshops using a learning platform, and modelling and word processing programs.  In addition, pupil digital leaders were invited to a multinational technology company to support the creation of a new initiative – a consistent and engaging approach to promoting STEM and computer science. 
 
Emerging technology plays an integral part in providing pupils opportunities to collaborate and communicate with learners from across the globe.  Through the effective use of a telecommunications application software in the classroom, learners have collaborated with schools from many countries, including India, the USA, Sweden and Poland.  At the beginning of the recent topic ‘Hola Mexico’, pupils took part in a mystery digital conversation with a school in Mexico. 
 
The school has led many collaborative action research projects with schools across Wales, including a 2017 project with five schools focusing on the central question: ‘Is a well-known modelling software package a gimmick?’  Pupils used collaborative forums in the classroom to share and peer assess each other’s writing.  Pupils presented their findings to each other and invited guests at a sharing event at the University of South Wales in July 2017.
 
What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?
The school’s innovative and engaging use of digital technology across the curriculum has had a significant impact on pupil standards.  In 2017, 96% of Year 6 pupils achieved at least level 4 for oracy with 92% achieving the same for writing.  It has engaged boys and led to 100% achieving the expected level in English, a significant improvement (28 percentage points) on the previous year.  In addition to Year 6:
 
• In Year 3, 89.7% of pupils achieved the expected level in writing
• In Year 4, 89.6% of pupils achieved the expected level in writing
• In Year 5, 91.2% of pupils achieved the expected level in writing
 
The school’s approach to digital learning has significantly developed pupils’ literacy, numeracy, ICT skills and increased their understanding of history and geography.  In 2017, the school received the digital award as part of the Welsh heritage schools’ initiative for its integration of history and digital learning. 
 
As a result of the development of effective pupil leadership, pupils demonstrate excellent oracy, collaboration and leadership skills, raising standards in both their own school and beyond.  The pupils’ digital leader roadshow received the pupil award at the 2016 national digital learning event.  The school’s approach to digital learning has had a major impact on pupil aspirations and wellbeing, and on their understanding of the wider world.

How have you shared your good practice?

 
The school has developed a culture of sharing good practice both within and beyond the school.  A digital council has been developed to lead the school’s digital agenda.  This consists of pupil digital leaders, parents, teaching and non-teaching staff and the link governor for digital learning. 
 
Darran Park Primary School is currently a Central South Consortium curriculum hub for digital learning and has developed professional development programmes to support the leadership of the DCF and digital learning. 
 
As a ‘Showcase School’, Darran Park Primary has shared its approach to digital learning with schools from across Wales.  The school shared the way it uses a range of technology, including with schools from across the country, in a first ever redefining learning event to be held in Wales.  In addition, the leader of digital learning presented how the school has integrated modelling software across the curriculum at international events in Brussels and Budapest, and at a leading educational technology exhibition.
 
Pupil digital leaders have shared their good practice with schools from three different consortia and worked on a digital leader programme that they have shared with schools throughout the Central South Consortium. 
 
The ‘Wonderful World of Roald Dahl’ was shared through a digital network and a resource for the 2017 national digital learning event. 
 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Oak Field Primary School is an English-medium 3-11 school maintained by the Vale of Glamorgan local authority.  It serves the community of Gibbonsdown and the wider area of Barry.  There are 186 pupils on roll. 

Around 63% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is well above the national average. 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

A nurture provision was established at the school to ensure that all pupils have access, at any time, to the specialist intervention and support needed to ensure that they are ready to learn.  Two members of staff received specialist training and the ‘nurture room’ is part of the main school building established in the heart of the school.  All stakeholders had input in designing the space, which is welcoming and calm. 

Nurture provision is used very effectively to support all pupils and in particular the school’s more vulnerable pupils.  It is both proactive, with pupils selected to attend set sessions, and reactive, with pupils who may have experienced trauma being offered support from the day of the incident.  Upon evaluation of the nurture provision, the pupils and staff reflected that the support given extended beyond nurture and the provision was renamed NEWS – Nurture, Emotional, Wellbeing and Skills.  Oak Field Primary uses restorative approaches to promote positive behaviour and encourage collaboration, and the strategies adopted by NEWS complement these.  This ‘joined-up’ thinking has proved to be particularly effective with pupils who display behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.  The establishment of these approaches complement the school’s values well; those of self-respect, tolerance, collaboration and perseverance. 

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Pupils are identified for NEWS provision through a combination of discussion with the adults that know the pupils well and rigorous analysis of a variety of data.  The school makes excellent use of data and works with a number of external agencies, such as the local authority’s children’s services, to ensure that the interventions meet the pupils’ individual needs.  The NEWS provision is evaluated regularly and over the years has continued to evolve.  New groups have been established, for example a ‘girls only group’ aimed at raising aspirations in an effort to reduce teenage pregnancies.  All interventions are delivered by highly skilled, highly trained staff.  Two full-time members of staff are based in the NEWS room and are supported by the whole school to ensure consistency in approach.  In addition to the NEWS sessions, emotional literacy support assistance (ELSA) sessions are delivered regularly and are included on the wellbeing timetable.  This links the work completed in the classroom well and strengthens communication across the school. 

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

Individual pupils are tracked carefully using teacher assessments.  Detailed individual intervention records are kept and the provision is regularly reviewed.  Data is used effectively to inform next steps for the individual pupils.  The effectiveness of the NEWS provision has resulted in a reduction in exclusion rates (from 27 to 3 in the first year).  Teacher assessments, along with national test data, demonstrate that those pupils who have received nurture support make very good progress and continue to achieve.  The number of safeguarding disclosures that pupils have made has also increased as pupils become more emotionally aware and confident, therefore further strengthening the safeguarding of pupils across the school. 

How have you shared your good practice?

The school has hosted a number of training sessions on topics such as attachment disorder and bereavement.  Oak Field Primary regularly provides ELSA supervision sessions for staff members from other schools.  The school welcomes visits from other settings.  

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Cwmaber Infant School is in the village of Abertridwr in Caerphilly local authority.  There are 144 pupils aged three to seven on roll.  This includes around 36 pupils in the part-time nursery class.  The school has four full-time classes.  Around 32% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is higher than the average for Wales (19%).  There are a very few pupils looked after by the local authority.
 
The school identifies around 22% of pupils as having additional learning needs.  Very few pupils have a statement of special educational needs.  Very few pupils come from ethnic minority backgrounds or speak English as an additional language.  No pupils speak Welsh as their first language.

Context and background to sector-leading practice

Cwmaber Infants School is a caring, vibrant and welcoming community where all pupils and staff are valued equally.  All pupils have access to every aspect of school life.  There is an inclusive ethos that supports all pupils and adults well.

Pupil voice is actively encouraged by all members of staff in order to develop genuine ownership of school life and initiatives.  The school follows Article 12 of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, which states “when adults are making decisions that affect pupils, pupils have the right to say what they think should happen and have their opinions taken into account”. The headteacher leads the School Ambassadors, who are chosen carefully in order to include the pupils who are most likely to benefit from the responsibility of making whole-school decisions regarding the school environment and learning activities.  Pupils are able to choose which committees they wish to represent and as an infant school the roles have been undertaken by pupils in Year 1 and 2.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Staff actively promote pupil voice and decision-making.  Pupils have a positive impact on the quality of school life.  Pupils take responsibility for improving their school seriously.  They have roles to improve playtimes, promote the use of Welsh and develop pupils’ understanding of environmental issues.  Digital Leaders consider ideas for developing the Digital Competency Framework (DCF) and the E-Safety committee works hard to ensure that pupils are safe whilst online.  Year 1 pupils have participated in the Lead Creative Schools interview process.  All pupils have voted on which ‘fun time Friday’ enrichment activity they wish to take part in.

School Ambassadors
The excellent work of the Ambassadors helps to inform the headteacher of pupils’ views on a range of issues.  They have made suggestions for the improvement of the playground with a new climbing wall and buddy bench, Viking boat and many different line markings.  Pupils have also taken time to look through catalogues at meetings to choose numeracy and literacy resources for use at break times and lunchtimes.

One of the suggestions from the Ambassadors was to have school branded coloured lockers to help keep the corridors tidy.  They worked with the headteacher and business manager to discuss the cost of the lockers and how these would be funded.  The Ambassadors are very proud of the improvements that they have made to their school.

Eco council
The eco council helps to develop pupils’ awareness of sustainability and healthy living, with membership drawn from Year 2 pupils.  Year 1 pupils join the committee in the summer term, when they review the eco-code and the previous year’s action plan in order to create a new one for the following academic year.  They also feed back to governors on a regular basis.  The eco council conducts termly ‘learning walks’ around the outdoor spaces, canteen and classrooms, in order to monitor and review these areas, raising questions such as, ‘is there any litter?’, and ‘is the area bright and colourful?’ 

During an eco council meeting, a problem relating to parents parking outside the school was highlighted.  The pupils discussed this further and they decided that they wanted to tackle the problem.  They wanted signs to stop the parents parking and asked the local Road Safety Officer to come in to school to help them with ideas for their signs.  They also contacted the local schools liaison officer and received cones to place outside the school to stop people parking on the zig-zag lines.  A competition was held and the winning posters were displayed on a sign outside the school.  The pupils made leaflets and handed them to the parents parking on the lines.  They came to school early and monitored the parking on the lines, before and after the signs went up.  They saw a large reduction in the number of people parking on the yellow lines.  The committee continues to complete random checks.

Learning Walks and School Development Plan(SDP)
The School Ambassadors and the eco council conduct termly ‘learning walks’ around the school, in order to monitor and review areas.  They discuss priorities, make valued suggestions for the SDP and from this create a child-friendly SDP to be displayed around the school.  The Ambassadors have presented the child-friendly SDP in assemblies to share with the rest of the school.

Healthy Helpers
Healthy Helpers support the school’s commitment on wellbeing and developing healthy attitudes and lifestyles.  The Healthy Helpers give out stickers for healthy lunchboxes, monitor snack time and distribute healthy eating leaflets, which they have designed themselves.  When the weather is suitable, pupils are able to eat their packed lunches outside in designated picnic areas monitored by Healthy Helpers and staff.

Criw Cymraeg
Welsh is used incidentally throughout the day in all areas of the school.  Criw Cymraeg promotes Welsh at playtimes and lunchtimes through organising games, to promote the use of Welsh and extend vocabulary.  Members distribute Tocyn Iaiths to other pupils to reward the use of Welsh throughout the school day.

Digital Leaders
Digital Leaders contribute to the implementation of the Digital Competency Framework.  The E-Safety committee provides pupil voice across the school and members have regular meetings to discuss how to keep safe on the internet.  Internet safety is taken very seriously and parents’ sessions are run.  During these sessions, parental awareness of issues is increased and parents and their child / pupils work together to put into practice what has been learned, in order to improve internet safety and security.

Lead Creative Schools

First Year
Year 1 pupils were informed about the school taking part in the Lead Creative Schools Project and it was explained that a professional person would be coming to work with the pupils in the project to help them learn in a different way.  The pupils made a list of questions to ask practitioners to find out about their skills as well as their personal likes and dislikes. 

The pupils were given the opportunity to take part in a short workshop event during the interview before they talked to the applicant and asked their questions.  This enabled them to have an idea of what the applicant could offer and how they would be learning during the project.  The pupils were keen to engage and offer opinions as well as ask questions and, after the interviews, they discussed the process and voted on the applicant with whom they would most like to work.  The staff listened to their comments and took them into consideration before making the final decision.

During the project, the pupils were encouraged to make choices about the stories they wanted to create regarding plot, situation and characters.  The whole process required the pupils to make decisions and collaborate to come to a decision for the final product. 

During and after the project, the pupils were asked what, if anything, they liked about the project and what, if any, impact it had made upon them.  The way the pupils responded was mature and thoughtful and reflected the fact that the pupils knew that their opinions were valid and valued.

Second Year
The final year of the project will involve a new cohort, but the process will be the same in that the pupils will be involved all the way through the process in selecting the practitioners as well as the way the project will take place.

This year’s project will take the form of a presentation depicting the changes and similarities of play over the last century.  This decision was made following a visit to school by a local author who wrote about the things she played with in her childhood.  After she read an excerpt of her book to the pupils, they were eager to ask questions and to find out more about the toys and games she played with and expressed an interest in learning about them. 

Pupil voice
Each class teacher asks for the pupils’ ideas when starting a new topic.  A mind map is then created with the pupils about what they would like to learn.  Ideas are taken into consideration when planning weekly activities and each week the pupils are asked for ideas about what they would like to be included in the enhanced areas the following week based on skills they have learned the week before.

Pupils complete a self-assessment using the traffic light colours and make comments about how they could improve their work.  They also peer assess each other’s work and the pupils help others to improve.

After-school clubs are run every half term and the school regularly sends out pupil questionnaires to find out which after-school clubs the pupils liked and disliked.  The pupils complete their questionnaire at home with their parents.  They then make recommendations about which other clubs they would like the school to run.  Topic related questionnaires are also sent out and these ask the pupils what they liked best about the topic and what they would have liked to have done differently.

Future plans
The school is planning a new rolling program to help the pupils in becoming even more involved in the running of the school and in making decisions regarding the environment and learning activities.  They have appointed a head / deputy head girl and boy from Year 2, and Ambassadors from Year 1.  This will prepare the Year 1 pupils for their role in Year 2. 

The school aims to introduce Year 1 pupils to the eco council in the spring term, and reception pupils in the summer term, again to prepare them for their future roles in the school.  These pupils will be selected by their peers.

The school is developing a ‘Cwmaber 25 Project’, which aims to give pupils the opportunity to decide on activities and events that they wish to participate in by the time they leave Cwmaber Infants School at the end of Year 2.  Each class will discuss which activities they would like and take a vote.  The five most popular choices will be carried out for each class during the year.  The project will then begin again during the new academic year.

Staff have undertaken training regarding ‘Investors In Pupils’ and intend to achieve the award by the Autumn Term 2018.

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

Staff have observed increased confidence and self-esteem from pupils, linked to engagement and enthusiasm, co-operation, responsibility and tolerance. 

Proactive communication on committees has improved pupils’ ability to participate in discussions and express their opinions thoughtfully and effectively, whilst being interested and sensitive to the opinions of their peers.  Effective decision-making through pupil voice has had a very positive impact on the provision of learning and wellbeing.  Pupil voice has enabled pupils to express their opinions, as they feel more involved in the decisions that affect their learning and the environment in which they are taught.

How have you shared your good practice?

Pupils have shared their work with the headteacher and governors, the feeder junior school, other infant schools and the cluster of local schools.  Pupils will also share their experiences with the ‘Peer Schools for the Sustaining Excellence Programme’.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf is a designated Welsh-medium school for pupils between 11 and 18 years old, and there are 1,132 pupils on roll.  The school is situated in Llandaff North and serves the centre of the city of Cardiff, from north to south.  Seventeen point nine per cent (17.9%) of pupils live in areas that are among the 20% most disadvantaged in Wales, and 10.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.  Approximately 36% of pupils come from Welsh-speaking homes, but all pupils study Welsh as a first language.  A very small percentage of pupils come from ethnic minority backgrounds.  The school admits pupils from the full range of ability.  Twenty per cent (20%) of pupils are on the additional learning needs register, and a little over 1% of pupils have a statement of special educational needs.  A resource centre for pupils with profound learning needs from all parts of the local education authority is situated at the school, and it has 12 pupils.

Context and background to sector-leading practice

Some years ago, the school created a simple, 3 word Statement: ‘Welshness, Courtesy, Respect’, and the school’s main aspirations are reflected in this statement and in the school’s motto: ‘Coron Gwlad ei Mamiaith’ (The Crowning Glory of a country is its language).  The aim is simply to create a welcoming, supportive and welcoming school community, and well-rounded, respectful Welsh citizens.  These aims permeate throughout the school’s calendar and activities.

Description of the nature of the strategy or activity

  • The school has a strong pastoral system that places an emphasis on knowing the individual, in terms of their background, academic needs and wellbeing.  A strong sense of pride and academic ambition is promoted among pupils.
  • Pupils’ various backgrounds are considered and valued, and the curriculum and wider activities support equality by providing an opportunity for all individuals to develop academically and socially.
  • Particular provision is provided to promote the values of good citizenship and morality e.g. morning sessions, which include a broad programme of interesting spiritual or moral activities.  Values such as honesty, fairness and respect are promoted consistently e.g. through religious education lessons, pupils are given opportunities to reflect on their own lives and beliefs and those of others, their environment and the human condition, and to consider life’s fundamental questions.  Great emphasis is placed on being a community, and pupils contribute generously to community activities and charities.
  • One of the school’s exceptional features is the participation and success of a high percentage of pupils in sports, music and drama locally, nationally and internationally.  Pupils are given opportunities to meet and socialise with peers and adults, which provides them with rich experiences.  All pupils are encouraged to take part in all of our extra-curricular activities e.g. art, ICT, science, debating, Sgwad Sgwennu (Writing Squad), Christian Club, visits etc.
  • The school’s personal and social education programme is full of contemporary and useful activities that help to prepare pupils for all aspects of life e.g. sex and relationship education, living safely and how to be a good citizen.  The school continues to teach the subject for 1 lesson every fortnight to everyone in KS3 and everyone in KS4 that does not study Triple Science, and it can be seen from questionnaires that pupils benefit from this arrangement.
  • In terms of the School Council, 6 different committees (with up to 80 pupils in each) have been established – the Pupil’s Voice (a committee to seek pupils’ views on all aspects of school life), BYG (Byw yn y Gymraeg), Environment, CyfarTaf (a committee to promote equality in all areas), Health and Food and Sports, which enable a very high percentage of pupils to have a say in the school’s decisions.
  • The school has a strong house system that offers a variety of activities for all pupils.  Meetings are held every fortnight and whole-school festivals are held every term e.g. a school Eisteddfod, Sports Festival.  The Eisteddfod is a large event where the registration period is extended to 40 minutes for a half-term in order for pupils to work together; this contributes extensively to the sense of belonging and the school’s supportive social ethos.
  • A stimulating working environment and a motivational atmosphere are provided e.g. classrooms, corridors and public spaces are decorated with pupils’ work, posters and displays, and the school has a wide range of up-to-date high quality learning resources.
  • There is broad provision in terms of support for pupils e.g. there is a buddy scheme between the older and younger pupils, ELA, Talkabout, the Seren organisation that is run by the sixth form and provides an opportunity for younger pupils to discuss any problems, a counsellor, nurse, police officer, key worker, External Youth Mentor etc.  In addition, the school works with a wide range of external agencies in order to support pupils’ wellbeing, health and social development.
  • We have given priority to pupils developing positive mental health.  The subject is discussed in assemblies, PSE lessons, ‘Munud i Feddwl’ (A Pause for Thought), the Pupil’s Voice and relaxation and mindfulness sessions are held each week, which have had a positive effect on pupils’ wellbeing across the school.
  • There are effective arrangements for identifying, supporting and monitoring pupils’ additional learning needs, which include a wide range of effective strategies and arrangements.
  • The school has a resource centre for pupils with profound learning difficulties, and it is ensured that pupils integrate successfully into the life of the mainstream school and benefit fully from the extensive extra-curricular opportunities that are available.  This enriches the learning experiences of all pupils at the school.
  • There are strong transition schemes between the school and primary schools; up to 10 events are held each year and, therefore, primary pupils become familiar with the school’s standards and ethos before they become pupils here.

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

  • Pupil and parent questionnaires show satisfaction with the school – in the latest questionnaires, nearly all pupils noted that they enjoy being pupils at the school, and most parents said that pupils liked the school.
  • A prominent feature of the school is the civilised behaviour of nearly all pupils in lessons and around the school, and they treat their fellow pupils, the school’s staff and visitors with a very high level of respect.
  • Most pupils feel that the staff respect them and that the school helps them to understand and respect people from other backgrounds.
  • All of the extra-curricular opportunities increase pupils’ self-worth and communication and social skills, which helps them to become good citizens.
  • All opportunities through the Pupil’s Voice increase pupils’ self-worth, self-respect and communication skills, and ensure that equality is given a prominent focus.
  • The various aspects of support that are available contribute extensively to pupils’ mental health.

How have you shared your good practice?

Locally, across the county and nationally, the school’s reputation is subject to praise in a number of extra-curricular areas, and our good practice is shared regularly through newsletters and social media, such as Twitter.  Good practice is shared between schools through fora such as CYDAG, and locally through BroPlasTaf.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf is a designated Welsh-medium school for pupils between 11 and 18 years old.  The school is maintained by Cardiff local education authority and serves the centre of the city of Cardiff, from north to south.  There are 1,132 pupils on roll.  The school admits pupils from the full range of ability.  Twenty per cent (20%) of pupils are on the additional learning needs register, and a little over 1% of pupils have a statement of special educational needs.  A resource centre for pupils with profound learning needs from all parts of the local education authority is situated at the school, and it has 13 pupils.

Context and background to sector-leading practice

The basis of the school’s vision is academic and social inclusion for all, and ensuring that everyone has access to all of the school community’s activities.  In order to succeed in this, every possible effort is made to adapt provision and, critically, to respond flexibly to the needs of all learners.  One key factor that enables this is ensuring a full understanding of the needs of all learners, and then ensuring that this understanding is communicated effectively among all of the school’s staff.  There is a clear focus on promoting the wellbeing of all learners at the school, and understanding that this enables us to meet learners’ academic needs effectively.

Provision for teaching, supporting and caring for pupils with profound learning difficulties at the resource centre is excellent. An exceptional feature of this is the way in which staff ensure that these pupils integrate very successfully into mainstream school life, and have full access to the broad cross-curricular opportunities that are available. This enriches the learning experiences of all of the school’s pupils (Estyn, 2017).

Description of the nature of the strategy or activity

  1. Academic and social inclusion – A wide range of interventions is provided for learners with ALN in order to promote their literacy, numeracy, speech and language and social skills, and their emotional development, and to ensure that all learners have the best provision possible.  Usually, interventions are held over a short period of time, and learners are provided with specific targets during the period of the intervention.  As a result of this intensive focus, learners make very good progress.  The effectiveness and effect of all interventions are evaluated very carefully.  For learners with the most profound needs, an individual curriculum is provided in order to ensure that all learners fulfil their potential.  There is a strong focus on developing life skills, particularly for those learners with the most profound needs.  An exceptional feature of inclusion is the way in which learners with profound and complex needs are included in the school community.  Support is provided for these learners in order to ensure access to the school’s social activities, and a number of learners with less profound needs also take advantage of this, which promotes inclusion for all and enriches the learning experiences of all pupils at the school.
  2. Full understanding of needs – There is a strong focus on gathering information about learners before they transfer to the school and ensuring that the information that is held by primary partners, parents and learners, and external agencies where applicable, is accessible to staff.  This is done by producing an Individual Profile for each learner with ALN.  The learner’s strengths and interests are the starting point of the profile, and a description of the learner’s needs and learning strategies that have been devised specifically by leaders and specialists from the Inclusion Department are added to this.  Further specialist internal assessments are conducted if there is not a full understanding of a learner’s needs.  The Individual Profile stays with the learner throughout his/her time at the school, and the document is adapted to ensure that it is up-to-date and that it responds to the pupil’s voice over time.
  3. Respond flexibly – By ensuring a full and holistic understanding of learners, their needs can be responded to flexibly, and this is the premise of the school’s inclusive vision.  By working closely with learners and those who know them well, the school can respond flexibly and ensure that small changes that make a big difference are adopted.  This is the duty of all of the school’s staff.  There is a strong focus on close co-operation between the school’s inclusion staff and pastoral staff, and this means that all learners with ALN receive the best support and provision at the time.  ‘The Hafan’ is used to enable significant flexibility for some learners.

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

As a result of these principles, the school succeeds in promoting the academic and social development of learners with ALN, and also in creating an inclusive and supportive ethos across the school.  Evaluations of individual interventions show that they are effective and efficient, and that pupils’ progress during the period of intervention is very good.  In general, pupils with additional learning needs make strong progress from one stage to the next (Estyn, 2017). 

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Ysgol y Gogarth is a day and residential special school situated in the coastal town of Llandudno.  It is the only special school maintained by Conwy local authority.  Currently there are 223 pupils on roll aged from 3 to 19.  All pupils have a statement of special educational needs for moderate and severe learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties or autistic spectrum disorders (ASD).  The school manages a residential facility that offers short-term placements for pupils who attend the school.  The school also provides a base for a number of other key services, including the children with disabilities social work team, the ASD outreach team, the sensory support service and child development centre for Conwy.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

In 2010, Ysgol y Gogarth started a collaborative project with Bangor University to develop evidence-based practice in the field of positive behaviour support.  Initially the school employed a behaviour analyst and secured consultancy from the university with the aim of targeting pupils whose challenging behaviours meant that their school placements were at risk of breaking down.  Since then, the focus of this work has been extended to include preventative, early intervention approaches within the foundation phase, and to develop whole-school positive behaviour approaches that support individual pupils in managing their own behaviour.  The work is based upon effective multi-disciplinary collaboration and addresses the development of pupils’ behavioural, social, communication and educational skills.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

The school’s model of positive behaviour support is based on close collaboration between teachers, behaviour analysts and other professionals.  The aim is to teach pupils the skills needed to reach their full potential and reduce barriers to learning.  Behaviour analysts support teachers to design programmes to improve communication, teach academic skills, and reduce disruptive behaviours that impede learning.  Over time the school has developed four areas of practice and research:

1) BESST (British Early Special School Teaching model): a teaching and classroom management approach developed by the school in conjunction with the university for pupils in the foundation phase

2) STEPS: a programme developed by the school to support pupils to manage their own behavior and engagement

3) Individual behaviour plans to support pupils with challenging behaviour

4) A whole-school approach to positive behaviour support

The BESST approach ensures that all pupils in the foundation phase receive an individualised curriculum designed to enable them to learn successfully.  The model aims to ensure that pupils learn the skills they need to communicate and succeed in school, thus ensuring a positive experience of school  from the start. 

The STEPS programme aims to support pupils who require additional support to manage and monitor their own behaviour, social skills and engagement in learning as they progress through school. It provides regular opportunities for pupils to reflect on their progress, incorporates incentives to achieve and includes relevant opportunities to increase progressively the level of challenge in terms of expectations of pupils’ behaviour.

Individual behaviour plans are implemented for pupils that require further targeted support.  These provide staff with a consistent approach that enables them to address behaviours that impede learning and to implement these effectively across the school day.  A functional behaviour assessment of pupils is undertaken by behaviour analysts and class teams of teachers and support staff.  Behaviour analysts then train staff in how best to implement the plans, monitor their impact and revise as necessary.  Functional communication training for pupils is a key component of most behaviour plans, allowing pupils to increase appropriate communication and thereby reduce challenging behaviours.

The whole-school approach to positive behaviour support incorporates all these strategies in a carefully structured model of behaviour management.  This whole-school focus ensures pupils at all stages of their education engage with school expectations and provides regular and meaningful opportunities for recognition of pupils’ progress and achievements.  The consistency and coherence of this model allow for a staged and progressive approach to the development of behaviours that aims to impact positively on pupils’ learning and independence in school and beyond.  

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

Since the initial collaboration with the university, the school has employed a further seven behaviour analysts to support and evaluate practice, extending their work across school.  The model has enabled all pupils to maintain their placements successfully at the school.  This has meant, for example, that there have been no permanent exclusions from the school for the last three years.  Pupils are included within all aspects of school and a few regularly access mainstream provision.

How have you shared your good practice?

The school has shared its practice in BESST through a replication study where six schools were supported to implement the BESST model.  This support included attendance at a conference, group meetings and ongoing dialogue with the school.

The school has shared its work in developing the STEPS programme with regional special schools through presentations at conferences and through local school-to-school collaborations.

Behaviour analysts employed by the school have presented their work in both fields at conferences regionally and internationally.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Ysgol y Gogarth is a day and residential special school situated in Llandudno.  It is the only special school maintained by Conwy local authority.  Currently there are 223 pupils on roll aged from 3 to 19.  All pupils have a statement of special educational needs for moderate and severe learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties or autistic spectrum disorders (ASD).  The school manages a residential provision and provides a base for a number of other key support services.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Initially in response to the 14-19 Vocational Pathways initative, the school reviewed its curriculum to improve the range of practical learning experiences available to pupils.  This included the development of school-based vocational provision as well as work in collaboration with the local further education college to design bespoke courses where appropriate.  The school’s effective partnership with the Conwy 14-19 network has helped to ensure that pupils with additional learning needs (ALN) are included in the development of a strategic vision across the county with a clear focus on individual pupils’ needs to support their transition to the college.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Following the development of a more vocational curriculum at the school, the school reviewed the effectiveness of pupils’ transition to college.  At this point, it became apparent that due to the increased range of learning experiences available to pupils, the profile of their skills, knowledge and ambition had changed. Crucially, college courses available to a specific group of ALN pupils no longer seemed to offer appropriate progression.

In March 2014, Ysgol y Gogarth was instrumental in setting up the Conwy and Denbighshire Transition of ALN Learners to FE Group.  This was a multi-disciplinary group supported by the Conwy 14-19 network, whose aim was to improve the transition of pupils between the school and further education college. 

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

The Transition of ALN Learners to FE Group has provided a valuable forum for professionals from colleges, schools, social services, Careers Wales and the other relevant agencies to identify barriers to successful transition and implement ways to improve this.  This has resulted in improved communication, information sharing and greater collaboration between all parties.  Over time, this has helped to achieve a closer match between the needs of pupils and the range of courses offered at the local further education college.  For example, the college developed a new course designed specifically to meet the needs of pupils at the school who were more able and which offered pupils subsequently greater opportunities for progression onto mainstream courses at the college. 

The group is currently extending this collaborative approach to widen the range of courses and qualifications available to pupils at key stage 4.

How have you shared your good practice?

The Transition of ALN Learners to FE Group continues to meet regularly and year-on-year local provision has been reviewed at the school, local colleges and the local 14-19 network board.  The group has shared its findings with Careers Wales and the local social services department.  Staff from the school have shared the outcomes of the approach with further education providers and have produced case studies for use by Careers Wales.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Bryngwyn and Glan y Môr were formally federated in September 2014 becoming the pilot for secondary federations in Wales. They are 7 miles apart.  Bryngwyn School is an 11-16, mixed, community school. It is situated in Dafen, on the north-eastern side of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire and draws its pupils from parts of the town centre and from a number of outlying villages. There are 1,050 pupils on roll, and around 20% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.

Glan y Môr is an 11-16 community focused school in Burry Port, Carmarthenshire with 480 pupils on roll of whom approximately 30% are eligible for free school meals. Both schools not only work in partnership with each other but also work in close partnership with cluster primary schools, other secondary schools in the area and the local FE college.   Both schools are pioneer and lead creative schools

Context and background to sector-leading practice

Leadership is a key driver in any a school improvement journey, even more so in the context of federations where there is an expectation that leaders across institutions act autonomously.  New federations provide valuable opportunities to share best practice with new audiences, develop different perspectives and provide new impetus for change.   The effective management of federations requires developing truly distributed leadership at all levels and most importantly, throughout and across institutions.  It is this distributed model of leadership that has allowed rapid progress across the shared provision.  Over time a dynamic and collaborative leadership model has evolved.  Within both schools, there is ambition and drive to secure improved outcomes and strong levels of pupil wellbeing and the correct skill set to bring this about.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

The initial challenge for the two schools was to develop new senior leadership structures that would enable the effective leadership of each school while meeting existing demands at whole-school, local and national levels.   To address this, all leaders took on cross federation roles alongside their school based roles, with all members of the senior leadership team having “umbrella” federation responsibilities.  Over time, the challenge of operating across two sites has prompted the school to become more pragmatic in its leadership approach.  For example, line management duties that were once distributed across all SLT and across both schools sites have evolved so that middle leaders have greater access to SLT links who are resident on their site.

For federation to work it was also essential to create a culture of innovation and accountability at middle leader level. Key to this has been the opportunity created by federation for greater partnership working and the unique privilege for staff to work across schools and to share pedagogical ideas and experiences.  To date, in the first three years of federation, 34 members of staff have benefitted from assuming additional leadership responsibilities at departmental, whole-school and federation levels, leading to significant new opportunities for CPD.   This has increased the school’s leadership capacity and enhanced its resilience to manage change effectively in the future.

It was also important to ensure that the federation’s governing body provided the school with a consistently high level of challenge and support and to develop robust, innovative governance that would provide strong strategic direction and accountability for the federation.  It was imperative to create mutually supportive yet locally autonomous governance for both Bryngwyn and Glan y Môr. This would enable the schools to flourish while preserving the unique characteristics of their respective communities and the populations they served.

To achieve these aims the school has developed a model of leadership that focusses on the “6Cs”:

1. Consistency – ensuring quality of provision, access to resources and developing specialist support across the federation has reduced in-school and cross-federation variation.

2. Collaboration – as working together becomes more natural and embedded, the school works smarter, and improves its practices.

3. Challenge – using context and data to set challenging targets that move the learner forward while never forgetting the need for pupils to enjoy their experiences at school.   The school’s mantra for both pupils and staff is simply ‘to be the best that they can be’. Rigorous, robust and meaningful self-evaluation and improvement planning across the federation has secured outstanding improvements to standards, learning experiences, and led to sustained, high quality teaching.

4. Capacity –by using the combined skills and expertise of all staff to share good practice and encourage a dialogue on pedagogy, the school enhances the experience of the learner and practitioner.   The school constantly seeks to change and improve, while anticipating what is over the “horizon” and trying to plan for it calmly, analytically and effectively.

5. Climate – Fundamental to the school’s success has been the promotion of a culture of “Trust and Dialogue” across the federation. All colleagues care passionately about what they do and understand the importance of working together in the pursuit of improvement for all learners. This extends across both academic and pastoral areas. The school’s simple ambition for its pupils is that they will help them to ‘build a life’ for themselves.

6. Competition: healthy and friendly competition exists between schools and across department within the federation and has helped to drive standards. Standards in both schools are high. Glan y Môr has seen significant improvement in outcomes year on year since federation while Bryngwyn has maintained its standards, achieving some of it best ever results in the last 4 out of 5 years.

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

In addition to the improvements in pupils’ outcomes noted above, the federation has developed an innovative approach to rewards and sanctions which has led to significant improvements in pupils’ wellbeing and positive attitudes to learning.   Collaborative working, involving joint meetings and the observing and sharing of best practices and resources has acted as an impetus for improvements across the curriculum, which have in turn been key drivers for engagement and improved outcomes for groups of learners.  Pupils, parents, staff and governors now have a strong sense of belonging to the federation and each school with a genuine pride in their collective achievements. The school’s motto ‘yn rhoi o’n gorau’ (‘giving our best’), captures the determination of both schools to achieve excellence but also expresses its focus on each individual giving their utmost to realise their potential.

How have you shared your good practice?

Good practice is shared through honest and open dialogue based upon thorough self-evaluation which celebrates strengths whilst increasing the ambition to improve further.  Staff at all levels analyse their strengths and areas for development with line managers.  A highly personalised coaching and mentoring programme is in place for all staff: teachers are carefully matched with lead practitioners within and across the federation.  Teachers at all levels are encouraged to take a lead role across the federation in the form of Teachmeets, INSET events and teaching and learning forums where staff engage in animated professional dialogue while sharing strategies that range from classroom-based practice to the habits of effective leadership.   Digital forums are used to embed good practice and continue sharing with further staff over time.

Where possible, opportunities are also explored beyond the federation as staff are encouraged to share their strengths with colleagues from other schools both within the family of schools and across the region.