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Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Heronsbridge is a residential special school maintained by Bridgend local authority. The school provides education for pupils aged 3 to 19 years. Nearly all pupils attend on a day basis. There are currently 266 pupils on on roll with 240 members of staff. Many pupils have either a statement of special needs or a local authority individual development plan (IDP). Pupils at the school have a range of needs, including profound and multiple difficulties (PMLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD) and autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). The school is organised into departments, primary, secondary, post-16, and a centre for pupils across the age range that have a primary diagnosis of autism and complex needs. Forty-one per cent of pupils receive free school meals. Attendance rates are around 91%.

The school has a well-established vision, ‘We give them wings, our Herons will fly’, and strong values, which are shared by all staff and stakeholders. These firmly place the pupils at the core of all that happens at the school. ‘Together we can’ is deeply embedded in everything that occurs across the school. The school is a Rights Respecting School, an Investors in People Platinum school and Investors in Families Diamond school. As a result, all staff have high expectations and aspirations for all pupils.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Since 2016 the school was a curriculum pioneer rand has subsequently both trialled and refined its curriculum reform journey. It has done this by embedding model of enquiry, reflecting on the needs of pupils and making reference to and aligning its work with Welsh Government guidance and legislation, including the aspirations in Our National Mission: high standards and aspirations for all.

It all began with translating the four purposes into what they look like for pupils, ensuring that they were at the heart of everything the school does.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

The school’s curriculum design started by creating an enquiry group tasked with the question “How do we embed the 4 purposes in Heronsbridge?” Heron avatars were created, embodying the four purposes and the vision for the curriculum. Pupils helped to develop a pupil-friendly version, used in lessons to embed their understanding.

The school developed a four year cycle of topics that had enough scope and excitement to span the whole school (4-19). Pupil curriculum workshops finely tuned this topic plan, as pupils said what they would like to learn. Feedback from parent and governor workshops informed the school that they approved of the proposals and had “trust in the school improvement processes”.

Each termly topic was mapped, ensuring breadth and coverage of AOLEs, What matters statements and cross curricular skills. Mapping progression within the topics ensured that each topic sustains high levels of motivation and engagement of learners as they progress through the school.

Working across the four departments, AOLE teacher groups meet termly to produce topic advice for the whole school. Learners benefit from an experience, skills and knowledge model of progression, which recognises that the richness of the learning experience is crucial for engagement in learning. This is an ongoing process and one which continues to evolve, with the desired outcome to create planning that is developmental across experience, skills and knowledge and also meeting learner profiles. Cross curricular themed enquiry groups were created to develop these themes and teachers meet termly to provide advice.

Individual pupil progress is mapped via learning journeys, which are drawn from summative assessment and person centred planning meetings. Teachers evidence termly progress against each of the five action plan targets to compile an individual learning journey, where appropriate, pupils self-assess.

The schools as learning organisations model underpins all of the school improvement processes. The school’s rich enquiry ethos drives its curriculum, creating buy in and subsidiarity. Professional learning runs succinctly with the school improvement plan, ensuring that staff are well equipped to fully meet the various needs of learners.

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

Through tracking, the school is able to demonstrate that pupils continue to make strong progress, not only from their starting points, but also compared to historical learning profile norms. The school uses a ‘Brilliant Blue and On The Way Orange’ marking and assessment in learning strategy, which supports pupils to become aware of their progress. Where they are able, some pupils self-assess and a few peer assess. The pupils are happy, have a positive outlook on learning and are well prepared for their next steps in life.

How have you shared your good practice?

Research, collaboration and co-construction have played a crucial part of the curriculum journey and have informed design at every step. Teachers and the senior leadership team work with staff from cluster schools to develop progression maps and interdisciplinary ways of working. The school has found network meetings particularly helpful and informative. Senior leaders are members of the of the All-Wales Special School Progression and Assessment Network, where cross-consortia work on progression and assessment in special schools is being developed. Senior leaders have have participated in designing a progression map programme to support practitioners across the central south consortium region.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the setting

Derw Bach is a preschool playgroup attached to Ysgol Calon y Dderwen Primary. It is situated in the centre of Newtown and serves an area of deprivation.

Derw Bach is registered for up to 32 three to four-year-olds offering three plus education hours and the childcare offer. It is an English medium setting but strives to use and encourage the use of the Welsh language.

Derw Bach provides a diverse, friendly and safe environment where children are actively encouraged and supported to become kind, respectful and independent individuals.

At present Derw Bach has families from Poland, Turkey and Ukraine. It strives to communicate in a family’s own language through greetings and the use of key words

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Evaluation practise identified that there were low attendance figures during the previous term, and this had led to children not making as much progress as they could. Practitioners decided to focus on further improving and building relationships with parents to improve attendance. They felt that this was an opportunity for children to make greater progress, and raise attainment in children facing elements of disadvantage. There was also an opportunity for parents to develop a better understanding of how their child learns and to feel empowered about how to support their child’s learning. Derw Bach decided to promote healthy eating, improve parents understanding of how children learn and to strengthen setting-home links.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

A number of strategies and activities were put in place using the early years grants available at the time. The healthy preschool policy was reviewed initially as the setting felt that it had to get a healthy eating message across to parents about lunch boxes. Strategies put in place included, ‘healthy eater’ stickers, lunch box ideas on social media, offering warm lunches to those who needed it, free lunch boxes, visits to the local food share, and simple cooking activities with the children. Grants were used to provide an extra member of staff to enable many children to stay an extra two hours and have lunch at the setting.

The setting provided each child with a home time pack to keep, which included activity ideas, recipes, Makaton signs, reading tips and yoga activities as well as a set of Numicon and a wordless book. The setting held open days for parents and grandparents and outings were arranged with children and families.

Each child received a personalised report at the end of their initial six weeks at the setting, to inform parents of what their child had achieved and how parents could help further at home. A useful app is also used, with each child having weekly photos shared with the home, including ideas about how parents can support the child’s learning.

Poor mental health is also on the rise in the area with increasing numbers of families struggling with day-to-day routines and with providing the stability and routine that their children need. Derw Bach recognises the struggles faced and provides for each individual need, whether this is simply by providing a place for a chat or offering encouragement and support to bring their children in regularly. Derw Bach often sends messages to parents who do not turn up and offers flexible times to arrive and depart. Parents are always welcomed to “stay and play” if they need to settle children. Derw Bach offers extra hours for children to enable parents to attend hospital appointments or during challenging times. It also offers free books, milk and lunches.

During transition days to school, the setting supports parents to send children. Some children are taken to the school by staff when parents are working, and others are met at the door of the school to support parents through this difficult, emotional time.

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

The setting has already seen an improvement in the quality of meals provided in lunch boxes. There is now lots of fruit and vegetables present. Children confidently tell the staff about the healthy food they have brought for their lunch. The extra hours offered over lunch time have increased attendance figures. Children’s confidence and independence have also grown.

Contacting parents when children are absent and offering support has made a difference to the confidence of parents and therefore children turn up even if they are late. Many more parents contact the setting to inform of absences as there are a number of ways to get in touch.

As a result of the home time packs, children have shown an increased level of skill with the Numicon shapes, and many are familiar with the story shared in the pack and are able to comment appropriately. Parents have commented how children are keen to take part in the activities and have grown in confidence since the packs were introduced. Children love to count with the Numicon shapes.

Practitioners are confident that this work will continue to have an impact on the children’s well-being. It has become obvious that parents are taking note of the activity suggestions sent home as children’s skills increase. Many parents have shared photos of their child taking part in suggested activities through the app. Children show pride when they demonstrate the skills learnt. Parents are now socialising and feeling more confident to attend as the setting has opened up the foyer for parents in the mornings. They are now more able to access the free books, leaflets, information and free milk available to them.

All September school starters settled quickly and confidently into school.

How have you shared your good practice?

Good practice has been shared with other early years settings.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the setting

Derw Bach is a preschool playgroup attached to Ysgol Calon y Dderwen Primary School. It is situated in the centre of Newtown and serves a flying start area. The setting is registered for up to 32 three to four-year-olds offering three plus education hours and the childcare offer.

It is an English medium setting but strives to use and encourage the use of the Welsh language. Derw Bach provides a diverse, friendly, and safe environment where children are actively encouraged and supported to become kind, respectful and independent individuals.

At present, Derw Bach has families from Poland, Turkey, and Ukraine. It strives to communicate in a family’s own language through greetings and the use of key words.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Leaders and practitioners at Derw Bach always consider the impact of provision on the children’s learning and well-being. Consistency builds teamwork and trust between practitioners and maintaining high standards ensures high quality provision for children.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Practitioners continually reflect on their practise and the provision. Children’s individual play is closely observed and planning of activities and provision is amended based on children’s interests and needs. All practitioners have the same approach to this process. Regular staff meetings and effective communication ensure a consistent approach. Practitioners regularly reflect on the ongoing improvements at the setting including the impact of any training attended and how it has been implemented.

The setting development plan, which is drawn up annually, connects with any early years grant spending. This ensures that funds are targeted at current priorities with the interest of the child in mind. Supervisions are held regularly and include discussion about how best to improve the provision. Practitioners are always encouraged in their personal development and opportunities to reflect on their practice emphasise how well they are doing. For example, all practitioners undertook Autism Wales award training to gain a better understanding and to provide effective and consistent support for children with emerging needs.

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

Children make good progress in learning by following their own interests. Practitioners know each child well, provide for continual learning during play and have a consistent approach to behaviour management. As a result, children have a strong sense of well-being and belonging.

Children with emerging needs made great progress with communication skills after practitioners had trained through Autism Wales. Makaton signs are used in appropriate ways and the environment has been adapted to suit children’s needs, ensuring a calmer environment and therefore calmer children.

How have you shared your good practice?

Good practice is shared with other settings.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the setting

Little Explorers has been open since September 2022. It is a Non-Maintained Early Years Education setting for children aged 2-4 years old and offers Flying Start provision. There are two full time members of staff. It is registered for 19 children but has no more than 11 children in on a given day, with many children attending on at least four days a week. All children have English as their first language. At the time of inspection, approximately 30% of children attending nursery had additional learning needs. Both leaders have worked together in early years provision for 15 years.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

The nursery’s vision is to create an inclusive setting where everyone feels welcome and all children are able to flourish, feel fulfilled and happy. It wants all children to have the experiences they need to reach their full potential as independent citizens of Wales by providing an environment where well-being is at the heart of everything that the setting does.

The nursery’s vision is a golden thread throughout its practice. This is evident within the relationships between adults, children, families, and the whole community. It is woven through the rhythm and routines of the day and in every part of the learning environment. The children are at the centre of practice. They are young people who are loved and valued. Practitioners value their own lived experiences, their interests, and their schematic play. They want the setting and their relationships to further the children’s natural curiosity and support them to be autonomous, independent learners. The Curriculum for Non-Maintained Nursery Settings has children at the centre, with a positive focus on what children can do rather than what they are not yet able to achieve. This aligns with the setting’s vision and practitioners’ belief that they are facilitators in the children’s learning, who provide playful and authentic experiences in response to observations of the children. 

image - little explorers nursery

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Relationships between adults, children, families, and the whole community

Relationships matter and having nurturing, knowledgeable adults is central to the setting’s pedagogy and practice. Developing the use of observations and practitioners’ role as nurturing, knowledgeable adults is of great importance and has been a continuous priority when developing practice. Practitioners learn a lot about the children’s lives and experiences through observing them playing. Observations help in understanding their friendships, schematic play, interests, ideas and feelings.

Through observations, practitioners recognise the importance of adults’ careful interactions, allowing children space to explore, experiment and take risks in their learning. They learn to solve problems, persevere, and apply new knowledge to different contexts. Practitioners have attended a course on Froebel, an early years educational theorist, to learn about his principles. This developed their understanding of the value of children having ‘freedom with guidance’ and the important role of the adult in skilfully interacting with the child without interfering in their learning. The setting feels that it is crucial that practitioners remember this in their role as enabling adults.

The small group size and unhurried approach ensure that the children know the adults well and feel secure and content. Children have an excellent voice within nursery. They know their thoughts, ideas and opinions are listened to and valued. Children vote for the rhyme or book of the week and are learning that the book with most votes is chosen. Through this, the children are developing an understanding of fairness, choice, and listening to other people’s views. With the support of staff, children answer questionnaires about how they feel about nursery, what they like and who they play with. These requests are listened to, and the environment and experiences are developed in response.

Parents comment that the nursery is like a second home for their children and that it feels homely, cosy, and welcoming. The staff and parents have developed close, supportive, relationships where both parties are able to interact in a variety of ways. For example, staff share videos and voice clips of sign language and Welsh. Parents are happy to share their family news and celebrations on the private social media group and many parents say that they consider nursery to be an extended part of their family. Parents receive weekly updates in the form of photographic collages, which outline learning experiences, celebrations and learning through play. Individual updates are shared with parents, regarding a child’s individual successes and achievements.

Learning environment

Practitioners have attended regional sharing of practice events, which provide an opportunity to see other learning environments and provision, showcasing authentic experiences and resources. This motivated them to make the setting an extension of home, where all children would feel a sense of belonging in a familiar and comforting environment. The environment created is cosy, with real furniture, kitchen resources, soft textiles, and ambient lighting. All the children see themselves represented in the nursery with framed family photos on the mantel piece in the role play area. Dolls, textiles, utensils and books help every child see their own home and family represented. Role play is of great importance to the children, so the setting’s role play area is extensive and includes a dressing room, kitchen, living room and shop. The real plates and bowls in the role play area are duplicates of the crockery the children use at snack time to provide authentic learning experiences. The children visit the shops, library and post office in the local area to provide them with authentic learning experiences. Opportunities to revisit these experiences are recreated in the setting through role play at the shop. This includes authentic resources to support children’s maths, literacy and digital development, including calculators and digital scales.

Rhythm and routines of the day

The daily routine provides unhurried and uninterrupted time to play and is carefully considered to balance both the necessity for routine and the freedom to play. The routine ensures that children have the time and space to be deeply involved and have ownership of their play. The routine allows time for children to consolidate, revisit and be emersed in exploring their ideas and fascinations. Routines are flexible and responsive to the children’s needs. This approach gives children a sense of security, but also ensures that their choices are noticed and valued. After sustained periods of uninterrupted play, practitioners use song, sign and objects of reference to enable positive transitions. Within the setting, children have their own place for their belongings They self-register using an emotion symbol. The adults provide a warm welcome and talk to them about how they are feeling.

Leadership and self-evaluation for improvement

Practitioners have participated in a community of practice to find innovative approaches to the self-evaluation process. Their aim is to make self-evaluation more useful and user-friendly, and to include the children’s ideas. The new self-evaluation process helps to document how practitioners are developing their practice through text, photos and quotes from the children. Their approach is shared with parents and stakeholders, who have commented positively on the new format. Practitioners now find the process useful to ensure that priorities for improvement align with the setting vision.

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

Practitioners know that children feel a strong sense of belonging. They are happy and come in bursting with joy and enthusiasm. The children are familiar with the daily routine. They value consistency in the rhythm and routines of the day and the experiences on offer. The children have wonderful friendships with each other and play well together. They are very mature and show great care for one another. The children recognise each other’s strengths and support one another. Staff observe children who are keen to celebrate their own achievements and their friends’ successes. They value children as capable and independent people. The setting’s role is to facilitate, carefully interacting to ensure that children have high levels of engagement and autonomy in their play and learning. Consequently, the children are flourishing cognitively, intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically. Strategies are shared with parents on how best to support their children’s learning. This approach strengthens the partnership and builds consistency and trust. Parents are highly supportive of the nursery team and there is an ‘in it together’ ethos.

How have you shared your good practice?

Practitioners attend EAS and LA non-maintained setting network meetings, to share and discuss good practice and pedagogy. Recently they shared their observation, assessment and planning process, which has child centred practice at its heart.

The setting has hosted professional learning events for the local authority, providing an opportunity for other practitioners to view its learning environment both indoors and out. Following this, more settings have been to visit on an individual basis.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Langstone Primary School is in the Newport local authority. It provides education for 352 pupils in an affluent area with only 3% efsm. Staff and governors at the school put well-being at the heart of its work, prioritising developing secure working relationships with pupils. Leaders and staff create a positive and inclusive environment in which pupils thrive. The school’s vision is for a highly effective, child-centred learning organisation where all are valued, supported and challenged to achieve their aspirations. 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Langstone Primary School is situated in the east of Newport. Very few pupils speak Welsh speaking at home and only 2.4% speak English as a second language. The school aims to develop plurilingual children who celebrate and take pride in their own culture and heritage, while understanding the importance of using their language skills in a diverse and ever evolving world. Leaders and staff recognise the importance of developing pupils as lifelong language learners. This is central to their work on developing pupils as plurilinguists, understanding the relationship between languages. Pupils also begin to use translanguaging skills to access information in one language and respond in a different language. There is a continuous and consistent focus on creating a whole-school approach to promoting language skills, including Welsh, French and BSL.

The school’s Literacy, language and communication (LLC) team comprises three full-time teaching staff who take responsibility for leading and supporting language development, including providing purposeful professional learning, monitoring and evaluating pedagogy and practice and leading the ‘Language Legends’ Pupil Pioneer group, supported by the Headteacher and Deputy headteacher. Staff have benefited from attending the Welsh sabbatical at Cardiff Metropolitan University, improving their knowledge, skills and confidence to support teaching and learning in Welsh across the school.

The school was awarded the Cymraeg Campus Arian Award in September 2022.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Langstone Primary School’s REAL curriculum (Rich, Experiential, Authentic Learning Experiences) and its project-based learning experiences supports its organic approach to teaching and learning in languages. The school’s approach of ‘little and often’ successfully engages pupils. Teachers recognise the authentic opportunities available to immerse pupils in languages and to enable them to make links in their language learning. Strategies include encouraging pupils to participate in registration in a variety of languages including Welsh, French, and German; using British Sign Language to support basic incidental language i.e. greetings in assembly, saying ‘thank you’; learning songs in Welsh or with BSL elements; and adding French to resources used during lessons. Pupils are encouraged to suggest additions to the repertoire and these strategies ensure they are continually exposed to languages other than English.

The school’s plurilingualism journey began in 2018, when staff used research and enquiry to explore international languages. This initially involved a Discover and Do day, with staff trialling language lessons in a few classes. The school’s early evaluation was that pupils were enjoying their language learning, but the school needed a whole-school consistent approach to embedding linguistic skills. Staff undertook an audit to determine confidence levels, the extent of subject knowledge and the professional learning needed to improve this aspect of the school’s work. Having identified areas of strength, and the language experiences of pupils, staff decided to continue their journey, developing French in the first instance.

Regular LLC staff meetings and staff training opportunities supported the school to focus on achieving high quality teaching and learning in English using a range successful pedagogical techniques and useful resources. More recently, the school has focused its professional development on Welsh language pedagogy, led by an experienced and skilled teacher. Teachers have benefitted from support with planning, teaching approaches, engaging resources, games and activities. As a result, pupils have a renewed enthusiasm for Welsh language learning. They are excited by opportunities to learn languages and to develop as multilingual communicators.

Staff are enthusiastic supporters of the school’s approaches. The LLC team encourage plurilingualism in staff meetings and share resources from the ‘Routes into Languages’ library, maintaining a clear focus on progress in oracy, reading and writing in English.

In September 2022, a nursery pupil with hearing impairment joined the school. This was an opportunity to develop British Sign Language skills for all staff, ensuring a consistent approach to effectively communicating with all members of the school family.

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

Staff are committed to promoting languages and as a result, pupils across the school are highly engaged in language learning throughout the school day. Teachers ensure that planning develops pupils’ skills progressively. Younger pupils for example, use simple Welsh and French words, phrases and greetings. Older pupils use increasingly sophisticated vocabulary and phrases in their project learning. Teachers plan effectively for pupils to learn and improve their skills in authentic contexts and incidentally, for example through commands, instructions and learning resources. Recently, during their To Infinity and Beyond project, pupils in Year 5 and 6 enjoyed a visit to the school’s ‘International Space Station’, where they had opportunities for critical thinking, decoding French phrases into English, using QR codes to find BSL signs and subsequently created video presentations for other pupils. These activities enable pupils to use their translanguaging skills to decode phrases at different ability levels. Pupils enjoy applying their knowledge of vocabulary to other aspects of their learning. For example, they create sentences about different planets in Welsh, using familiar stems to begin their sentences. Over time, as pupils notice their own vocabulary and syntax developing, they grow in confidence and enthusiasm.

Pupils’ ideas and suggestions are key at Langstone, and they regularly influence decision-making. The pupil pioneer team changed their name from ‘Criw Cymraeg’ to ‘Language Legends’ to reflect the school’s plurilingual nature. The Language Legends group meets fortnightly with the LLC team and makes contributions to the School Development Plan. They take part in learning walks around the school, lead on ‘Siaradwch, Parlez, Speak’ assemblies to introduce new language patterns and signs, promote language and support ‘Patrwm y mis’ assemblies. The ‘Patrwm y mis’ provides a targeted focus Welsh phrase or question and answer, differentiated for younger pupils, for example Sut wyt ti? / Sut wyt ti’n teimlo? This approach is often linked to BSL, encouraging pupils to become plurilingual.

The school’s continuous focus on providing high-quality professional development ensures that staff improve their skills. This includes time for self-directed study. Staff use online resources and attend evening Welsh and BSL courses to develop their confidence and subject knowledge. The school’s weekly ‘Paned a Sgwrs’ provides an opportunity for staff to meet informally before school to practise their Welsh. This has a positive impact on building staff confidence in using the Welsh language.

Pupils access a range of texts in Welsh and French in classroom ‘Cornel Darllen’ and generally in their learning resources. This includes exposure to languages through feedback and marking. Music lessons provide an ideal opportunity for teachers to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of musical terminology, bringing in elements of Italian vocabulary (forte, piano, staccato, etc) and terms such as allegro and andante, are used across the curriculum, for example in gymnastics and dance teaching and learning.

How have you shared your good practice?

The school has worked effectively to engage parents, using strategies such as the BSL sign of the week, greeting parents in Welsh, French and BSL at the start of the day and showcasing languages events throughout the year. Governors also attend these events.

The resulting research and enquiry projects have been shared across the region and included in the EAS language resources. Key elements of the school’s practice in language development have been included in the Senior Leadership Development Programme. Working with partner schools enabled staff to share experiences to and develop their understanding of progression for all pupils across the cluster.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Ebbw Fawr is a 3-16 learning community split over two sites located in Ebbw Vale. Of the 1,300 pupils, approximately 28% of children are eligible for free school meals and the school estimates that a further 30% of children are living within households that are socio-economically disadvantaged. Around 11% of children are identified as having additional learning needs, and 35 pupils are children looked after.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

The pandemic reinforced that a pupil’s school experience is negatively impacted by a range of barriers which are mainly rooted in poverty. They are wide ranging and adversely affect many aspects of a child’s school experience compared to their peers. This in turn hinders their academic progress. When returning from the pandemic the school set about developing a whole-school approach to removing these barriers in a systematic way.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

  • The school’s vision and core values were reviewed with all stakeholders and disadvantaged pupils were placed at the centre of this new vision. Additionally, the core value of going the ‘Extra Mile’ was adopted by all, recognising that to remove barriers the school needed to think and act differently.
  • An explicit whole-school policy was developed encouraging all leaders and teams throughout the school to consider the barriers faced by these groups of learners. Equity and inclusion were now a key focus for the staff professional learning programme and the school had a clear rationale for utilising grant funding to support these ambitions.
  • Disadvantaged leads were appointed to both phases and the profile of the school ALNCo’s were raised. These leads track and monitor the attendance and progress of identified pupils, including their access to school trips and their attendance at extra-curricular clubs and events.
  • Grant funding was used to employ Family Engagement Officers in both phases. These officers work closely to support identified families around attendance and engagement in school life.
  • The school had already established EVE (Ebbw Vale Engage), the school’s off-site provision for the most vulnerable secondary pupils who are at risk of disengagement and exclusion. However, the establishment of a coherent vision now gave leaders the confidence to enhance the provision and ask for local authority support.
  • The school surveyed identified families and pupils on a range of topics for example “What might prevent you from attending a parent/carer meeting?” The results of these questionnaires are analysed, and solutions identified as part of the “You Said, We Did” initiative.
  • Developments include:
    • flexible booking and transport at parents evening
    • development of “Spot it Sort it” App where pupils can log anything from bullying, vandalism to mental health issues
    • personal chrome books for all pupils Year 6 and above
    • all student leadership groups include disadvantaged pupils
    • school trips devised to be accessible to all
    • employing a bus driver for after-school activities and attendance
    • table talk Tuesday, Wonder Wednesday and Proud Friday developed as lunchtime opportunities for secondary pupils
    • opening of food, uniform, and equipment banks
    • opening secondary breakfast clubs and a primary parental cafe and play group for pre-school children
    • parental cost of living and skills sessions

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

Surveys now show that within the target group most pupils have a positive attitude to school and learning and want to achieve well. They behave well in school, exclusions have decreased, and attendance has improved. There is a better take up of extra-curricular opportunities and increased engagement in wider school life. The school’s drive to remove barriers has created a “can do” culture in the school, which has also had a positive effect on parents and the community.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Ysgol John Bright (YJB) is an English-medium 11-18 school maintained by Conwy local authority. It serves the town of Llandudno and the surrounding areas. There are 1,147 pupils on roll, of which 213 are in the sixth form. Around 18% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. Most pupils speak English as their first language, with around 12% of the school speaking English as an additional language. A further 8% of pupils speak Welsh at home. The percentage of pupils with additional learning needs, requiring at least reasonable adjustments, is around 19% of the overall school population.

The senior leadership team (SLT) consists of the headteacher, two deputy headteachers and three assistant headteachers. The school’s vision is summarised in the motto ‘Ysgol John Bright – Our Community of Learning’. This is underpinned by the common principles of equity, well-being and excellence.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

YJB serves a diverse catchment area; the school itself is based in one of the poorest wards in Wales, with 10% of the pupil population living in the ward. However, another 10% of the school’s population is drawn from the most affluent wards in Wales. Developing a curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils whilst raising the aspirations of those facing most challenge in society has taken deliberate planning and development over a number of years.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

The curriculum aims to provide a broad range of experiences for all pupils; this includes triple / separate science(s), three international languages at GCSE (French, Spanish and German) as well as prioritising minority subjects such as drama, music and fashion textiles. The school provides vocational courses such as hospitality and catering, engineering and outdoor education in-house to pupils.

In addition to the broad range of in-house subjects on offer, the school works effectively with local partnerships to allow pupils to study other practical courses such as salon services, construction, bushcraft and upcycling. Over the past five years the school has developed a strong partnership with Ysgol y Gogarth, the local special school. YJB students benefit from access to entry level vocational day courses at Ysgol y Gogarth, whilst YJB hosts a full-time class onsite for Ysgol y Gogarth pupils, allowing these learners to access a tailored curriculum drawn from the full suite of courses available in Key Stage 4.

At post-16, the school provides a range of 40 level 3 courses. It is also a key contributor to the local 6th form partnership (LINC Conwy) where pupils from other schools attend on a Wednesday to study outdoor education, fashion textiles and medical science onsite at YJB. At post-16, the school prescribes dedicated ‘super-curricular’ time and resources for students to consolidate their apprenticeship and university applications. A number of students in the sixth form are on blended packages involving extended work placements at local schools, vets and charities.

The school works deliberately to encourage pupils who are impacted by poverty to engage in the breadth of learning experiences available, This includes free individual music and acting lessons, leading to recognised national qualifications. In addition, the school provides funding to ensure trips are subsidised or free for some pupils, such as free trips to see opera productions at the local theatre. There are also opportunities for staff to refer in pupils to the school’s Duke of Edinburgh provision who would benefit from the experience but might not think to sign up.

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

The range of courses available allows the school to develop truly bespoke pathways for pupils through their Key Stage 4 and post-16 journey. Establishing such a breadth of provision has upskilled staff to be able to deliver courses within and beyond their specialism. A deliberate and positive outcome is the sequential nature of the school’s approach to curriculum planning from Year 7 through to Year 11 and beyond. This ensures that the curriculum builds carefully on the skills, knowledge and understanding required to progress in a disciplinary way as pupils grow through the school.

This provision has reduced the school’s NEET position to 0 for a number of years at the age of 16. Pupils at risk of permanent exclusion or disengagement in education are successfully engaging with the curriculum and are successful in gaining a place for their onward journey in education beyond the age of 16.

Progression to sixth form is growing, with an improving profile of outcomes for pupils; 41% of all grades awarded in summer 2023 were A* or A. Currently, close to 40% of the school’s university cohort go on to further study at Russell Group universities; a number of them as the first generation from their family to attend university.

How have you shared your good practice?

Within the local authority, the school’s work is shared via the curriculum planners’ forum. The school has contributed to regional consortia events focusing on curriculum design as well as leading the curriculum workstream of the ‘A55 Alliance’, a network of four large high schools in North Wales.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the provider

Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC) leads a partnership of 19 sub-contractors to deliver Welsh Government apprenticeship programmes. They deliver apprenticeships to approximately 2,500 learners at levels 2, 3 and 4 with most provision in the priority sector areas. Eight per cent of learners are from ethnic minority groups, 10% have a declared disability and 35% are from areas of high deprivation. The college serves a diverse community in the Capital Region of Wales working with employers, local authorities, and the Welsh Government to provide solutions to promote apprenticeships. It works with over 1,000 employers, from multinational and national employers to SMEs, with 76% of employers from SMEs. The college has a clear aim to change lives through learning with a particular focus on maximising opportunities for young people to engage with apprenticeships and to address barriers for under-represented groups.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Cardiff and Vale College Apprentices works in a region with the most diverse landscape in Wales in terms of economic prosperity and the diversity of the communities within it. The college recognises the key challenge to tackle poverty across the region and support prosperous communities. It positions its approach around strategic core themes, which include providing a responsive and impactful apprenticeship delivery, maximising opportunities for young people to engage with apprenticeships, increasing engagement beyond level 2 and a commitment to priority sector areas. In order to meet these aims it ensured that provision was planned at a strategic level, in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Cardiff and Vale College Apprenticeships has effective strategic planning that is aligned to local and national need and skills priority sectors. It has worked well with stakeholders, including the Welsh Government, to develop innovative new programmes including working with the creative and cultural skills sector to run a dedicated shared apprenticeship programme in cultural heritage for 33 learners that were not in education, employment or training (NEET).

The college has worked well with local authorities to raise the profile and understanding of the routes through apprenticeships and the opportunities they provide. It promotes apprenticeships in local schools and has taken part in school challenges to encourage young people into technical apprenticeships.

The college has worked hard to appeal to under-represented groups such as those from ethnic minority communities and those from less affluent areas, developing links with local employers and community groups, running awareness and recruitment events within these communities. The college developed the Deloitte and BBC journalism apprenticeships to increase diversity. It has also designed and delivered complementary programmes such as supported Internships at Dow for those with learning difficulties and disabilities.

The college works with a wide range of employers, supporting inward investment and matching the skills of apprentices effectively, for example through the development of financial services apprenticeships in the financial and professional services sector in Cardiff. This work has showcased apprenticeships with key employers including Aston Martin and Future PLC.

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

The college has increased the number of 16-year-olds joining apprenticeships and, in 2023, 71% of provision was under 24 years old. There has been an increase in the number of ethnic minority groups enrolling onto apprenticeship provision. Learners from ethnic minority groups and those from less affluent areas achieve their apprenticeships at similar rates to other learners.

The shared apprenticeship programme has been expanded into four additional sectors, in partnership with new employers and training providers, including the Wales Millennium Centre, Sgil Cymru, Y Prentis and Aspire.

How have you shared your good practice?

Cardiff and Vale College apprenticeships attend National Training Federation For Wales (NTfW) meetings and share their practice with other apprenticeship providers. They have disseminated the shared apprenticeship opportunity to key stakeholders, including regional skills forums.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the provider

Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC) leads a partnership of 19 sub-contractors to deliver Welsh Government apprenticeship programmes. They deliver apprenticeships to approximately 2,500 learners at levels 2, 3 and 4 with most provision in the priority sectors. Eight per cent of learners are from ethnic minority groups, 10% have a declared disability and 35% are from areas of high deprivation.The college serve a diverse community in the capital region of Wales working with employers, local authorities, and the Welsh Government to promote apprenticeships. They work with over 1,000 employers, from multinational and national employers to SMEs, with 76% of employers from SMEs. The college has a clear purpose to change lives through learning with a particular focus on maximising opportunities for young people to engage with apprenticeships and to address barriers for under-represented groups.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

The ALN Act provided an opportunity for CAVC Apprenticeships to review its provision to ensure that it most effectively supported those learners who had a disclosed ALN/learning disability. It was important to ensure that all sub-contractors were aware of the requirements of the Act and were in a position to meet the requirements. Cardiff and Vale College had a well-established, specialist team of ALN staff and this expertise was used effectively to develop provision across the network and to support implementation of new policies and procedures designed to meet the requirements of the ALN Code. All provision was closely aligned to Cardiff and Vale College’s strategic vision and improved opportunities to be able to actively recruit and support apprentices with ALN/learning disabilities into learning and employment.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

CAVC Apprentices learner support teams offer a wide range of services for learners. There are strong arrangements in place to identify learners’ support needs and to monitor support appropriately in order to develop learners and support their progress. Clear processes were devised for apprentices who presented with an individual development plan, those who declared an ALN/learning disability at the start of their programme and those who staff suspected had an ALN/learning disability. Within the process the following key areas were identified:

  • Adjustments that could be made through universal provision were highlighted.
  • A resource bank of tools and guides, including apps, were made available.
  • A clear referral process to the ALN team was devised.
  • A process was in place to track and monitor these learners at every stage of their journey.
  • Monthly ALN referral case management meetings were held with the CAVC ALN team, to discuss and agree ALN referrals for apprentices.
  • Links to the ALS support were found if necessary.

This provision enabled tailored support for any learner who had an identified/suspected ALN/learning disability. It also ensured that learner progress was tracked and any learners who needed additional support or were at risk were quickly identified.

All staff attended a comprehensive training programme on identifying ALN, universal provision, effective support strategies and all elements of the referral process. As a result links with the CAVC ALN team have been strengthened, and some providers have been able to develop their own additional support.

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

As a result of this work, the provider saw an increase in the number of learners disclosing an ALN/learning disability. There are now more learners accessing this tailored support and making good progress in their learning and in their workplaces. Progress and achievement data indicates that learners who disclose an ALN/learning disability do well when compared to others.

Staff have identified that they are now more confident in identifying need and working with apprentices who have an ALN/learning disability.

Employers are engaging effectively and are employing learners with ALN, they are recognising the skillsets of these learners and widening opportunities and participation.

How have you shared your good practice?

Cardiff and Vale College apprenticeships attend National Training Federation For Wales meetings and share their practice with other apprenticeship providers. They have worked closely with the Colleges Wales ALN Transformation lead attending meetings, reviewing training and reflecting on approaches to meeting the ALN Code.

Improvement Resource Type: Effective Practice

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Information about the school

Pontarddulais Comprehensive School opened in 1982, with a Specialist Teaching Facility added in 2007 for up to 10 pupils with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Located in a community with varied socio-economic backgrounds, pupils are drawn from a widely dispersed catchment area including urban areas, small villages and hill farms. There are currently 866 pupils on roll, around 16% are eligible for free school meals and around 20% are identified as having an additional learning need. The school’s vision of ‘Through inclusion, respect and resilience we will become better people and successful lifelong learners.’ supports the school’s motto of ‘Learn to live…live to learn.’

Context and background to the practice

Recognising the critical role attendance plays in pupils’ outcomes, in 2018 the school prioritised attendance as a driver for school improvement through a range of strategies. This initiative evolved from a basic understanding that attendance is not merely a matter of compliance but is intrinsically linked to pupil engagement, well-being and developing a sense of belonging. The school’s vision emphasised creating an environment where pupils feel valued, included, and excited about learning.

Description of the strategy

The strategy focuses on two key priorities: continuing to foster a nurturing, inclusive school culture, and ensuring engaging learning opportunities, including a diverse range of courses at Key Stage 4. The underlying principle is that pupils are more likely to want to attend school with the right culture and an interesting and engaging curriculum.

Specific strategies include:

Building and maintaining relationships: The school is a safe, secure and nurturing environment, where positive relationships are prioritised. A behaviour working party re-wrote the school’s Positive Behaviour Policy with a clear focus on ensuring a proactive culture that fosters these positive relationships and an understanding of the factors that affect pupil behaviour. The evidence-based practice such as emotion coaching techniques and trauma informed awareness underpin the positive behaviour policy. The simple yet effective rules of ‘Ready, Respectful and Safe’ are embedded throughout the school community. Regular staff training includes explaining the importance of how staff interact with pupils using the 5Cs approach, where staff are expected to be calm, consistent, clear, confident and compassionate when speaking to pupils. Alongside this, pupils are explicitly taught the importance of developing personal values such as kindness and empathy through a Character and Culture programme.

Promoting attendance: Through assemblies and form tutor sessions, the school emphasises the importance of daily attendance as a cornerstone of academic success and personal growth.

Robust monitoring and interventions: The school has a comprehensive monitoring system to identify attendance patterns early. Tailored interventions, including one-on-one support and family engagement, are key in addressing specific attendance challenges, particularly for vulnerable pupils. Key staff work as a team to create support plans that are individual to the pupil. This is regularly monitored through focused meetings with key staff. The school’s Family Engagement Officer (FEO) works closely with the Education Welfare Officer (EWO) to support families in a caring and sensitive manner, often providing outreach support within the community. As the EWO/FEO works with partner primary schools, practices are consistent throughout the cluster.

Curriculum Innovation: Recognising the diverse needs and interests of the pupils, the school expanded its curriculum in Years 10 and 11 to include a mix of GCSE and vocational subjects. The curriculum offer is designed to engage pupils in learning and align with their interests and career aspirations. The school feels that this has a profound impact on attendance for both year groups.

Impact on provision and pupils’ standards

The implementation of these strategies has led to improvements in the following aspects:

Increased attendance rates: Attendance exceeds modelled expectations, a testament to the effectiveness of the strategies. Pupils attend not just out of obligation but due to a genuine desire to be in school. For 2022/23, the school was in Benchmark Quartile 1 at 92.6%, 4.1% points above modelled expectations. eFSM pupils’ attendance was 87.8%, which is 8.4% points above the national average.

Enhanced school culture and ethos: The nurturing ethos contributes to a sense of social inclusion and community. Pupils report feeling part of a supportive network, positively impacting their well-being and academic engagement.

Academic success: The broadened curriculum in Years 10 and 11 has led to increased pupil engagement. Pupils enjoy their learning experiences, leading to very strong performance in external examinations.

Career pathways: The diverse and inclusive curriculum has enabled pupils to begin charting their career paths early, with many building on their studied school subjects to plan towards achieving their future career aspirations.

Pontarddulais Comprehensive School’s approach to improving attendance is a blend of strategic monitoring, personalised support, curriculum innovation, and fostering a nurturing school culture. This holistic approach has not only enhanced attendance rates but has fundamentally improved the educational experience and outcomes for pupils.