Thematic Report Archives - Page 15 of 15 - Estyn

Improvement Resource Type: Thematic Report


Improvement Resource Type: Thematic Report


Improvement Resource Type: Thematic Report


Main findings

  1. Pupil participation is strong in schools that have the following characteristics:
    • Pupil participation and building positive relationships are an integral part of the school’s vision and ethos. Leaders and managers have a clear strategy for promoting participation and for fostering good relationships. They support and encourage open and honest participation. Leaders create an ethos where pupils respect the rights of others and understand the importance of diversity and equality.
    • There are clear roles and structures in place across the school to capture the views of all pupils on a wide range of issues relating to school improvement. Staff take the views of pupils seriously and act on them. Pupils, staff and governors understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to participation. Leaders can demonstrate the impact of participation on school improvement planning.
    • Pupils have a breadth of opportunities to participate within and beyond the school to contribute to debate and influence decisions across a wide range of issues that affect them. These opportunities encourage pupils to develop the skills needed to become active citizens. 
    • Pupils and staff access good quality training and continuous professional development that is well targeted to develop the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to have pupils’ voice heard in discussions and in decision-making.
  2. Where pupil participation is strong, pupils make a valuable contribution to school improvement by influencing decisions on wellbeing, learning experiences, and the quality of teaching, and by helping to identify the school’s future priorities. Many schools report that pupil participation contributes to an improved school environment and ethos, and to better relationships between all in the school community.
  3. There are also benefits for pupils in greater participation, including improved health and wellbeing, improved engagement and behaviour, and improvements in learning, achievements and school performance. Through their greater involvement in decision-making, pupils develop valuable personal and social skills, such as listening, communication, negotiation, prioritising, and working with others. They also gain a better understanding of the rights of other members of the school community and of the consequences of actions that affect others. Pupils are better prepared to become ethical, informed and active citizens of Wales and of the world, and attitudes towards active citizenship become more positive.
  4. Nearly all schools inspected between September 2013 and July 2016 comply fully with the School Council Regulations. In almost all schools, the school council makes a worthwhile contribution towards improving the school learning environment. In these schools, pupils’ views are taken into account and influence decisions on school life.  
  5. Estyn gathers pupils’ views through a questionnaire issued before inspecting all schools, pupil referral units and non-maintained settings. Most learners feel that staff respect them and help them to understand and respect others. Most learners are encouraged to do things for themselves and to take responsibility. Many learners also feel that staff treat them fairly and with respect and that their school listens to their views and makes changes they suggest. A summary of the questionnaire findings is in Appendix 1.

Improvement Resource Type: Thematic Report


Improvement Resource Type: Thematic Report


Recommendations

ACL partnerships should:

  • continue to assure the quality of the teaching and learning to provide all adult learners with value for money

The Welsh Government should:

  • review its policy and funding strategy for the ACL sector

Improvement Resource Type: Thematic Report


Improvement Resource Type: Thematic Report


Recommendations

Local authorities should:

  • R1 ensure that the WESPs are a strategic priority
  • R2 have systematic processes in place to measure the demand for Welsh-medium provision
  • R3 work with schools to explain the advantages to pupils and parents of Welsh-medium education and of following courses through the medium of Welsh
  • R4 work with schools to set targets to increase the proportion of pupils in key stage 4 who continue to study Welsh as a first language and follow specific subject areas through the medium of Welsh
  • R5 make effective use of their Welsh-medium education fora to help to develop their WESP and to monitor progress
  • R6 evaluate their Welsh-medium additional learning needs provision to identify any gaps

The Welsh Government should:

 
  • R7 ensure that the targets agreed in the WESPs reflect the aspirations in their Welsh-medium education strategy
  • R8 ensure that all local authorities place enough strategic importance on delivering the targets within the WESPs
  • R9 monitor the implementation of the WESPs rigorously

Improvement Resource Type: Thematic Report


Improvement Resource Type: Thematic Report


Recommendations

Local authorities and regional consortia should:

  • R1 Develop training opportunities for schools to ensure consistency in the judgements for oracy, sufficiency of the evidence base, better application of the ‘best fit’ method, and moderation of work on the borderline between levels
  • R2 Review their role in ensuring consistency of standards across clusters, authorities and regions

Schools should:

  • R3 Take account of a wide range of pupils’ work when assessing and moderating levels
  • R4 Take appropriate account of the level of support, drafting processes, the impact of teachers’ marking and the sufficiency of evidence when awarding a final level
  • R5 Focus on pupils’ work that is on the lower borderline of levels when moderating in schools and in cluster meetings
  • R6 Make sure that all levels are reviewed and adjusted suitably after internal and cluster moderation and before submitting final levels
  • R7 Refer to standardised materials when assessing, moderating and standardising in schools and in cluster meetings

Improvement Resource Type: Thematic Report


Improvement Resource Type: Thematic Report