Effective planning across a federation

Information about the school

Ysgol Gynradd Carno, Ysgol Glantwymyn and Ysgol Llanbrynmair are situated in the Machynlleth catchment area.  The three schools have been part of a formal federation since September 2014.  One headteacher and one governing body operate across the federation, and there is an assistant headteacher at every site.  Welsh is the main medium of learning at all of the schools.

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

The federation was newly established and, therefore, transparent ways of sharing information had to be introduced and experimented with, monitoring systems had to be established, and it had to be ensured that pupils across the federation were given the same opportunities in terms of teaching.  The school believes that, hand-in-hand, the headteacher, assistant headteachers and governors promote an ethos of continuous improvement, and this is an integral part of the federation’s make-up.

Sharing leadership and distributing responsibilities reduces the burden on teachers and the normal pressures on small, rural schools in a way that broadens professional experiences and ensures high standards.  Processes for distributing leadership and responsibilities have enabled us to prepare and plan effectively for the new curriculum for Wales.  As professional learning has already been established, staff are ready to plan with the 4 purposes as a basis for provision.  As a result, they are keen to experiment and deliver an original curriculum that provides challenge, creativity and support for all pupils.

Description of the nature of the strategy or activity

The headteacher uses all data effectively, in addition to evidence from monitoring at all levels, in order to make improvements immediately.  The headteacher, alongside the senior management team and co-ordinators, completes impact reports on all priorities in the school development plan every term, and ensures that all members of staff are aware of what they need to do.

The federation’s procedures enable the assistant headteachers to lead on specific strategic areas across the three schools, in addition to developing as key operational leaders from day to day in their individual schools.  All teachers within the federation are co-ordinators of at least one area, and have been matched according to expertise and interest.  Learning area co-ordinators lead effectively and use their expertise to support other staff across the three schools.  For example, they analyse data, lead on planning, monitor progress, scrutinise work and report back in staff meetings.  They have also supported temporary staff in order to ensure that teaching and learning continue to be of consistent quality.

Networks on the Hwb learning platform are used effectively in order for co-ordinators to share resources, plans, monitoring reports and impact assessment reports every term.  This ensures transparent communication across the three schools.  Governors also use Hwb in order to access policies, self-evaluation documents and school development plans.  Monitoring reports from governors, in addition to the minutes of the governing body and sub-committees, can be read on Hwb.

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

A detailed monitoring timetable underpins the federation’s work.  All teaching staff are given opportunities to observe good practice within the federation and scrutinise work, and are given regular opportunities to meet with each other.  This provides more consistent opportunities to scrutinise and discuss quality than would be possible if the schools were separate.  As a result, opportunities to discuss and share good practice, and support and challenge each other, are more effective.  Joint planning ensures consistency in provision, including visitors, visits and workshops, which encourages pupils’ enthusiasm in their learning.  Teachers share resources and focus tasks.  An example of this includes sharing resources and equipment for science and humanities, in addition to sharing original mathematics mats based on themes, and a range of skills for the range of ability.  

Over time, reports on scrutiny of work have shown development in terms of pupils’ standards.  A prominent feature of this is the bulk of original, challenging work that is completed by pupils in a short period of time, and the increase in the number of pupils who attain the higher outcomes and levels over time.  Focus tasks use purposeful resources that have been prepared by teachers, which also include elements of activities that have been chosen by pupils while following their termly themes.  Exciting challenges in the continuous provision areas in the foundation phase classes ensure that pupils develop as confident, independent learners.

With funding from the Arts Council, a project titled ‘Elfennau’ (‘Elements’) was planned and completed, whereby all pupils in key stage 2 within the federation were given an opportunity to work with professional artists to develop their creative and literacy skills.  This was an excellent opportunity for pupils to develop social and co-operative skills beyond their individual schools, and strengthened the federation’s ethos.  It has also guided the way in which teachers now plan and use the four purposes naturally as a basis for learning.

How have you shared your good practice?

• The headteacher has shared good practice in a conference for federated schools within the ERW consortium
• Presentations to headteachers within the local authority
• Schools both inside and outside the local authority visit the individual schools
• The headteacher supports leadership in a school within the local authority
• Teachers have shared good practice in a cluster meeting