How Adamsdown Primary used distributed leadership to support successful self evaluation processes and implement whole-school changes
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Information about the school or provider
Adamsdown Primary School is a community school situated in the inner-city area of Adamsdown in Cardiff. The vast majority of the catchment area falls well within the 10% most deprived areas in the Wales. Many children at Adamsdown have barriers to learning in the form of English as an additional language (EAL) (72%), additional learning needs (ALN) (9%), being in receipt of free school meals (65%), child protection issues, poor housing, health issues and poor attendance.
Context and background to the effective or innovative practice
After being placed in an Estyn category of ‘requiring significant improvement’ in 2015 the school began a rapid journey to ensure that leadership was distributed across the teaching team. All teaching staff underwent rigorous training to become curriculum leads and were assigned responsibilities in line with the teacher pay scale. In addition, an audit of teachers’ skills and experiences alongside a comprehensive professional learning programme over an academic year led to an effective self evaluation programme being implemented. These actions ensured that the school was removed from the Estyn category after just four terms. This allowed the headteacher an opportunity to review the school’s vision and practices ahead of the implementation of the new curriculum.
Description of nature of strategy or activity
In order to sustain recent improvements made, the headteacher needed to review the school’s vision with all stakeholders. This included embedding a programme of monitoring, evaluating and reporting to ensure that all stakeholders were aware of the school’s baseline of standards across all areas of school life, followed by the priorities ahead of new curriculum. A timeline was then developed to bring the vision into action. Through a series of whole-school training days the school’s stakeholders developed its aims for the next three to five years. The school vision was re-written to accurately reflect the diverse needs of learners. This process included leaders, governors, staff, pupils, parents and community links.
To support the leadership team in enacting the vision, an innovative trial to introduce a new system for grouping pupils was carried out in 2017. This was led by the assistant headteacher and teachers on the upper pay scale. Data produced from pupil progress meetings was analysed and showed that pupils made accelerated progress in the trial. TLR holders analysed this data across the core subjects of Maths, English and Science. Supported by main pay scale teachers who led foundation subject areas all aspects of the curriculum were reviewed.
Leadership responsibilities during the trial period included reporting to stakeholders, leading meetings, carrying out monitoring, evaluating and reporting activities, attending professional learning opportunities, research and extensive analysis of pupil data.
All teaching staff were involved in the development of this new system, ensuring that the whole community continued to influence improvements in light of changes to the national agenda and the evolving needs of pupils. This led to an increased commitment from the community to understand the needs and the reasons for change.
What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?
The school has implemented an innovative new system for teaching and learning and successfully created a curriculum for learners that ensures all pupils make progress from their individual starting points.
Distributed leadership has enhanced the skillset of practitioners, ensuring that they have all been able to play a role in the development of the school improvement programme. They provided substantial evidence to ensure progression onto the upper pay scale as well as progress to middle and senior leadership.
Adamsdown received a strong Estyn report in May 2023.
How have you shared your good practice?
Through various case studies compiled by the consortium and Cardiff University.