Strong self-evaluation based on the effect of teaching on pupils’ learning and well-being

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Information about the school
Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni is the only Welsh-medium secondary school in the county of Caerphilly. The school is located on two sites, namely the Gellihaf site near the village of Fleur de Lys and the Gwyndy site in the town of Caerphilly. There are 1,764 pupils on roll, including 196 pupils in the sixth form. The percentage of pupils who come from Welsh-speaking homes is 11.7%. Fifteen-point-two per cent (15.2%) of pupils are eligible for free school meals. Nine per cent (9%) of pupils have additional learning needs. The senior leadership team includes the headteacher, deputy headteacher, two acting deputy headteachers, seven assistant headteachers and a business manager.
Context and background to the effective or innovative practice
Since 2022, the school has evolved its self-evaluation and planning for improvement procedures purposefully to put the pupil’s progress at the heart of everything. As a result, there is a clear link between self-evaluation, realising potential (staff performance management processes), professional learning and whole-school planning for improvement. A definite and consistent focus is placed on measuring the effect of any provision on progress in pupils’ standards and skills. Leaders adapt the professional learning offer regularly in response to the findings of self-evaluation activities. They target areas for improvement in pupils’ learning and skills and ensure improvements, for example in pupils’ standards of oracy.
Description of the nature of the strategy or activity
The school has a comprehensive calendar of activities to gather information about the quality of teaching and learning. Leaders focus strongly on what effect provision and teaching have on pupils’ progress and well-being. Leaders also analyse and evaluate how effectively the school’s vision is implemented by identifying specific success criteria that embody this vision.
Leaders consider a wide range of evidence from learning walks, lesson observations, scrutinising pupils’ work, internal and external data and activities to seek the views of pupils, staff and parents to produce comprehensive reports on the quality of teaching and learning. After conducting a range of these activities, leaders meet to hold an open and purposeful discussion about the evidence. Where the focus is on teaching and learning, conversations place a firm focus on discussing and analysing pupils’ progress and skills. Leaders consider and evaluate how much of an effect actions and strategies to improve teaching have had on pupils’ achievement. Careful consideration is given to pupils’ literacy, numeracy and digital skills to consider whether the provision of teachers’ professional learning programmes has a positive effect on these skills. For example, pupils’ oral skills are discussed, whether teachers’ developing work to feed vocabulary and sentence patterns, along with effective questioning, has a positive effect on the quality of pupils’ responses. As a result, a strong feature of leaders’ work is the way in which they evaluate the quality of teaching in light of its effect on learning. A similar process is used to consider the effect of provision for care, support and guidance on pupils’ well-being. As a result of this detailed and thorough evaluation, most of the school’s leaders have a clear awareness of the main strengths and areas for improvement in their areas of responsibility.
Leaders are self-critical and evaluate the effect of their work continuously. A whole-school interim report on teaching and learning is presented following quality assurance activities from September to January to summarise the findings and set a direction for the school development plan. After identifying improvement priorities in pupils’ skills, leaders implement a ‘Cynllunio, Addysgu, Myfyrio’ (CAM) (‘Planning, Teaching, Reflecting’) process, which focuses on developing and improving staff’s professional practice. A specific and meaningful professional learning programme is provided to respond to the priorities that were identified, including weekly CAM sessions for all members of the school’s staff. For example, there has been a focus on developing pupils’ oracy skills and the quality of teachers’ questioning. This has a positive effect on staff development, classroom practice and pupils’ progress. The professional learning programme is tailored to the needs of individual staff, including staff who teach outside their expertise or teachers who are early in their career. Staff leadership skills are also strengthened through continuous professional learning activities for middle leaders.
The school’s senior leadership team promotes an atmosphere of transparency and honesty to enable incisive self evaluation and timely and effective action on areas for development. The school’s middle leaders play a central role in this by using a range of self-evaluation processes to monitor and evaluate progress effectively against the priorities in the discipline development plans (curricular areas) and well-being. This has a positive effect on teaching and learning and the well-being of pupils and staff.
What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?
Sharpening whole-school self-evaluation and improvement planning processes has had a positive effect on the work of the school’s middle and senior leaders, meaning that they identify strengths and areas for improvement in their departments or areas of responsibility well. Middle leaders are given a prominent role in maintaining and developing standards within their disciplines on the classroom floor and beyond. The comprehensive professional learning programme means that staff value the support that is available and feel that they are supported well to develop in their roles.
Over time, many pupils make sound progress in their subject knowledge and understanding. These pupils are able to recall their previous knowledge confidently and a majority apply it suitably to new contexts. In many lessons, teachers explain effectively and question regularly to test pupils’ knowledge and ensure that they understand. As a result, many pupils develop their oral skills well. They structure their responses in an organised manner and use sentence patterns intelligently. Continuous and transparent reflection on teaching and learning has a positive effect on staff development, pedagogy, well-being and pupils’ progress. This also allows the school to draw up its priorities coherently and consider its vision wisely.
How have you shared your good practice?
Good practice is shared within the school through weekly CAM sessions and in-service training days, including days held jointly with partner primary schools. The school has also presented its practices in a network of Welsh medium secondary schools within the region and across Wales.