Quality Assurance (QA) Policy

Quality Assurance (QA) Policy

September 2016

Aspire Academy

Christian Aims and Values

Values

We Aspire to be a community founded upon mutual trust where everyone is loved for who they are. We seek to Serve others by putting their needs before our own and believe that working together we can Achieve more than we could alone.

As an Alternative Provision Academy, our core values are forgiveness, endurance and community:

Forgiveness is essential to human life and lies at the heart of all successful relationships. With wisdom and understanding, we can learn to forgive. We aim to do this by understanding ourselves and others. In this way we, can help each other feel cared for;
Endurance is a trait that needs to be developed in everyone. Life throws many challenges at us and we need to be prepared to face those challenges through developing deep personal reserves;
We aim to be an inclusive community. Each person is needed, valued and important. When things go wrong we will forgive each other and make a fresh start. We will share what we have with those in need and try to treat others as we would like them to treat us.

Aims

As an Alternative Provision Academy we aim to:

Treat students, staff and visitors with respect;
Incorporate and promote the values behind the academy motto; Aspire, Serve, Achieve in all we do;
Instil a sense of self-worth and value in every student;
Encourage student participation in the planning and the running of our Academy wherever possible;
Encourage religious literacy as a way of interpreting the world around us;
Encourage, challenge and support every person to achieve his or her potential.

Statement of Policy Review

The board of trustees has agreed that this policy will be reviewed every year. This review will take into consideration all aspects of applicable legislation and advice current at the time of the review. The next ‘Period of Review’ will be SEPTEMBER 2017.

Contents

Rationale for Quality Framework (p3)
Expectations of roles within the Academy structure (p4)
Summary of Roles and Responsibilities
Subject Team Leader(p5)
Subject Teacher and Tutor(p6)
Senior Leaders (p7)
Performance Data Collection - Purposes and DefinitionsKS3(p8)
Performance Data Collection - Purposes and DefinitionsKS4(p9)
Subject Review Programme (p10)
Pastoral Review Programme(p10)
Quality Assurance Expectations for Learning & Progress Co-ordinator(p12)
Quality Assurance Expectations for Subject Team Leader(p15)
Quality Assurance Expectations for Senior Leaders(p18)
Conducting Monitoring activities and their consequences(p22)
Proformas
Teacher Planning Trawl (p25)
Subject Work Trawl (p26)
Lesson Grading Grid(p27)
Lesson Plan(p29)
Lesson Observation Form(p30)

Rationale for Quality Assurance Framework

The Framework brings together best practice and is intended to sharpen our work for the benefit of students.

It provides a structure for consistency.

The Quality Assurance Framework arises from the following need to:

ensure that all students have high quality teaching and learning opportunities to reach their potential
raise standards to the level of the best
share existing best practice
release the capacity of middle and senior leaders
make expectations of all leaders explicit
use existing structures and systems that are effective
use data more sharply
turn analysis into action
know where to use support to best effect from a variety of sources – SLT, External Consultants
make consistent judgements based on sound knowledge of where we are
use our IT infrastructure and release its potential

Professional Expectations

For Teachers holding TLR or at UPS

Quality Assurance:

To ensure the effective operation of quality control systems.

To lead the process for setting of targets within the curriculum area and to work towards their achievement.

To ensure the implementation of common standards or practice within the curriculum area and develop the effectiveness of teaching and learning styles in all aspects within the curriculum area.

To manage the Academy procedures for lesson observations within the curriculum area.

To implement Academy quality procedures and to ensure adherence to those within the curriculum area.

To participate in the monitoring and evaluation of the curriculum area, in line with agreed Academy procedures including Self-Evaluation against quality standards and performance criteria.

To seek/implement modification and improvement where required within the relevant curriculum area.

For Teacher

Accountability

To implement Academy quality procedures and to adhere to those.
To contribute to the process of monitoring and evaluation of the curriculum area in line with agreed academy procedures, including evaluation against quality standards and performance criteria.
To seek/implement modification and improvement where required.

For Senior Leadership Team members

Play a major role in

Formulating the aims and objectives of the Academy
Establishing policies through which they shall be achieved
Leading and managing staff and resources to that end
Monitoring progress towards their achievement
Supporting link Subject Team Leaders and Subject Lead Teachers through the QA process
Providing regular feedback to both SLT and link Subject Team Leaders/Subject Lead Teachers

Summary for Senior Leadership Team and Subject Team Leaders of Tasks and Responsibilities

Lesson Observation / Work Trawls / Planning Trawls / Student Progress
Observe *all teachers in Subject – all to be observed at least once per term by SLT to monitor standards.
*Except in cases where grade 1 is achieved in two observations consecutively (at the discretion of VP for QA).
Use the Academy Lesson Observation Proforma and provide copy to central QA records within 24 hours
Give feedback with priorities identified
Where joint observations are to be done agree split of observations with link SLT member
The focus of Lesson Observation to be agreed / notified beforehand with either verbal and / or formal feedback and given within 24 hours.
Give individual feedback with priorities and arrange support if it is required. Keep a record of this meeting.
Follow up in Link meeting and identify priorities linked to CPD where necessary. / Monitor work produced in lessons by all teachers in Subject. All staff books to be monitored at least once per term by SLT to monitor standards.
Additional book checks to be implemented where causes for concern or action are identified, either to individual departments or whole academy.
Use the Academy Proforma and provide copy to central QA records within 24 hours
Give individual feedback with priorities and arrange support if it is required. Keep a record of this meeting.
Ensure a range of KS, ability, gender – focus drawn from analysis at Link SLT meetings
Follow up in Link meeting and identify priorities linked to CPD where necessary. / Monitor planning produced for lessons by all teachers in Subject. All lesson plans to be monitored at least once per term by STL to monitor standards. Additional planning trawls to be implemented where actions have been identified and CPD has been delivered to address them.
Use the Academy Lesson Proforma and provide copy to central QA records within 24 hours
Ensure a range of KS, ability, gender – focus drawn from analysis at Link SLT meetings
Give individual feedback with priorities and arrange support if it is required. Keep a record of this meeting.
Follow up in Link meeting and identify priorities linked to CPD where necessary. / Through meetings with Senior Leadership Links and subject staff confirm targets for students at beginning of year.
Give individual feedback with priorities and arrange support if it is required. Keep a record of this meeting.
Submit and/or verify data each half term – to analyse progress towards targets and to populate reports, setting new targets during year as appropriate.
Produce Departmental Planning documentation and review progress termly
Produce an analysis of KS4 outcomes annually
Follow up in Link meeting and identify priorities linked to CPD where necessary.
Share analysis with subject team at the next subject team meeting.

Summary for Teacher of Tasks and Responsibilities

Lesson Observation / Work Trawls / Planning / Student progress
Take part in lesson observations - focus agreed/notified beforehand either per PM policy or in terms of monitoring of standards.
Complete formal lesson plan prior to observation using the Academy Proforma.
Complete any other additional documents requested, as part of any focus taking place.
Judgements made using Academy proforma with targets agreed for further developments.
For PM focus agreed / notified beforehand.
Separate framework for ITT/GTP/NQT
Following meeting with identify priorities linked to CPD attend where necessary.
Work to address issues raised as key priorities. / Examples of student work will be sampled by SLT at least three times per year (once per term).
Examples of student work will be sampled by STL at least twice per year.
SLT / STL will provide individual feedback will be recorded on Work Trawl sheet within 1 week
Receive summary (whole academy, by subject or individual depending on need), with priorities identified and subsequent follow up checks implemented.
Act upon those priorities with CPD where necessary. / Teacher planning will be monitored at least three times per year by SLT or STL. Where a whole school identification of need is not required, a focus is agreed / notified beforehand.
Individual feedback will be recorded on Planning Review Sheet
Receive summary feedback at (whole academy, by subject or individual depending on need).
Act upon those priorities with CPD where necessary.
. / Submit and/or verify data each half term – to analyse progress towards targets
following data collection/
assessment calendar.
Maintain formal records accurately (registers).
Ensure students identified for intervention (academic and pastoral) are provided with the information to participate.
Individual feedback to teacher will be given allowing tracking and appropriate intervention by subject teacher.
Act upon those priorities with CPD where necessary.

Summary for Senior Leaders of Tasks and Responsibilities

Lesson Observation / Work Trawls / Planning / Student progress
Share lesson observations with Subject Leaders (if in place) and SLT.
Book time into diary
Agree split of observations with STL (if in place).
Complete one paired observation each round to maintain standards
Support Link Subject Team Leader in judgement making
Review the quality of evidence that has been collected and assist in drawing conclusions
Write a summary report highlighting strengths and weaknesses following QA 1, 2 & 3.
Follow up in Link meeting
Identify priorities
Note feedback to Subject with priorities identified from Subject notes / minutes
Identify individual needs – feedback to Reviewer for PM follow up and/or CPD / Monitor student work three times per year in QA 1, 2 & 3– ensure range of KS, ability, gender – focus drawn from analysis at Link meetings
Support Link Subject Team Leader in judgement making
Review the quality of evidence that has been collected and assist in drawing conclusions
Write a summary report highlighting strengths and weaknesses following QA 1, 2 & 3.
Follow up in Link meeting
Identify priorities
Note feedback on termly basis with priorities identified from Subject notes/minutes
Identify individual needs – feedback to Reviewer for PM follow up and/or CPD / Monitor Teacher Planning three times per year in QA 1, 2 & 3. - with focus drawn from analysis at Link meetings
Complete one Teacher Planning as joint activity in QA2
Support Link Subject Team Leader in judgement making
Review the quality of evidence that has been collected and assist in drawing conclusions
Write a summary report highlighting strengths and weaknesses following QA 1, 2 & end of year(including QA3
Follow up in Link meeting
Identify priorities
Note feedback on termly basis with priorities identified from Subject notes/minutes
Identify individual needs – feedback to Reviewer for PM follow up and/or CPD / Confirm targets for all years at beginning of year.
Submit and/or verify data each half term – to analyse progress towards targets and to populate reports
Analyse data pre Link meetings
Share analysis with Subject Team Leader (if in place) or teachers of subject leading to planned interventions highlighted in departmental planning.
Follow up in Link meeting
Identify priorities.
Note feedback to Subject on termly basis with priorities identified from
Identify individual staff and student needs – feedback to Reviewer for PM follow up and/or CPD

Performance Data Collection - Purposes and Definitions

Rationale

Need to provide useful up to date information on student progress to allow progress to be monitored and instigate intervention strategies with individual students/staff as/when required
Utilise the results of regular assessment already being made within subject areas
Support Subject and Pastoral Leaders in monitoring classes/sets
Give parents and carers a clearer indication of expectations of potential achievement and progress being made

Key Stage Three

Target levels

Challenge Targets: Challenging, aspirational targets to be set based on CAT scores, KS2 data, Year 7 performance data and Fischer Family Trust data if available, in consultation with departmental team.
Expected Progress Targets: Targets set from baseline data and testing on entry to the academy.
Targets for baseline criteria will be based upon students making at least ‘expected progress’ within a year and across a Key Stage (where students have joined us early in the KS).

Expected Progress

KS3 end of year targets.
Expected progress = +2 sub mastery band
Better than expected = +3 sub mastery bands
Targets will be broken down into sub bands
Targets to be shared with students and parents in the summary report sent home half termly.

Performance Data

Performance data will be collected as per the Data Collection Calendar

There are two types of performance data.

Current Working Band – this means the level the student is working at a given point in time – it must reflect class work and homework.
Target band – this is the minimum that we expect students to achieve by the end of KS3 in each subject. It is based on past student performance and expected rates of progress. These bands are also split into sub-bands.
Sub-bands of Progress – this is how many sub-bands of progress have been made from baseline data.

Current Working Bands will be a ‘Band’ followed by +, =, - :

- means the student is developing or has emerging knowledge within this band
= means the student is generally secure within this band
+ means the student is secure and extending their knowledge within this band

This will allow staff to indicate if progress is being made or not being made.

Forecast progress will be collected as per the Data Collection Calendar.

Behaviour and attitude to work is not reported at the same time as Performance Data. Students at the academy have been referred as a result of a variety of needs and barriers to learning directly impacting on their progress. These issues are addressed, and parents are notified, daily. The academy aims to separate the behaviour from the learning to enable students, teachers and support tutors to focus on learning and progress.

Reports

All Level information will be pre-printed on Data Summary Reports and sent to parents at least once per half term. Parents are provided with: The mastery band their child has been baseline assessed at; current working band (including sub-band); target band for the end of the academic year (including sub-band); if the child is making progress, demonstrated by the number of sub-bands progress they have made from baseline to date.

Key Stage Four

Target Grades

Challenge Target Grades: To be centrally set based on KS2, KS3 data, FFT data and past performance.
Better than Expected Progress Target Grades: To be shared with students within academy and parents in summary reports sent our half termly.

Year 10 expected progress = +2 sub grades

Year 10 better than expected = +3 sub grades

Year 11 expected progress = +2 sub grade

Year 11 better than expected = +3 sub grade

Minimum expectation target grades will be always be based upon students making at least better than expected progress across an academic year. This is to ensure the gap between current attainment and potential can be described as closing.

In English and maths, where assessment changes to 1-9 from January, a system of +,=,- will be maintained to demonstrate progress within the number.

- means the student is developing or has emerging knowledge within this number/grade
= means the student is generally secure within this number/grade
+ means the student is secure and extending their knowledge within this number/grade

Performance Data

Performance data will be collected as per the Data Collection Calendar

There are two types of performance data.

Current Working Grade – this means the Grade the student is working at a given point in time – it must reflect class work and homework.
Expected Progress Target Grade – this is the minimum that we expect students to achieve by the end of each KS4 year, in each subject. It is based on baseline assessments, on entry to the academy, and expected rates of better than expected progress.

Reports

All Level information will be pre-printed on Data Summary Reports and sent to parents at least once per half term. Parents are provided with their child’s: Baseline Assessment Grade (including sub grade). Where actual externally verified data is available (early entry exam results); Current Working Band; Target Band; Sub-levels of Progress.

NB For students following a BTEC, IMI, City and Guilds Course the grading system will reflect the course or use Fail, Pass, Merit, Distinction (F,P,M,D).