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School Self Evaluation in Mathematics

The main aims of school self-evaluation in mathematics:

  • To know how well we are doing and celebrate it
  • To know what we need to do now

Principles of self-evaluation:

  • To monitor performance
  • To analyse whether standards in mathematics are high enough
  • To identify strengths and diagnose areas for development
  • To plan what needs to be done and prioritise those actions
  • To act on the findings

Important questions to raise about school self-evaluation in mathematics:

  • Is our school’ self- evaluation based on a good range of telling evidence?
  • Does it identify the most important questions about how well our school serves its learners and other stakeholders (e.g. does it include the views of parents and pupils?)
  • How do we compare with the best comparable schools?
  • Is our self-evaluation process an integral part of our systems?
  • Does our self-evaluation process lead to identifiable actions?

Using the SIP (School Improvement Profile)

  • Identify trends in mathematics over time
  • Raise any issues – e.g. staff movement, impact of any support
  • Use data as a starting point
  • Link any questions raised to other forms of monitoring

Scrutiny of Work

  • By subject
  • By class
  • By grouping
  • By gender/ethnicity/SEN

Outcomes of scrutiny should inform

  • quality of teaching and learning
  • pupil attainment and progress
  • curriculum provision (breadth and balance)

Pupil Interviews

  • A key tool
  • Discuss work (e.g. ask them to show which is their best work and why)
  • Discuss attitudes to mathematical learning
  • Explore their knowledge and understanding of mathematics

Outcomes of Pupil Interviews should:

  • improve understanding of pupil attitudes and therefore behaviour
  • clarify pupil attainment and progress in mathematics
  • inform pupils perceptions of current teaching and learning

Classroom Observations

  • By Senior Mgt Team
  • By Subject Leader
  • By others?

Outcomes of Classroom Observations should:

  • evidence the quality of teaching and learning in mathematics
  • clarify pupil attainment and progress
  • inform the school about effectiveness of curriculum provision

Consider:

  • Which children made progress during the lesson
  • Agreeing a set of criteria prior to lesson observations (ask staff to agree what a good lesson looks like, and use their responses to set the criteria)

How well are we doing:

In this school ------ governors, senior mgt, all staff

In this team ------ senior mgt, subject leaders, teachers

In this class senior mgt, teachers, pupils

With this pupils ------ teachers, pupils, parents(?)

Subject Leaders

  • Encourage the maintenance of a portfolio of evidence – use during discussions

To summarise with 3 key questions:

  • How high are standards in our school?
  • How do we know?
  • What are we doing about it?

Partnered Walkthrough

A partnered walkthrough or ‘learning walk:

  • Is part of school self-evaluation NOT inspection
  • Uses locally agreed indicators, (not a tick list)
  • Is about a structured tour through a part or a whole of a school
  • Identifies areas of excellence as well as areas for development, using local (* national) indicators
  • Is about having a critical friend/coach

During the Walkthrough:

  • Observe snapshots of mathematical teaching and learning, no more than 10 mins in each classroom – ‘touch the back wall and then leave’
  • Concentrate on the learning
  • Talk to children about their work:
  • Is this your best work?
  • Why are you doing this?
  • What have you done before this?
  • What are you going to do next?
  • Observe class organisations
  • Observe the learning environment
  • Try not to appear ‘inspectorial’ (leave the clipboard out!!)
  • Complete a work scrutiny
  • Discuss outcomes
  • Agree future priorities/action plans
  • Give feedback in the form of questions (this is an awareness-raising
  • exercise)
  • Use ‘Excellence and Enjoyment’ materials for further support on walkthroughs

Agree on the key questions prior to the walkthrough:

  • Where are we going to look?
  • What are we looking at?
  • What are we looking for?
  • What does this tell us?
  • Look in communal areas
  • Concentrate on the learning opportunities, environment and organisation
  • Are the aims and purpose of the vision for mathematics clear to everyone in the school community?
  • Are the aims and purpose of this vision evident in the work of the school?