School Self-Evaluation Form

SCHOOL SELF-EVALUATION FORM

SCHOOL / Weald Community Primary School
HEADTEACHER / David Pyle / REVIEW DATE / 24/06/15
SECTIONA: INTRODUCTION
School Context & Key Strengths
Weald CPS is a good school with good attainment and achievement. It benefits from being a small “inclusive, cohesive school community” and has good capacityfor sustained improvement within an emerging culture of distributive leadership.The October 2011 inspection identified “increased confidence and effectiveness of all staff in tackling the school’s improvement priorities”. There is a strong emphasison the development of emotional intelligence and resilience which are seen as important precursors to educational ability.
The school is embedding a broad and balanced curriculum in which the acquisition of knowledge and skills; creativity; independence and enquiry-based learning are actively encouraged. Key influences on this are the Joint Curriculum Project in partnership with Kanthenga School, Malawi and the Global Learning Programme. Further enrichment of children’s learning and well-being is achieved through highly productive relationships with local schoolsand other agencies. The school is well regarded in the local community and is invariably over-subscribed.

CORE AREAS 1& 6:
Pupils’ Behaviour & Safety/SMSC. Grading = 1
All areas of behaviour including attitudes to learning, strength of relationships and protection from bullying. SMSC including British Values (democracy, tolerance, respect for other faiths/cultures); attendance and punctuality; views of pupils, parents and carers.
Key Strengths:
The school has an ethos based upon consideration for others, courtesy and citizenship.
“The buddy system is fabulous – extremely special and significant relationships for both the younger and older child”.
Strong sense of shared responsibility and commitment among staff.
“Outstanding care, guidance and support by all staff”. Teachers and Teaching Assistants enjoy “positive and trusting relationships” with pupils.
The Positive Behaviour policy and practices based upon the principles of accountability, personal responsibility and emotional intelligence.
Pupils are encouraged to take on positions of responsibility/leadership and these are actively developed throughout the school.
Children in Key stage 2 receive training and fulfil roles as Anti-Bullying Ambassadors.
Transition and induction procedures for children are effective at all levels within the school.
A wide range of enrichment activities including clubs, visitors to school and trips.
Positive relationships with parents in support of behaviour, learning and attendance.
Impact:
 “Pupils feel safe and secure” and “care for each other in this inclusive, cohesive school community”.
Children are “happy, confident and excited by all their experiences at school”.This is reflected in their enthusiasm for learning.
The children are “polite, welcoming, articulate and friendly”.
“Pupils show respect, tolerance and understanding for others”.
The children’s “moral and social development” is excellent.
Bullying is very infrequent and pupils feel that when rare incidents occur these are dealt with very effectively by the school.
Racist incidents are extremely rare and are always dealt with in line with school policy and procedure.
Attendance is good (96%+ over time) and there are robust systems such as first day call to ensure that absences are checked – pupils “enjoy coming to school”.
All of these evaluations are supported very compellingly by the views of pupils and parents.
CORE AREAS 2, 5 & 7
Quality of Teaching/Leadership & Management & SEND. Grading = 2
Expectations, engagement, motivation, challenge, independence, reading and literacy skills, assessment and next steps in learning.
Key Strengths:
Teachers know their pupils well and frequently ensure a good match of task to need/ability (effective differentiation & personalisation)
Teachers plan stimulating experiences and the classrooms are exciting learning areas.
There is a good pace to learning and questioning is used effectively to extend “pupils’ thinking”.
A rigorous system and monitoring schedule for pupil tracking and assessment.
Outstanding care, guidance and support particularly with respect to children with special educational needs/disabilities.
Small group work is targeted carefully and one-to one tuition (especially in reading recovery) increases the confidence and accelerates the progress of Pupil Premium, SEND and other identified children.
Improvements in the teaching of Writing through CPD and a continuing focus on successful strategies to raise standards in this area.
Impact:
Pupils’ enjoyment, along with positive attitudes, good behaviour and good interaction with each other, makes an important contribution to their outstanding achievement”.
The curriculum is broad and balanced and engages children of all abilities.
Teaching builds the children’s resourcefulness and independence.
Good attainment and progress is achieved in all subjects: see ‘Data Summary’.

CORE AREA 3
Achievement
Attainment, progress and the quality of learning, for individuals, different groups, particularly SEND pupils. Grading = 2
Since the last inspection (October 2011), Achievement has been good throughout the school.
Foundation Stage 2012: % 78+ and 6+ in PSED & CLL = 100
Foundation Stage 2013: % Exceeding or Expected Prime Learning Goals = 82.6
Foundation Stage 2014: % Good Level of Development = 65.0; % Exceeding or Expected Literacy Goals = 75.0; % Exceeding or Expected Mathematics Goals = 85.0.
Year 1 Phonics 2012: % 32+ = 75; 2013 = 83.3; 2014 = 68.2
Key Stage One 2012: % L2B+: Reading = 91; Writing = 81; Maths = 91
Key Stage One 2013: % L2B+: Reading = 90; Writing = 73.3; Maths = 90
Key Stage One 2014: % L2B+: Reading = 81.7; Writing = 69.5; Maths = 81.5
Key Stage Two 2012 (1 Statemented & 4 other SEN children out of 18 Year 6 pupils): English & Maths % L4 = 94.4; English L5 = 50% & Maths L5 = 66.6%; % 2 levels progress: English = 88.9 & Maths = 94.4.
Key Stage Two 2013: L4 % Reading = 100; Writing = 100; Maths = 94.7. L5 % Reading = 84.2; Writing = 52.6; Maths = 52.6. L6 % Reading = 0.0; Writing = 0.0; Maths = 26.3
Key Stage Two Attainment 2014: L4 % Reading = 100.0; Writing = 90.0; GPS = 100.0; Maths = 100.0; L5% Reading = 85.0; Writing = 50.0; GPS = 75.0; Maths = 80.0; L6% Reading = 0.0; Writing = 0.0; GPS = 5.0; Maths = 30.0.
Key Stage Two Progress 2014: 2 Levels Reading = 100.0; Writing = 88.2; Maths = 100.0. 3+ Levels Reading = 41.2; Writing = 23.5; Maths = 68.4. 12+ points Reading = 82.4; Writing = 88.2; Maths = 100.0.
Key Stage Two Attainment 2015: L4+ Combined: 80%; L4% Reading = 86.7; Writing = 93.3; GPS = 80.0; Maths = 86.7; L5% Reading = 66.7; Writing = 73.3; GPS = 66.7; Maths = 26.7; L6% Reading = 0.0; Writing = 6.7; GPS = 0.0; Maths = 13.3.
Key Stage Two Progress 2015: 2 Levels Reading = 93.3; Writing = 100.0; Maths 86.7. 3+ Levels Reading = 26.7; Writing = 53.3; Maths = 26.7
CORE AREA 4
Effectiveness of Early Years Provision
Key Strengths:
“Very good attention is paid to children’s welfare and positive and trusting relationships between staff and children ensure that children feel safe and secure at all times”.
The children settle quickly into the routine of school life and enjoy learning in “a happy, purposeful environment”.
Effective induction procedures enable good links with parents and carers.
The baseline assessment on entry provides an important benchmark from which to track pupil progress.
There is a “good balance between activities directed by adults and those where children make their own choices”.
Children are encouraged to take responsibility and develop independence.
Impact:
The children’s enquiring minds are stimulated and they grow in confidence and are “eager to learn and experience new things”.
Children in the EYFS make good progress in relation to Early Learning Goals.
CORE AREA 5
Effectiveness of Leadership and Management. Grading 2
Leadership ambition for pupils’ achievement, teaching and learning, development of staff and capacity for improvement. Accuracy of self-evaluation, relevance of curriculum, governance, safeguarding, equality of opportunity, parental engagement and partnerships
Leadership is at least good because of the sustained impact on school improvement through a culture of shared vision and responsibility.
Key Strengths:
The school has robust systems to ensure that all safeguarding systems, policies, practices and arrangements are in place and checked/monitored very regularly. This is supported by pupil and parental surveys.
The Leadership Team is highly skilled and experienced and members work closely together to promote an ambitious shared vision and drive for the school which leads to consistently improving standards.
A culture of devolved leadership at all levels throughout the school, including children, staff and parents.
The development of excellent policies that underpin practice.
Pupil voice through the Pupil Forum which ensures that all pupils’ views within are incorporated into school improvement.
A focused SIP that identifies accurately the current strengths in the school and also provides areas for further improvement with challenging time lines, success criteria and monitoring and evaluation.
Challenging targets are set for all children across the school. These are monitored through the Pupil Progress procedures for individual pupils, different groups and different subjects to ensure high standards are sustained and improved upon.
Partnerships and engagement with parents and carers are strong – “the overwhelming majority are happy with their children’s experience at school”.
The Parents’ Forum which acts as a consultative body on school improvement issues and an extremely active PTA provides a comprehensive programme of fundraising and social activities.
Other strong partnerships: Weald-Kanthenga Partnership; The Global Learning Programme; Sevenoaks Partnership; Royal Geographical Society.
The school works very well in the community to promote a cohesive approach to the children’s attitudes towards the society in which they live.
The findings from annual pupil, staff and parent questionnaires are analysed and used to inform future planning.
The governors know the school well and are effective in meeting their statutory requirements and implementing the Governors’ Improvement Plan.
The GB has renewed its committee structure “to match more closely with school improvement priorities
Impact:
Children feel safe and secure within the school environment
The overwhelming majority of children make good progress from their starting points.
Pupils, parents and other members of the community are involved in school improvement processes and feel valued for their contributions.
Staff morale ishigh and teachers/teaching assistants are increasingly accountable for pupil progress.
Governors champion the cause of the school vision, understand their role and support the Leadership Team in moving the school forwards.
SECTION B: AREAS FOR WHOLE SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT
(relating to Core Areas 1-7in the SIP)
CORE AREAS 1 & 6
Pupils’ Behaviour & Safety/SMSC
Enrich and extend the Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural development of all groups of children including disabled pupils, those who have SEN, disadvantaged pupils and the most able.
Ensuring all behaviour and safeguarding arrangements are kept under regular review.
Consistent use of sanctions and rewards in accordance with the Positive Behaviour Policy.
Effecting parental attitudinal change in relation to positive behaviour and, in particular, holiday requests for absence.
Development of Anti-Bullying Ambassador initiative.
Pupil Leadership through the Pupil Forum, Buddy System, Year 6 positions of responsibility, Year 5 facilitators training, class monitors etc. Head Boy and Head Girl elected democratically.
Active role-modelling by members of staff to promote the 3 Cs policy: Courtesy, Consideration & Citizenship.
Further refinement of the PSHE Assembly programme, Circle Time and Celebration activities.
Promotion of “The Best of British” values in curricular and extra-curricular activities.
Expanding pupils’ awareness of other cultures within the United Kingdom through school link visits and a designated assembly programme.
Cultural appreciation through the whole-school curriculum theme, the Joint Curriculum Project and the Global Learning Programme.
Reappraisal of the RE schemes of work to reflect current religious issues and appreciation of other faiths. Re-launching of Collective Worship working party.
Create a monitoring grid for SMSC criteria to evaluate the impact of the various initiatives.
CORE AREAS 2, 5 & 7
Quality of Teaching/Leadership & Management & SEND
Develop and support staff in order to deliver a stimulating learningenvironment in which all pupils (including disabled pupils, those who have SEN, disadvantaged pupils and the most able) are empowered to make accelerated progress
Ensure that teaching over time in most subjects (incl. English & Maths) is consistently good with outstanding examples of practice (according to 2014 Ofsted criteria)
Embed mentoring and coaching to move teachers and other staff towards ambitious targets.
Extend the Lesson Study programme to encourage a collaborative approach to planning, teaching and evaluation.
Use of various training strategies, including INSET, staff meetings, modelling, observations and relevant courses to build leadership capacity and to hone teaching skills.
Enhance the role of Subject Teams (middle management roles) in line with the new National Curriculum.
Embedwithin teaching an effective balance between the imparting of in depth teacher knowledge and independent and enquiry-based learning.
Embed within teaching effective questioning and differentiation, especially challenge for the more able.
Continue to embed the new marking and assessmentprocedures (incl. “Praise & Positive Feedback”) to encourage children to raise their expectations of achievement, reflect on and evaluate their own progress and learning.
Introduce a new assessment framework incorporating transition from NC Levels to the emerging, expected, exceeding milestones of the new curriculum to provide a strategic whole-school overview of progress and to equip teachers and teaching assistants with more information to improve learning.
Review of pupil groupings based upon assessment data and the requirements of the new SEND framework (to include provision for more able pupils).
CORE AREAS 2, 3, 4 & 5
Improve standards of punctuation and grammar in KS1 & KS2 to match or exceed those in similar Kent schools.
Members of staff to visit other schools to observe lessons and share good practice.
CPD: staff training: Sevenoaks Partnership & KCC
Re-design whole school Literacy targets, particularly relating to punctuation and grammar
Refine regular assessment to inform phonics teaching throughout the school
Increased allocation of time for Reading with specific foci on punctuation and grammar.
Use of dictation to emphasise sentence punctuation.
CORE AREAS 2, 3, 4 & 5
Raise further the profile of Writing within the school to increase attainment; for example Level 6 Writing.
Sharing writing with other classes and schools
Motivational displays
House Competitions
Increased moderation within school
CPD and continual liaison with Year 7 transition teachers in local secondary schools
Pupil Forum Shared Writing activities
Presentation of individual pieces of writing to adults to promote sense of self-worth
School magazine and newspaper
Whole School Story (Book Week)
CORE AREA 4
Effectiveness of Early years Provision for all groups of children including disabled pupils, those who have SEN, disadvantaged pupils and the most able.
Improve use of baseline entry data to assess pupil progress throughout the school.
Embed the use of new EYFS tracker system and create effective links to pupil progress tracking system in the rest of the school
Improve pupil progress in Writing
Analyse current practice to identify barriers to learning
Visit other schools in Sevenoaks Partnership to observe and adopt new practice
Writing moderation with Partnership schools
Enrich use of outside area to develop children’s skills and stimulate learning across the curriculum
Increase opportunities for learning in a structured environment
Visit other schools and consult KCC EYFS advisory service.
Invest in appropriate resources
Extend opportunities for parents to support children’s learning.
Develop EYFS learning resources through the “Learning Links” page of the school website.
Consolidate home-school dialogue and liaison.
CORE AREA 5
Leadership & Management
Embed the culture of distributive leadership throughout the school so that staff, pupils (all groups of children including disabled pupils, those who have SEN, disadvantaged pupils and the most able) and governors are actively involved and accountable for school improvement.
Maintain distributive leadership to support the uncompromising drive towards the highest levels of achievement and personal development.
Refine coaching and mentoring practices to enhance confidence and a sense of collegiality.
Encourage middle-management responsibilities through the development of Subject Teams, Pupil Progress Meetings and Staff Development discussions.
Empower staff, pupils, parents and governors to lead on school development initiatives; for example the New National Curriculum, GLP etc.
Focus relentlessly on the professional development of all staff including trainee teachers and NQTs.
Reconstitute GB to provide a skill set and experience which serves the school’s future needs/development priorities.
The establishment of a Governors’ Improvement Plan to support the School Leadership Team in delivering the SIP and managing the financial stability of the school.
Develop an effective consultation and review process which ensures that policies are understood and applied consistently by all.
CORE AREA 6
Effectiveness and Impact of SMSC
See CORE AREA 1
CORE AREA 7
Effectiveness of Education for children with SEN and Disabilities
Introduce new policy and associated changes to SEND provision.
Learning Success Leader provides draft policy
Consultation with staff and Learning & Development Team
Draft policy available on school website for open consultation with parents and governors
Revision of SEND register and provision maps.
Implementation of guidelines and practices outlined in new SEND legislation.
SECTION B: PROGRESS IN PREVIOUS INSPECTION KEY ISSUES

• Analysis of assessment information to provide a strategic whole-school overview of pupil progress
• Since the last inspection (October 2011), a new system of pupil progress meetings has been instituted. The Leadership Team has introduced a collaborative approach to data analysis and modelled how it might be best used to gain an overview of pupil progress throughout the school. The profile of pupil progress has been raised by holding meetings at least three times per year in designated periods during the school day. Teachers and Teaching Assistants have been encouraged to take ownership of the progress information for the children in their classes. Progress has already been made on the development of a new assessment system to effect transition from NC Levels to ‘milestones’ and teachers will be trained to input and analyse the data for their classes.

• Analysis of assessment information in order to inform and improve learning
• 2012- 14: Inset and staff meetings enhanced staff understanding of how to use the pupil progress cycle to identify children who are “stuck” or underperforming. Diagnostic Learning Walks and the Lesson Study Approach have supported staff in discerning the intervention strategies required to accelerate these children’s progress. Pupil Progress Meetings (at least three times per year) have driven this process forward. Staff Development and CPD systems have been triangulated with pupil progress procedures.
• 2014-15: refinement of assessment systems using up-dated SIMS package which readily identifies progress of groups within the school. Provision of more focused information to staff to support learning.

• Improve pupil performance through personalised support and more independent learning
• 2012-14: Inset encouraged teachers to reflect on the use of questioning, differentiation in the classroom and the structure of lessons, including the flexibility to re-direct learning in response to pupil misconceptions, interest and challenge for the more able. The enhancement of creative activities, the Joint Curriculum Project and the Global Learning Programme have fostered in depth, enquiry-based learning and pupil initiative. Introduction of the Lesson Study approach has had a positive impact on staff CPD both internally to Weald and through collaboration with other local schools (Leigh & Chiddingstone). As a result of this, teachers have adapted their classroom practicewith regard to effective questioning, pupil awareness of “next steps” and the importance of drama/speaking and listening to enhance creative writing skills. Governors’ visits have identified the need to ensure that children understand “next steps” in their learning and recognise and understand the significance of the school vision and values. Introduction of One to One Reading recovery and tuition for Pupil Premium/Disadvantaged and other identified pupils.
• 2014-15:

Continuing to embed the new marking policy to encourage children to reflect and evaluate their own progress and learning.