Strategic Improvement Plan

School: Exemplar Primary School

Date:October 2016

Improvement
Area / Deployment
e.g.
defining TAs’ role; classroom organisation; support for SEN
[Recommendations:
I, II, V] / By July 2017 we will ensure that:
A)All TAs have a clear understanding of their role and expectations so they add value to what the teacher is doing and ‘inactive time’ is reduced; TAs’ time in the classroom results in the teacher’s teaching time increasing
B)Teachers and TAs spend equal time with all children through the week so that all groups access ‘quality-first teaching’ at point of need
Practice
e.g. developing a teaching and learning identity for TAs; effective interactions; developing independence
[Recommendations:
III, VII] / By July 2017 we will ensure that:
C)Allteachers and TAs to have a more flexible approach to meet the needs of all children (thus address attachment issues by using a team approach).
D)Children work more independently in writing, understanding and demonstrating the writing process.
Preparedness
e.g. creating liaison time for teachers and TAs; improving pre- and post-lesson communication; training
[Recommendations:
IV, VI] / By July 2017 we will ensure that:
E)TAs are fully prepared – planning is shared with TAs and role is clearly defined.
F)TAs feedback to teachers informs planning/next steps.
G)TAs experience quality training to meet national curriculum expectations for grammar and punctuation.
Priority for improvement - what exactly do we want to improve? [Ambition Levers]
[Directional Levers]
We want to improve writing so that attainment is in-line with attainment in reading and accuracy of grammar, spelling and punctuation is evident in all writing across the curriculum.
We want children to be able to talk about their learning – how they learn best, what they are doing and what to do when they don’t know what to do.
We want to raise the profile of characteristics of an effective learner – apply EYFS practice across the school so children show greater resilience and enjoy being challenged.
We want all staff to have a secure knowledge of grammar, punctuation.
We want to increase the impact of TA/teacher support for all of the most vulnerable children.
Context - why is thispriority? Current position - what is already being done? [Ambition Levers]
Pupils, eligible for Pupil Premium, attain lower than peers in all year groups. [SENCO has begun tracking PP and completed provision map]
Pupils with an EHCP make less progress than non-EHCP. [SENCO coding EHCP according to targets – academic/behaviour/emotional and social – attachment issues identified in 5 cases]
Across the school, attainment in writing is lower than reading; significantly lower in Y2 (93% at age-related expectations in reading whereas 79% in writing) and Y5 (87% at age-related expectations in reading whereas 63% in writing). [Staff training, including TAs on grammar and punctuation led by English subject leader – summer 2016]
End of KS2 GAPS shows above national average but knowledge not applied across the curriculum.
Ofsted 2014 – ‘children lack independence in the classroom when they are unsure how to proceed with a task…higher ability children need greater challenge’.
Success Criteria – what does it look like? We will know we have succeeded when…
Teachers and TAs are clear on respective roles and responsibilities – each ‘part’ of each lesson has defined role so that teachers and TAs working flexibly with groups and responding to need in the moment; TAs actively supporting teacher (adding value) during input and more visible in class;
liaison time embedded – 15 minute period happening as agreed (post-consultation) – discussion focuses on planning, groupings TA role, how TA will assess and feedback learning with no straying to photocopier;
when questioned, children are able to explain what to do when they ‘don’t know what to do’; children ‘having a go’; teachers and TAs facilitating learning – encouraging children to have a go; use of scaffolding framework to develop independence; planning clearly stating TAs’ role; books and planning annotated by teacher and TA related to progress within lesson; children fully understand writing process – written work across the curriculum shows editing skills and children’s self-assessment, children actively using resources in classroom without direction when required; data shows attainment in writing broadly in-line with reading;
children (including those most heavily supported by TAs at baseline) make progress at an increased rate compared to previous year.
Overall responsibility for leading – [Transformational Levers] / Evaluation - who is going to assess the impact and how will it be done? [Transformational Levers]
HT/SBM – contracts
SBL – input through termly PLC
HT – observations
KS Leaders – planning
English Subject Leader - training / Assessment Lead – data – is writing broadly in-line with reading?
SBL – MITA survey – compare start of project and again at year end
Whole-school moderation – writing each half-term at a staff meeting – do standards meet year expectations? Is standard consistent across curriculum areas?
Key tasks -in order to address the area for improvement, we will have to: [Directional Levers] / Lead
responsibility / Resources -
time & money costs and sources of funding / Potential issues to overcome - / Timeline -
start, interim and finish / Monitoring - who will check it is happening, when and how?
Evaluating - how will you know the impact of this action?
[Transactional Levers]
T1 / All staff to carry out MITA online survey – to set a starting point of where undeclared issues lie and combine with RAG rating carried out at roadshow 1 / SBL (MITA)
SLT (RAG) / 25 minutes each staff (within lesson)
2 hours analysis by SBL (Leadership time - £100) / IT issues – logging on
Interruption/called away / complete within 3 weeks / SBL – allocate timetable to sign up specific time; chase up those, who do not complete;
SBL – analyse data to inform action planning and areas of focus for whole school in time for first cluster meeting (14th October)
T2 (A) / Teachers and TAs to draw up a teacher-TA agreement in pairs where routinely in one class and KS1 to draw up as team clearly stating roles, responsibilities and expectations of both parties – at start, middle and end of lessons / SBL to share exemplar from roadshow at staff meeting (18th October) / Allocate 45 minutes of INSET 31st October to write / Both parties do not agree on expectations
Expectations set not in line with role / completed at INSET 31st October / SBL to collect and share with SLT to ensure equitable expectations across the school at SLT meeting after INSET 31st October
Pairings REVIEW end of Term 2
SLT to review implementation & impact during monitoring activities scheduled on the school’s monitoring and evaluation cycle.
T3 (A) and (B) / Headteacher to carry out observations of TAs to establish how time is spent in classroom / HT / 15-20 minute drop-ins in each class / TAs feeling threatened – not understanding purpose
HT called away – DHT cover HT / w/b 31st October and 7th November / DHT to ensure it happens by covering HT, as necessary
SBL and SLT learning walk/lesson observations to ensure teachers and TAs are following plans and adapting appropriately to meet needs
Teachers know and understand the needs of all vulnerable groups (Laps/SEN/PP/EHCP) and can articulate in terms of support and can demonstrate impact through increased rate of progress
% of time spent with PP and higher ability; listening to teacher recorded – this will inform action plan
T4 (B) / Teachers and TAs to annotate planning to show which children they work with through a week – planned groups plus intervention at point of need / All staff
KS Leaders / KS Leaders cover ½ day (£150) / Raising staff awareness may instigate change in behaviour and more flexible groupings / December KS Leader monitoring on calendar for December 13th (planning from w/b 5.12.16)
An additional focus of termly monitoring cycle / KS Leaders to view planning from w/b 5.12.16 and carry out drop-ins to see whether planning is representative of what is happening in class; pupil interviews; book scrutiny in class – indication of when adult working with pupils? Is there evidence of adult intervention of pupils not shown on planning (therefore AfL/point of need)?
T5 (B) / Calculate the cost of EHCP and use provision map to audit pupils’ daily interactions; identify how PP is enriching children’s experience and maintain running record / SENCO / £150 cover / How do we quantify what is spent on individuals when whole class experience?
Are pupils with EHCP routinely receiving QFT and peer-interactions equitable with non-EHCP? / end of Term 2 before PPM / Pupil progress meetings with HT, Assessment Lead and SENCO to record ‘additional’ input for children eligible for PP; identify enrichment for more able PP. Are children making at least as good progress as peers?
Are EHCPs better value for money?
T6 (E), (F) / Review TA contracts – build in 15 minute liaison time to discuss planning, focus children and assessment
Review each TA’s job description – does it accurate reflective of current job in school? / HT/SBM / ½ day HT and SBM after HR meeting 7.11.16 / TAs may not be able to come in earlier; teachers needing time to prepare for teaching / After HR meeting 7.11.16 – period of consultation with TAs – agreement to be reached by end of Term 2 / HT/SBM – open-door during consultation period
Have all TAs views been considered? Have reasonable adjustments been made?
Is TA time spent ‘listening’ to teachers significantly reduced from baseline observations? Can TAs articulate role during lesson: which children to target, for what and how they are being assessed? How they are feeding back to teachers?
SLT to monitor liaison time – is it happening as agreed (no distractions) through visiting classes during agreed time
T7 (E) / Planning placed in ‘green trays’ on a Monday morning, clearly showing role of TA, what children’s expected outcome is and how TA will assess their learning/feedback to teachers / All staff
KS Leaders / ½ day for KS leaders (£75/HT cover) to devise key columns for planning to signal TAs’ role, key questions, outcomes, assessment opportunities / Resistance to change of planning format;
Use of jargon – need to make accessible to all / Review November
Trial Term 3 and review end of Term 3 / Schedule meeting for TAs (Wednesday morning when all in) led by KS Leaders for feedback; Feedback from teachers same Wednesday evening staff meeting – agree format for Term 4 – policy
All plans are in green trays in time for TAs to read, digest and ask questions
Monitoring in Term 3 shows TAs are better prepared to support through greater proportion of time spent flexibly with different groups
T8 (G) / English Subject Leader to lead whole-staff follow-up training on grammar and punctuation so TAs are better able to support children, in all reading and writing tasks, with GAPS. / All Staff / Two ½-days to plan and resource for 3 staff meetings: Terms 3, 4, 5
TA meeting with SBL 45 minutes for GAPS test)
½ day English Subject Leader learning walk (£75) / Lack of subject knowledge;
Difficulty remembering terminology / SL plans in Term 2 for training in terms 3-5 / Staff questionnaire following completion (self-mark) of Y6 GAPS test to identify areas of insecure knowledge for English Subject Leader to address in staff training
English Subject Leader’s learning walk – is TA use of GAPS’ vocabulary accurate? Are opportunities to address misconceptions being addressed?
T9 (D) / Raise awareness of ‘characteristics of an effective learner’ with staff, children and parents / EYFS teacher ad TA / Staff fail to see relevance of EYFS in other year groups/undervalue
Staff unclear how to recognise characteristics
Mindset of children and parents / EYFS lead staff meeting January
Children create top 3 for each class – share with parents
Agreed characteristics displayed in classrooms
Introduce award in Awards Assembly each week for showing characteristics / Governor learning walk and pupil interview – are pupils aware how they learn, do they apply strategies to overcome problems/demonstrate characteristics of an effective learner?
T10 (D) / Introduce scaffolding framework to staff
Framework to be applied in context of writing, initially / SBL / ½ day TA training (£75) and staff meeting with teachers
English SL and SBL ½ day (scrutiny) (£150) / Response: ‘We’re doing this already?’ ‘It’s just ‘another thing!’’ – staff buy-in / TA training – 8.12.16; staff meeting – 13.12.16; framework for writing Term 3 / Monitor implementation: Evidence of annotation in books as to tier of framework – English Subject Leader and SBL joint book scrutiny end of Term 3; learning walks and lesson observations; pupils and staff discussion according to existing school monitoring and evaluation cycle
Evaluate impact:
Pupils are increasingly independent – planning tasks, problem-solving, accessing the right resources, reviewing tasks; increased rates of progress in learning.
Total cost for this priority / £775