Keys for school improvement

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Headteachers clearly have the responsibility for school improvement and will use the ‘keys’ to school improvement outlined below, to help to focus the areas which need development. Headteachers, in professional dialogue with SIPs, would use these to support their school self evaluation. The LA will seek to work in partnership with all schools to establish an effective school improvement cycle using these keys for school improvement.

School Improvement Cycle	Robust and rigorous self evaluation Identifying and prioritising key areas for improvement Securing effective school improvement planning, identifying the most effective actions to address areas for development Ensuring that actions build capacity and sustainability for further improvement Monitoring and evaluating the impact of actions to bring about improvement Reviewing the school improvement plan, and re-aligning the plan as appropriate Ensuring actions have been taken to address the previous Ofsted key issues Raising awareness with the governing body of the school improvement priorities Ensuring that the SEF/MSSE reflects the right school improvement priorities
Plan for Improving Achievement	Using a single plan on focused activity for improving achievement Identifying key actions to address identified areas for improvement with a clear timescale Evaluating on a regular basis (3 times per year), informed by pupil progress Ensuring that there are clear lines of accountability for actions and outcomes
Focus on improving teaching and learning	Placing teaching and learning at the heart of school improvement Exploring CPD needs against areas for development in the plan for improving achievement Identifying effective use of curricular targets to raise expectations and focus on a key area of learning Focusing on quality first teaching for all children as an entitlement Providing context for increasing children’s involvement and ownership of their learning Improving teachers’ understanding of progression in learning Valuing and supporting the learning of the whole school community Supporting change in classroom practice to impact on children’s progress Embedding the principles of assessment for and of learning and Assessing Pupil Progress (APP) Ensuring that curricular targets are used to raise expectations and focus on a key area of learning Wide range of opportunities to develop skills
Tracking children	Securing clear understanding of progression in learning Embedding accurate, reliable and consistent teacher assessment throughout the year to inform planning and teaching Capturing this assessment on a regular basis (3 times per year) Building a picture of individual children’s progress Identifying children who are not progressing thereby ‘actioning’ intervention to be considered (not necessarily out-of-class) Providing a means of measuring the impact of intervention Spreading teacher responsibility for children’s progress Supporting pupil conferencing, enabling children to reflect on, control and improve their learning
Pupil progress meetings	Enabling regular discussion of all the key players (teacher, TA, SLT) of each child’s progress Sharing evidence of pupils’ progress Establishing that there is a shared responsibility for children’s progress Celebrating success and learning from what works well Identifying the next steps for children’s learning

Last updated: 2 December 2010