Annexe 2 Step 2 – School’s Improvement Capacity Addendum 2017-2018 (see Annexe 6) The purpose of the addendum is to signpost national priority There are already existing key strands within Annexe 2 which relate to these priorities: Within school variation (4, 5, 6, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16) School to school working (1, 3, 8, 9) Improving teaching performance (6,10, 11, 12, 13) The use of and impact of early entry (4, 5,16) Key Stage 5 provision and outcomes (5, 6, 7, 8,13) There is a requirement to consider these National priority areas when coming to a judgement for Step 2 and ensure that this is reflected within the commentary of the categorisation report. The guidance below will ensure consistency in evaluating how well schools are meeting national priorities. A B C D 1 Leaders and staff have developed a shared vision and there is a very clear strategy that has improved outcomes for nearly all learners. Leaders and staff have a shared vision and a clear strategy that has improved outcomes for most learners. The school’s leaders have established a vision and strategic objectives. However, there are inconsistencies in how these are shared and understood and their impact on the outcomes learners achieve. Work to establish an agreed vision is underdeveloped. As result there is a lack of clarity in the school’s strategic direction and in how this is understood and insufficient impact on improving learners’ outcomes.
5 Leaders and staff have a relentless focus on raising standards. Targets reflect high expectations for the future achievement of all pupils and these are met consistently. Leaders and staff have a clear emphasis on raising standards. Through its targets the school has high expectations for the future achievement of its pupils. Leaders and staff have a clear understanding of the need to improve outcomes but targets and expectations for pupils’ future achievement are not always challenging enough. There is an acknowledgement of the need to improve outcomes but targets and expectations for pupils’ future achievement are too low. Leaders are not always open to challenge or to taking the action required as a result. 6 The school has a very good track record in raising the achievement of nearly all pupils, including vulnerable learners over at least a period. The school has good track record in raising the achievement of most pupils, including vulnerable learners over at least a three-year period. The school’s track record in is raising pupils’ achievement, including that of vulnerable learners, is inconsistent over a period. . The school does not have a strong track record in raising pupils’ achievement including that of vulnerable learners over a three-year period. 7 Improvement planning at all levels is highly effective in addressing the areas in need of most improvement. Action, including the use of resources, has led to sustained improvement in outcomes in key indicators for nearly all pupils, including those eligible for free school meals and other vulnerable groups. Leaders and are clear about the priorities that need to be addressed in the school’s improvement plan. Action, and the use of resources, are effective in securing improvement in key indicators for most pupils including for pupils eligible for free school meals and other vulnerable groups. Leaders and staff make suitable links between the outcomes of self-evaluation and improvement priorities in a few areas. Planning and the use of resources have impact in some areas but not in others, such as the attainment of pupils eligible for free school meals and other vulnerable groups. Planning lacks detail and does not address clearly enough the specific aspects that require improvement. The pace of improvement is often too slow. Implementation, including the use of resources, has insufficient impact on improving pupils’ outcomes in key areas, such as on the attainment of pupils eligible for free school meals and other vulnerable groups. There is an on external support. year
8 The school has a very strong track record in implementing successfully national and local priorities to improve standards and the quality of learning and teaching The school gives good attention to national and local priorities and in general implements these effectively to improve standards and the quality of learning and teaching. The school’s leaders take account of national and local priorities but planning does not always have sufficient impact on standards, learning and teaching. Although account is taken of national and local priorities planning to improve standards, learning and teaching is of too variable a quality and has limited impact. 9 Leaders and staff work very successfully with schools and other partners to enhance significantly their own and others’ capacity to bring about improvement. Leaders and staff take advantage of opportunities to work with schools and other partners. Collaboration is developing well and makes an important contribution to capacity building and improvement. Leaders and staff participate in school improvement activity with schools and other partners but the impact of collaboration on standards and provision is inconsistent. Leaders and staff have limited involvement in worthwhile collaborative activity with schools and other partners and the capacity to benefit from partnership working is underdeveloped. Governors have a very good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement and are highly effective in supporting and challenging the school’s performance. Governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Their work to support and challenge the school’s performance is strong. Governors support the school. They receive relevant information but require support to be fully effective in how they challenge the school to make improvements. Whilst governors are supportive of the school as a body they do not have sufficient capacity to challenge the school to make the improvements necessary.
Leaders and staff have well defined roles and responsibilities and exhibit high professional standards. The roles and responsibilities of leaders and staff are defined and communicated clearly and professional standards are met successfully in the main. The roles and responsibilities of leaders and staff are defined clearly for the most part but there are inconsistencies in the extent to which professional standards are met and accountability exercised in practice. The requirements of roles are responsibilities are not defined clearly enough. The school’s leaders do not hold staff to account effectively and there are wide inconsistencies in the extent to which professional standards are met and accountability fulfilled. The school’s leaders and governors give a high priority to developing the workforce: performance management and professional development are highly successful in improving pupils’ progress, classroom practice and in dealing with underperformance. The school’s leaders and governors make good provision for developing the workforce. Performance management and professional development are largely successful in improving pupils’ progress, classroom practice and in dealing with underperformance. The school’s leaders and governors do not always make a strong enough link between performance management professional development and achievement of the school’s priorities. The impact on improving pupils’ progress, classroom practice and dealing with underperformance varies. Leaders and governors’ processes for performance management and professional development have limited impact on improving pupils’ progress, classroom practice and in dealing with underperformance. The quality of teaching across the school, and the impact on nearly all pupils’ learning and progress, is consistently good and often excellent. Most of the teaching, and its impact on most pupils’ learning and progress, is consistently good. Systems to lead and improve teaching and learning are not fully developed. Variations in the quality of teaching limit pupils’ learning and progress in a few areas. Work to lead and improve teaching and learning is not planned and implemented effectively. There are significant variations in the quality of teaching that limit pupils’ learning and progress in key areas.