Our School Improvement and Development Priorities | Dalestorth Primary and Nursery School

Every year a school writes plans for what they need to work on and improve for the coming year. Prior to writing the plans, (we write ours in July ready to implement throughout the new school year beginning in September) we carry out lots of evaluation and reflection on what our strengths and areas of development are. Our points for development or enhancement then make up the Improvement and Development Plans.

Our Improvement Plan is written under five sections:

1. Outcomes for Pupils

2. Teaching, Learning & Assessment

3. Personal Development, Behaviour & Welfare

4. Leadership & Management

5. Early Years

Each section will then have some objectives to achieve.

In addition we then have a Development Plan for Curriculum Areas. other areas we want to develop and the school building & grounds. Our Priority Curriculum areas last year were: Computing, History, Geography, Art, Technology and Foreign languages. Our Priority Curriculum areas this year are: Music & Geography.

The subjects of: English, Maths, Science & PE also always have their own action plans as these are incredibly important aspects of the curriculum.

If you want to know more about our curriculum...

We have to use our school budget very carefully in order to be able to implement the plans and make improvements.

Below you can see an overview of what is on our school Improvement and Development Plans this year...

An overview of the School Improvement Priorities
Pupil Outcomes

To improve Reading & Writing across KS1 – Scores were just about in line with LA and National but have fallen from the previous year and the current year 2 had poor Year 1 attainment.
To improve Spelling across KS2 – We had a year’s break from spelling tests – this affected the spelling of Years 3-5 in their Punctuation, spelling and grammar assessments and spelling in writing is poor.

Provision and performance for Disadvantaged Pupil

Continue to ensure more disadvantaged children at FS achieve a GLD (especially if they are Non-SEND) in order to close the in-school gap between disadvantaged and Non-disadvantaged children.
Improve attainment at KS1 for disadvantaged children (especially non-SEND) in reading, writing and maths at the Expected Levels, but especially in Reading.
Continue to provide Reading & Writing experiences aimed at children reaching Greater Depth. Monitor middle -higher attaining PP children from KS1 in Reading, Writing and Maths carefully for danger of any of them not on track to meet Greater Depth expectations at the end of KS2.
Increase attendance rates for Disadvantaged children.
Continue to provide Aspiration and Enrichment for Disadvantaged children.
Increase attitudes of reading for pleasure in disadvantaged children and improve reading activity.

SEND

Reduce the attainment gap for children with/ without SEND in each year group.
Increase the number of children with SEND making expected/ good progress across school.
Reduce the gap for children with/ without SEND who are logged in the behaviour book in each class.

Teaching, Learning & Assessment

Ensure challenge is explicit in lessons throughout school particularly for the more able children. Consider at the planning stage those children who will rapidly grasp a concept and plan for their stretch and challenge to enable their learning is moved on at the earliest opportunity. Consider three areas of stretch and challenge for each group or differing ways to challenge the more able such as sending them off to work independently more quickly after shorter modelling sessions etc.

Reviewing and improving marking to ensure practices are moving the children on and quickly enough. To implement a revisited and non-negotiable feedback policy that is consistent across school and moves learning on at a timely rate.

Personal Development, Behaviour & Welfare

All going well so nothing huge chosen. On Development Plan– Health & Safety – Widening of the school path, a greater range of after school clubs, parents to be invited to Praise Assembly, a Drug Education Scheme of work to be implemented and a rotation of the lunchtime rota.
Leadership & Management

To have less and clearer objectives on the SIP
To ensure everyone is clear of the objectives on the SIP. To use a simple and common language for School Improvement that everyone can articulate. What is the issue? What are we doing about it? What has been the impact of it? Have we been successful?
To develop a robust monitoring cycle/calendar to measure the above that both staff and governors can own.

Early Years

Create an enabling environment inside and out - Create a ‘wow’ factor to the environment with stimulating resources and continuous provision, define areas and ensure they all have a purpose and effective displays that reflect the children’s needs.
Children are engaged and independent learners - Planning to allow for independent tasks. Learning walks allow children to access challenge within the provision. Encourage children to think for themselves, question rather than answer for them.
Ensure literacy and maths are underpinned throughout provision - Create literacy and maths specific areas for children to access. Ensure literacy and maths are included in cross curricular activities throughout the provision.
Assessment of pupils is thorough in order to target specific children - Carry out baseline assessments. Continuous assessments and clear discussions among staff of any children causing concern. Implement interventions when needs are identified.
Support children to achieve expected progress or accelerated progress - Identify children’s needs, introduce interventions for children in need and ensure planning includes challenge for HA children.
Ensure all staff deliver good quality teaching - High expectations of all staff. Every opportunity is a leaning opportunity, use each other for ideas. Take part in CPD

An overview of the School Development Priorities

English

Improve the standard of reading provision at KS1, especially at year 1. embed Talk 4 Writing across school and to ensure wider genre coverage. improve SPAG levels across KS2, with a focus on improving spelling.

Maths

Ensure that everyone is using the new White Rose for their Long Term Planning.

Trial CLIC maths and 10 in 10 arithmetic for possible use throughout the school.

To continue to monitor reasoning use in daily planning and as a ‘problem of the week’.

Science
There is a clear vision for teaching and learning of science. There is a range of teaching learning opportunities. The purpose of science assessment is well understood and used

Geography

To plan and deliver three Geography topics throughout this coming academic year.

To have a focus week on Geography, planned for February 2018 in conjunction with language week.

To ensure one trip/activity within the academic year has a Geography bias.

To upskill KS2 staff in the complex curriculum of programming. To provide resources needed to deliver the curriculum.

History

To ensure use of artefacts to enhance the teaching of History.

To have researched ‘Black History month and be ready to launch assembly related to it during October 2017.

To enhance the profile of History across the whole school. To expose children to a variety of activities and enhancements during History week.

To produce a calendar of History events throughout the year.

SMSC

To develop a new Drugs scheme of work for the whole school to access.

To develop SMSC overview so that over the course of the year, teachers can add in key dates (e.g. trip to the church) to show coverage of SMSC.

To audit SMSC.

Art

To introduce the Arts Award: Discover project into school.

To start the application process for school achieving Artsmarks

Technology

The agreed non-negotiables and the 6 principles of high quality D&T should be evident in planning and work scrutiny.

There should be a clear progression of skills from Year 1-6.

Full coverage of the D&T curriculum will be evident across school within the 2-year cycle.

MFL

Monitoring calendar for developing T&L:

Autumn term = observations

Spring term = planning scrutiny

Summer term = work scrutiny

The tracking document will be revisited during the first KS meeting and explained to new staff (JD, JL). Expectations for use of the document will be clearly explained and monitored termly. EA to address any staff issues.

Children to be assessed using IPEP planning and assessment tool. To increase participation in Level 1 competitions and bring these in line with district events.

Increase the range of Level 2 comps we take part in, including adding b team

Scrutinise work more often to ensure children are accessing the full range of topics covered as set out in the SACRE document.

RE INSET day to inform staff on assessing RE.

RE INSET day to inform staff of creative lessons available. Introduce RE ambassadors to complement assemblies. These children to undertake actives with children at playtimes. Invite parents in to share the success of children’s work e.g workshop days.

Computing

To ensure that computing lesson are being planned using the objectives form the Notts Computing Framework

To upskill KS2 staff in the complex curriculum of programming and provide resources needed to deliver the curriculum.

To ensure that the new assessment system is embedded and being utilised by staff.

School Building and Grounds

Create a Forest/farm area

Create a fenced off wild garden area

Erect a bus shelter to offer shade and shelter on the KS2 playground

Obtain a grant to plant further trees throughout the school grounds

Continue making improvements to the FS2 outdoor space as linked to their Improvement Plan.

Re-organise the current Year 1 classroom into a lower Key Stage 2 classroom ready for Sept 2018 and purchase any furniture etc needed. Some parts of the classroom will be sectioned off to make intervention spaces.

Re-carpet floors in 5 classrooms

Dismantle Year 3 cloakroom area and make into intervention/wellbeing support areas.

Administration

Install a new phone system

Change over from SIMS to Scholar Pack