DLP Governor Workshop 1

Andrew Riley

Dawlish Learning Partnership

To know and understand the Ofsted key evaluation areas

To consider strategies to help governors evaluate the

strengths and weaknesses of their schools, including how

to be an effective critical friend

To consider the focus and content of the next workshop

Aims of the workshop

What contribution has the governing body made to

improving provision, especially teaching and outcomes for

pupils?

To what extent are you involved in the school’s processes

for self-evaluation and improvement planning?

What are the main barriers to learning in your school and

what action has been taken to overcome them? How

successful have the actions been?

How do you monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the

school improvement plan?

Can you give examples of how you have supported

and challenged the school?

Some initial questions…

In order to ensure your contribution to school improvement,

governors need to know their school well and be aware of

the key questions to ask in order to acquire this knowledge.

The fundamental purpose of any school improvement

activity is to improve outcomes for all pupils.

Self-evaluation should therefore focus specifically on the

impact provision makes on these outcomes, and

understanding what the school‘s attainment and progress

data indicates about the quality of this provision is

fundamental to this process for governors.

High support

Supporters club Partners or critical friends

Low challenge High challenge

Abdicators Adversaries

Low support

A key driver for improvement

Well informed governors who challenge leaders

vigorously on the school’s performance

A barrier to change

Absence of self-critical approach and lack of

recognition of the need for change by governors

and senior leaders.

How schools improve

8

Governors can support through

• Getting to know the school’s plan and finding out how key elements are being implemented in the school

• Getting a detailed picture of the progress pupils are making in the school

• Having standing items at governing body meetings linked to pupils’ progress and the impact of the school’s plans

• Making sure that allocated funding is used to support improvement in the school

9

The school improvement cyclePossible questions for governors to consider

• How do we use the improvement cycle to set our priorities?• What is the focus for monitoring/scrutiny and how will it be

done?• What are the systems for reporting and evaluating progress?• How do reports to the governing body reflect the priorities

and progress against them?• How does the governor’s role fit into the cycle?• What happens if we don’t meet the expectations of progress?

10

Ofsted four key areasIn judging the quality of the school, inspectors will make four key judgements:

achievementthe quality of teachingbehaviour and safetyleadership and management

In judging the school’s overall effectiveness, inspectors will takeaccount of the four key judgements and how well the schoolpromotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and culturaldevelopment.

11

• There is an even greater focus on:

narrowing gaps in performance for groups of pupilsthe quality of teaching and its impact on learning and progressreading and literacybehaviour and safety

• Focusing on pupils’ outcomes, including outcomes for different groups of pupils and how well the school promotes these outcomes

• Promoting improvement through making specific and detailed recommendations based on the diagnosis of the school’s strengths and weaknesses

12

Achievement

Progress + learning + attainment = achievement

• Inspectors will take account of standards of attainment and progress in recent years and the learning and progress of pupils currently in the school.

• Achievement of different groups of pupils, including those with SEND, remains at the heart of the judgement.

• Learning and progress are key drivers of achievement, and will be considered together with attainment.

Achievement

What sources of information are available to governors?

What are the key questions you need to ask?

What action does the school take when it has analysed pupil performance data?

14

The quality of teaching

• The most important role of teaching is to raise pupils’ achievement. It is also important in promoting their spiritual, moral social and cultural development.

• Teaching includes planning and implementing learning activities across the whole curriculum, as well as marking and feedback. It comprises activities within and outside the classroom, such as support and intervention.

• Inspectors gathering evidence in addition to lesson observations to provide information about what impact teaching has on learning over time, such as:discussions with pupils about their workanalysis of school recordsscrutiny and analysis of pupils’ work

15

The quality of teaching

• Teaching is evaluated in terms of its impact on learning and progress.

• The prime source of evidence is through lesson observations.• Inspectors will continue to take account of the school’s own

evaluation of the quality of teaching.

Triangulating evidence

Lessons observations

Performance data talking with pupils/ planning/work scrutiny etc

Secure judgements

The quality of teaching

Questions for the headteacher•What percentage of teaching and learning is good or better? How do we know this?•What are we doing about teaching and learning that is not consistently good?

Questions for teachers•How does your classroom environment help children to learn?•What did your children learn in this lesson? How do you know?

Questions for children•What are you learning today/ How do you know?•Tell me about your target in mathematics/writing. What will you need to do to achieve it?

When several sources say the same thingit’s a basis for action

When several sources give conflicting messagesit’s a cause for investigation

20

Behaviour and safetyThis judgement takes account of a range of evidence onbehaviour and inspectors have more time to look at these issuesin more depth:• behaviour in the classroom and attitudes to learning• behaviour around the school• attendance and punctuality• a focus on freedom from bullyingCentral to the judgement is the collection of evidence that provides

a picture of what behaviour is typically like, not just that observed during the inspection.

The views of parents, pupils and staff are important sources of evidence to consider when assessing pupils’ behaviour over time.

Behaviour and Safety

22

Leadership and management

The focus is on how effectively leaders and managers at alllevels, in the context of the individual school:• lead on and improve teaching• promote improvements for all pupils and groups of pupils• enable pupils to overcome specific barriers to learning• self-evaluation• capacity for improvement

The requirement to evaluate the school’s compliance withstatutory requirements on safeguarding remains.

23

Leadership and management

• One single judgement on leadership and management• No separate judgement for capacity to improve• An evaluation of the provision of a broad, balanced

curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils• A greater emphasis on engaging with parents and carers in

supporting outcomes for pupils

24

The implications for leadership

Demonstrating a deep and accurate understanding of the school’s performance

25

The implications for leadership (Achievement)

To what extent does the school’s evidence:• Show monitoring and evaluation of pupil performance data

supports school leaders to prioritise actions?• Demonstrate school self-evaluation systems inform leadership

about the quality of learning?• Demonstrate pupil tracking provides a clear indication of

progress and attainment in phonics and in reading across the school?

• Demonstrate clarity about the difference between attainment and progress in reading, writing, mathematics other subjects?

• Show the school is aware of the comparative achievement of different groups of pupils?

26

The implications for leadership(quality of teaching)

There is a relentless focus on improving teaching and learning

27

The implications for leadership

To what extent does the school’s evidence:• Demonstrate a broad evidence base to support the school’s

judgement about the quality of teaching and learning over time?

• Provide an evaluation of the impact of teaching on pupil progress over time?

• Show teaching stimulates, interests and engages pupils in learning?

• Indicate there is a shared understanding of good teaching and learning?

• Show assessment for learning impacts on the quality of provision and rates of progress?

28

The implications for leadership(behaviour and safety)

The school’s curriculum promotes positive behaviour and safety.

29

The implications for leadership

To what extent does the school’s evidence:• Demonstrate the culture of the school supports and enables positive

behaviour, safety and good behaviour for learning?• Show understanding of the school’s culture and how widely that is shared

and understood across the school community (including parents)?• Indicate how effectively and consistently school policies to underpin

positive behaviour and safety are implemented• Show a focus on improving positive behaviour for learning is embedded in

the school culture?• Demonstrate the effectiveness of systems to enable pupils to recognise

and address issues around bullying and safety?

30

The implications for leadership(leadership)

An uncompromising and highly successful drive to strongly improve or maintain achievement.

31

The implications for leadershipTo what extent does the school’s evidence:• Show that leaders consistently promote high expectations

across the whole school community?• Demonstrate the school improvement cycle has impacted

positively on the achievement of all pupils?• Demonstrate the work of leaders at all levels has impacted

positively on the:achievement of all pupilsquality of teaching and learning

quality of the curriculum?• Indicate the school’s culture supports the engagement of

parents/carers in their children’s learning and good behaviour?• Indicate that the work of the GB acts as a critical friend and

holds leaders to account for all aspects of the school’s performance?

32

Overall effectiveness

• This takes account of the four judgements and how the school promotes the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC).

• A key aspect of judging overall effectiveness will be weighing the four judgements together with the evidence for the school’s promotion of the pupils’ SMSC development.

And finally…

• What steps do you need to take back in school?

• Next workshop

Nolan - 7 principles of public life 1. Integrity – do not allow the influence of bodies outside the school to affect your duties2. Objectivity – make choices on merit3. Accountability – submit to appropriate scrutiny4. Openness – only restrict information when the public interest clearly demands this e.g. Data Protection5. Honesty – declare any private interest and remove yourself from discussion and decision making where this applies.6. Leadership – promote and support the principles of leadership by example e.g. confidentiality7. Selflessness – act always in the public interest, not for personal gain