Welcome back
School Improvement Update Issue 2 New Ofsted framework for September 2015
Welcome back to the start of another new school year. I trust that you have all had a well-deserved rest and have returned to school with recharged batteries! I am delighted to introduce Issue 2 of our School Improvement Update and hope that you will find lots of relevant news and articles that will be of interest. One thing is certain: we live in challenging times and the educational landscape for 2015-16 is likely to be characterised with increasing demands for all of us. The list is endless. On the horizon there is the new Ofsted Inspection Framework from 1 September, the Education and Adoption Bill, the ever-rising floor standards for schools, the increasing demands for safeguarding children and oh, did I mention, assessment without levels? And all this against a backdrop of rising rolls, and expansions and on-going budget pressures! Despite the challenges, we have much to be proud of in Havering. This summer we have seen improvements yet again in the EYFS, and rising attainment at both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 for 2015. On behalf of the Council, congratulations to all children and their teachers for these excellent results. We continue to be a high attaining borough, giving children the best possible chance of success in the next stage of their education. In this issue of School Improvement Update, there are articles about Havering’s new Educational Leadership Strategy, the new Ofsted Framework, updates from English, maths, computing, EMA and early years, two articles from Havering headteachers, as well as training and CPD opportunities for colleagues in school. Other articles are provided too for your information. Finally, you will be aware that we have had a number of highly respected colleagues who have left Hsis within the last year. I am delighted to report, however, that Jude Payne, Gill Stocker and Mary Jones have agreed to carry on working with us and with you and are all still available for school improvement work. As always, thank you for your continuing support for Hsis. With very best wishes to everybody at your school – and here’s to a successful 2015 – 16.
Grahame Smith School Improvement Manager
The revised Ofsted framework is now up and running and all schools inspected from 1 September this year will be subject to the new regulations. The key headlines are as follows: »» There is now a Common Inspection Framework (CIF) covering all types of education providers »» Outstanding schools are exempt from routine inspections – but may still have Section 8 visits following regular ‘risk assessments’ »» Good schools will have a one-day inspection every three years to ‘confirm’ the school is still Good – however, this can turn in to a two-day inspection if it is judged likely to go up or down a grade »» Requires Improvement (RI) schools have a two day inspection – within 18 – 24 months of the last RI inspection »» Notification is still the afternoon before the scheduled inspection. »» Schools receive their draft report within a few days, the final electronic report within 14 working days and it is published on the Ofsted website within 19 working days »» Gradings are unchanged: Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Requires Improvement Grade 4 Inadequate: Serious Weaknesses Special Measures »» Key area judgements:
– Overall effectiveness – Effectiveness of leadership and management – Quality of teaching, learning and assessment – Personal development – Behaviour and welfare – Outcomes for pupils
As well as the usual areas above, the following will play a major role in all inspections:
– Safeguarding – Disadvantaged pupils (PP) – British values – Preventing extremism and radicalisation – Middle leadership and governance – Assessment (without levels).
Hsis provides a wide range of whole school, subject, aspect and phase support for preparing for inspection. Call us on 01708 433813 or email us via hsis@havering. gov.uk if you would like a discussion on how we can help. Grahame Smith School Improvement Manager
Helping you climb the leadership ladder The Council’s new Leadership Strategy is now up and running and central to its success in identifying, developing and training successful leaders, at all levels, is the CPD programme. We aim to ensure that all tiers of leadership can access high-quality induction, training, support and development via clear career pathways (from career entry level, up to whole system leadership). We aim to do this with all our strategic partners and through using experienced practitioners to lead the system and help colleagues to climb Havering’s leadership ladder. We will ensure that for each tier of leadership, there is a programme that provides: • Induction (when new to your post) • Support, development and challenge (when established in post) • Skills development and training (when aspiring to the next level) We will achieve this, for each tier of leadership, by providing: • Courses, conferences and development training • Networks for regular updates and sharing for those in similar roles • Induction meetings for those new to their role and aspiration meetings for those keen to progress further • School-based CPD opportunities via mentoring, shadowing, sharing • A key point of contact for leaders, for advice, guidance, support • A full and published Leadership Development Programme For our full range of leadership programmes, for teachers, middle leaders, deputy and assistant heads and headteachers, visit our website www.haveringeducationservices.co.uk
Nelmes Primary Developing a consistent approach to whole school leadership The starting point for all good leadership comes from a strong vision; for us, simply put, where do we want to be and how are we going to get there? At Nelmes, we like to use the ‘broken record approach’ when it comes to school vision and direction! Most weekly meetings and/or INSET training will make reference to the school vision both implicitly and explicitly, so that all roads lead back to the same clear starting point. From this, senior and middle leaders can develop their own visions which tie into the whole school outlook. We ensure further consistency and development of leaders by: »»
Training and time – this year we used education consultants to work 1:1 with our middle leaders. This bespoke training gave our middle leaders some much needed time and confidence to develop clear action planning, subject knowledge and most importantly their own leadership styles. Our science leader stated it was intense but the best CPD they had ever had.
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Communication – meetings, corridor conversations, time given in staff meetings, performance management. Leaders need reassurance, particularly when it comes to decision making. We don’t like to micro-manage, but we do like to know what is going on.
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Freedom and creativity – leaders must be given the opportunity to try out new ideas. Most are in class and with a group of willing and supportive colleagues, they can try their ideas out.
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Systems and record keeping – like most schools, our leaders are given time to monitor and plan. They keep clear records of their subjects and feedback necessary information to staff.
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Finally, senior leaders must model the behaviours they want – it’s free and takes no time but is essential in ensuring consistency.
Kirsten Cooper Headteacher, Nelmes Primary
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‘Coasting’ schools – What are the implications? In its Education and Adoption Bill, the Government has resurrected the term ‘coasting schools’, which has existed in various iterations over recent years. With schools that are repeatedly judged as Requires Improvement already prone to be deemed Inadequate under the old Ofsted framework, this new category appears to be aimed at schools that have previously been judged to be Good. At its launch, the DfE claimed: “Hundreds of schools will be targeted for improvement”, and Education Secretary Nicky Morgan referred to: “a group of ‘coasting’ schools, many in leafy areas with more advantages than schools in disadvantaged communities”.
maths, and where pupil progress is ‘insufficient’ (i.e. expected progress rates of approximately 91 per cent (Reading), 93 per cent (Writing), 89 per cent (Maths). Definitions from 2016 have yet to be determined. For secondary schools, the ‘coasting’ level for 2014 and 2015 is set at 60 per cent of pupils achieving 5+ good GCSEs (including English and maths) or an above average (national median) proportion of pupils making expected progress. From 2016, the level will be set based on Progress 8, but that ‘coasting’ level has not yet been defined. From 2018, the level will be determined solely by the Progress 8 measure, so there will be no attainment element.
Although exact definitions have yet to be finalised, schools will be ‘eligible for intervention’ if they are below the ‘coasting’ level for three years, with 2014 and 2015 counting as the first two years. Decisions will be made by the Regional Schools Commissioners (RSC), not Ofsted.
Schools deemed to be ‘coasting’ will be ‘eligible for intervention’, which means that the RSC “will then assess whether or not the school has a credible plan to improve and ensure all children make the required progress”. Where the RSC assesses that the school does not have such a credible plan, it will be turned into a sponsored academy, using the new fast-track ‘directive academy order’.
In primary schools, the ‘coasting’ level is currently set at 85 per cent of children achieving a Level 4 in reading, writing and
Ian Gurman Senior Inspector
Safeguarding and radicalisation – Schools’ new ‘prevent’ duties On 1 July a legal duty came into force requiring schools, and other settings with children and young people, to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. This new duty is part of the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. Extremism is a risk from Islamic State (IS), from the far right, from views and ways of living that may harm such as groups which promote anorexia, or groups that violently protest against issues such as animal testing or abortion. In July, Charles Farr, Director of the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism at the Home Office, said that although numbers of people travelling to join IS was decreasing, the number of young people, particularly women, was increasing and this has made us aware of risks to whole families. Half of the travellers to Syria have been under 25. Raffaello Pantucci, Associate Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR), identified that while many reject the grooming, there are those who are drawn to it. He lists these as ‘the mad and bad, the curious, those drawn by camaraderie (such as the Bethnal Green girls), those grasping identity’ – this list a clear indication as to why schools are so crucial in supporting pupils by providing a safe space for discussion and debate. Radicalisation is usually individual, personal – seeking to right an injustice, mobilise others to a cause, and connect to like-minded individuals and groups. This is what may bring children and young people to the attention of extremist group recruiters. Providing safe debate and
offering counter information in school can stop young people from seeking answers online. Rosemary Pratt, Director of the Department for Education’s Due Diligence and Counter Extremism Group has emphasised that schools should be safe places where resilience is built through British values. She is clear that this is part of the safeguarding agenda. Geraint Evans HMI has said that specific risks such as racialisation and extremism, child sexual exploitation (CSE), gangs & serious youth violence and female genital mutilation (FGM) will all be inspected as part of safeguarding in school, and that safeguarding is a significant and limiting factor in inspections. Safeguarding should be explicit and clear in policies, training and whole school understanding. Ofsted does not expect a school to have none of these issues, but rather it is about how these issues are dealt with. It needs to be clear that schools are mitigating the risks. Schools can expect any adult in school to be asked the question ‘if you had concerns that someone is vulnerable to…what would you do?’ This covers every school. Young people may be at risk, or younger children may talk about the views and plans of teenagers or adults at home. Wherever you identify the risk, follow your safeguarding policy, make the immediate call to the Havering MASH team, or in an emergency contact the counter terrorism hotline 020 7340 7246. www.lgfl.net/esafety/Pages/counter-extremism.aspx www.counterextremism.lgfl.org.uk/ Penny Patterson Senior Inspector
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British Values in the Early Years On 1 July the Prevent duty became law. This duty requires all schools and early years settings to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. Non-statutory guidance from the Department of Education states that it is essential that all practitioners can identify children who are vulnerable to radicalisation. Practitioners must also be clear about the procedure to follow if they consider a child is vulnerable. In addition, the Department of Education considers that the promotion of British values builds resilience to radicalisation. schools and early years settings are required to actively promote the values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Indeed, the Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, has stated that from the age of two, young children should be prepared by adults to take a full and active part in British life when they are older. Confirming the importance of the promotion of British vvalues from September 2015, Ofsted Inspectors will consider how leaders, managers and governors
actively promote British values. This assessment will feed into overall judgements about leadership and management. This focus on British values emphasises how important it is that schools and early years settings have robust policies and procedures in place. In order to support schools and early years settings in developing outstanding practice Early Years Quality Assurance is offering training on British values and the early years in the autumn term. A full-day course will be run on 30 September and repeated on 13 October, 9.30am – 3.30pm at CEME. The day will provide you with hands-on practical strategies to: • Develop and demonstrate shared underpinning values • Involve parents and build stronger partnerships • Deal with tricky issues and discussions • Evaluate what you do well, help you demonstrate your values, celebrate success and decide what more might be needed • Develop practical strategies for helping children develop mutual respect and their own self-esteem, tolerance and inclusiveness, and their understanding of other people and the world around them • Keep your equal opportunities and SMSC policies and practices alive and actively promoted. Susie Williams, Early Years Inspector and Celia Freeth, Senior Education Adviser
English – top tips to encourage reading for pleasure We all know that one of the most important ways to ensure future success for our pupils is to instil a love of reading, and that this is even more important for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. But in this world of smartphones and computer games, it is not always easy to interest children in books as they get older. Recently, I have been discussing this problem with a number of schools and we have come up with a few ideas that may encourage KS2 children to continue reading. Try these in your school: »»
Set up a pupil group (with a small budget) to buy books for the school library and advise on future purchases. This group could also organise events in the library.
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Give each class responsibility for displays in the library on a half termly basis. Treat this a bit like a class or year assembly. ‘It’s our library this half term. How are we going to make it an interesting place? Which books will we recommend?’
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Ask pupils to write a ‘reading autobiography’ in which they describe their life through the books they’ve enjoyed. Display some in the library or classroom alongside the books that are mentioned.
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Encourage classes to vote on a favourite author each term.
»» Shadow the Carnegie Medal award www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/carnegie/ Peter Ellison Inspector Standards and Effectiveness – English
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Maths – ensuring mastery in mathematics Everyone seems to be talking about mastery in mathematics, but, what does it look like in the classroom? Increased subject knowledge and teaching for maths mastery are key to the success of embedding the new primary mathematics curriculum. A mastery approach enables children to develop a deep understanding of the maths they are learning, provides access to mathematical concepts and big ideas and gives children the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a variety of settings; going deeper rather than accelerating their coverage of curriculum content. To support this approach we have created a variety of CPD opportunities for teachers and support staff with such foci as subject knowledge for the new curriculum, higher level maths at KS2, fractions and the new curriculum and considering the sample materials for the 2016 sats. Schools have also chosen to use some of their support package days to enhance their newly introduced maths curriculum. At Subject Leader Network Meetings and in schools across the borough, we have looked at the content of the new national curriculum, identifying higher level mathematics as part of all end of year age-related, expectations. The introduction to the new national curriculum speaks of children becoming fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, of their being able to reason mathematically and to apply their mathematics to solve problems. Remember all the effective skills and strategies maths teachers have developed still remain relevant. Kairen Raper Inspector Standards and Effectiveness - Maths
Bangladesh to Hornchurch and back A maths and science teacher from a primary school in Bangladesh is spending a week at Scotts Primary. The visit by Mrs Joynob Ara Begum to the Hornchurch school is part of a teacher exchange programme organised by the British Council. It is designed to help young people learn about global issues and become responsible global citizens. The Mayor of Havering, Councillor Brian Eagling, visited the school and invited her to the Town Hall along with Scotts Primary teacher, Mrs Jackie Boardman, who will visit Bangladesh in the next stage of the Connecting Classrooms programme, in October 2015.
Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) – are you on board? Since 2012 over 12 primary schools across Havering have applied and qualified for the PSQM. This is a great achievement for us. Well done to all the schools listed below. We are very proud of you. The PSQM provides four half-day training sessions, which aim: »» To raise the profile of science in primary schools »» To provide schools with a framework and professional support for developing science leadership, teaching and learning »» To celebrate excellence in primary science »» To work with existing and facilitate new networks across the UK and wider to provide local support for primary science »» To assemble and make accessible to the wider science education community a rich data base of current practice in primary science. ‘It has helped me develop my role as science leader and enabled me to get a good idea of what is needed to move our school forward.’ – Science Subject Leader Round 8 Hub 12 will be recruiting schools to start April 2016. Please register your interest on the PSQM website or via the link below before December 2015. There is a fee of £650 for the application. www.psqm.org.uk/take-part-in-psqm/register-yourinterest Schools can also choose to use Hsis support time to help write action plans and support for the final portfolio submission. Mina Patel Associate Adviser - Science
Ardleigh Green Infant Benhurst Primary Dycorts Special
Harold Court Primary Hilldene Primary Hylands Primary Scargill Junior
St Patrick’s Catholic Primary St Peter’s Catholic Primary St Ursula’s Catholic Junior Whybridge Junior
Wykeham Primary
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Ethnic minority achievement – the changing demographic in Havering
Published data confirms that, in 2013, there were just over one million English as an additional Language (EAL) learners in schools in England, making up an average of 16.2 per cent across the UK – which amounts to approximately five pupils in each class of 30. Our EAL population in Havering remains slightly below this UK average, but our rate of demographic change in this area is faster than that of the rate of demographic change nationally – and the profile of EAL speakers is a forever shifting picture. Did you know that Lithuanian is now the most widely spoken first language (other than English) recorded for children in Havering schools? Over 100 new Lithuanianspeaking children entered the school system in Havering between October 2013 and October 2014. Our second highest-recorded language is Yoruba, whilst the secondhighest growth area was in the number of Romanian speakers, with an increase of over 90 children over the year. In terms of pupil progress, our experiences in Havering mirror national research in this area, when children start school with little or no English, they tend to make rapid progress through the early-stages of EAL acquisition but need continuing support and differentiation as they become more advanced learners. Over the long-term (e.g. where children are in a UK school for seven years or more) there are generally no differences in outcomes between children with English as a first language and those with EAL. However, as far as the pupils are concerned, there are obvious benefits to being a fluent bilingual, especially in an increasingly global economy. The EMA team is available to work with all LA-maintained primary schools through a funding-forum agreement and the majority of our central CPD sessions are available at no additional charge. Work with academies is accessed via subscription, which can be purchased through the Havering Education Services Portal. We are also able to provide SMSC healthchecks to LA-maintained primaries, secondary schools and academies – these can be selected as part of your Hsis package. Michelle Wain, Carol Rockey, and Jackie Keylock Ethnic Minority Achievement Advisers
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Top 16 first languages other than English in Havering schools, October 2014. Lithuanian 475
Albanian
162
Yoruba
397
Chinese
135
Romanian
290
Portuguese 134
Polish
286
Turkish
130
Urdu
273
Russian
126
Bengali
268
Tagalog
120
Panjabi
205
Arabic
109
French
166
Igbo
109
Dates for your diary 19 Nov 2015 9.30am – 3.30pm CEME Talking Maths - An Intervention Programme for Learners of EAL Course Code: EMAPrimary-1115-T003 26 Nov 2015 1.30 – 4.30pm CEME Learning EAL in the Early Years Foundation Stage Course Code: EMAPrimary-1115-T004 02 Dec 2015 1.30 – 4.30pm CEME Cultural inclusivity and British Values as part of your everyday teaching Course Code: EMA Primary-1215-T001 To view and book onto our full range of training visit www.haveringeducationservices.co.uk
Exclusive free TES online course offer In 2014-15, a cohort of 50 teachers from 23 primary schools participated in the TES Outstanding Teaching course, where we offered every Hsis package school one funded place. We are now pleased to announce that we are offering every Hsis package school one free place on each of the following TES courses starting in the autumn term 2015 – Outstanding Teaching, Mathematics, English. Full details on flyer enclosed.
term last year TES were filming in classrooms in Essex for our new TES Courses. When we launched our first CPD on Outstanding Teaching, Havering was the first area to try them out. TES and Havering School Improvement Services have a shared commitment to working with teachers to help their development. As we develop new courses for primary and secondary, for subject specialisms and for wider professional studies, we are delighted to have Havering as a partner. We are getting great feedback and using that to keep improving what we do. Thanks.’’
Former Schools’ Minister and Head of Online Learning at the TES, Lord Jim Knight commented “During the autumn
Lord Jim Knight Head of Online Learning at the TES
Broadford Primary – using social media to engage with parents and pupils, and enhance teaching and learning At Broadford we believe that we should share and celebrate our pupils’ successes and progress with the widest audience possible. Many of our pupils have disadvantaged backgrounds and we want to instil in them a belief that they can succeed and break out from a cycle of deprivation. Parents and families should be able to contact us easily, ask questions and receive information in a way that suits their lifestyle. We believe in creating professional networks to share best practice, aid the process of continuous improvement and strengthen a professional culture at Broadford. In all three instances, social media is the perfect tool to achieve these goals. In under four years our blog has had 440,000 views (not including visits to our website). We have celebrated achievements from cycling awards, art displays, maths competitions, to weekly examples of pupils’ writing. Through video, podcasts and pictures, parents have been offered a regular window through which to see more of what their child achieves every day. It has had the impact of creating a very positive ethos, where all parents and adults connected to the school comment on and congratulate pupils for their achievement. By driving access to our blog and webpage through Facebook, we have seen engagement from parents rocket upwards. Physical attendance at parents’ evening has improved by 37 per cent, sharing assemblies are so full we are at a point where guests would have to be turned away and parents tell us that they feel well informed (73 per cent strongly agree) about school news and events. To achieve this we have used a variety of platforms.
Our YouTube channel – with over 300 videos – allows parents to see what is happening in school. A great asset if you were at work on the morning of the sports day! Blogger is used primarily for the content and its labels system allows us to archive school achievements and evidence for SMSC. Facebook is the most popular way for parents to access our site and Twitter is updated automatically every time that we blog. All staff are expected to contribute. Visit the website and you will see nine active blogs covering every aspect of school life – including a new blog run by the Governors! Twitter was introduced to staff, with a guide on how to tweet professionally and which feeds to follow, helping staff to get their online professional development underway. It has had a direct and positive impact of aiding teachers to swap ideas and talk about teaching. From Twitter we have gained practical resources for the classroom and insights on leadership (to name but a few). It’s quick, it’s succinct and it’s free CPD! You may live around the corner, or on the other side of the globe, but if you like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our blog and YouTube channel, you’ll never miss out on a moment of life at Broadford Primary. We’d love for you to join us on our journey… See you soon! Malcolm Drakes Headteacher, Broadford Primary
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Computing – time to program the next steps... Since September 2014, Havering schools have been leading the way nationally, grasping the exciting challenges set as ICT evolved into computing - supported by the introduction of the Bett Award winning Switched on Computing (now in 6,000+ schools) as well as a variety of other materials. There have been many success stories.
What have been some of the successes? Pupils at Elm Park Primary have been exploring how computer networks operate and learning how to create their own web pages using HTML code. Ardleigh Green Junior School has had support from a lecturer from UEL, who has helped pupils develop high levels of practice in Scratch. Benhurst Primary has concentrated on developing pupils’ coding skills using Kodu. Pupils at Corbets Tey School enjoyed a Computing Day focusing-on the new curriculum and technology-enhanced learning.
Where schools have done well, there are some key factors to their success: »» Whole-school approach, led by the Headteacher and subject leader. This often included an audit of staff skills and knowledge and an annual CPD programme being developed, attending events at other schools and CEME and/or offering workshops and sessions in school. »» Working together on an area of the curriculum or a piece of software. For example, a number of year groups teaching with Scratch in the same term. Teachers were then able to share things that went well (and things that didn’t!). It also supported those that were less confident as they did not feel as vulnerable trying things out for the first time. »» Some non-negotiables being introduced - adding a computing target to performance management. Ensuring that ALL staff are engaged with the subject, so that no teacher was left behind. »» Getting pupils creating, making, writing programs and ‘tinkering’ (trying things out) as soon as possible. »» Not assuming that all lessons needed to include some work at a computer – there are plenty of opportunities for pupils to learn through ‘unplugged’ approaches. »» Using open-ended creative projects and collaborative group work. They are just as relevant to the new curriculum as they were to the old. Much learning takes place as pupils play, explore or experiment independently. »» Ensuring the e-safety is a golden thread running through the whole computing curriculum.
What have been the challenges? The biggest challenge has been for teachers to understand the new subject content under the strand of computer science. There are a number of places to go for help. You can contact the computing & e-safety team for some direct support, or attend training for teachers, subject leaders and, more recently, teaching assistants at CEME. Other useful documents have been given to schools, for example Quickstart Computing, a CPD guide for teachers www.quickstartcomputing.org
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Next steps to success Assessment - ensure that there are effective assessment processes in place, Switched on Computing has a solution for this. Collect evidence of pupils’ work - either electronically in network folders, or perhaps print some samples. Coming soon is the new Computing Assessment Framework to match the Switched on Computing units, and other work. Monitoring - We recently shared ideas on monitoring the implementation of computing at Leaders’ Network meetings. Please contact us if you would like a copy. Finally, we have negotiated free online access to Switched on Computing materials for all Hsis package schools via ‘MyRisingStars’, making the resources available to view and download over the internet. We shall be sending details of this in the first half of the autumn term. Amanda Jackson Inspector Standards and Effectiveness - Computing and E-safety and NQT Coordinator Dave Smith Computing and E-Safety Adviser and Business Development Lead
Dates for your diary 13 Oct 2015, 9.30am – 3.30pm, CEME ‘British’ Values and the Early Years Course Code: Hsis-1015-T018 09 Nov 2015, 9.30am – 4.30pm, CEME Early Years Conference Course Code: Hsis-1115-T024 10 Nov 2015, 1.30 – 4pm, CEME Headteacher Forum (Autumn Term 2015) Course Code: Hsis-1215-T005 For our full range of training visit www.haveringeducationservices.co.uk