Implementing coherent whole school improvement

ROYDS SCHOOL SPECIALIST LANGUAGE COLLEGE

Traditionally, schools have not fully grasped the way in which to evaluate the effectiveness of all that they do and we were one of those. Oh Yes – we evaluated Performance Management and produced reports for governors. We evaluated CPD and departments provided their analyses year on year. We drew up our School Development Plan with all the appropriate priorities, and departments provided their own plans to dovetail into this. We evaluated individual areas such as Behaviour and made improvements accordingly but, somehow, we were working in compartments rather than as a whole. We were using the Leeds Quality Standards Framework (QSF) which enabled us to start exploring many aspects of our activity. We saw packages on the market and tried them but they were, in many ways perpetuating what we were already doing. Bluewave SWIFT provided the answer through marrying the QSF with a sophisticated yet understandable whole school evaluation product which did what it said on the tin – it linked up all areas of school evaluation into a coherent whole.

We started with Performance Management as this was one area in which all colleagues annually participate and would be the means of introducing Bluewave SWIFT to them. Clear ‘click by click’ guides were provided to complement the User Guide already built into the process and all colleagues received training in how to use the module. We developed a ‘Preparation’ template which was completed by reviewees and emailed to their Reviewer two days before the review was held. Feedback testified to the efficacy of doing this as reviewees indicated that they felt it gave them a really positive control in the process. As part of the review, CPD needs were discussed in relation to the agreed objectives and these were entered, generating all the needs in a coherent manner for the CPD Co-ordinator to develop individual, departmental and whole school training plans. During the year, as colleagues’ generated evidence against their objectives, they evaluated their progress against the SWIFT statements linked to, for example, a Professional Standard. A survey of   teaching and support colleagues showed that 91% felt that they had been enabled to make a positive contribution to the process as seen from the following comments:

‘It allows for a more focused discussion to take place with regard to staff progress and development. Also it will be valuable as an online portfolio giving access to information in an electronic format.’

‘Using Bluewave makes it a more formal and professional process enabling me to track my progress through evaluating my achievements against clear statements.’

‘I feel the formal structure is good, it ensures that progress is made on CPD and it helps greatly in evidencing achievement.’

‘It was closely tied in with the School Improvement Plan and allowed for focussed discussion on staff and departmental needs.’

‘This is quick and easy to track. Also reminding me what my targets are. It is great to have all my progress in one place…. no more searching for bits of paper!’

 

 

At the same time, the Headteacher and Leadership team utilised the School Development Plan module for the last two of a three year plan. The SDP was converted into the Bluewave SWIFT format with great ease. We were able to feed into the process, information from RAISE ONLINE as a means of sharpening the focus of our project development. Data from the Local authority as well as our own internal data for monitoring student improvement also informs training needs and the meeting of targets both through Performance Management. All this development has been made possible because Bluewave always responded quickly and positively to comments and suggestions for improving the process and were very supportive in maintaining contact with us. For example, we were asked for ideas that would help them in developing Classroom Observation schedules, and, in a short time, many of these were in place enabling us to test out the process successfully.

Next Year we will be developing this further by training all Heads of Department in the process of putting their own plans onto Bluewave, linking them to the SDP. In order to make this more meaningful, the SEF headings provide the basis for all SDP planning.

REFLECTIONS

•       The success of the process lies in the systematic way of training and developing colleagues ‘a step at a time’. Through familiarisation with one module of Bluewave SWIFT, they came to see the real value of the others. We now have ‘Bluewave Champions’ in the school who are working with departments and individuals to guide them through each aspect of the programme.
•       The school needed to start somewhere and Performance Management proved to be a valuable vehicle for this. On reflection, however, in order to discover the power of the process we would recommend that it begins with completion of the new SEF which generates the priorities for the SDP. Projects based on these priorities would be established before the Performance Management Cycle begins so that when Objectives are being identified they can be directly linked to the school priorities through membership of a project. The CPD needs generated would be directly linked to school priorities and evaluation would seamlessly run throughout the process, evidence being generated from the individual, being available for promotion into SDP projects and ultimately to the SEF which is viewed by Ofsted.

 

THE NEXT STEPS

Through building up the use of Bluewave SWIFT, it is the intention that we will continue to develop expertise in each area of the programme, refining the links and using the new ‘Strengths and Weaknesses’ facility in the CPD module to further focus the projects in the SDP and the training received by individuals and focus groups in the school.

The ultimate aim over three years is to so inform and train colleagues that all business will be conducted using Bluewave SWIFT as the vehicle for all evaluation. Don Rolls, Performance Manager at the school commented:

 ‘It is terrific to see a product on the market that does what it says, which is sensitive to current trends and changes in education and which seeks to serve the needs of its clientele, through insightful ongoing refinements based on research amongst the shop floor users!’

 

Don Rolls – Deputy Headteacher

Royds School Specialist Language College, Leeds

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Brynmawr Foundation School

Self Evaluation as a key area for strategic review and development to hit all the new CIF criteria.

BrynmawrFoundationSchoolis a successful 11-18 secondary school in Blaenau Gwent. Our last inspection report in 2007, had highlighted self evaluation as a key area needful of strategic review and development and as AssistantHeadteacher with specific responsibility for whole school Learning and Teaching, I was keen to introduce and develop an innovative, user-friendly and evolutionary format for whole school and departmental self evaluation that would hit all the new CIF criteria. This new cross department system would enable all members of staff to play a pivotal role in the development and improvement of the school.
Our last whole school self evaluation document was a veritable and prescriptive tome that clearly needed to be modernised and made easily accessible to staff.
With self evaluation part of my Leadership Portfolio, I wanted to launch something new, exciting and most importantly something that would be seen to be valuable and valid to all staff.
I recognised a need for our self evaluation to be both streamlined, and focused. This would then facilitate whole school improvements in terms of:
•   the quality of Teaching and Learning per se
•   the consistency of Assessment for Learning
•   teacher accountability
•   feedback and sharing of good practice
•   accessible departmental, personal and whole school resources that could be tapped into at anytime
•   clear linkage between CPD and Performance Management
•   honesty and openness of discussion and self evaluation over a given period of time
•   definitive tasks and monitoring with clear deadlines
The as yet unanswered question was however: ‘Where would we find such a tool for self evaluation?’
Bluewave SWIFT had been cited and recommended to our Headteacher, Mr James Retallick, at a conference early in 2010. So with that in mind, I organised an observational visit to Bishop Gore School inSwansea (May 2010) to meet with Headteacher, Mr Ryan Davies and Deputy Headteacher, Mrs Tracy Senchal.

Bishop Gore was one of the first secondary schools in Wales to go through the new inspection framework, and its post inspection report clearly identified Bishop Gore as having an excellent self evaluation framework. Armed with some vital questions, both Mr Davies and Mrs Senchal provided me with all the information I required to see that BWS was a clear, effective and definitive self evaluatory tool. The positive feedback given to me was all the evidence required for our school to adopt BWS as the driving force behind our whole school self evaluation and development planning for the next 3 years.
Following the visit to Bishop Gore, I organised both an on-line demonstration for myself and a full day’s training for the SLT. Keith Wright provided a superb training session back in May 2010, and as a school we have not looked back since.
There were many outstanding aspects about this first day’s training, but by far the most important were:
•   the patience shown by the trainer to the mix of SLT ICT knowledge
•   the security of knowing that the ‘Home Page’ is accessible at all times if any errors/confusion ensues
•   the user-friendliness of the whole package once you get over the inherent fear of having to ‘drill down’
•   the linkage between all the headers
•   the fact that a very friendly and supportive voice in terms of customer support is at the other end of the phone if needed….and Jason, Rob and Keith have always been able to give me and others speedy and simple answers to questions or problems at all times – with their help and guidance the integration of the system has been achieved with greater ease than I had anticipated.
My timeline for rolling out BWS was quite definitive, as a key focus for my portfolio was to have the system up and running on a defined level by September 2010.
Once the SLT had received their training, I organisedHeads of Department to be introduced to the system with an intense SLT led morning training session in June/July 2010. HODs are line managed by four members of the SLT, and we continue to lead this aspect of BWS integration. The HODs will lead departmental BWS training later in the academic year, so I am ensuring that as a school we are hitting and evaluating whole school development areas like sharing of good practice in-house. This is the first time that SLT has led intensive training sessions like this, and it has proved to be one of the most successful aspects of the launch programme.
The initial training sessions were to familiarise all HODs with the programme itself, and take the fear out of using it, as ICT knowledge and confidence is highly variable across departments. At this stage, there were initial concerns from HODs. Up to now HODs had not been afforded the free ownership and accountability that go hand in glove with a system such as this. In fact, the need to be so very open and self evaluatory was a little discomforting at first. Here was a system that enabled all HODs and departments to ‘traffic light’ themselves, and their departments, on a sliding scale with direct reference to the new CIF. There was – and is – nowhere to hide.

All Departments now know where they are, and more importantly where they need to be and how to get there.
The ongoing training and the need for open and shared self evaluation have both now been embedded in whole school life. In July, all HODs were provided with 2 possible pilot SWIFT Projects and the following choices were made:

•   SWIFT DDP1 – Improving Quality of Teaching and Learning is being
piloted by Maths, English, French, Welsh, History, Geography, ICT, Art,
Performing Arts(Drama/Music), D&T, RE, Health and Social
•   SWIFT DDP2 – Consistency of Assessment for Learning is being piloted
by Science, Skills and Welsh Baccaluareate and PE
In addition to this, BWS Integration is part of our whole school development plan, and we are also running a SDP focusing on Differentiation. After consultation with HODs, I decided to limit this first term to the above 4 foci.
All weekly SLT Line Management meetings flag up BWS as a core part of the agenda. It is also on Departmental Meeting agendas. We have developed a Middle Management Focus Group for BWS updates, and HODs are gaining confidence in its use, and its supportiveness as a tool for self evaluation and ongoing improvement.

Our Learning and Teaching foci of lesson observations and book monitoring linked to Key Questions 2:2:1 and 2:2:2 are driving forward the above 2 pilot SWIFT Projects and I am holding our fourth HOD training this week as part of Twilight CPD and Review. The SLT and 2 HODs will support the training. The HODs are all on board with the system and all ‘get it’ now….so, patience, training and time have all paid off.
Integrating Bluewave SWIFT into whole school life has been both challenging and invigorating. So far, there have been no major problems due to the immediate customer support in the Head Office.

On a personal level, I find BWS a superb tool in terms of whole school development. There has been a change of mindset across the whole staff, and although BWS is in its infancy stage in terms of whole staff use, there are already definitive signposts for generic and specific improvement.
As an Assistant Headteacher, I really could not imagine the school being without BWS. It is easy, accessible, user-friendly and cuts down onerous paper trails and workloads. It has afforded all members of the SLT with opportunities to learn new skills, play a training role and self evaluate themselves. It has enabled Middle Management development at a new level, and has started to embed consistency and self evaluation as the accepted norms.
A great system for the 21st century School.