School Improvement Strategic 2024-25
The school is commited to delivering the following priorities. A leaflety is avaiable from the entrance lobby that also has these explained.
INDENTIFYING STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
Our strategic priorities provide a backbone to our work. They are identified from a range of information sources including:
• External reports from OFSTED and SIAMs inspections (both very strong)
• External assessments (KS2 consistently above average for combined)
• Internally commissioned reviews with serving inspectors and school leaders (incl. pupil and staff voice)
• Internally developed assessments with comparative over time
• Feedback from visitors and professionals
A School Improvement Plan sets out how the strategic priorities are delivered.
These are reviewed termly and progress towards these are reported to the Full Governing Board.
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS 2023 - 2026:
KPI: Children who encounter God’s presence through the school’s Christian distinctiveness as a place of adult and child ‘flourishing’ in learning, worship and contribution to the community
KPI II: Children who achieve outcomes in reading, writing, maths, science and religious education that are excellent in our context so all succeed
KPI III: Children who flourish through refining our ambitious Christian curriculum
KPI IV: Adults who inspire opportunities to develop and sustain highly effective teaching at all levels KPI V: Children and adults who develop wellbeing for all and effectiveness in school leadership at every level
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
1. CHRISTIAN DISTINCTIVENESS
To further enhance the school’s ethos, vision and distinctiveness by:
- Building worshiping communities within school and within wider community with clergy
- continuing to enhance work on justice and responsibility in the community.
- embedding the work of Christianity as a World Faith with National CofE
2. QUALITY OF EDUCATION
To develop a consistent teaching model - our ‘Learning Cycle’ - to influence teaching by:
- Research based practice and effective professional development
- Applying the cycle for all pupils including SEND & high achieving
- Specific coaching to develop staff
- Engagement through appraisal
To further develop the planned and delivered curriculum by:
- Develop greater rigour in reading comprehension strategies
- Reviewing endpoints so that they are clear in all foundation subjects
- Reviewing assessment criteria in light of the refined curriculum and using this to inform support, influence curriculum choices and accountability
- Ensuring SEND provision is targeted, reviewed and in-class wherever possible
- Continue to quality assure the planned curriculum is delivered through triad reviews and serving inspector
To apply the process of Instructional Rounds within and between schools by:
- Using peer non-judgemental observation within an IR model
- Using partnerships to develop in specific areas e.g. Early Years
3. BEHAVIOUR AND ATTITUDES
To further improve pupils’ behaviour so that it is exceptional by:
- developing a specific behaviour curriculum
- staff receiving specific training in exceptional behaviour cultures
To improve attendance rates by:
- refocus on causes of absence e.g. holidays
- reviewing and maintaining effective pre-emptive and response procedures
- implementing the new DfE attendance requirements
4. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
To maintain strong school life experience by:
- Sustaining varied menu of after school clubs
- Enhancing pupil leadership opportunities
- Developing and sustaining pupil wellbeing strategies including lunchtime activities
5. EARLY YEARS
To develop Early Years practice so that it is excellent by:
- developing the Early Years curriculum so that it explicitly integrates assessment
- develop the very best practice in wider opportunities (outdoor/grounds)
- improving pupil outcomes in Early Years
- Have quality assurance and support from EY specialist ex-HMI
6. LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
To further develop leadership at all levels by:
- sustaining effective leadership practices in monitoring and evaluation with dedicated SI time and review weeks
- SEND & middle leadership development planning specifically and regularly reviewed
- streamlining reporting of school improvement to improve effectiveness of actions
- develop and review a specific CPD plan that utilise where appropriate national programmes and shares practice
To further develop partnerships and outreach support by:
- sustaining the triad of three schools for curriculum evaluation
- leading the development of a new diocesan multi-academy trust (EDAT) from existing group of schools (GRACE)
- maintaining school improvement activity and meetings with school group (GRACE)
- continuing to provide services to schools through Maths Hub NW, LA Moderation, OFSTED
To continue to make St Margaret’s the school of choice, improve from feedback and celebrate its heritage:
- marketing strategy
- review website purpose and facilities
- develop parent forums and PTA
- working party prepare to celebrate its 200th anniversary as a church school (Founded by deed 1826)
S8 OFSTED GRADE & AFIs:
Ungraded: OFSTED GRADES from previous Section 5:
Good - Teaching and Learning
Good - Pupil Achievement
Good - Behaviour and Safety
Good - Leadership & Management
Effective - Safeguarding
OFSTED in March 2023 reported the following areas for improvement:
• Leaders do not ensure that staff make enough use of the school’s curriculum when assessing the abilities of children in the Nursery and Reception classes. Also, leaders expect staff in the early years to provide unnecessary internal data each term about children’s achievement. This approach means that staff risk missing how well children learn leaders’ intended curriculum. Leaders should make certain that staff use the curriculum to assess what children know and remember and then to decide what to teach children next.
S48 SIAMS GRADE & AFIs:
J1: The inspection findings indicate that St. Margaret’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is living up to its foundations as a church school.
SIAMS in March 2024 reported the following areas for improvement:
• Enhance pupils’ experience of RE through a global focus. This is to ensure that pupils gain a deeper knowledge of Christianity as a world faith.
• Extend the reach of the school’s vision in the wider community through a local Christian partnership initiative. This is in order to support pupils’ engagement in issues of justice and responsibility.