Parents'carers Sip Progress Report

Main point for action: 1. The school should continue to improve learning and teaching, ensuring it is more closely matched to pupils’ additional support needs, and using a wider range of approaches including ICT. Task To improve the consistency of matching learning and teaching to the additional support needs of pupils.

Progress     

 

    



Outcome/Impact

Self-evaluation checklists for teaching and support staff – updated regularly, embedded in school calendar. Increased use of formative assessment strategies. Class visits embedded in school calendar. Sharing good practice sessions. Curriculum Development – SQA and Asdan courses are being developed at appropriate levels, (Access and Bronze Award, Towards Independence). Introduction of Asdan Programmes of work for PSE, S1 – S6, ensuring differentiation, progression and relevance Development of ‘real life’, practical activities (also introduction of ‘Enterprising Fridays’ and development of Social Enterprise Project with Muiravonside) Cross-curricular information about pupils shared regularly – to increase differentiation across all subject areas. Tracking attainment and achievement booklets produced. Reduction of Behaviour Referrals Monitoring of pupil experience by EMT. Plan to introduce ‘Target Focus Weeks’ InService by Flo Longhorne – A Sensory Curriculum

for Excellence – implement ideas for increased sensory curriculum

1 1

Increased achievement and attainment. Increased levels of pupil engagement Improved behaviour. Pupils will become increasingly confident and successful in a range of situations including real life activities. Increased teacher confidence in the use of formative assessment. Teachers will build on pupils’ prior learning. Increased range of resources and activities matched to pupils’ needs. Improved and innovative practice. Increased staff confidence in meeting the needs of pupils with more severe and complex learning difficulties. 

Very good progress made in this area with significant impact on pupil achievement.

To increase the effective use of ICT in all subject areas

    

Forward Planning format now includes heading for ICT resources ICT Audit – in progress. ICT suite on ground floor and 3 adjustable plasma screens accessible to pupils who use wheelchairs. Plan to develop sensory curriculum by increasing use of sensory resources for class 3 / 4 LR. Development of ‘Moving Image’ technology.

Increased achievement and attainment. Increased effective use of ICT to support all pupils’ learning. Increased staff and pupil confidence and skill in the use of hardware and software to support learning. Improved quality of experiences for pupils in the Sensory Room and increased skills for teaching and support staff working with pupils. Increased staff and pupil confidence and skill in the use of Moving Image technology to support learning.



2 1

Very good progress in this area, particularly with developments in Moving Image Technology.

Main point for action: 2. The specific roles of core teachers and subject specialists, including their partnerships in cooperative teaching should be reviewed to build on best practice and share expertise. Task To review and evaluate the roles of core and subject teachers, including their partnerships in cooperative teaching and evaluate the co-op teaching structures currently included in the timetable.

Progress Whole staff consultations in December ’06 and November ’07. New timetabling arrangements for ’06 – ’07 with increased flexibility for co-op teaching. Consultation with parents and pupils November ’07.

Based on results of review and evaluation, pilot innovative structures of pupil support, based on meeting pupil needs which ensure opportunities for building on best practice and sharing

Following consultation with staff (Dec, ’06), core teachers whose classes were timetabled to be taught by subject teachers were identified as having a ‘C’ period on their timetables. This identified teachers as being available for cover, for co-op teaching alongside either a subject teacher or core teacher or for outreach work. For the first time this enabled core teachers to have access to co-op teachers to help teach core subjects i.e. English, Math and PSE. Subject teachers who had spare capacity in their timetables were also allocated ‘C’ periods when they were not required to teach

Consultation with ‘Cover Working Group’ – February – May 08 leading to timetable for ‘08 – ‘09 which will rationalise this system to ensure a more even spread of ‘C’ periods and the most effective use of the identified capacity to better support learning and teaching.

3 1

Outcome/Impact Increased achievement and attainment through ensuring that the skills and expertise of staff will be used to the maximum benefit of pupils. Teaching, support staff, pupils and parents will be consulted on important issues which impact on pupil support and curricular delivery. Teachers will adopt a more creative and flexible approach, delivering a wider range of subjects and cooperative teaching will be used more effectively. Opportunities for teaching staff to share expertise will be created, allowing development of further skills. The needs of all pupils will be met with increasing effectiveness. Innovative structures of pupil support and curricular structures will be piloted and evaluated to inform future practice. Meeting pupil needs will determine both pupil support and curricular structures.

expertise.

their subject. When teachers were not needed during a ‘C’ period they were free to do preparation/development work. The spread of ‘C’ periods amongst core and subject teachers was uneven for a number of factors. This resulted in some teachers feeling that some of their colleagues benefited from having more preparation/development time. The advantages of this system were the flexibility it allowed teachers and the opportunities for additional pupil support within and outwith Carrongrange. A review of the outcome of a further staff consultation will focus on how best to rationalise this system to ensure a more even spread of ‘C’ periods and the most effective use of the identified capacity to better support learning and teaching.

Effective and efficient use of staff to support pupil learning. Staff development opportunities for sharing good practice. Improved knowledge of pupil abilities and needs. 

4 1

Good progress made in this area, with further improvements planned, based on review.

Main point for action: 3. The school should improve the effectiveness of its approaches to self-evaluation to enhance the quality of learning and teaching and share good practice more effectively. Task To raise awareness and increase understanding of the process of selfevaluation. To Work towards self-evaluation becoming “embedded in the school’s culture” (The Journey to Excellence). To support all staff to participate in rigorous and systematic selfevaluation.

Progress Whole staff presentation by Headteacher, November ’06, based on ‘The Journey to Excellence’ which led to:  Introduction of individual logs on Effective Learning and Teaching and Self-evaluation.  Self-evaluation checklists for teaching and support staff.  Annual Class visits

To improve communication among staff.

Responses to whole staff consultation indicated that communication was effective. (November 07).

Sharing Good Practice Sessions – all teaching staff have contributed to one of these sessions, ’07 – ’08 with further sessions planned ’08 – ’09. Presentation by Headteacher on HGIOS 3 , February ’08. HGIOS working groups – whole school self-evaluation – March ’08. Review of self-evaluation planned for InService, November, ’08.

5 1

Outcome/Impact Teaching and support staff fully understand the process of self-evaluation and its contribution to continuing improvement of learning and teaching. Teaching and support staff are fully engaged in systematic evaluation of the quality of their work. Improvement in the quality of learning and teaching. Increased opportunities for sharing and reflecting on good practice. More consistent quality of learning and teaching. Increased involvement of support staff in selfevaluation. Increased confidence and commitment of all staff in self-evaluation process. The needs of all pupils will be more effectively met.

Improved effective communication which will contribute to the positive ethos of the school.

To increase opportunities for support staff to be involved in decision making.

Fortnightly meetings with support staff and DHT. Opportunities for whole staff to work together on InService Days. House Assemblies to allow some time for support and teaching staff collaboration.

Increased opportunities for support staff to be involved in decision making. Continued opportunities for inclusive, whole staff development and consultation will lead to increasingly effective pupil support. 

6 1

Very good progress made in this area, with self-evaluation procedures more firmly embedded in school calendar, and increased teaching and support staff awareness of the purposes of self – evaluation.

Main point for action: 4. Senior managers should continue to work with principal teachers to clarify their roles in leading and managing the school, and to achieve greater consistency in their work with teachers and support staff.

Task

Progress

Outcome/Impact

To Clarify the roles of PTs in leading and managing the school. To continue to develop effectiveness of Extended Management Team. To support PTs to achieve greater consistency in their work with teachers and support staff.

Leadership/Teamwork training by D. Richardson, ’06 – ’07. 2 ‘PT Away Days’ , ’07 – ’08: agendas included discussing roles, remits, working towards greater consistency of practice in curricular and pastoral areas. Middle Management Training by Dr. C. Forde – ’07 – ’08 resulting in ‘Leadership self-evaluation toolkit’.

PTs, teaching and support staff will have a clearer understanding of their leadership and management roles. PTs will lead and manage with increasing effectiveness and consistency. Effective teamwork and management by EMT will lead to more effective curricular development and pastoral support by teaching staff. PTs will provide consistent curricular and pastoral support to staff and pupils, contributing to improving pupils’ achievement and attainment and improving the positive ethos of the school.

Plan to implement self-evaluation toolkit in ’08 – ’09. Plan for PTs to deliver presentation to teaching staff – November, ‘08



7 1

Very good progress in this area, with increasingly effective curricular development and pastoral support.