Eastern Multi-Academy Trust - Primary Academy Improvement Strategy

Primary Academy Improvement Strategy Developing Sustainable Improvement Systems

Contents 1. Introduction

to the EMAT Primary Improvement Strategy

1.1 Strategy Overview 1.2 The Principles and Components of the Academy Improvement Strategy (AIS) 2. EMAT

Primary Improvement Strategy Overview

2.1 Using the EMAT Strategic Academy Improvement Cycle Principles 2.2 School Improvement Challenge & Support 2.3 Practical Support Strategies 2.4 The EMAT Improvement Cycle 2.5 The EMAT Improvement Timetable 2.6 Middle Leader Development Timeline

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Introduction to the EMAT Primary Academy Improvement Strategy 1.1 Strategy Overview The EMAT Primary Improvement Strategy is built around a core improvement cycle known as the DRDR Cycle (“Doctor Doctor Cycle”). This handbook is designed to support all trust academies to implement and embed sustainable improvement systems that support the development of leadership and Quality First Teaching in order to secure significant improvement in outcomes for all children.

The DRDR Cycle Outline

REVIEW Impact Review Stage

DESIGN Strategic Achievement Plan Stage

DO

REFINE

Implementation Stage

Development Stage

The Primary Improvement Strategy is built around the four core academy improvement principles of Design, Refine, Do, Review. Within each principle lies key components that make up the DRDR Cycle and, when followed, will lead to sustainable academy improvement systems.

Design Stage (D) This is the formulation of the academy Strategic Achievement Plan (SAP) and strategy.

This plan is focused on rapidly improving or maintaining high outcomes for all children.

The Strategic Achievement Plan reflects the key areas identified for improvement across the academy and serves to drive professional development activity and improvements in leadership, learning and teaching.

Refine Stage (R) This is the stage where the strategy is put into practice and the professional development needs of staff are addressed. Continued Professional Development of all staff is crucial in developing a sustainable academy improvement system.

Do Stage The Do Stage is where the implementation of both the strategy and professional development occurs. This is a crucial phase in the Academy Improvement Strategy. The Do Stage is where improvement in teaching and learning will be secured with the strategy and professional development implemented in synergy. Improved teaching will lead to improved outcomes.

Review Summary Stage (End of Year) This is a key leadership principle in the DRDR Cycle. Without the knowledge and understanding of an academy’s strengths and areas for development sustainable academy improvement cannot be achieved. For improvement to be evident, progress in both learning and teaching should be critically reviewed.

1.2 The Principles and Components of the

Academy Improvement Strategy (AIS)

As already mentioned, the strategy is based around the four key Academy Improvement Principles (AIPs) rinciples of Design, Refine, Do and Review. Within each of these principles lies common academy improvement components¹: • Securing tangible improvement in outcomes for all children • Secure Quality First Teaching across all key stages • Develop learning behaviours and environments • Develop and secure sustainable leadership systems • School Improvement supported by effective governance In order for the strategy to be successful, academies must follow all four of the key principles and focus their improvement activities on the common improvement components.

The Primary Academy Improvement Strategy aims to develop the leadership skills of all leaders so that academies are better equipped to: • forensically interrogate the wealth of information available • identify the steps needed to secure improvement • plan the improvement strategy • provide the professional development to secure Quality First Teaching • implement the strategy and professional development • effectively review the impact of the strategy The strategy document is divided into sections. Within each section you will find supporting materials to assist in the DRDR Cycle. In order to secure sustainable improvement, it is essential that all colleagues have high expectations and fully commit to the four key academy improvement principles. ¹Based on the Core Elements of the National Strategies Improving Schools Programme and Stronger Management Systems

EMAT Primary Improvement Strategy Overview 2.1 Using the EMAT Strategic Academy

Improvement Cycle Principles

The Strategic Academy Improvement Cycle is at the heart of the EMAT Primary Academy Improvement Strategy. The four core principles act in synergy with each other, without one, the other three are weakened and high level, sustainable academy improvement is not possible. In order for sustainable improvement systems to be developed the principles must be followed explicitly and should form the backbone of all academy improvement activity.

The EMAT Primary Improvement Strategy recognises that each academy is unique and will be in a different place in terms of its own academy improvement journey. To support academies in identifying where they are each academy should complete the Primary Improvement Audit Tool (Appendix 1.1 or in the Primary Academy Toolkit). The audit tool will provide academies with the starting point for improvement.

The flow of development should be to audit the current provision and leadership of learning.

This then leads straight into the Strategic Academy Improvement Cycle. Think of this as the two cogs on a bike with the chain going around, once one starts to turn the other follows and forward momentum is secured.

The audit of core principles and components should be completed by each academy.

Ideally this should be undertaken as an INSET to ensure whole staff involvement in the audit evaluation process. The audit can either be completed using the form in Appendix 1 or using the EMAT eAudit Tool found in the Strategic Academy Improvement Toolkit.

The audit tool focuses on the key principles and components and follows a 1 (High) to 4 (Low) rating system. Academies should evaluate where they are on the scale for each element of the audit with elements graded as 3 or 4 the key priorities for improvement.

Training to undertake the audit will be provided by members of the Central Trust Education Team and these will form the basis of the Strategic Academy Plan.

The audit findings should be moderated by the Director of Primary Education for the academy. The strengths should be celebrated and the identified areas for development should form the first Academy Strategic Achievement Plan. The outcomes of the audit reflect the grades within the Ofsted handbook. This is the entry point for academies into the Primary Academy Improvement Strategy for sustained improvement.

2.2 School Improvement Challenge & Support Each academy will receive targeted challenge and support from the Director of Primary Education for their hub. This will focus on the core principles as outlined in the EMAT School Improvement cycle.

A Core Offer will be completed that outlines the significant support entitlements of each academy. These will contain both the core support offered to all academies as well as the bespoke packages matched to the needs of each individual academy.

The EMAT School Improvement Timetable outlines clearly the roles, responsibilities and expectations of all academies, Senior Leaders, Middle Leaders and Trust staff to ensure that all academies achieve the very highest standards.

The Directors of Primary Education are responsible for ensuring that academies complete this timetable and receive the support required to secure improvement.

Principals and academy staff are responsible for ensuring that development work is undertaken and that improvement is secured.

2.3 Practical Support Strategies The Central Trust Team offer a range of practical support strategies to all academies. These form part of the core offer and include: Peer reviews: These are facilitated by a member of the Central Trust Education Team alongside colleagues from other academies within the Trust. Peer reviews focus on an area of work within an identified phase and offer the opportunity to reflect and evaluate an academy’s work to inform evaluation.

• Support for staff meetings • Training for Middle Leaders • Joint work scrutiny • Joint lesson observations • Data training and support, including the use of data management systems] • Modelling Pupil Progress Meetings • Evidence triangulation • SEF writing support • ADP writing support

2.4 EMAT Improvement Cycle The Doctor Doctor Improvement Cycle

2.5 The EMAT School Improvement Strategy

Timetable

Autumn Term Academy Academy Development Plan Completed

Sept

Director of Education

Assessment Points

Challenge & Support EYFS preparation of Meetings with EYFS report and preliminary Lead & DoE to agree targets targets

Monitoring ADPs & Subject Action Plans completed and reflect priorities

Aspirational but realistic Targets set for Challenge & Support Contribute to target progress at KS2 plus Formulate challenging meetings and Core setting process & R, W, M and R/ W/M but realistic draft Offer to moderate evaluate CPD required at Exp+ and HL and targets targets to achieve this Vulnerable groups (All cohorts)

Performance Management of staff completed and reflects agreed targets.

Nov

Subject Leaders

Contribute to ADP and Moderate ADP & SEF Finalise and write ADP write Subject Action documents Plan

EYFS Report on new Challenge & Support EYFS intake and EYFS meetings target set

Oct

Key Leaders

Targets agreed by Director of Education

EYFS baseline completed

EYFS report completed and aspirational targets set.

HT Performance Management

PM of staff completed by 31st October

PM Completed and reflect aspirational targets

Participate in KS1 Peer Reviews

Lead Peer Review

KS1 Peer Review

Peer Review Document completed

Participate in LKS2 Peer Review

Lead Peer Review

LKS2 Peer Review

Peer Review Document completed

Update website with statutory documents*

Website audit

Update website to ensure they are compliant

Website compliance audit

Implement Finalise Intervention Intervention Plan and Moderate Intervention Plan for all children submit to DoE Plan

Finalise Intervention Plan for all children

Teacher assessments completed

Intervention plan in place

Complete school based assessments and predictions

Challenge & Support meeting - predictions

Complete prediction tool and submit to DoE

Support predictions through analysis of data. Report to SLT

School based assessments undertaken following Trust policy

Prediction tool completed and triangulated

Work scrutiny and triangulation

In school triangulation with Y6 teachers and Eng/Ma lead

Report to LGB

Work scrutiny and triangulation

Safeguarding Audit

Ensure safeguarding Safeguarding Review audit up-to-date and sent to DoE

Participate in UKS2 Peer Review

Lead UKS2 Peer Review

Triangulation report

Safeguarding Reviews show compliance Peer Review documents completed

UKS2 Review Teacher assessments completed

Dec

Review ADP

ADP Impact Report & Review

ADP/Subject Action Plan Impact Report completed

ADP Reviews

Spring Term Academy

Review SEF

Jan

Director of Education

Challenge & Support meeting to review Review ADP and SEF predictions, ADP and SEF

Sports Premium Plan reviewed.

Participate in EYFS Peer Review

Key Leaders

In-year accountability review of Sport Premium Strategy Lead Peer Review

Participate in EYFS Peer Review

Subject Leaders

Assessment Points

Review subject SEF In-year review of progress against the Sports Premium strategy.

Report to SLT Participate in EYFS Peer Review

Lead in school Moderate teacher Lead trust moderation moderation in assessments across Oversee moderation in EYFS, KS1 and KS2 preparedness for Trust Trust process in school wide moderation Interim review of disadvantaged strategy Interim review of Sports Premium Strategy

Feb

Apr

Lead Sports Premium Review

ADP & SEF reviewed.

Sports Premium Strategy Reviewed and Updated Peer Review documentation completed.

Moderation judgements completed and agreed

Interim review of progress and impact of disadvantaged strategy

Interim report on the progress and impact of the disadvantaged strategy.

Challenge & Support PE Lead prepares meeting with PE Lead interim report for SLT/ on the strategy and LGB on progress current outcomes against strategy

Sports Premium Strategy and impact audited

Moderation and EYFS, Y2 and Y6 Lead Trust moderation triangulation in school Trust wide moderation Support triangulation of all year groups. Moderation in- school & Triangulation in academies Feeds into Trust of all year groups. moderation.

Moderation completed and agreed.

Intervention Impact Review

Review impact of English and Maths School based intervention strategy leads report on assessments – Challenge & Support on outcomes. Refine triangulated evidence.

Predictions refined in meeting – Intervention strategy where Analysis of data and light of outcomes review needed. predictions

Impact report on intervention strategy

Academy Review 1

Participate in Lead Academy Review Academy Review & of Academy 1 formulate action plan from outcomes

Academy Review completed, report compiled and action plan developed.

Participate in KS1 Peer Reviews Mar

Lead Pupil Premium review

Monitoring

Lead KS1 Peer Reviews

Participate in KS1 Peer Review

Participate in Academy Review & Lead Academy Review formulate action plan Academy Review 2 of Academy 2 from outcomes Review progress Review ADP/SEF and Challenge & Support Review ADP progress of Academy impact reports on to review ADP and and impact.

Teacher Assessments Development Plan and the work within their SEF Review and refine SEF completed SEF subject area.

Participate in Academy Review & Lead Academy Review formulate action plan Academy Review 3 of Academy 3 from outcomes

Peer Review documentation completed.

Academy Review completed, report compiled and action plan developed.

ADP reviewed and refined.

SEF updated.

Academy Review completed, report compiled and action plan developed.

Summer Term

May

Academy

Director of Education

Key Leaders

Complete statutory assessments in Y6

Monitoring of SATs delivery and security

Monitoring SATs delivery. HT declaration.

Participate in EYFS Peer Reviews

Lead EYFS Peer Reviews

Academy Review 4

Subject Leaders

Participate in Lead Academy Review Academy Review & of Academy 4 formulate action plan from outcomes Monitoring of SATs delivery and security

Monitoring SATs delivery. HT declaration.

Participate in UKS2 Peer Reviews

Lead UKS2 Peer Reviews

Participate in UKS2 Peer Review

Monitoring

Y6 SATs

Compliance reports compiled.

Peer Review documentation completed.

Participate in EYFSPeer Review

Complete Statutory EYFS & KS1 assessments, including phonics screening

Assessment Points

Academy Review completed, report compiled and action plan developed.

Compliance reports EYFS Teacher compiled.

Assessment KS1 SATs Y1 Phonics Peer Review documentation completed.

Academy Review 5

Participate in Lead Academy Review Academy Review & of Academy 5 formulate action plan from outcomes

Academy Review completed, report compiled and action plan developed.

Academy Review 6

Participate in Lead Academy Review Academy Review & of Academy 6 formulate action plan from outcomes

Academy Review completed, report compiled and action plan developed.

June

Review ADP and Review progress Challenge & Support Review ADP progress impact reports on of Academy to review ADP and and impact. the work within their Development Plan and agree SEF grades Review and refine SEF subject area. Review SEF subject SEFs.

ADP reviewed and refined.

SEF updated.

Review priorities Challenge & Support Review key outcomes Review outcomes within each subject ADP priorities agreed to agree academy areas and identify Teacher Assessments and agree new ADP areas and contribute with Director of achievement priorities potential achievement completed achievement priorities. to ADP agreed priority Education. for new ADP priorities July areas Complete the EMAT Strategic Audit Tool to identify wider academy strengths and priorities

Support the completion of the EMAT audit tool

Complete the strategic audit tool as a whole sta

Contribute to the completion of the strategic audit tool

Strategic audit tool completed and informs next steps

2.6 Middle Leader Development Timeline • Where is the academy in relation to National attainment and progress – ASP Data.

• What does school based data indicate?

• Identification of children for intervention and intervention timetable across the school for your subject established.

• Ensure you are familiar with and able to discuss data for your subject across all phases in your academy. What are the areas of strength and weakness. This should feed into the SEF and Academy Development Plan.

• Update Subject Policy • Write Subject Action Plan to implement Policy – related to results and areas for development.

Monitor plans from each year group – check curriculum coverage, expectation, differentiation etc.

AUTUMN • Lesson drop ins – What is the quality of teaching like in your subject area?

TERM • Ensure your subject area is appropriately resourced and that these are used effectively to support learning.

• Collect evidence of intervention groups for your subject – What is the attainment/progress of children and what has been the impact of the intervention.

• Collect work samples for a Hap/Map/Lap from each year group – ensure work is assessed and annotated. What does this tell you about the standards in your subject?

• Talk to children from each year group and minute conversations about teaching and learning in your subject.

• Collect evidence from the learning environment in each year group – annotated photos.

• Undertake and record professional discussions with teachers. What does this tell you about your subject area? What professional development needs to be implemented?

• Check progress for your subject against your Action Plan.

• Collect and monitor plans for your subject from each year group.

• Undertake whole school moderation and collect work samples – Below, Expected, Above from each year group.

SPRING • Check progress of all children in intervention groups – are they having impact and if not TERM what will you do?

• Check progress using school tracking system for all year groups – are children progressing at the correct rate? If not – what will you do?

• Lesson observations • Check progress for your subject against your Action Plan.

• Using school tracking system check if pupils are making projected progress/attainment and take remedial steps if not.

• Collect and moderate planning from each year group.

• Collect and annotate work samples – Below, Expected and Above from each year group. Have they made the progress they should have made? Does work reflect high SUMMER expectations?

TERM • Undertake pupil voice interviews to gauge the learning and teaching within your subject area. What do children feel about your subject?

• Collect photos and other evidence of progress/ activities happening in the curriculum across the school.

• Undertake Question Level Analysis to identify gaps in knowledge and understanding.

The expectation is that all middle leaders will undertake the above tasks within the Middle Leader Development Timeline. Each middle leader should also have a leadership file that reflects the activities outlined above and to support their leadership work in each academy.

Senior Leaders and Local Governing Boards in all academies will expect regular reports from middle leaders which should focus on that terms key tasks and priorities.