KIPPEN PRIMARY SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN 2010
Kippen Primary has made very good progress in achieving the priorities from this session’s School Improvement Plan.
SPECIFIC TARGETS AND IMPACT
SPECIFIC TARGET 1Impact / outcome progress to date
To develop teacher knowledge and skills in using and implementing outcomes and experiences for :
-Health & Wellbeing
-Social Studies and review and develop programmes taking account of (Building The Curriculum 3 & 5)
IMPACT
All staff were involved in auditing and reviewing programmes of work in Health and Wellbeing and social studies taking account of CfE principles and practice documentation and CfE experiences and outcomes. As a result.
· Updated programmes of work across P1-7 have been agreed by staff for Health and Wellbeing and Social Studies offering a broad range of learning contexts and opportunities for children.
· Planning formats are clearly focused on experiences and outcomes and teachers planning ensures children are given learning contexts through which they can develop their knowledge, skills and capacities across their learning.
· As a result of Staff Training staff have implemented a range of teaching approaches which enable children to be more actively engaged in their own learning e.g. Critical skills approach and Co-operative Teaching strategies.
· Staff are increasingly more confident in using CfE principles, experiences and outcomes in their planning and teaching, learning approaches and there is more consistent practice across P1-7 with all teachers using active and enterprising approaches to raise attainment and developing the four capacities of CfE: Responsible Citizens, Effective Contributors, Successful Learners and Confident Individuals. Children are involved in the planning for learning process though pre topic assessment, setting big questions and agreeing topic outline. This approach encourages personal choice and greater engagement.
· HMIe inspected Kippen Primary as part of a cross sector evaluation of progress in implementing Social Studies and CfE. The school received very positive feedback on the positive impact of effective planning and teaching and learning approaches across the school on the development of children’s knowledge, skills and capacities. Feedback was:
Strengths
· Self evaluation and School Improvement Planning processes are having a successful impact on outcomes for children.
· Staff training is linked closely to School Improvement Planning and focuses on teaching, learning and outcomes for children.
· Staff are clearly involved in regular professional discussion and are confident in using the experiences and outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence.
· Staff are very committed and learning and teaching approaches used are very good.
· Staff provide motivating learning contexts which are challenging and varied.
· Staff are using strategies from their professional training to develop skills across classes
· There is evidence of effective collaborative working, group working and individual work in classes observed. HMIe was pleased to note there was ‘very little’ evidence of the use of worksheets across the school.
· Staff are effective in their use of questioning to develop
higher order thinking skills.
· There was a good focus on research, individually and collaboratively and children were asked to justify their own point of view.
· The school has a very positive ethos and climate for learning.The children were very engaging. They were very
· enthusiastic when talking about their school.
· Learning opportunities e.g. focus weeks were also providing opportunities for children to develop the skills of literacy and numeracy across learning through meaningful contexts.
· There is evidence of personalisation and choice and lessons had good pace.
· The children spoke confidently about their knowledge and understanding of the past and the skills they were developing.
· Children enjoy their topic work and the range of learning opportunities planned for them e.g. visitors, trips, talks, events etc.
· There are a good range of homework tasks which involve parents.
· Work on reviewing and updating assessment and programmes of study is already part of the current school improvement plan and is going in the right direction.
Future Priorities
· Some Children were not as knowledgeable when discussing ‘comparative landscapes’ Teachers should try to ‘merge outcomes and experiences’ and plan across and within the organisers to ensure breadth across learning to further develop this knowledge.
The organisers are:
· People, past events and societies.
· People, place and environment.
· People in society, economy and business.
· Staff should continue to develop higher order thinking skills.
· In reviewing the Social Studies programme continue to ensure interdisciplinary learning ‘links’ are ‘meaningful’
· As a school we were in the process of reviewing our programme for Social Studies and Health and Wellbeing as part of the 2011/12 School Improvement plan and HMIe were confident that the above recommendations were already planned for in our school.
SPECIFIC TARGET 2
Assessment
To fully embed new assessment procedures
· SC Summative Assessment
· Cluster / School moderation
· (Pupil Profiles) Learning Logs
· Reporting / Parent consultations
IMPACT
All staff have attended training at school and cluster level and have a clear understanding of the principles and purpose of assessment.
An assessment framework for Kippen Primary, which was agreed in consultation with staff and shared with the Parent Council last academic session is now fully implemented across the school ensuring consistency of approach.
The framework consists of both summative and formative assessment (Assessment for Learning). The overall profile of progress and achievement for each child draws on assessment information gathered across the year and informs pupil reports and discussions at parent consultation and staged intervention review meetings.
· HT and PT are trained in INCAS online assessment process
5-14 assessments are no longer used in Scottish schools to report on attainment. New INCAS (Assessment for Excellence) have been introduced across all Stirling Council Schools at P3, 5 and 7 level. Information gathered annually will be used to monitor progress in literacy and numeracy skills across classes, schools and cohorts of pupils in future. Teachers report on progress at parent consultations and twice yearly and through the annual pupils report and also Staged Intervention meetings twice yearly where it applies.
· Where progress is not age/stage appropriate, children are supported in their learning through the Staged Intervention Process. Children on stage 3 and 4 of intervention who have Individualised Educational Programmes have, in almost all cases, achieved their targets.
· The use of Blackwell spelling summative assessments across P4-7 shows clear evidence of improvement in spelling abilities in almost all children assessed.
· The use of assessment files and individual learning logs for each child is encouraging pupils to think more about their day-to-day learning, be aware of their strengths and development needs and next steps. These also offer the opportunity to engage the learner and class teacher in 1-1 discussions about progress and children are becoming more evaluative in their discussions.
· All staff use Assessment for Learning approaches consistently across the school and children P1-7 are confident in undertaking self and peer assessment and acting on written and verbal feedback.
· Effective use of language of Curriculum for Excellence in planning and setting learning targets ensures children are familiar with the ‘I can do’ statements and evaluations of Curriculum for Excellence.
· Staff attendance at cluster moderation collegiate events ensures staff work to consistent standards and expectations, when planning learning opportunities. This Assessment and Moderation training ensures children will have consistent messages and moderated standards of achievement across the school and cluster.
· A number of staff attended Assessment and Moderation training at authority level and as a result approaches to ‘planning for assessment’ have been updated.
- Staff plan appropriate assessment of learning at the initial planning stages taking account of Do, Say, Write and Make approaches to learning.
- Staff have agreed approaches to gathering a range of assessment evidence, again taking account of what children Do, Say, Write and Make, to inform their evaluations of progress in meeting targets and inform ‘reporting’ on progress
- Staff use a broad range of assessment / evidence gathering processes e.g. recordings, videos, learning logs, Aifl feedback sheets, self, peer assessment to name but a few. This approach ensures there is a broad focus on all aspects of the children’s learning / progress.
- P1 portfolios have been introduced at nursery level and will be used as part of transition planning from August 2012. This will ensure staff have a clear outline of children’s strengths development needs and personal achievement at transition from nursery to P1.
- P7 profiles have been introduced at P7 level in line with CfE requirements. The profile is discussed in partnership between pupils and Class Teacher records personal achievements and attainment, is written in the child’s words, and reflect their own views of successes and next steps. P7 parents attended an information evening where profiling was explained and they were given the opportunity to comment on their child’s profile. Feedback was positive, overall.
SPECIFIC TARGET 3
CfE
· To continue to develop the knowledge and skills of teachers to support CfE approaches to teaching and learning with a focus on raising attainment and achievement. To evaluate how approaches to Teaching & Learning impact our attainment / achievement. Development of the four capacities.
IMPACT
Through the school improvement planning process and professional review all staff have undertaken a range of courses and professional reading to support further development of Curriculum for Excellence approaches to teaching and learning. For example:
Staff trained in:
· Active Math development of numeracy skills and mental agility.
· Designing for the learning / critical skills approach attended by two more staff this session brings the total of staff trained to 90%.
· Support staff trained in Active Learning approaches.
· Two support staff trainer to deliver ‘Get Set Go’ (motor skills) group sessions across P1-7.
· Principal Teachers trained in Education Scotland (former HMIe) self-evaluation and school improvement.
· Miss Campbell has completed a leadership Postgraduate course.
As a result staff are confident in using collaborative working approaches, critical skills strategies and approaches to planning, teaching and learning which reflect the principles of Curriculum for Excellence.
The Staff team also received curricular programmes in light of our approaches to skills development, learning contexts and the development of children’s knowledge across the year and across P1-7. Updated programme and approaches have been implemented. For example:
Heinemann Active Maths
Literacy / Numeracy across the curriculum
Health & Wellbeing programme
Social Subjects programme
Interdisciplinary learning approach.
Critical Skills development.
Collaborative working approaches
Children are experiencing engaging learning contexts and approaches to teaching and learning which involve children more in planning for their learning and setting goals for their learning.
A recent inspector commented that our school improvement planning process was effective in developing the skills of Teachers and learning and teaching approaches were very good and in line with
the expectations of Curriculum for Excellence. Children were enjoying a broad range of motivating and stimulating learning contexts and learning / teaching approaches were developing the chidren’s knowledge and skills effectively. Children were given many opportunities to develop the four capacities.
· Responsible Citizens
· Effective Contributors
· Successful Learners
· Confident Individuals
Children can develop these capacities through a broad range of curricular and extra curricular activities / led by class teachers / and or volunteers
· Eco Group – second Green Flag achieved 2012
· Pupil Council – A range of fundraising activities organized to support a number of charities e.g. Strathcarron Hospice, Children in Need
· Website reporters – Contribute to communication with a regularly updated website which is viewed regularly by a range of visitors across the world. Families are signed up for automatic updates.
· Buddy / squaddy membership – responsibility roles for P6/P7 pupils where they offer support to younger pupils.
· Top Sports – A range of sports activities run by volunteer parents.
· Residential trip – annual trip run by class teachers and two volunteer parents
Wider Achievement
· Children across the school had opportunities for wider achievement e.g.:
Open Days, Nativity, School Assemblies, Church Services, Choir, Concerts, Sporting events (Cross Country, Lacrosse, Track and Field, Football, netball, skiing, swimming) Trips, Residential Outdoor Centre. These activities and involvement in school clubs and Committees e.g. ECO team, Website Team, Pupil Council, Grounds Team, House Captains. Help to develop the confidence of our children by empowering them to link and apply different skills across learning and experiences.
SPECIFIC TARGET 4
Pupil / Parent Engagement
To further engage children in their learning and development by involving them in planning for their own Learning and Assessment of learning and encourage participation during parent consultations.
IMPACT
All staff are fully trained in using ‘Assessment for Learning’ approaches in the classroom. Children are familiar with the range of strategies used in school, e.g. teacher assessment, peer evaluation, self evaluation, two stars and a wish, traffic lights, thumbs, no hands – to name but a few.
· Children regularly engage in discussion about planning and evaluating learning linked to set criteria and setting targets for their next steps. Children are becoming increasingly more confident across the school in using ‘I can’ statements and evaluative comments on their own work and that of their peers.
· P7 profiles were introduced and each pupil worked in partnership / coaching sessions with their class teacher to complete a personal evaluation of their learning across P1-7 and their next steps. Parents also contributed to the process. This approach enabled children to reflect on their broader achievement.
· All children P1-7 were introduced to ‘learning logs ‘which are used to encourage children to reflect on their learning, strengths, development needs and next steps. Children use their logs with enthusiasm and there is growing evidence of the use of more evaluative comments across the school e.g. ‘I have become more confident at speaking in public. ‘I can make eye contact with the audience and project my voice better by taking my time and using highlighters on my written prompt card to remind me when to speak louder or take a deep breath. Next, I want to learn to speak without using prompt cards’. P7 pupil
· Children across P1-7 are involved in planning for their learning, planning and agreeing assessment criteria and evaluating learning. Pre and post topic assessments are used effectively for this purpose and children are growing confident in their ability to plan topic outlines in partnership with their teacher and peers.
· This year children were encouraged to attend the formal parent teacher consultation meetings in November to and where appropriate attend Staged Intervention reviews / follow up discussions. Over 70% of our pupils across P1-7 attended the meetings. This involvement aims to develop the children’s ability to contribute to discussions about their learning and develop greater recognition of their role as ‘partners in their learning’. Almost all of the children who attended reported back that they found the opportunity helpful, enjoyable or useful.
KIPPEN PRIMARY SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN 2011-2012