Education Is Not the Filling of a Pail but the Lighting of a Fire

FEDERATION STRATEGIC PLAN

2016 to 2021

Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire”

WB Yeats

“In a creative, caring environment, we all support and challenge each other to develop confidence and independence. By exploring different choices, we are inspired to discover and succeed in lifelong learning.”

Prepared by members of the School Leadership Team, staff, Governors, parents and children between January and March 2016.

This plan was devised using our knowledge and understanding of education at the time but we are aware that the educational

landscape may change over the course of the next five years and therefore the plan may need to be refreshed in the light of changes.

“In a creative, caring environment, we all support and challenge each other to

develop confidence and independence. By exploring different choices, we are

inspired to discover and succeed in lifelong learning.”

In all our schools:

CHALLENGE

We promote a culture of high expectations and drive towards the best outcomes

We challenge and support each other by what we think, feel, say and do

We learn to question and challenge each other in a positive way

Our curriculum content is unique to our schools

Our teaching is inspiring, challenging and supportive for everyone

DISCOVER We value every member of the school community with all their differences

We enable everyone to discover their unique interests and abilities

We recognise that some of the best learning comes from mistakes

We learn that our contribution to the world is as important as what we can take from it

SUCCEEDWe recognise and celebrate success in many different forms

We strive for excellence in all we do

We do all we can to prepare children for the next stage of their lives

We support children and families in every way we can

We make sure that that every child is safe and happy and confident to achieve the best possible outcomes

• Regulate their own behaviour and feelings appropriately
• Establish and maintain good relationships with peers and others
• Identify what bullying is and where to get help from if needed
• Recognise discrimination and radicalisation and challenge it
• Be aware of the rights and responsibilities of being a World and British Citizen
• Knowwhat is needed to be healthy through exercise and eating
• Know how to recognise potentially unsafe situations and take action
• Be well prepared for physical and emotional change in the future

• Understand what it means to have a Growth Mindset and be willing to learn from mistakes
• Take on challenges and be willing to stretch learning to improve
• Be supported in taking risks and become more resilient in learning and in life
• Develop thinking skills and philosophical thought
• Respond to and ask higher order questions that challenge thinking and pre-conceptions
• Learn through a broad and balanced curriculum that enables deep thinking to take place
• Identify different ways of expressing his or her own creativity and technological ability

• Develop a love of literature, writing in all its forms and mathematical thinking
• Master basic English and maths skills andsuccessfully apply them to different contexts
• Extend and develop learning in English and maths according to interest and aptitude
• Receive early intervention to secure phonics, literacy and maths skills when necessary
• Usetechnology as a tool for learning to give access to a world of knowledge and experiences
• Develop scientific and technological understanding through a wide range of experiences

• Enhance learning through a wide range of cultural experiences, such as seeing a performance of a play or a concert or watching a live sporting event
• Enhance learning through taking part in sporting, cultural, scientific, technological or musical events, either in school or beyond
• Represent the EVF in sporting, musical or cultural activities
• Learn through the outdoor environment, especially making use of the Forest School facilities and other local amenities
• Take part in residential visits from Year 3 to Year 6 to encourage independence and learning in a different environment

• Use the Federation value statement to underpin teaching in Collective Worship and Class Assemblies
• Develop PSHE units on values, managing money and being aware of radicalisation issues [Years 5 &6]
• Give children opportunities to express concerns and learn resilience strategies
• Use school grounds or allotments to grow our own food and use it in meals
• Incorporate planning, preparing and cooking healthy meals into the wider curriculum
• Explore links with other schools to create meaningful learning opportunities
• Deliver high quality Sex and Relationship Education to prepare children for next stage of life
• Monitor attitudes to transition points and prepare children for the next stage of their learning journey

• Provide staff with ongoing training on the principles of Growth Mindset
• Teach children the principles of Growth Mindset and the importance of being resilient learners
• Challenge children to take risks and develop their own learning skills
• Support children when learning is difficult in a particular challenge
• Support children in making mistakes and learning from them
• Develop marking and feedback to ensure that children are able to prove their learning by application
• Evaluate the mapping of the curriculum to ensure that there is both depth and breadth in learning taking place
• Create opportunities for children to develop particular interests and skills and to give opportunities to share them in different ways

• Create a rich and varied curriculum map that enables children to experience a wide range of different skills and gives opportunities to apply them in a wide range of contexts
• Ensure vulnerable groups of children are given targeted support with teacher led interventions to close the gap
• Develop teaching and learning reviews to enhance quality of teaching and learning further
• Track progress at key points during the year effectively to ensure progress is made and identify actions needed to address progress issues so that rate of progress is maintained
• Use data to identify trends and show where there may be gaps in learning and address these swiftly
• Conduct an audit to ensure that hardware and software is fit for purpose

• Ensure that curriculum design takes into account the value of music, art and drama, as well as science, technology etc
• Give children opportunities to enhance their learning through a wide range of cultural experiences, such as seeing a performance of a play or concert or watching a live sporting event

• Give children opportunities to enhance their learning through taking part in sporting, cultural, scientific, technological or musical events, either in school or beyond

• Organise sporting, musical or cultural activities across the EVF or beyond
• Organise opportunities for learning to take place in the outdoor environment, making use of Forest Schools and other local facilities
• Review pattern of residential visits and organise a broader range of visits

• Incorporate Federation Value statement into planning for Collective Worship and ensure it matches the Church School ethos
• Revise the PSHE and Circle Time curriculum to include all the objectives
• Build a meaningful link with another school

• Training for all staff in principles and practice of Growth Mindset (£300)
• Teachers to focus on identifying risk taking and learning from mistakes in marking and feedback
• Use teaching and learning reviews between schools to share good practice and expertise

• Develop curriculum provision to ensure that creativity is enhanced through using Cornerstones (£12,000)
• Develop ICT by increasing range and quantity of devices (£30,000 over 5 years)
• Funding teacher-led intervention programmesto ensure vulnerable children close learning gaps [PP funding]

• Allocate funds to extend children’ learning opportunities [supported by PTAs]
• Use Sports Development Grant to facilitate sporting events and competitions within the ECF and beyond
• Subsidise funding for residential visits to enable all children to attend

• Executive Headteacher, Chair of Governors

• Federation Leadership Team, all Governors
• Subject leaders [to identify curriculum development areas]
• Class teachers and Teaching Assistants

• Executive Headteacher, Chair of Governors

• Federation Leadership Team, all Governors
• Governors’ teaching and learning committee
• Lead teachers for Growth Mindset and higher order questioning
• Class teachers and Teaching Assistants

• ExecutiveHeadteacher, Chair of Govs

• Federation Leadership Team, all Govs
• Governors’ teaching and learning committee
• Subject leaders [to identify curriculum development areas]
• Class teachers and Teaching Assistants

• ExecutiveHeadteacher, Chair of Govs

• Federation Leadership Team, all Govs
• Governors’ teaching and learning committee
• Subject leaders [to identify curriculum development areas]
• Class teachers and Teaching Assistants

• Children are confident about their own feelings and how they manage them
• Children are confident about how they manage their friendships and what constitutes bullying and what to do if bullying takes place
• Children are confident about how to stay safe in the real and virtual world
• Teaching of SRE, radicalisation and values is embedded in the curriculum
• Links with other schools actively promote a greater understanding of other cultures
• Children and parents manage transitions successfully and feel confident moving to a new phase of the school or beyond

• Child conferences show that children are confident and deep learners who can apply skills to new situations
• Marking and feedback shows children are taking risks and learning from mistakes in learning
• Lesson studies show that all teachers use higher order questions in their teaching and marking and feedback to challenge children to think more deeply and be prepared to answer questions that require thought
• Lesson plans show frequent use of philosophical questioning in lessons and children have time to reflect and feedback their ideas

• Challenging annual targets for progress and attainment are set and met
• Children are given opportunities to develop their learning in English and maths with specialist teachers
• Children who need intervention programmes are able to access these quickly and effectively
• Vulnerable groups make good progress and almost all meet age related expectations
• A robust and effective tracking system is in place to identify early challenges and address them swiftly with alternative strategies for learning

• Monitoring shows that all children have had the opportunity to take part in a wide range of cultural,
• scientific, technological or musical events, either in school or beyond
• Monitoring shows that every child has had the opportunity to represent the EVF in sporting, musical or cultural activities
• Monitoring shows that every child has had the opportunity to learn through the outdoor environment.
• Residential visit feedback from children and parents shows that these have developed resilience and independence

• Create an organisational structure that makes the best use of the resources available
• Distribute strategic school improvement across a wider range of schools and pre-schools
• Ensure the future security and viability of the EVF through strategic development
• Make best use of administrative expertise with defined roles across the EVF to secure accountability
• Minimise duplication of administrative roles in each school
• Streamline policies and procedures across the EVF
• Develop specific strategic administrative services for all schools in the EVF
• Recruit teacherswith specific expertise to raise standards across the EVF and enhance learning
• Recruit service providers with specific expertise to develop the strategic direction of the EVF
• Increase access to wider curriculum opportunities