School Improvement Plan
Our current School Improvement Plan focuses on the key areas identified by Ofsted when they visited the school in July 2024. Our priorities are as follows:
Priority 1 - Behaviour
The school does not teach pupils effectively how to behave well. This means that the underlying causes of misbehaviour are sometimes not successfully addressed. Too many pupils who receive sanctions then repeat their misbehaviour. The school needs to review its behaviour policy and ensure it helps pupils to understand how to conduct themselves well and why this is important.
What have we done so far...
- Improved our behaviour systems, ensuring clarity, consistency and certainty.
- Improved the rigour of consequences and the certainty of them happening.
- Increased visibility of SLT both 'On Call' and around the school generally.
- Introduced a 'warm-strict' approach to building relationships and managing behaviour.
- Further analysis of behaviour data to ensure we are more responsive.
- Restructured pastoral leadership to improve capacity.
- Ensured that every suspension is followed by a productive readmission meeting.
- Improved links between pastoral and SEND teams.
Priority 2 - Character Curriculum
The school does not have a sufficiently effective character curriculum. Pupils struggle to develop respect, kindness, confidence, and resilience. A significant minority of pupils do not engage wholeheartedly with the school’s ethos and aims. The school needs to ensure its personal development programme is helping pupils engage with and embody the school’s ethos, so that they develop positive character traits more richly and successfully.
What have we done so far...
- Sought views of stakeholders to see what is important to the community.
- Launched new school vision and values to provide a platform for a character curriculum.
- Reviewed the current SEMH and pastoral provision within school.
- Explored further opportunities for student leadership.
- Strengthened engagement with external organisations.
Priority 3 - Reading
The school does not have a coherent approach to improving reading for many weaker readers. This prevents pupils from accessing learning as effectively as they might. Sometimes, it contributes to poor behaviour. The school needs to ensure that those who struggle to read confidently receive an effective programme of support, to enable pupils to be able to access and progress with their learning more effectively.
What have we done so far...
- Completed NGRT tests across all year groups at the start of the year.
- Identified those students who are below and significantly below their expected reading age.
- Implemented the 'Thinking Reading' programme to those students identified as in most need.
- Implemented the 'Reading Plus' programme to those students identified as requiring some support.
- Continued to embed reading as a whole school focus.
- Develop relationships with primary schools to identify gaps in reading earlier and work in partnership to develop a culture of reading.
Priority 4 - Consistency in Curriculum Delivery and Assessment
Teachers sometimes do not teach the curriculum well enough. Where this is the case, they plan and use activities that do not enable pupils to learn successfully. Teachers do not routinely check learning in a way that shows where gaps are, so these can be addressed. This means pupils do not make the progress they should. The school should ensure teachers receive the guidance and support they require to deliver the curriculum as the school intends.
What have we done so far...
- Embed and monitor Alde Valley Approach to lesson delivery/pedagogy.
- Develop departmental footprints in every subject.
- Embed instructional coaching model for teacher CPD.
- Continued programme of department deep dives to ensure continuous improvement.
- Strengthen behaviour for learning by introducing Alde Valley Habits.