Newsletter Achieving Excellence Together May 2016 – Issue 17 HER CANOL DE CYMRU Central South Consortium CENTRAL SOUTH WALES CHALLENGE w Business Plan Launched for 2016/17 We are pleased to announce that the Business Plan for the Issue 17 – Consortium for 2016/17 has been published on our website and Highlights can be found here: www.cscjes.org.uk/About-Us. All schools will The Digital Competence receive a hardcopy of the plan in the post. Framework (DCF) p.3 Our ambition as a region is that, by 2018: Governor Briefing Sessions p.4 • Our learners achieve the Qualifications Wales Update p.5 best educational outcomes Cronfa: New CSC Online in Wales, rivalling similar System p.5 parts of the United Kingdom; PiXL Wales p.6 • The poverty-related Features of High Quality attainment gap is closing Performance Management p.7 faster here than anywhere Foundation Phase Alliance: else in Wales; Moving On Up! p.9 Leadership Support • That the region is known and Opportunities p.13 recognised for its high-quality school-led professional learning. The Flipped Classroom p.14 Continued on page 2 Autumn Term Collection of Pupil Level Targets p.15 Hub and Lead Practitioner Mentoring and Coaching p.16 Schools Announced Modern Foreign Languages p.17 In January 2014, backed by the five authorities and drawing on international research, schools across the region led the way in launching a strategy to develop a ‘self improving school system’; the Share Your Central South Wales Challenge. Effective A significant component part of our strategy is the development of Practice with ‘school improvement hubs’. These began their work in January 2015 and developed a suite the Region! of programmes including a NQT programme, Outstanding and The Consortium's case study Improving Teacher programmes, Middle and Senior Leadership website is now available at www. programmes as well as bespoke programmes and conferences case-studies-cscjes.org.uk and which are increasingly focused on needs in the system. contains over 140 case studies from Central South Wales schools! More than 1500 teachers have been part of training delivered by Why not submit a case study the Hub Schools programme since January 2015. and share your insights with the Please refer to pages 10 - 12 for the full list of Hub and Lead region! Practitioner Schools from September 2016. www.cscjes.org.uk Submission Business Plan: The Year Ahead . of School Hannah Woodhouse - Managing Director Improvement It continues to be a great pleasure to be working with the experienced and dedicated school leaders and teachers right across this region who Reports, Self are determined to support every child to achieve and to have an excellent Evaluation experience of school. Reports and In the next year our plans include: • Further support for leaders and future leaders. All headteachers Targets can access the full range of leadership programmes written by Challenge Advisers will work headteachers in the region and accredited by the Institute of Education, with schools this term on University College London. We are about to launch a fully funded school-led approaches to Future Leaders Trust programme for talented future headteachers; gathering first-hand evidence • Greater delegation of grant funding for schools and only one planning with which to evaluate requirement for how schools plan to use their grant; teaching and learning and the process of school • More funding for school to school strategies, including expanding peer improvement planning enquiry (subject to evaluation) and continuing school improvement ahead of the categorisation groups (SIGs) and pathfinders with a focus on classroom teachers process in the autumn term. sharing and developing practice together. More will follow about the In this region we do want to new expanded school-led programmes of professional learning and emphasise that we are looking new curriculum hub programme, also further work with initial teacher at the schools’ own view of education providers in the region; itself rather than forming a • Specific funded programmes for school-to-school work across special separate view. We are asking schools and Welsh medium schools; for self-evaluation reports, • Continued part funded support for red and amber schools, school improvement plans and increasingly brokered from other schools across the region; targets to be submitted by 1st September. We are also asking • A determined drive to support schools which are developing, evaluating colleagues to schedule the and sharing most effective practice to close the gap, including specific review, challenge and support business links through Business in the Community’s (BITC) Business meeting before October half Class for all secondary schools and a digital pupil pledge for schools term so that we can all move to use to plan and develop extra curricula activities particularly for into the improvement work as children living in poverty; soon as possible. • Improvements in how we use data across the region, a single regional We will offer some workshops governor training programme and shared policies and practices to get on categorisation in the latter consistently high quality HR specialist advice; half of the summer term to • Better communication and practice about what works through discuss the process and how it amalgamations and federations to improve outcomes; and works in more detail. We are also undertaking our annual • Finally we will be focusing this year on further developing the flexibility review of how we can make with which challenge advisers can work to support improvements. sure the work of challenge We always value the views and opinions of those with whom we work and advisers is as efficient as are always keen to support developments which increase capacity and possible within national knowledge in the school system. Please get in touch with feedback or ideas expectations. about our future work. I look forward to working with you in the year ahead. www.cscjes.org.uk 2 The Digital Competence Framework (DCF) Coming Soon... Summer term evaluations of Richard George - Strategic Adviser for Digital Learning school improvement groups (SIGs), pathfinders and peer enquiry. Digital skills play a powerful role in the lives of children and young people. Confident and creative application of the use of Contact Kim Eley (kim.eley@cscjes. technology is an essential feature of lifelong learning and work. org.uk / 01443 827557) if you would like to be involved! Digital competence is to become the third cross-curricular responsibility in the new Curriculum for Wales alongside literacy and numeracy. The DCF will outline the skills and knowledge learners are expected to develop. It will help inform the Areas of Consortium Learning and Experience, which will be developed by practitioners from Curriculum Pioneer schools as part of the new curriculum. Guides for As the detail of curriculum design moves forward, Digital Pioneers Governors, will contribute to this development. Elected Members The framework is being developed by Digital Pioneer schools and practitioners, supported by Welsh Government, regional consortia, and Parents Estyn, HE specialists and IT sector organisations. The framework Please refer to the Consortium website will develop digital competences across four strands: Citizenship, for two key documents: Connect & Collaborate, Produce, Data & Computational Thinking. • Central South Consortium: A Guide A draft DCF will be made available during May / June to settings, for Parents (www.cscjes.org.uk/ schools and other stakeholders for comment. The Digital and Knowledge-Bank/Parents) New Deal Pioneer schools will collaborate over the Summer Term to develop guidance and support for schools to accompany the • Central South Consortium: A Guide framework. for Governors and Elected Members (www.cscjes.org.uk/Knowledge- The DCF will be made available in September, 2016. Schools will Bank/Governors) have time to familiarise themselves with the framework, begin to develop their practice and consider how they can embed the We would be grateful if these two expectations into their planning for the new curriculum. Estyn is guides could be shared with colleagues considering how innovative practice in ICT, drawing on the Digital and placed onto school websites. Competence Framework, can be captured as part of the inspection The guides and reporting process. include key The new curriculum as a whole, informed by the DCF, will be information available from September 2018. such as: what is the The following DCF Curriculum Hub schools will be developing Central South programmes to support leadership and implementation of the Consortium?; framework: what do • Cadoxton Primary, Vale of Glamorgan we want to achieve?; how • Darran Park Primary, RCT are schools • Ysgol Bro Edern, Cardiff in the Central For further information, please contact: South Consortium performing; who is responsible/accountable for the schools Richard George – Strategic Adviser for Digital Learning in the Central South region?; how does [email protected] the governance work?; and much more. www.cscjes.org.uk 3 Resources Governor Briefing Sessions Donaldson Non Morgan - Regional Governor Lead Please refer to the Consortium knowledge bank for all recent Four briefing sessions regarding the Pupil Deprivation Grant (PDG) materials regarding the Donaldson were held across the region during the spring term. The governors agenda: www.cscjes.org.uk/ particularly appreciated the input from serving chairs of governors Knowledge-Bank/Learning-and-