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Growing the Top Extending Excellence in a Learning Community of Stand-Out Schools

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Growing the Top Extending Excellence in a Learning Community of Stand-Out Schools GROWING THE TOP EXTENDING EXCELLENCE IN A LEARNING COMMUNITY OF STAND-OUT SCHOOLS Evaluation of a Challenge Partners pilot programme Peter Matthews Roisin Killick June 2020 GROWING THE TOP 1 Contents Foreword 4 Thanks 5 Introduction 6 “System-led improvement Participants 7 can really work: the way we Summary of findings 8 Recommendations 10 were talking; the way we were Background 12 taking ideas away, the way we Challenge Partners 12 The Upwards Convergence Model 13 really wanted to improve our The Growing the Top programme for stand-out schools 14 own schools. That’s definitely Programme concept and design 14 The design of school visits 16 a vehicle for the way forward.” Programme evaluation 17 i. The programme overall 18 Quote from participant ii. Design, management, structure and organisation of the programme 19 iii. Cohort meetings 20 iv. School visit days 22 v. Facilitation 24 vi. Value of the visit days 25 vii. Outcomes and a foretaste of impact 27 Final trio reflections: Stand-out Schools speak for themselves 32 2 CHALLENGE PARTNERS GROWING THE TOP 3 Foreword Thanks It is vital for schools to share their experience of teachers’ performance. We assert that there is a risk About the authors Acknowledgements improvement and learn from excellent practice, to within any educational system if it solely focuses on ensure our education system is world-class. This is not the lowest performing schools and the top performing Dr Peter Matthews OBE, the external evaluator, is The Challenge Partners Growing the Top programme some elitist call to arms but a challenge which is even schools are left to drift and potentially move aimlessly visiting professor at the UCL Institute of Education. A was conceived and directed by Dr Josephine Valentine more important now as schools and trusts address a downwards. It is important to stimulate the top to rise former teacher, senior civil servant and Her Majesty’s OBE, Chief Executive of the Danes Educational Trust, higher so that the whole system moves upwards. common issue: the widening disadvantage gap. Inspector he has many years’ experience of evaluating with Dame Sue John, Executive Director of Challenge schools and education programmes both in the UK and Partners. Growing the Top was managed by Liz Smissen, We do this by establishing learning partnerships, Challenge Partners is built upon the values of internationally. A wide range of publications include with Roisin Killick who also contributed substantial engaging in research, stimulating innovation and excellence, equity, courageous leadership, challenge, studies for the DfE, Ofsted, the OECD and organisations evidence for the evaluation. through the process of peer review. By ‘stretching the collaboration and innovation. The Growing the Top such as Challenge Partners. top’ a momentum is created with the highest achieving programme really exemplifies these values, as leaders The evaluators greatly appreciate the help and schools driving the system forward. from outstanding schools work together to share Roisin Killick is an experienced programme manager at cooperation of the programme leaders, participating excellent practice and challenge each other to continue Matthews and Killick’s report also clearly illustrates what Challenge Partners with previous education experience schools, and the facilitators who steered the school to improve. we value at Challenge Partners, which is the importance in the UK, Spain, Mexico and Egypt. She has a master’s visits and discussions so adroitly. The report also of a third-party actor in owning and facilitating degree in globalisation and development, and as part benefits from the insights of Sir George Berwick and the Since its inception almost 10 years ago, Challenge programme processes. There is real benefit in having of this, has conducted an extended research project editorial skills of Rita Bugler. Partners has taken a practitioner-led approach to someone who takes on the organisation and provides looking at how the Mexican education system serves supporting school improvement nationally. However, robust facilitation, so heads can focus on what is most the country’s indigenous communities. She has been for the flagship Quality Assurance Review, and more important. involved with the Growing the Top programme as widely within the self-improving school system, much internal evaluator, observing many of the trio visits and of the focus has been on reducing disparity between Finally, it is also interesting to read in the report how undertaking formative evaluation of the programme. the highest and lowest achieving schools. We are there are fundamental commonalities between these pleased to see in this report how the Growing the outstanding schools, despite their different contexts. Top programme has a different focus: it provides an The level of awareness and evaluation taking place opportunity for the most stand out schools to share in each of the schools as well as the similarity in knowledge of what is working well in their schools and challenges they are facing and aspiration for improving their sustained improvement journey to get there. But student outcomes, really demonstrates how despite also an opportunity for successful leaders to use their an ‘outstanding’ label, the most stand out schools do combined experience and knowledge to discuss and not remain so by resting on their laurels. They strive to tackle some of the trickier challenges that they face in find opportunities to learn and develop and continue to their schools. challenge each other to improve. One of our firmly held beliefs is that we should I am delighted to be able to present the following report constantly challenge the current definition of which exemplifies the work that Challenge Partners has outstanding if we are to close the gap over time and done and continues to do to support development and that those schools with the knowledge of how to improvement across the English education sector. stand out should support those that currently do not. We refer to reducing this disparity in performance as Dame Sue John the ‘upwards convergence’ of our schools, pupils and 4 CHALLENGE PARTNERS GROWING THE TOP 5 Introduction Participants 1 This report evaluates how highly effective schools The programme of three reciprocal visits across Aylesbury Grammar School, Buckinghamshire Mulberry School for Girls, Tower Hamlets can learn from each other in their search for each trio was augmented by three whole cohort continuous improvement. events for the participating leaders. Baylis Court School, Slough Northwood School, Hillingdon During the 2018-19 academic year, Challenge Partners These conferences aimed to sustain the programme Bosworth Academy, Leicestershire Royal Wootton Bassett Academy, Wiltshire instigated a programme for the most effective by providing networking opportunities together with Brentside High School, Ealing Rushey Mead Academy, Leicester secondary schools in the Challenge Partners’ Network a range of stimulating and informative inputs on the of Excellence with the aim of enabling them to learn leadership of change in the business, research and other Chesham Grammar School, Buckinghamshire Sir Christopher Hatton Academy, Northamptonshire from each other and from external sources. The schools education communities. worked in threes to share factors that were key to their Claremont High School Academy, Brent St Albans Girls’ School, Hertfordshire success and to provide reciprocal consultancy on one or This evaluative study uses evidence gathered from Hayes School, Bromley St Clement Danes School, Hertfordshire more further systemic challenges they faced. the beginning to the conclusion of the programme. The study focuses on the design and implementation Kingsbridge Community College, Devon The Charter School North Dulwich, Southwark In autumn 2018, Challenge Partners invited 24 of of the programme, the quality of the processes their outstanding secondary schools to join a new Langley Park School for Boys, Bromley The Compton School, Barnet and mobilisation of knowledge, and the impact of ‘Growing the Top’ programme. the programme in stimulating positive change or Lilian Baylis Technology School, Lambeth Wren Academy, Barnet Twenty-one partner schools that met specific criteria refinement in the work of the participating schools. Did for ‘stand-out schools’ decided to participate in the participation add value to the participating schools and Mulberry Academy Shoreditch, Tower Hamlets programme. They were grouped in threes taking leaders? account of geographical spread and a mix of school types so that there was no more than one single sex or The research used mixed methods - a combination selective school in each trio. of surveys, case studies and individual testimonies – to arrive at its conclusions. Each school in turn hosted a one-day visit by the This report illustrates the rich knowledge and headteacher and another senior leader from both discussions which emerged from the programme. It the other schools. evaluates a model which is both distinctively different The intention of these day-long visits was two-fold: to from the peer reviews (Quality Assurance Reviews) present and display key aspects of their school that undertaken annually by all Challenge Partners schools the host school(s) felt made important contributions and which would be well worth replicating with other to their success, and to invite the visitors to investigate groups of high-performing schools. The project also and advise on a systemic
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