Leadership and Primary School Improvement September 2016 the Purpose of Estyn Is to Inspect Quality and Standards in Education and Training in Wales

estyn.llyw.cymru estyn.gov.wales Leadership and primary school improvement September 2016 The purpose of Estyn is to inspect quality and standards in education and training in Wales. Estyn is responsible for inspecting: nursery schools and settings that are maintained by, or receive funding from, local authorities primary schools secondary schools all-age schools special schools pupil referral units independent schools further education independent specialist colleges adult community learning local authority education services for children and young people teacher education and training Welsh for adults work-based learning learning in the justice sector Estyn also: provides advice on quality and standards in education and training in Wales to the National Assembly for Wales and others makes public good practice based on inspection evidence Every possible care has been taken to ensure that the information in this document is accurate at the time of going to press. Any enquiries or comments regarding this document/publication should be addressed to: Publication Section Estyn Anchor Court Keen Road Cardiff CF24 5JW or by email to [email protected] This and other Estyn publications are available on our website: www.estyn.gov.wales This document has been translated by Trosol (English to Welsh). © Crown Copyright 2016: This report may be re-used free of charge in any format or medium provided that it is re-used accurately and not used in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as Crown copyright and the title of the document/publication specified. Contents Page Foreword 1 Introduction 2 Part 1: A commentary on primary school improvement journeys 3 A model for primary school improvement 8 Part 2: Case studies of how primary schools improve 13 The schools 13 Section 1: Starting the journey 17 St Alban’s Catholic Primary School, Cardiff 17 Deighton Primary School, Blaenau Gwent 21 Wat’s Dyke Community Primary School, Wrexham 28 Craig Yr Hesg Primary School, Glyncoch, Rhondda Cynon Taff 3 4 Ysgol Gynradd Gymunedol Y Friog, Gwynedd 39 Tonnau Community Primary School, Neath Port Talbot 42 Section 2: Making progress 46 Deri View Primary School, Monmouthshire 46 Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Rhos Afan, Neath Port Talbot 50 Tavernspite School Pembrokeshire 53 Templeton School, Pembrokeshire 53 Section 3: Building momentum 60 Hawarden Village Voluntary Aided Church in Wales Primary School, 60 Flintshire Parkland Primary School, Swansea 66 Ystrad Mynach Primary School, Caerphilly 71 High Cross Primary School, Newport 77 Ysgol Gynradd Dolau, Rhondda Cynon Taff 81 Section 4: Sustaining high standards 85 Glasllwch Primary School, Newport 85 Ysgol Glan Gele, Conwy 90 Ysgol Gynradd Brynaman, Carmarthenshire 94 Appendix: Evidence base 99 References 100 Leadership and primary school improvement Foreword I am pleased to have the opportunity to introduce this important report. The publication of the report coincides with an exciting time for education in Wales, with curriculum reform, a greater focus on professional learning, and new inspection arrangements, all on the horizon. Estyn aims to be at the heart of these developments and is fully committed to supporting the education improvement journey in Wales. The report draws on the findings of core inspection and follow-up activity since the start of the current cycle in 2010. It includes valuable contributions from differing primary schools across Wales. I am grateful to these schools for helping Estyn produce the report and the associated conferences and I hope that this work will be a catalyst for strengthening the self-improving aspect of our education system. All schools can improve. Normally, leadership is the most significant factor in influencing the pace, quality and sustainability of the school’s improvement. Schools at different developmental stages often need different styles of leadership. For example, a school in special measures may need a different style of leadership from a school that already has strong improvement systems in place. At all stages of a school’s development, leaders play a crucial role in developing the professional skills of their staff and supporting them throughout the school’s improvement journey. Inspection can be a key factor in improving schools. The case studies in the report provide clear evidence of this. Inspection helps schools to benchmark where they are on their developmental journey by identifying strengths to build on and recommendations for improvement. This is particularly helpful to schools where self-evaluation processes are not as accurate or effective as they might be. It is important to recognise that each school will have its own unique improvement journey, influenced by its own context and challenges. However, all schools can learn from the experiences of others and adapt ideas, practice and processes to meet their particular needs. The improvement journey model contained in this report identifies common characteristics of schools at different stages of development. I hope that the model and the case studies will help schools to reflect on their current position and to suggest possible next steps. Meilyr Rowlands Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector 1 Leadership and primary school improvement Introduction Part One of this report outlines general characteristics of the different stages of the improvement journey of primary schools and highlights the importance of effective leadership and leadership development on that journey. This summary draws on first-hand evidence from inspections and from visits to the case study schools described in Part Two. The findings of the case studies are summarised in an improvement journey model. The model sets out the characteristics of leadership and leadership development commonly demonstrated by schools at different stages of their improvement journey. This publication builds on the findings of an earlier report: Best practice in leadership development, (Estyn, 2015). The focus of this current report is on a series of case studies that exemplify how leadership and the development of leadership capacity in primary schools are fundamental to improving school performance. The case studies explore the improvement journeys of 18 primary schools that represent the diverse range of challenges facing schools today, including the formation of federations. All of the schools have different starting points, including schools placed in a statutory category following inspection, as well as schools maintaining high levels of performance over time. The case studies are grouped to illustrate four stages of the improvement journey: 1 Starting the journey 2 Making progress 3 Building momentum 4 Sustaining high standards The case studies have been written in collaboration between inspectors and school leaders. To tell a complete story, a lot of detail has been included to explain the context and processes fully. 2 Leadership and primary school improvement Part 1: A commentary on primary school improvement journeys 1 There is scope for all schools to improve and some need to improve more than others. Good leaders recognise the need to adapt their leadership styles and adopt different strategies according to a school’s position on its improvement journey. Although there are different strategies for different stages, there are also some common tasks that all schools need to address at all stages of their development. • Define clearly the vision and strategic direction of the school; this vision evolves as the school improves • Establish and maintain a culture where improving standards and wellbeing for all pupils is the main priority • Make improving teaching the key process that contributes to improving standards • Deliver a curriculum that fully meets the needs of all pupils • Sustain a consistent focus on improving pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills, including higher-order thinking and reasoning skills • Make sure that continuous professional development of staff improves the quality of provision and outcomes for pupils • Make all staff, especially those in management roles, accountable for their areas of work • Make sure that self-evaluation outcomes derive from first-hand evidence and are linked closely to school improvement priorities • Provide governors with clear, understandable and honest analyses of how well the school is performing and encourage them to challenge underperformance Starting the journey 2 In nearly all schools where standards of teaching and learning are unsatisfactory: • Strategic leadership is weak, school improvement processes are ineffective and there is poor resource management • Arrangements to manage the performance of staff are often underdeveloped and do not lead to improved professional practice or outcomes for pupils • Teachers are unaware of the need to improve their own practice because they are working in isolation • Leaders do not identify aspects of professional practice that require improvement, through first-hand self-evaluation activity such as lesson observations • Teachers do not receive enough professional development opportunities to meet their needs or improves the quality of their work 3 In order to improve from a low starting point, schools normally require direct leadership to establish expectations regarding the quality of day-to-day work, particularly the quality of teaching and learning. In schools in greatest need of improvement, the headteacher is usually the main driving force in establishing a base for improvement. In many cases, schools

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