INVESTORS IN PEOPLE

Organisation Improvement Framework

REVIEW REPORT

Commercial in Confidence

WINCHAM COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Wincham
UNDERTAKEN BY

John Spitz INVESTORS IN PEOPLE ASSESSOR

On behalf of Investors in People North West Ltd.

LAST DAY ON SITE 01/02/10

Contents

Page

Introduction Outcome Objectives Findings Against the Framework Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Linkage to the New Choices Topic Map Evidence Assessed Matrix Continuous Improvement/Action Plan Conclusion

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Introduction The school is known as a Community Primary School, truly serving the village and surrounding area, providing a sound education through a caring family philosophy. Many of the parents and grandparents of the present pupils attended the school and look upon it with pride and high esteem. The School grounds have been pleasantly landscaped providing areas for outdoor work. The School has excellent outdoor sporting facilities including a large playing field and hard court areas. The School also has a golden mile path trail around the school grounds, an adventure playground and a private hydeaway area (named after Mrs Hyde, administrator who retired in July 2009) that are regularly used by the children. At present, the School catered for 252 pupils aged 3 to 11. The children are of mixed ability including some with exceptional abilities. The School first achieved the IIP award in February 2004 and was now opting for its second review. Post Recognition Review - Outcome Having carried out the assessment process in accordance with the guidelines provided for assessors by Investors In People UK, the Assessor was satisfied beyond any doubt that Wincham Community Primary School continues to meet the requirements of the Investors in People Standard. On behalf of Investors in People North West, the Assessor would like to congratulate Wincham Community Primary School on this achievement. Recognition as an Investor in People is subject to reviews against the Investors in People Standard every three years. Therefore, Wincham Community Primary School will be required to be assessed no later than 1st February 2013 although it is entirely possible to be reviewed prior to this date. Assessor: John Spitz Date: 01/02/10

Objectives for the Assessment

Establish whether the Wincham Community Primary School meets all of the evidence requirements of the Investors in People Framework. Identify good practice and make recommendations for future development. On the subject areas of Investors in People evidence requirements of the wider framework, Wincham Community Primary School had reflected on this but had decided for the assessor to focus only on the standard evidence requirements at this assessment. Executive Summary Key strengths: Friendly and family feel atmosphere, with dedicated, committed and hard working staff. A well-balanced set of staff with a good mix of skills, knowledge and experience who worked well as a team and were proud of the improvements, achievements made in results and in the qualitative areas of improved confidence, achievement and behaviour of the pupils. Work placements for teaching students and classroom assistants. The School demonstrated that staff were committed to providing the best level of relevant education and care for the pupils and never lost sight of the need that the major priority, and their role, was working for the benefit and needs of all pupils. The School had developed good links with the secondary schools in the area. Parents exercised choice, as the children attended between 9 and 11 different secondary schools including some from the private sector such as the Grange and Cransley School as well as the state schools such as Hartford, Holmes Chapel and Knutsford High School. The School had met the criteria of Chester West and Chester LEA Healthy Schools Programme and had been awarded Healthy Schools Status (2006-2009). The School had also achieved the Active Mark for PE - Rewarding Commitment in 2008. Teamwork and relationships were very strong - culture of sharing information and planning. Notable strengths in the School were the Early Years Foundation Stage, where children make good progress because of high-quality teaching and a stimulating play-based environment, and pupils good safeguarding procedures which contributed effectively to pupils feeling safe and pupils good understanding of what makes for healthy lifestyles. It was clear that the Head and leadership team had a clear sense of direction and high expectations for the Schools future development. Management team strong, with a good mix of complementary skills. Good rapport and morale in the School.

Suggested development areas and continuous improvement opportunities The following are only suggestions for Wincham Community Primary School to consider. The assessor believes that the adoption of all or some of them will contribute to the improvement of systems, processes and, most importantly, outcomes in the School. They are not meant to be prescriptive, neither are they written in any particular order of importance.

1. With the SATs test disappearing, possibly from next year, the School will need to look at other methods of formative assessment at key stage 2 and, perhaps, include further refining of tracking pupils performance through evidencing small steps of progress. Therefore, relevant training and support should be implemented during 2010/11 (indicator 2). 2. It would be beneficial for the School to continue to review management and leadership training needs, including courses, (for example Leading for results or Leadership Pathways) and/or professional qualifications (indicator 3, 4 and 5). 3. The School has signed up to the Eco Schools Initiative and should be working towards achieving the bronze award by the end of 2010. This will involve input/contributions from all staff (Indicator 2, 8, 10). 4. The assessor found that the School was focused on added value and had an extremely well-developed understanding of its pupils. Therefore, it should consider entering the North of England Excellence Awards in 2010 or 2011. Held annually, these prestigious Organisation Oscars seek to recognise the effectiveness and maturity of applicants pursuit of excellence. One of the categories recently introduced is for the school sector (Indicator 10). 5. At the next Investors in People review, Wincham Community Primary School could consider moving beyond the 39 evidence requirements of the standard and choose additional evidence requirements that link to Wincham Community Primary Schools unique priorities and select the development areas the School wants to focus on (New Choices). Beyond the standard introduces three additional opportunities to celebrate further achievement. Wincham Community Primary School could achieve bronze, silver or gold status by meeting additional evidence requirements across the framework. (Indicator 10).

Implementation of Child Protection training at level 1.

The School had a clear philosophy detailed in the School prospectus and embedded within the ethos of the School, based on We aim to help our children to strive for excellence within themselves, to be self critical and to accept constructive criticism. We want to develop within the children attitudes of perseverance, adaptability and pride in their work. It had recently developed a new core professional purpose which was that the five key outcomes of Every Child Matters are at the heart of everything we do at Wincham Community Primary School. Each year a School Development Plan was produced (that also included an environment planner) based on a five year plan 2007 2012. This was detailed and encompassed all areas within the School. It had measurable success criteria and key milestone dates against each objective and the chronological actions required stated in terms of resources/time etc. Staff described how they were encouraged to come up with ideas and contribute to formulating whole school aims and objectives, which were to be incorporated into the School Development Plan. It was clear that writing the plan was a team effort and a process which promoted ownership, understanding and accountability. One of the main aims of the School was Further development of the Child Protection Policy and Practice. This was one of the objectives in the OFSTED Action Plan and was also listed in the School brochure. Most staff including the mid-day supervisors had been trained to level 1 in Child Protection and Safeguarding (based on the Safeguarding Child Concern Model). They described the training as useful and informative. This had enabled them to identify and act on any related issues. A couple of good quotes were We have been given the training on safeguarding of the pupils but also know we would be supported through the process if issues arose and The training has provided us with the knowledge and skills to identify any areas of concern and understand the protocols that need to be adhered to. The Head and Safeguarding Co-ordinator had been trained to level 2 in Child Protection and Safeguarding.

Staff described that both the Head and Deputy were very approachable with an open door policy. This was shown to be working and was appreciated by staff, as they felt they could discuss ideas and bring up any relevant matters with them. The Headteacher and Leadership team were continuing to develop a learning culture where School improvement, raising standards and staff development were a continuous process. From the discussions with staff it was clear that the Headteacher provided strong leadership and that the School was well-supported by the Governing body. Reports from the secondary schools the children attended showed that the pupils from Wincham Community Primary School were more confident, settling in well and performed particularly well. For example, Hartford High School had identified 20 pupils to be part of a talented and gifted cohort of which five had attended Wincham Community Primary School. In 2009, the school had also introduced an Enterprise week (developing pupils business ideas and skills) and a careers week (introducing aspirations for children) which was proving to be very successful. The way forward could include the following tasks: 5

Further training for the few members of staff who had not completed Child Protection and Safeguarding level 1. Continue to review and audit safeguarding arrangements in School to support SEF. Analysis of the outcomes resulting in working towards achieving Grade 1 outstanding in the next OFSTED inspection report and aiming to maintain that standard.

Planning and teaching of writing to raise attainment at key stage 2 e.g. every child a writer.

Wincham Community Primary School was committed to the professional development of all its staff to ensure the continual improvement of the performance of its pupils. From the discussions, it was clear that there was a strong team spirit, where the staff were encouraged to share their strengths and knowledge. The School used less supply cover but utilised the Teaching Assistants,( working alone, in pairs or with the teaching staff), to team teach and this was shown to be effective. This resulted in less disruption in the classes as the pupils were used to working with the Teaching Assistants (continuity of the pupils knowing the staff). This had been a positive initiative in bringing up the standard of achievements of the pupils as well as being a cost effective alternative. The Teaching Assistants were shown to work well with the Teachers and were also involved in the planning of lessons. There were staff meetings every Monday afternoon and all staff were also involved in the INSET training days and described how they had received training on religious education, design and technology and dance as well as on aspects of literacy and numeracy. Teaching basic skills in literacy, numeracy and science was a high priority and the outstanding use of modern technology by all staff enhanced and extended pupils learning in these and other subject areas. Stimulating and enthusiastic teaching engaged pupils interest so that they wanted to learn and staff gave the support that the pupils needed in order to overcome any difficulties and succeed. The curriculum at Wincham Community Primary School was relevant and focused on meeting the needs and interests of each pupil. At the beginning of this term, the Headteacher organised training for staff on the Big Write initiative that was now being fully implemented across key stages 1 and 2. Wincham Community Primary School was the lead school in a cluster of eight local schools moving forward with this initiative. The training accredited by Edge Hill University was very well received by the staff, who described the course as excellent and professionally presented. There were two main course objectives which was to advise on the implementation of a long-term strategy and to provide quick fix strategies that truly work. Already, it had proved to be effective in raising standards in writing, and as part of Every child a writer Big Write initiative, the School had organised booster classes for pupils. A couple of good quotes were The Big Write skills reading and writing activities are good initiatives in encouraging children and fostering self belief in what they can achieve and We are now using a more standard approach to identifying features of good writing and up-levelling writing. 6

Staff described how they were using the Criterion scale to, firstly, set a baseline of each individual pupils writing skills (first assessment) and then set individual targets for each child. The Literacy Co-ordinator described how they were now setting short term targets for each pupil from the baseline. It was based on four generic targets which were to be taught namely, vocabulary, connectives, openers and punctuation. Each classroom also displayed work relating to the Big Write initiative. There were many examples of how staffs training and development needs were met in relation to improving the performance of pupils. These included INSET training days (all staff encouraged to attend), in-house weekly training sessions, training for languages and external courses and conferences. In addition, staff were encouraged to complete relevant diplomas/qualifications for example: ICT training; Health & Safety training; Decision Making; Mathematics; PE; moderation on the Big Write; Gymnastics; Team Teach; PAT testing for the caretaker; Phonics; Aggressive Behaviour etc. Training courses were prioritised and linked to responsibility and individual performance management targets. The way forward for curriculum effectiveness of the Big Write initiative could include the following tasks: Analyse termly data collected on the effectiveness of pupils development etc from the management resource available. Agree challenging but realistic targets for each pupil by May of academic year (annual targets). Identify common issues for classes. Four times a year, all the pupils to write a letter of a different genre in response to a letter from the Headteacher. This will also be helpful in assessment and monitoring the effectiveness of the Big Write initiative.

BUSINESS OBJECTIVE/PRIORITY Further development of Teacher Assessment system and tracking.

The School produced a School Strategic Development Plan that it reviewed every year with the staff. The weekly staff meeting often included training because the Head recognised that the investment in development ultimately leads to an improvement in the pupils learning and behaviour, which in turn should impact on the pupils achievements and attainment. This was evidenced with improved SATs results in 2009. For example, 43% achieved level 5 in mathematics compared with the national average of 33% and the current year 6 was on track to attain standards in English and mathematics which were well above average. The School clearly demonstrated that it was working towards being effective in supporting good progress for all pupils by tracking their progress and making good use of the information to support improvements in teaching and learning and to plan and evaluate additional intervention support. The School had also recognised the importance of research into teaching and learning and several staff had been involved in a number of action research projects that had informed planning and assessment procedures. The 7

Head described that effective tracking systems and ambitious target setting were both critical if pupils were to achieve the educational outcomes of which they are capable. The Headteacher described how lesson observations were carried out during the Spring term. Individual pupils progress was tracked, together with that of cohorts and specific groups, using a range of performance measures including a combination of periodic teacher assessments (such as those obtained using Assessing Pupils Progress (APP) and test results). The improvement in planning and assessment was in making learning objectives measurable, for example, learning improvements through making individual small steps. Objectives were now being set for the children and thus making learning improvements measurable. Staff had also undertaken relevant training which looked at the different learning strategies that needed to be adopted to provide different learning methods suitable for individual pupils needs. There had also been a lot of training on APP (Assessing Pupils Progress). Staff had also been trained on the necessary legal requirements when involving and reporting to parents. One member of staff described the autism/aspergers training that had resulted in her helping pupils, by implementing focused teaching techniques. This had been successful and hence improved the performance of the pupils. The focused training was reflected in that there was a low turnover of new staff and morale was high amongst staff. One theme that came through from the discussions was that there was a clear support ladder at the School. In addition, the School was also working with an external School Improvement Partner to help them develop their skills and help with ensuring there would be a positive impact from the continuous training they had been involved in. The way forward could be: Ensure the activities set in lessons consistently match the individual learning needs of all pupils and especially those with special education needs and/or disabilities. Ensure that teachers/teaching assistants actively involve pupils in establishing and reviewing their progress towards their targets. Further opportunities to work closely with other schools, which could help to progress staff further in meeting core professional standards. Ensure that teaching programmes are effective and precise and that timely intervention and revision programmes are adjusted in the light of the progress that the pupils were making. Develop knowledge and skills in using ICT Learning Platforms.

Management Leadership & People Learning & Effectiveness Management Management Development Strategy Strategy Strategy The Standard - Top Managers should make sure (and their people should confirm) that: Organisation has Learning priorities People are Managers are Managers are vision/purpose are clear and encouraged to clear about the effective and strategy and plan linked to the plan contribute ideas capabilities can describe they need to lead, how they lead, People involved in Resources for There is equality manage and manage and the planning learning and of opportunity for develop people develop their development are development people Rep.groups (where made available and support People know what app.) are consulted effective when developing The impact will managers plans be evaluated should be doing Business Strategy

Recognition & Reward

Involvement & Empower Ownership and responsibility are encouraged People are Involved in decisionmaking

Learning & Development

Performance Measurement

Continuous Improvement

People believe they make a difference People believe their contribution is valued

Peoples learning and development needs are met

Investment in learning can be quantified Impact can be demonstrated

Evaluation results in improvements to people strategies and management

Your Choice - Top Managers should make sure (and their people should confirm) that:
Clear core values relate to vision and strategy Key performance indicators are used to improve performance Social responsibility is taken into account in the strategy People and stakeholders are involved in strategy development The learning and development strategy builds capability Plans take account of learning styles People help make decisions about their own learning Learning and development is innovative and flexible There is a culture of continuous learning The recruitment process is fair, efficient and effective A diverse, talented workforce is created A work-life balance strategy meets the needs of its people Constructive feedback is valued The structure makes the most of peoples talents Leadership and management capabilities for now and the future are defined Managers are helped to acquire these capabilities Leadership and management strategy link to business strategy, taking account of external good practice Everyone is encouraged to develop leadership capabilities Managers are role models of leadership, teamwork and knowledge sharing Coaching is part of the culture People are helped to develop their careers There is a culture of openness and trust Reward and recognition strategies link to business strategy and are externally benchmarked Representative groups are consulted (where appropriate) What motivates people is understood Success is Celebrated Benefits strategy goes beyond legal requirements Colleagues achievements are recognised Effective consultation and involvement is part of culture People are supported and trusted to make decisions Knowledge and information are shared People committed to success There is culture of continuous improvement People can challenge the way things work There is a sense of ownership and pride in working for the organisation Learning and development resources are used effectively Learning is an everyday activity Innovative and flexible approaches to learning and development are used People are given the opportunity to achieve their full potential All learning is valued/celebrated and is an everyday activity Mentoring is used Personal development is supported The contribution of people strategies is measured and evaluated Impact on key performance indicators can be described Performance improves as a result Career prospects Improve Flexible and effective approaches to measuring return on investment are used ROI in people is reported to stakeholders Self review and information from external review are used Effective feedback methods are used to understand people's views on how they are managed Internal and external benchmarking are used Peoples views on how they are managed improves People believe its a great place to work

The Evidence Requirements assessed were as follows:

The Standard Evidence Requirements
ER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Key: 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 X Evidence Requirement Met Further Evidence Required D Development Opportunity Evidence Requirement Not Assessed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT/ACTION PLAN

Objective/Priority/Issues Suggested Development Activity Client Action Assessor Support IiP Centre Support Goals to enhance the skills of As discussed at the feedback meeting: staff and help make a positive impact on pupils performance Ongoing learning and development needs. Curriculum training related to the school initiative Dyslexia for the Teaching Assistants. To be run by the SENCO Co-ordinator 20010/11 Workshops and courses relating to management/curriculum Advanced Skills -Mathematics, Dyslexia Specialist Teacher and Accredited Mentor for Design and Technology courses Analyse of the impact of management/curriculum training Staff to be made aware of the new OFSTED framework (Focus Education) Local leaders in education Initiative Establish progress in the organisation against the Investors in People Framework Establish progress in the organisation against the IiP New Choices Framework Data collected on a regular basis and shared with leaders and staff Yes Yes

Further training for the team/curriculum leaders

Yes

Continue to incorporate into the Monday afternoon staff meeting/training programme

Yes

(LLE) residential training

Yes

Assessor to set up meeting date to take the school forward - Spring 2011 Use the new choices diagnostic Questionnaire in 12 month time run by the assessor

Yes

Yes

Yes

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Conclusion Wincham Community Primary School should be congratulated, once again, on achieving IIP status. Wincham Community Primary School is an innovative and forward thinking school that demonstrated that it fully embraced new initiatives and ideas. The Head and Deputy Head were fully committed towards the development of themselves and others thereby ensuring the Schools vision for learning was part of their pupils daily experience. The assessor found that there was no shortage of desire for helpfulness and cooperativeworking amongst the staff at Wincham Community Primary School. The School has worked hard in formalising, and putting in place, structured policies and procedures that facilitated a continuous learning environment. This was regarded as paramount for success and the School has been progressive with its plans for the future, geared for the challenges ahead. The Leadership team was committed to continuous improvement in the School and there was a culture of moving towards involvement and empowering of staff that was proving to be very successful. For example, the Headteacher and a colleague (Geography Co-ordinator) were visiting Njoro Primary School in Kenya for 12 days as part of the British Councils Global School Partnership. During their absence, the school management structure was such that the School will be run effectively and efficiently during their absence. Name: John Spitz Investors in People Assessor: Date: 01/02/10 Contact Details: 07973 461333

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