Graham Reeves Ltd
The Isle of Man Department of Education, Sport and Culture External Validation of the School Self-Review and Evaluation Peel Clothworkers’ School
Introduction
Each school on the Isle of Man is expected to conduct a School Self-Review and Evaluation (SSRE) using an approach devised by the Department of Education, Sport and Culture (DESC) in consultation with the schools. Graham Reeves Ltd has been commissioned by the Department to carry out an external validation of each school’s SSRE. The validation of the Peel Clothworkers’ SSRE included a visit to the school on Tuesday 10th March 2020. The visit was made by Howard Marshall. He worked alongside Anna Jackson, headteacher, and Caroline Savin, representing the DESC’s Education Improvement Service.
Context
Peel Clothworkers’ School is situated in the city of Peel on the west coast of the Isle of Man. It has a large catchment area, serving the whole of Peel. There is a mix of owner-occupied properties and local authority housing. The building of a considerable number of new homes in the area in recent years has resulted in the school’s expansion.
The school roll currently stands at 469. The pupils are organised into 19 classes plus a special unit. Classes are accommodated in two separate buildings.
29 per cent of pupils are on the register of special educational needs. This is higher than the Island average. 22 per cent receive free school meals. This is above the Island average. 8 per cent of pupils are learning English as an additional language. This is above the Island average. There are 20.8 full time equivalent teachers, including the headteacher and the head of the special unit. There are 9.9 full time equivalent members of the classroom support staff, including those based in the unit. There have been considerable staffing changes over the past two years mainly due to the increasing number of pupils on roll.
Focus of the Validation
The validation of the SSRE covered the full range of the school’s judgments but focused on three specific aspects. These were:
Achievement against Prior Attainment Teaching for Learning
Partnerships with Parents/Carers
Achievement against Prior Attainment
The school judges this aspect as ‘very effective’. It was chosen for consideration in order to confirm that:
• Achievement in the Foundation Stage is ‘effective’
• Achievement in Key Stage 1 is ‘very effective’
• Achievement in Key Stage 2 is ‘very effective’
• Achievement against Prior Attainment can be judged as ‘very effective’ overall
And to:
• Investigate the level to which pupils make progress in lessons and have developed a ‘love of
learning’
Teaching for Learning
The school judges this aspect as ‘very effective’. It was chosen for consideration in order to confirm that:
• The vast majority of pupils can use and apply the learning language associated with growth mindset and teachers model how it can be applied in different situations
• Most teachers offer a choice of activities to enable pupils to make decisions and choices about what they are going to learn and how to present their learning
• The vast majority of pupils are given opportunities to practise using meta-cognitive strategies when learning
• Most teachers employ a range of learning strategies to improve the learning for pupils
• Teaching for Learning can be judged as ‘very effective’ overall
Partnerships with Parents/Carers
The school judges this aspect as ‘very effective’. It was chosen for consideration in order to confirm that:
• The school is held in high regard by parents, pupils, governors, staff and the wider community
• The school gathers and acts on feedback from families and the community for self-evaluation and improvement purposes
• The school builds positive partnerships with the large majority of parents and carers to support pupil learning and well-being
• Partnerships with Parents/Carers can be judged as ‘very effective’ overall
The Validation Activities
To check and confirm the judgments in the SSRE the validation team:
• toured the school, led by Year 5 pupils
• observed lessons
• visited the dining room at lunchtime
• observed playtime
• looked at a number of documents
• talked with a group of teachers
• talked with a group of middle leaders
• talked with a group of pupils
• talked with a group of parents
Findings
Summary
The school knows itself well. In some aspects of the SSRE the commentary does not reflect the robust evaluative evidence that is readily available. The school demonstrates that it is in a good position to strategically and systematically plan for continuous improvement.
Achievement against Prior Attainment
A large majority of pupils (85.7%) who completed the Foundation Stage in 2019 had made five or more jumps in progress in all areas. This means that progress during this stage is ‘very effective’. The SSRE is unclear in this aspect as it includes two contradictory judgments, ‘effective’ and ‘very effective’.
A large majority of pupils who completed Key Stage 1 in 2019 had made progress of three or more sub levels in speaking and listening (73.1%), reading (85.7%), writing (84.1%), mathematics (95.2%) and science (98.4%). Achievement against Prior Attainment is therefore ‘very effective’ at the end of this Key Stage.
A very large majority of pupils completing Key Stage 2 in 2019 made six or more sub levels of progress over the key stage in speaking and listening (95.7%), reading (85.1%), writing (83%), mathematics (95.7%) and science (89.4%). Achievement against Prior Attainment is therefore ‘very effective’ at the end of this Key Stage.
The school’s monitoring shows that the large majority of pupils enjoy learning and make very good progress in lessons.
The validation team concurs with the school’s judgment that Achievement against Prior Attainment is ‘very effective’ overall. The school needs to update the Foundation Stage judgment to ‘very effective’.
Teaching for Learning
The school has embedded the principles of ‘growth mindset’ into the curriculum with the vast majority of pupils using and applying appropriate language. Evidence from the school’s monitoring of lessons indicates that teachers model its use in a variety of situations. The validation team observed its use in all of the lessons visited and pupils talked enthusiastically about how they use different strategies to help them be successful in their learning.
Pupils informed the validation team how they are given opportunities to make decisions about what they are going to learn: the topic for the term, for example, and how they will present their learning. The leadership team’s monitoring of planning and visits to classrooms confirm that all teachers offer these opportunities to their classes.
The vast majority of pupils can confidently talk about the school’s ‘Core Values’ and are able to generate questions about their learning. The teachers use of split screen learning habits and learning objectives enables pupils to reflect on different learning strategies. Through this approach the vast majority of pupils are given opportunities to practise using meta-cognitive strategies when learning.
The school’s monitoring of lessons and the validation team’s classroom visits indicate that teachers regularly employ a range of learning strategies to improve learning for pupils.
The validation team concurs with the school’s judgment that Teaching for Learning is ‘very effective’ overall.
Partnerships with Parents/Carers
The school’s parental surveys indicate that the school has a very good reputation within the community. This view was endorsed at the validation team’s meeting with parents. Parents also commented that members of the local community are keen to share their expertise, resources and skills with the school to enhance learning opportunities.
The school effectively gathers evidence from families about aspects of school improvement. Several examples were given to the validation team by parents and by the school leader. These include consultation on home learning and on improving sports day. Parents also stated that the school has a very effective open door policy which allows them to discuss any issues they have with teachers and/or leaders.
The school works hard to create positive partnerships with parents and carers that support pupil learning and well-being. Parents praised the well-attended ‘stay and learn’ sessions run by the school. Parents informed the validation team that these sessions help them to be more effective as partners in learning.
The validation team concurs with the school’s judgment that Partnerships with Parents/Carers is ‘very effective’ overall.
Other Areas Considered
In addition to the three specific aspects of the SSRE on which it focused, the validation team considered other judgments and statements set out in the SSRE. It concurred with many of these judgments, including:
• Pupils display leadership skills in a range of contexts including, as house captains, ‘Eco Warriors’, digital leaders and ‘buddies’
• Pupils are able to talk about what they require to be successful in their learning and well-being. This is tied into the school’s values which permeate all aspects of school life.
• Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is very effective
• Action research groups are set up for the school’s key school improvement priorities which result in the staff being increasingly reflective in their practice
• There is an effective pupil tracking system in place
• Staff and pupils are regularly consulted regarding school improvement priorities
• Governors meetings are used to share the progress made towards school improvement initiatives and governors also conduct learning walks to develop their understanding of the school and its priorities
• A wide range of learning experiences are offered to pupils including, continuous provision in the Foundation Stage, challenge focused learning in Key Stage 1 and cross-curricular topics in Key Stage 2
• The vast majority of pupils contribute positively and engage well within the school and local community
Conclusion
The school knows itself well. In some aspects of the SSRE the commentary does not reflect the robust evaluative evidence that is readily available. The school demonstrates that it is in a good position to strategically and systematically plan for continuous improvement.
Howard Marshall March 2020
Peel Clothworkers’ School Validation Report