What Makes a School Tick? Assessing Success Across the School Community

A little background information Gravel Hill has traditionally been a one form entry school , until the gradual two form expansion programme which will culminate in 2017. 50% of the children do not come from the local area. The school had a history of “satisfactory” grading from Ofsted.

Winne the Pooh “Here is Edward Bear coming downstairs bump , bump, bump on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is , as far as he knows , the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels there is another way, if only he could stop for a moment and think of it.”

The 5 Star Experience

Our Friendship Tree “The central ethos of the school ‘We are a family’ symbolised by the tree of life, where each individual has equal value, no matter the size or age or position in the school. Pupils know that with that comes responsibility and respond to it with great maturity.” Ofsted

The ability to judge what is right and wrong and act accordingly. Vision and Values Led The moral compass The ability to judge what is right and wrong and act accordingly.

Hold Firm If we are to diminish the difference (narrow the gap), we must stick to our principles. What do we need to do to improve the life chances of all children?

What are the basic skills we want all of our children to achieve by the time we leave school?

Values For all children it is important that they are clear of the ethos of the school. A moral vocabulary is needed across the school. Schools need to be vision and values led. All staff live out the values of our school. All staff are role models to children and their parents.

Confidence Aspiration Respect Excellence Learning for Life Our Values Confidence Aspiration Respect Excellence

Fewer Things Better! Know pupil’s names Say hello in the corridor Marginal gains in other words, small strategies with big pays off! Know pupil’s names Say hello in the corridor Take a genuine interest Know a small thing Always be a role model Relationships, relationships, relationships

Issues for schools with high mobility: Lack of trust in schools/professionals. Underlying and often complex family issues. Lack of consistency for the family. Difficulty in tracing records and information. Staffing implications for children with large gaps in learning. Staffing implications for children with behavioural issues.

Turbulence in context In 2014/2015 Gravel Hill increased in size by 100 children from June 2014 until June 2015, including 55 new arrivals and 23 leavers. In 2015/ 2016 We had a turn over of 66 pupils across all key- stages. Since 7th September 2016 we have had a turn over of 17 pupils. We currently have 30 different languages spoken at Gravel Hill.

Mobile Tracking sheets

Remember Change is a process not an event!

Our best leaders need to be on the dance floor as well as the balcony.

So why do some parents not engage with the school? There are many reasons behind lack of engagement, but these are some of the reasons we have established. Poor personal school experience Low self esteem Working unsociable hours Transport issues

We conducted an audit to identify reasons for lack of parental engagement, identified trends across the school and vulnerable groups. Poor Attendance Mobility Behaviour incidents, including detentions, other sanctions, and temporary and permanent exclusions. Pattern of participation in extracurricular and out-of-school activities. Identification of additional support because of special needs or language problems. Parental support, including attendance at parents’ evenings.

Actions Gather as much information as possible Fisher Family Trust Liaison with previous school PSA and Learning Mentor involvement Baseline as soon as the child joins Mobility tracking sheets TAs based in phases not classes Specialist TAs Interventions-everyday for 3 weeks.

Tracking all pupils, which includes involvement in extra curricular clubs/activities. Tracking mobile pupils against non-mobile pupils. Class overviews that detail point of entry. Extending the range of interventions, which include self esteem and physical/mental wellbeing.

Engaging the school community Visible senior staff who talk to parents/carers, at the start of school and the end of the day. Parent Support Advisor and a Learning Mentor. Regular coffee mornings and parent workshops. Running a crèche where necessary. Extended family involvement . Involving Family Learning

Best workshop yet!! I think the children enjoyed it almost as much as the adults. Thank you very much.

Our Pillars of the Community

The Family Golden Book Challenge Every week a competition is set to encourage families to spend time together. Challenges include: Anagrams The alphabet matchbox challenge Quizzes Tangrams

You said –so we did!

“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. Teachers are the mangers of the World’s greatest resource and that is our children, thankyou!” Parent of Year 4 and Year 5 child

So what difference has it made? Improvement in attendance and punctuality. Great leaps in terms of progress. Positive relationships. Greater trust. Increased attendance at parent evenings and meetings. Happy children and happy parents.

Winne the Pooh “Here is Edward Bear coming downstairs bump , bump, bump on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is , as far as he knows , the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels there is another way, if only he could stop for a moment and think of it.”

What a fantastic Golden Time What a fantastic Golden Time. Lots of giggles were had and everyone was very creative! As always, well done Gravel Hill!

The workshop was a great experience The workshop was a great experience. These activities really unite children and parents and encourage relationships with all.

Ofsted Parents are unanimous in recommending the school to others and pupils take immense pride in their school.