KS3 IMPACT! ENERGISING THE STRATEGY : PROMOTING A WHOLE-SCHOOL IMPACT

KS3 IMPACT! 1.An inclusive education system within a culture of high expectations 2.The centrality of literacy and numeracy across the curriculum 3.The infusion of learning skills across the curriculum 4.The promotion of assessment for learning 5.Expanding the teacher’s range of teaching strategies and techniques 1.no child left behind 2.reinforcing the basics 3.enriching the learning experience 4.making every child special 5.making learning an enjoyable experience

KS3 IMPACT! Focus and structure the teaching Actively engage the pupils in the learning process Use assessment for learning Have high expectations Strive for well- paced teaching Create a settled and purposeful atmosphere

The Big Shift

KS3 IMPACT! gains in the Year 9 test results were modest; catch-up arrangements have been dogged by the logistical problems of finding timetable space and staff; dissemination in departments has been slow in schools without consultancy support; the greatest impact has been in Year 7, with less impact in Years 8 and 9. 

KS3 IMPACT! 2003 summer …The intervention strategy 2003 autumn …Behaviour and attendance 2004 spring …Assessment for learning 2004 summer …Transition Cross-curricular priorities 2004 autumn …Learning skills

KS3 IMPACT! Nearly 40% of pupils make a loss and no progress in the year following transfer, related to a decline in motivation “Year 7 adds so little value that actually missing the year would not disadvantage some children” (Prof John West-Burnham) Pupils characterise work in Years 7 and 8 as ‘repetitive, unchallenging and lacking in purpose’ Why do we need it?

KS3 IMPACT! From To Departmental strategies Whole-school strategy Departmental development School improvement National launch Local consolidation / embedding Directed training Selected training and support Change of emphasis …

KS3 IMPACT! 5 short-cuts to success

KS3 IMPACT! 1 Key players Strategy manager Working party Headteacher Governors Teaching assistants Subject leaders Students!

KS3 IMPACT! 1 Key players Strategy manager Coordinating, auditing, planning and monitoring processes (depts and whole school) It is possible that as the Strategy develops during 2003–04 into a whole-school strategy, including the behaviour and attendance strand, schools will review the role and allocate responsibilities to other members of the senior leadership team. NOW!

KS3 IMPACT! 1 Key players Strategy manager FUTURE! Customising to the school’s context School improvement plan Focus on evaluating impact

KS3 IMPACT! 2 Customise it ruthlessly Half-term by half-term plan How will you judge IMPACT? Subject & whole-school priorities Enrol key players Drip-feed good news

KS3 IMPACT! 3 Emphasising whole school reponsibilities to contribute to whole-school initiatives; to strengthen lesson design and planning, especially for the middle part of the lesson; to establish within the subject the relevant elements of a whole-school intervention programme to support pupils who are working below expectations; to secure constructive behaviour in all lessons; to audit, monitor and plan to improve learning

KS3 IMPACT! 4 Focus relentlessly on T&L “Schools are places where the pupils go to watch the teachers working” (John West-Burnham) “For many years, attendance at school has been required (for children and for teachers) while learning at school has been optional.” (Stoll, Fink & East) KS3 IMPACT! ‘Standards are raised ONLY by changes which are put into direct effect by teachers and pupils in classrooms’ Black and Wiliam, ‘Inside the Black Box’

KS3 IMPACT! 5 Be realistic Go for critical mass Small successes But make them public to build a momentum

KS3 IMPACT! Coming up … Making an impact through: School improvement planning Behaviour strand

KS3 IMPACT! What have been the successes in your own school?  Talking Point 

KS3 IMPACT! Making an impact through School Improvement Planning & Evaluation 1

KS3 IMPACT! 1: Central, working document 2: Attach who, when, costs, success criteria, and make them smart 3: Less is more - eg focus on 3 key areas for classroom impact (questions, explanation, starters) 4: Keep it in the public domain; part of PM; website 5: Have Dept-by-Dept targets 6: Evaluate progress publicly each half-term SIP

Using feedback and questionnaires to drive school improvement “We should measure what we value, not value what we measure” John MacBeath

KS3 IMPACT! Making an impact through Behaviour & Attendance Strand 2

KS3 IMPACT! Evidence suggests that where schools have successfully addressed issues of ethos and organisation, as well as strengths and weaknesses in teaching and learning, improved standards of behaviour and attendance are the inevitable consequence. Why?

KS3 IMPACT! 1: Dismiss cynicism (eg audit) 2: Avoid one-offs 3: Develop a house-style and model it 4: Use key players, who may not be SMT 5: Train everyone in this, and keep returning to it 6: Must be based on observation, not diktat Behaviour & Attendance

King Edward VI School Bury St Edmunds What we know from research into behaviour management … Reactive approaches to difficult behaviour can and do make matters worse. Schools make a difference: pupils’ behaviour does NOT simply mirror behaviour at home. There are higher rates of difficulty and exclusion in schools with lower confidence in their ability to handle the problem. Proactive schools have better behaviour – early intervention and preventative measures. Schools that form tight communities do better – spectrum of adult roles, engaging students personally and getting them involved. These schools have a more diffuse teacher role, with frequent contact between staff and students in contexts other than the classroom. Collaborative approaches lead to better behaviour – rather than individual teachers isolated. Schools that promote self-discipline and active involvement do better. Teachers engage in 1000 interactions or more a day. It is closest to being an air traffic controller. Teachers therefore react and make quick decisions. If they do not have a way of coping with the busyness they can experience tiredness and stress. The action teachers take in response to a ‘discipline problem’ has no consistent relationship with their managerial success in the classroom. However, what teachers do before misbehaviour occurs is shown to be crucial. In well-disciplined schools, teachers handle all or most of the routine discipline problems themselves. Indeed, the over-use of hierarchical referrals is a characteristic of high excluding schools. One of the most worrying assumptions is that if mild punishment does not prove effective, then we should try more severe punishment. In other words, one is led into a false escalation, rather like the postcard notice: “The beatings will continue until morale improves”. Chris Watkins, Institute of Education

King Edward VI School Bury St Edmunds What we know from research into behaviour management … Reactive approaches to difficult behaviour can and do make matters worse. Schools make a difference: pupils’ behaviour does NOT simply mirror behaviour at home. There are higher rates of difficulty and exclusion in schools with lower confidence in their ability to handle the problem. Proactive schools have better behaviour – early intervention and preventative measures. Schools that form tight communities do better – spectrum of adult roles, engaging students personally and getting them involved. These schools have a more diffuse teacher role, with frequent contact between staff and students in contexts other than the classroom. Collaborative approaches lead to better behaviour – rather than individual teachers isolated. Schools that promote self-discipline and active involvement do better. Teachers engage in 1000 interactions or more a day. It is closest to being an air traffic controller. Teachers therefore react and make quick decisions. If they do not have a way of coping with the busyness they can experience tiredness and stress. The action teachers take in response to a ‘discipline problem’ has no consistent relationship with their managerial success in the classroom. However, what teachers do before misbehaviour occurs is shown to be crucial. In well-disciplined schools, teachers handle all or most of the routine discipline problems themselves. Indeed, the over-use of hierarchical referrals is a characteristic of high excluding schools. One of the most worrying assumptions is that if mild punishment does not prove effective, then we should try more severe punishment. In other words, one is led into a false escalation, rather like the postcard notice: “The beatings will continue until morale improves”. Chris Watkins, Institute of Education

In general we aim to: 1.Set out our expectations clearly 2.Model the behaviour and language we expect from students In responding to challenging behaviour, we 3.Give students choices, rather than box them into a corner 4.Avoid public confrontation where necessary by being prepared to defer issues to the end of a lesson KS3 IMPACT! 4 Principles …

KS3 IMPACT! Go for small-scale gains: “Less is more” You’re in control Customise the strategy to your own school’s context See it as driving whole-school improvement, not just KS3 Plan, implement, evaluate … always focusing on IMPACT Creating whole-school impact:

KS3 IMPACT! ENERGISING THE STRATEGY : PROMOTING A WHOLE-SCHOOL IMPACT

KS3 IMPACT!