Gaining Ground Together SSAT Gaining Ground Leadership Conference Villa Park, Birmingham Tuesday 23 March 2010 Peter Shaw Senior Assistant HeadteacherChurchmead School John PhilipDeputy HeadteacherLittle Heath School

Little Heath School comprehensive c students ‘Outstanding’ OFSTED HPSS RAPP school 5 main partners –2 National Challenge schools –3 Gaining Ground schools, including Churchmead School. Churchmead School comprehensive c.600 students Notice to improve – OFSTED 2007 Satisfactory – OFSTED 2008 Specialist school status 2009 Gaining Ground School – big improvement in KS2-4 CVA 2009

Working together to improve: how effectively leaders and managers realise an ambitious vision for the school, have high expectations of pupils and secure support from others how well the school uses challenging targets to raise standards for all pupils and to eliminate any low attainment among particular groups how well leaders and managers at all levels drive and secure improvement, ensuring high-quality teaching and learning, by using relevant information about the school’s performance to devise, implement, monitor and adjust plans and policies.

Effective partnerships and developing leadership capacity

Regular visits Raising Achievement Partnership Programme

Sharpening self-evaluation Raising Achievement Partnership Programme

Working together on crucial sections of the new SEF; Regular review of the Gaining Ground Action Plan to establish priorities and evaluate progress; Learning walks with Heads of Faculties and members of SLT; Joint School Review with school SIP and LA adviser.

Shared training for middle leaders Raising Achievement Partnership Programme

Invitation to Middle Leadership Training programme Term 1 Improving lesson observation Term 2Self-Evaluation and Departmental Review Term 3Stretching the Gifted and Talented

Making Data Useful Raising Achievement Partnership Programme

Autumn 1 Without Intervention VENN

Students expected to gain 5Cs but NOT expected to gain a C in Mathematics – 8% Surname ForenameEn LaMaA*-CD Breech AmeliaCD57 Boisterous HannahBD52 Brass-Monkey JoshCE62 Crabbie TiaCD74 Izzett ChloeBE43 Moddells SamanthaBD74 Oddfellow GeorgeAD111 Pirelli CarmineCD74 Thrills HannahCE43 Succeeding with these students would add 8% to the current 5+ A* - C including English and Mathematics predicted figure of 33%.

Current VENN

Moving to SISRA

Improving data systems: Our data managers have both been in each other’s school looking at systems used on SIMS enabling both to move forward.

Making mentoring effective Raising Achievement Partnership Programme

Using a system of Assertive Mentoring based on that developed at Hurworth School (Darlington) revolutionises the effectiveness of mentoring: 1.Use data in Y10 (or even earlier) to identify ‘Key Marginal’ students 2.Tracking is planned to help transform students’ attainment levels. 3.Regular teacher prediction of GCSE grades for students based on their current standard of attainment and attitude to learning. 4.This ensures that students (and their mentors) know exactly where they are and it enables the students to put it right. 5.Mentors interview students within one school week of the monthly data recording, so all data is live and incontrovertible.

Master Classes Raising Achievement Partnership Programme

To date only held for English Language GCSE for a boys’ group and a girls’ group of C/D borderline students; Combined motivational work with practical advice to improve performance in the examination hall

An Open door policy Raising Achievement Partnership Programme

1.Middle leaders and teachers from Churchmead are welcome to visit their colleagues at Little Heath; 2.Exchange of addresses so that simple questions can be answered immediately;

Other strategies with other partners Raising Achievement Partnership Programme

For Churchmead I brokered support for BTEC Science from another HPSS RAPP school in London as we do not offer it; For a Gaining Ground partner in Wiltshire I brokered support for their Technology Department from a RAPP school in the West Midlands and our new HOD and an NQT also benefitted from their support; For a Gaining Ground partner in Hertfordshire we have shared presentations used with KS4 parents to try to involve them more in knowing how to help their children and why they and their children need to aim for the highest qualifications they are able to achieve.

Examples of work with other partners: 1.Analysis of data in schools currently lacking capacity; 2.Training in effective use of data, use of SISRA and SIMS Assessment Manager; 3.Development of whole-school tracking system from KS2 Fine grade scores to KS4; 4.KS5 ‘value-added’ tracking system.

Mid-year review at Churchmead School Raising Achievement Partnership Programme

Interventions Action Plan Funded by Gaining Ground and LA Grant Study + withdrawal and small Group tutoring in English and Maths 1:2:1 Tuition of KS3 students not making Expected progress Year 11 Assertive Mentoring Learning Mentors of other “Students at risk of not making expected progress”. After school boosters PLC withdrawal for Y7 Gaining Ground Academic Review Days Saturday School Year 11 Study Skills Workshop Sims, SISRA and V2L