School Effectiveness Framework Building effective learning communities together October 2009 Michelle Jones Professional Adviser WAG

Role of the SEF Associate Ensure the schools understand the Framework and the focus on improved wellbeing and learning outcomes for children and young people; Support the school in mapping its self evaluation strategies to the Framework; Ensure that the school is making rigorous use of data and other evidence as the basis for developing improvement strategies; Support the alignment of the school’s priorities for development with the Framework;

Facilitate professional learning communities within and across schools; Support schools in developing an innovative culture that encourages new ways of working to engage learners and raise standards; Develop the capacity of leaders to reflect on performance across the school and identify areas for improvement Role of SEF Associate

Familiarization of SEF Use of SE profile to map school Priorities identified Action plans written School visits – sharing of good practice Training needs identified Development of Networks Leadership Teachers Pupils Interim review of Action plans Pupil Participation audit Contribution to SEF newsletter Consolidation and Evaluation Distributed Leadership Teachers Action Research Pupils visit other schools in network Evaluation of pilot Conference to celebrate success SEF Timeline Autumn Term Spring Term Summer Term

“The final approach that high performing schools use to help teachers improve instruction is to enable teachers to learn from each other. Unlike other professions, where professionals naturally operate in teams, teachers generally work alone, denying them natural opportunities to learn from each other.“ ‘How the world’s best -performing school systems came out on top.’ McKinsey 2007 Why Professional Learning Communities?

“Professional Learning Communities are places in which teachers pursue clear, shared purposes for student learning, engage in collaborative activities to achieve their purposes, and take collective responsibility for student learning” Liebermann (1999) What is a Professional Learning Community? Schools working together to create conditions within and between schools where enquiry processes and sustained collaborative problem-solving can make a strong, positive contribution to the development of staff and to school improvement. “A Professional Learning Community is defined as a school’s staff members who continuously seek to find answers through inquiry and act on their learning to improve student learning” Astuto (2002)

Professional Work that is grounded in the distinctive knowledge-base of teaching and learning (pedagogy) Learning The constant desire to know more about how work in schools can be better understood and improved Community Groups of people committed and working together with a common aspiration of achievement for all pupils What’s the difference between talking to each other to share practice and being part of a learning community?

Characteristics of a PLC Collaborative Focus on Pedagogy Enquiry driven Reflective - Outcomes lead to change in practice

Reflective practice Continuing reflective practice underpins all elements of the framework in order to enhance learner outcomes and wellbeing. We want practitioners to: understand their responsibility for their own development contribute to the development of others by encouraging and stimulating discussion on pedagogy; gain and develop skills necessary to undertake research; be prepared to challenge old practices and try new, innovative approaches. Effective Practice in Learning and Teaching – A Focus on Pedagogy Why focus on pedagogy?

Distributed Leadership ‘ The key thing about distributed leadership is that it actually connects with learning. The way that you actually transform learning is through teacher leadership. Distributed Leadership essentially is about teachers empowering other teachers and leading other teachers, because that’s where the difference is made. Essentially, if teacher leadership is about making a difference in the classroom...then if we empowered more teachers to lead then we would be making much more of a difference in the classroom.’ Professor Alma Harris, April 2009 Co-Director of Educational Leadership, Institute of Education, University of London

Pupil Learning Adult Learning School Learning School to School Networked Learning Network to Network Learning Levels of Learning within a PLC A distinctive feature of life within networked learning communities is that it recognises, and plans for learning at a range of levels.

Learning Networks What difference do Professional Learning Communities make? No single teacher knows, or could know, the totality of the staff’s professional knowledge David Hargreaves (1999) A network focused on learning is one in which a group of schools join together to plan, implement and monitor a range of activities that will enhance learning and teaching within and across their schools. Learning networks focus on learning of pupils, all staff, leaders and other stakeholders, as well as building capacity for learning and sharing knowledge between schools. Crandall and Stoll (2005)

School Effectiveness DVD Michelle Jones SEF Associate Merthyr Tydfil and Caerphilly LEAs

Pupils’ network – Central South ‘Evidence shows that children and young people learn most effectively when they are involved in decisions about their learning. The Welsh Assembly Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people are involved in decision-making on issues that affect them. It is therefore our intention that use of the Framework should involve children and young people as active participants in improving school effectiveness.’ Pupil Participation School Effectiveness Framework

National Standards for Children and Young People’s Participation in Wales How can we measure the benefits of pupil participation?