SuccessfulSchoolImprovementProgramsintheUK——CathedralPrimarySchool.ppt

1、,Successful School Improvement Programs in the UK,Cathedral Primary School,Overview,Introduction,Internal improvement,External improvement,Summery,The school is a large primary school situated approximately one mile from the city centre in an area with a high degree of social deprivation. The atmosp

2、here of school is very friendly and harmonious.,School Overview,School Characteristics,Emphasis on student achievement-level segment. Contingency purposes of teaching: One of the schools current concerns was how they will be able to keep the staff since many are already being recognised as so good t

3、hat they were being offered promotions to jobs elsewhere.,Key components 1 2. re-evaluate the procedures for assessment to ensure consistency of approach using marking as an effective tool to inform future planning;,3. identify strategies with the active co-operation and support of the designated ed

4、ucation welfare officers; to resolve the major concern of poor attendance and late arrival as a matter of urgency; 4. extend the current home/school links to involve parents in establishing a mutually agreed and acceptable homework policy.,The school a few years previously,Prior to 1996, the school

5、had had the same headteacher for 16 years. The school s catchment area had undergone a long period of decline, and the enrolment in the school had dropped to low of fewer than 100 pupils. Main show is student absenteeism was high, SAT scores were low, staff morale was low, and organizational structu

6、res were in need of updating. The LEA had wanted to close the school.,The process of improvement,Key component 5: planning and implementing the school improvement process. Parents, governors, staff, and pupils all had a part to play in the development and implementation of the behavior improvement s

7、trategy. 1. As staff was experiencing success with this initiative, the LEA asked the headteacher if the school would like to become involved in their school improvement initiative, and he arranged for the school to take part.,2. The school has approached improvement in two basic ways. 3. Staff memb

8、ers, either individually or in small teams, had been encouraged to identify areas of school life that could be improved, and had been assisted in undertaking these projects. 4. The school improvement coordinator summed up the process as: “Create the environment; engage everyone in the process; devel

9、op people s capacity; provide the opportunities; chip away at it with many small projects; celebrate successes.”,Key component 7: organization of the school The new headteachers leadership style appeared to have been instrumental in bringing about positive change. The headteacher and deputy had set

10、about putting in place the basic management structures necessary for the general administration of the school. On the other hand they began to work at establishing the climate necessary to allow the stakeholders to engage in school improvement.,The schools improvement coordinator had studied the eff

11、ective schools and school improvement literature extensively. 3. The schools curriculum coordinators helped staff to organize programs for pupils, and they monitored pupil achievement and the work of the teachers.,Key component 3: the position of pupils in teaching and learning is at the heart of ES

12、I. The improvement of student performance in the areas of literacy and numeracy had been the major priority in terms of curriculum development in the past few years, and this had met with some success, particularly in English.,The schools improvement strategy would appear to followed the following c

13、ourse:,Get the pupils to come to school. (Improve attendance),2. Focus their energies once they are there. (Improve student behaviour),3. Teach them more effectively. (Introduce literacy and numeracy strategies),4. Record their progress. (Improve methods of assessment and record keeping),Key compone

14、nt 4&6: classroom curriculum, planning, implementation, assessment, feedback and rewards.,Short term planning and sampling of work was reviewed in accordance with the short term planning framework, with a different focus for each year group each week. Teachers lesson plans were only requested for sp

15、ecific purposes.,The headteacher selected staff development as one of his key strategies in bring about school improvement. He provide opportunities for staff to become involved in training course. The school appeared to have a culture of continuous improvement. Teachers had been encouraged to under

16、take improvement projects in specific areas that they had identified, to try things, and to learn from the process.,Key component 9: organizational learning,Key component 8: parental involvement,There appeared to be a feeling among a few members of the staff that some of the parents were reluctant t

17、o become involved in school. 2. On the other hand, some staff members noted that parents were involved in the school in a variety of ways. 3. The parents who were interviewed noted that some of the parents are highly involved and some are not, but indicated that many opportunitiesexist for parents t

18、o be involved and that efforts are made to encourage such involvement.,Key component 10: the influence of external change agents The role or influence of the LEA,There are two sides:,Advantages: there were advantages to a school being part of the LEA: there was support and encouragement, people were

19、 gaining a sense of confidence, and most felt that “this is a place where things are happening.” Disadvantages: the LEA had set itself up as a high profile authority. The pressure was on the schools to produce the results. There was a feeling that there are too many initiatives and that there was a

20、lack of cohesion.,The research team felt that all of the LEAs school improvement processes are evident in the school to a greater or lesser extent:,Exercise of leadership Practice of management and organization Creation of an environment most suitable for learning practice of teaching and learning P

21、romotion of staff development Promotion of collective review The encouragement of parental and community involvement.,Key component 11: contextual variables Influence of external contextual factors,1. The broader community,The changes in the school were greatly influence by changes in the broader co

22、mmunity.,New housing brought in new families New families meant more children Increased enrolment resulted in greater revenues More money meant resources for refurbishment of the buildings Increased enrolment also meant that additional staff could be recruited.,2. The issue of parental choice,The pa

23、rents had chosen this school because:,Older family members had attended it It was the neighborhood school The one closest to their home.,3. Other influence,The teachers listed the following as external factors that they felt had influenced the improvements: The change in the demographics of the area

24、 The National Curriculum The National Literacy Hour The new teachers who were hired as a result of the retirement of many of the more senior teachers and the posts created by the increase in student enrolment.,The school has had to overcome a number of obstacles in its quest for improvement. Some of

25、 these were:,The history of the school The rapid pace of the changes The shortage of resources The perception of the abilities of the pupils The tendency to become impatient.,Key challenges and roadblocks,Summary and Predictions,1. The improvement process at the school did not appear to have been un

26、dertaken in response to an unsatisfactory OFSTED report. 2. The headteacher was able to take the time to set a suitable climate, and to ensure that all of the stakeholders could participate in establishing the vision. 3. He was able to make use of the opportunity presented by the LEAs improvement in

27、itiatives to provide quality INSET for the staff.,The increasing revenue due to the rising enrolment meant that funds could be allocated to improving the physical environment. The early improvement initiatives were geared to responding to the expressed needs of the stakeholders. The coordinator find

28、ing ways to provide staff time to undertake training and to the necessary planning served to reinforce with the staff the importance of school improvement.,7. The school had developed a culture of continuous improvement. actually, the teachers were highly committed to the improvement on which they were working. 8. The school appears to be well positioned to continue its improvement initiatives ,and all of the stakeholders seem to be both supportive and more able to do so.,Lessons to be learned,Much can be learned from this analy