web viewthis has been revisited in term 4 to ensure sustained improvement has taken place. feedback...

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT REPORT AND PLAN

School: Duncan Forbes Primary

Head Teacher: Wendy Mackay

Date submitted: June 2017

School Vision, Values and Aims:

‘Supporting and motivating learners in a safe and friendly environment to be successful and achieving’

Aims:• To deliver a broad and balanced curriculum encouraging independent and creative thinking• To promote personal responsibility for learning to maximise pupils attainment• To foster positive relationships and work in partnership with pupils, staff, parents, other children’s services and the wider community• To provide a range of appropriate teaching and learning approaches and a learning environment which is adaptable and relevant to the evolving needs of the 21st century learner• To encourage our pupils to make the right choices and take responsibility for their actions• To foster a sense of pride and identity within the school community• To ensure equality issues are discussed openly and constructively• To promote the health and wellbeing of all pupils through a coherent curriculum and the wider life of the school Reviewed and updated May 2014

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Summary of Improvement Report/Plan engagement process:

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Participants Engagement detailsTeachers and other staff

Collegiate meeting every 2 weeks linked to SIP Staff Meeting every 2 weeks for information

purposes In-service Day training throughout the year linked

to school and national priorities Training sessions for staff through CPD calendar Class observations with management, peer and QI

visit PRD meetings Stage meetings Planning meetings Review of assessment results

Parents Parent Council meet 4 times through the year and are updated on development

Newsletter sent out monthly with Improvement work shared

Parents’ night in November Workshops offered in conjunction with open

sessions in school Audit carried out with parents in Term 1 every

session Questionnaires used end of session 15/16 Blog updates with developments Informal chats throughout the year as and when

appropriate Snapshots of learning shared throughout the year We also have an open door policy for all parents

Pupils Pupil Council meet every 2 weeks with HT Children discuss their learning in classes Assembly every week Sampling of work, 4 times through the year Learning conversations with SMT Audit in Term 1 Questionnaire issued beginning of session 16/17 Pupil friendly version of priorities done with the

Pupil Council Pupils on working parties for JRSO, ECO, etc

Volunteers working in school (such as parents taking after-school

Volunteer feedback comments gathered on a board in school

Emails sent to school from visitors are kept After-school activities every night

Full details of engagement activities can be found in the school’s self-evaluation records.

PART TWO – Standards and Quality Report referencing your previous Improvement Plan and next steps (complete as appropriate):

Context of the school: Duncan Forbes Primary School opened in 1977 and is built on what was once the grounds of Culloden House, home of the Forbes family. There are presently 11 classes from Primary one to Primary seven and a nursery class which provides pre-school education for 3 and 4 year olds. The teaching areas are semi open plan with a number of classrooms sharing a communal working area. These shared open areas provide additional space which allows flexibility in our approach to learning and teaching. There are two main buildings plus an administration wing, a computer suite/GP Room and gym hall/dining room.Children with Additional Needs are well supported in mainstream classes by Support for Learning Staff and input from specialist services.All staff actively promote positive behaviour and children’s achievements are recognised and celebrated throughout the school.We will be moving up to 12 classes which means we have little free space in the school.Staffing has changed throughout the last year and we will be losing our longest serving teacher this summer.Outcomes from QI Visit – March 2017-Continue to use effective Success Criteria to promote new learning-Develop IEP’s within CP’s-Increase collective responsibility for change-Track pupil achievement-Embed change over time-Differentiation, pace and challenge to be developed further-Pupils to take more responsibility for their learning

What have we done to close the attainment gap? We have introduced focussed literacy groups throughout the school every morning. We have brought Early Years closer together (N3 – P1)in planning and teaching. Our nursery offers flexibility for parents. We have

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worked together on improving feedback, particularly in relation to comprehension, which was an area we identified from last session as requiring focussed improvement. We bought in a range of comprehension resources and sampled pupils work along with classroom observations linked to it. This has been revisited in Term 4 to ensure sustained improvement has taken place. Feedback in jotters has been improved, focussing on next steps in learning and giving opportunities to correct work. It develops through the stages from oral feedback, to written with pupils commenting back. Learning conversations are taking place throughout the school with teaching and n0n-teaching staff. HOTS have been introduced but still need to be developed further.

Our overall evaluation of the school’s capacity for continuous improvement:

Improvement is impacted by staffing levels and the capacity of the school building (no spare classrooms, very busy dinner hall and cloakrooms), ASN needs within the school.

Staff are keen to improve but at a pace which ensures improvement is embedded effectively rather than just everything at once.

During the QI visit in March 2017, there were a number of positive observations made in relation to capacity for improvement:

-The potential within the school is evident, pupils are keen to learn, behaviour is exemplary and there are examples of effective learning and teaching at various stages.

-Staff are very supportive of each other and are willing to work hard to ensure improvements are made.

-Parents have a very positive view of the school; they value its growing status within the community and are supportive of the developments taking place.

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Quality Indicators from How good is our school? (4th edition) and where appropriate How good is our Early Learning and Childcare?

How are we doing?What’s working well for our learners? (what are the features of effective practice in our school?)

How do we know?

What evidence do we have of positive impact on our learners?

What are we going to do now?

What actions will move us forward?(improvement priorities highlighted in this area)

How would we evaluate this QI using the HGIOS?4/HGIOELC six-point scale?

1.1 Self-evaluation forself-improvement

Collaborative approaches to self-Evaluation

Analysis and evaluation of intelligence and data

Ensuring impact on learners’ successes and achievements

Profiling Very full collegiate

calendar through the year focussing on whole school improvements

Stage partners for planning and moderation

Peer visits ASG working Sampling of work Incas results which

staff use to inform next steps

Assessment folders to inform teaching and learning

Achievers Points Assemblies Wider achievement

Parent feedback through discussion, written in profiles, parents appointments, parent council, etc

Pupils in the school are very settled and happy in school. This was evident during the recent QIO visit.

Pupils enjoy talking about their learning

Learning conversations in classes

Pupil Council Positive comments on social media

Further develop pupils personal target setting in line with continuous profiling

Continue to plan for meaningful self-evaluation

Ensure consistency across the school in children being able to identify who they are as a learner and where they need to go

Link improvements into DYW

QI Visit Feedback Vision, values and aims

need to be reviewed by the school and its community

Increase collective responsibility for change

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recognition Whole school data of

SPP Pioneer group for

developing profiling in the Early Years

Ensure self – evaluation processes have impact on the quality of learning and teaching, for example “what makes high quality learning”

Staff require time to embed improvements and to monitor and evaluate the impact of changes

Continue to develop leadership at all levels and empower staff to make changes

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How do we know?





1.3 Leadership of Change

Developing a shared vision, values and aims relevant to the school and its community

Strategic planning for continuous improvement

Implementing improvement and change

Relationships!!!!! All staff are involved in the continual improvement of Duncan Forbes through consultation, recognising areas for development. Pupils are consulted through pupil council and group discussions.

Parents are consulted through blog, newsletter, opportunities to feedback at open mornings, parents appointments, questionnaire, school gate, snapshots, profiles, parent council meetings, etc.

The wider community is consulted through discussion when in, emails, post-it board, parent council meetings, etc.

Staff state they feel more involved in the change and listened to.

Staff will take forward change more willingly knowing what is informing the change (research).

PRD process, staff taking forward leadership areas within EYP team, PSA team and teaching team. Who can I ask? form.

There has been a great deal of change in a short space of time, some change has been about removing barriers so that staff can focus on pupils and the quality of the learning and teaching within Duncan Forbes.

Self-Evaluation is part

Continue to base change on evaluation of where we are and on research based approaches to improvement.

Continue to develop staff guides so that new staff know what the ‘Duncan Forbes’ standard is.

Continue to develop leadership at all levels by encouraging working parties across ASG, within HC and dedicating time to feedback to staff from courses, etc with time to make an impact within Duncan Forbes.

QI Visit Feedback Vision, values and aims

need to be reviewed by the school and its community

Increase collective responsibility for change

Ensure self – evaluation processes have impact on the quality of learning and

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Staff feel empowered to make changes and reflect on their own practice.

Leadership is being developed at every level.

QI Visit Feedback The Senior Management

Team work well together There is a commitment

to school improvement at all levels in the school.

Team work within the teaching staff is strong

Parental involvement in the life of the school has increased since new HT has been appointed

Parents are very positive about the school and the HT

Parents have opportunities to express views on school matters

There are opportunities for pupils to take on leadership roles

Pupil’s views are taken seriously through the Pupil Council and acted on

Profile of school stands well in community

of our everyday language in the school and staff model that for pupils.

teaching, for example “what makes high quality learning”

Staff require time to embed improvements and to monitor and evaluate the impact of changes

Continue to develop leadership at all levels and empower staff to make changes

Monitor progress of 4 working groups, comprehension, feedback and profiling

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School works very well with the CSW to improve outcomes for learners.

Wider community is consulted through many mediums.



How do we know?





2.3 Learning, Teaching and Assessment

Learning and engagement

Quality of teaching

Effective use of assessment

Planning, tracking and monitoring

We have developed our comprehension teaching approaches this year so that pupils are being ‘taught’ rather than ‘do’ comprehension.

We have agreed ‘what makes a high quality learning and teaching experience’ description before carrying out learning visits.

Planning has been developed in first and second level for this year and is currently being developed for Early level in recognition of the

Assessment is being tracked through classes and every teacher has a rich amount of data for their pupils with evidence.

During learning visits, we can observe improvements in teaching approaches, using the cycle process we agree on a focus on follow-up visits to look for improvements.

Staff enjoy learning from each other and use CPD time to visit each other and seek advice.

Continue to develop Staff Guides in relation to this Q.I and identify what it looks like in Duncan Forbes to close the gap in this.

Continue to look at research and evidence based approaches, what makes a difference to attainment, etc.

Although there seems to be a big development of standards within the first level this is not replicated in second level. We will look at this more closely within the classroom in terms of practice and expectations.

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difference in the developmental learning in that stage. Emerging literacy practices being introduced and the whole school being informed of this.

We have dedicated CAT sessions to quality feedback as we recognised, through research, that feedback can have the biggest impact on pupils improvement.

Pupils are motivated in their learning environments, displays are interactive and informative.

We have discussed the teaching process in Duncan Forbes and agreed, in a basic format, it should be teach – actively/cooperatively learn – transfer the skills – individual work – assess.

Staff are encouraged to model learning with pupils, we use

There has been a decrease in behaviour issues in the school – this suggests pupils are more engaged in class.

Children and parents have a better idea of where they are as learners, during discussions they can give informed answers and identify what they need to do to improve.

We have used the developmental overviews to target specific learning activities for pupils at the Early level. EYP’s feel more empowered and understand the importance of emerging literacy and the development approaches.

P1 are developing practices in line with Early level, more play, developmental approaches to learning, planning for major learning in social skills through a nurturing approach.

Outdoor learning develop around the school.

More opportunities for pupils to be involved in the planning of their learning – floorbooks in Early level developed into mindmaps throughout the school.

Think carefully about the use of technology for learning, it should be an aide to learning and not the only way to learn. How does this sit with the screen time issues identified by community paediatrics?

QI Visit Feedback Consistency in the effective

use of learning intentions and success criteria to help pupils understand their progress through the lesson.

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effective questioning through HOTS, a set of which has been provided for every member of staff.

Assessment is part of our everyday processes. Every teacher has an assessment folder in which they hold baseline information regarding pupils from August, January and April. In addition, staff are asked to refer to assessment information during discussions around attainment and groupings.

Assessment data is used to inform next steps and prove impact of interventions.

QI Visit Feedback The ethos in the school

and in individual classrooms is positive with good relationships and mutual respect between staff and pupils

Class teachers were well organised and planned

More opportunities in using opened ended questions in developing higher order skills.

Differentiation, pace and challenge to be developed within lessons. A number of lessons observed were too teacher led and the pace slow with pupils doing the same task.

Whole class lessons require better differentiation

Pupils should be encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and given opportunities to extend their learning.

Although there was some variety in the teaching approaches and activities set for pupils, these were not consistent across classes.

Teachers are assessing pupil progress and now need to track and monitor outcomes for learners

Nursery together time is an opportunity to talk about learning rather than routine tasks

Plenary at end of session would support children’s

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for their lessons. Most pupils were

motivated to learn, they participated willingly in tasks given and almost all were on task

Good discipline was evidenced in all classes.

Leadership roles are being developed within Pupil Council

There were a range of activities and tasks within lessons

Some opportunities for pupils to contribute to planning were given.

In a few classes challenging goals were set and pupils worked collaboratively

Staff supported pupils well in Nursery, providing some challenge and developing independence with pupils in setting targets and making choices

awareness of being learners

Quality Indicators from How good is our school? (4th edition) and where appropriate How good is our Early


How do we know?



What actions will move us forward?(improvement priorities


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Learning and Childcare?

highlighted in this area)

3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion

Wellbeing

Fulfilment of statutory duties

Inclusion and equality

Star awards assembly – run by pupils

P7 buddies Bucket filling from

infants upwards Green cards Golden time is now

about gaining not losing time

Annual reviews, gtc profiles, Inset days, passing on relevant information to staff

Open afternoons, termly newsletters from class teachers, open door policy, pupil profiles, blogging, home-school diaries

Children are in classes where needs are met inclusively, outside agencies are often involved and invited in.

Daily mile Removed as much of

the planning stress as possible from staff

ASN has developed through the year, more time in class, paperwork being

Positive feedback received from parents.

Input from outside agencies and partnership working.

No complaints through HC

Comments from visitors to the school of our nurturing ethos and the pupil behaviour.

Representation at out of school events, we make a big deal about wearing the Duncan Forbes uniform and how we are all ambassadors for the school.

Our roll has increased so much, we now receive many placing requests from outwith.

There has been a drop in pupils losing golden time and a drop in those receiving red cards in the playground (an initiative brought in by the pupil council).

Find time for staff to touch base with their class team – perhaps use Star Awards time on a rota.

We need to do more work on the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child but be wary how we do that with pupils.

Flip PSA meetings on their heads, we always have so much to talk about so we will now start with AOCB.

Sometimes inclusion (physically) does not lead to improvements for all learners, we either need more support or need to think of a more creative way of meeting everyone’s needs.

Use the PEF to target those pupils who are not improving due to circumstances.

For those pupils who are not engaged or find it difficult to be engaged over an extended period of time, look at other options for learning activities – outside

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backed up onto seemis, all staff familiar with the recording of ASN input, CSW provides weekly updates for HT. 42.1% ASN within the school.

ASN teacher dedicated to nursery one day a week.

After-school clubs are now active every day of the week.

Increased time of pupils who were on part-time timetables when they arrived at Duncan Forbes.

Involved in the CP for a child who will not be joining the school until January 2018, this is so that parents and school can begin to work together and improve transition for this child with multiple needs.

DFFC – 3-18 football club representing the school and run by parent volunteers

DFAC – hugely popular athletics club run by parents

learning, time out sessions, nurture room groups, lunchtime clubs, etc.

Develop more parent workshops on curricular areas.

QI Visit Feedback More focused use of PSA

time to support raising attainment

Clear protocol round Child Plan meetings and Solution Focused meetings

Some pupils require IEPs within the Child’s Plan

SMART targets should be within the IEP so staff, parent and pupils are clear on the learning to take place

Pace and challenge for all pupils including those with Child Plans and IEPs

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We share all appropriate information from outside agencies with staff involved so that everyone is aware of supports in place.

QI Visit Feedback Positive relationships

between class teacher and pupils, pupils are supportive of each other

Programme of Child Plan meetings to review progress

Planned meetings used for consultation with Pupil Support Assistants

Pupils know who to go to if they have any problems and feel well supported

Pupils are encouraged to be healthy

School clubs support pupil’s physical and emotional wellbeing

Wider achievement within the school develops a sense of caring and broadens the horizons for pupils.

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How do we know?


What are we going to do now?What actions will move us forward?(improvement priorities highlighted in this area)


3.2 Raising attainment and achievement Attainment in

literacy and numeracy

Attainment over time

Overall quality of learners’ achievement

Equity for all learners

FOR ELC (delete if not applicable)3.2 Securing children’s progress Progress in

communication, early language, mathematics, health and wellbeing

Children’s progress over time

Focused groups for literacy input – ½ hour every morning with staff. Folders to maintain data of assessment and improvement results. These are now informing next steps and a basis for more discussion amongst class teams on attainment.

Input in teaching comprehension – sampled work, feedback session, focus lessons and resources bought.

High standards for teaching and presentation in literacy – marking codes, sampling, observations, baseline assessments and listening & talking working group.

Our Incas results show general trend of improvement above the national average in maths. However this dips at P7 stage. Literacy is not as good, there is still improvement but we would like this to be above the national average.

Our results are comparatively favourable within our ASG, given the historical view of Duncan Forbes.

Assessment is tracked in every class and brings about discussion with teachers and ASN when something is noticed.

Assessment is tracked in focussed groups, some have already

Are we challenging all children? – some are plateauing or not making enough progress, we need to look at this more and find out why and then intervene.

Staff feel frustrated that the curriculum is saturated and they can’t do everything, each year we are developing another area of the curriculum, we would like to get to a point where we are consolidating all our improvements – continued improvement in planning and time management should tackle this.

What does tracking need to look like in the future? Do we track everything? Look at benchmarks and link planning to tracking.

For those that are particularly

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Overall quality of children’s achievement

Ensuring equity for all children

Emerging literacy in the early level, using assessments to measure skills.

Dedicated time to teaching of mental maths and numeracy and the importance of transferring skills – not just group work.

Achievers points Self assessment –

Pupil profiles with own next steps identified and learning discussion around their work.

Effective transfer of information between classes and during key transition times.

Staff are very good at sharing practice through open communication – team!

All children learn at different paces and staff cater for this – not static groupings, continual assessment, etc.

Majority of children are making progress.

Awards systems are valued by pupils,

adapted in recognition of the results attained by pupils.

Children can describe themselves as a learner, they understand what they need to do to improve and time is dedicated to improvement.

Pupils enjoy receiving certificates, achievers points, house points – they know they mean something.

disadvantaged, they do well to attend school. Are we raising their attainment? Think about the use of PEF to target these pupils.

Wider achievement can be hindered by home life. Is it fair for children to be responsible for wider achievements or can we do something else to support this?

We need a mental maths programme which can be followed throughout the whole school. We have had Annie’s Amazing Maths in with teaching ideas but staff want a guide to follow which can support pupils.

Develop more around DYP to support children in positive destinations.

Develop a numeracy focus group time in the same way as the literacy group work.

QI Visit Feedback Continue to develop whole

school tracking and monitoring to raise attainment

Monitor pace of progress

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consistent, fair and when deserved.

QI Visit Feedback Literacy and Numeracy

are features for raising attainment

Data is used to inform improvement

Literacy support groups to raise attainment

Literacy attainment is strong at P3

Target support in place for learners

Provide opportunities for pupils to achieve out with curriculum

Achievements in local community for example - Litter pick,

Partners supported the learning eg policeman

across 2nd Level Continue to moderate

across the school so staff are secure in where pupils are within CfE levels

Track pupil achievement.

Quality Indicators from How good is our school? (4th edition) and where appropriate How good is our Early


How do we know?

What evidence do we


What actions will move us forward?


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Learning and Childcare?

have of positive impact on our learners?

(improvement priorities highlighted in this area)

Additional QI(s) – please specify (include themes as in tables above for other QIs)

2.2 Curriculum: Theme 3 Learning Pathways

2.7 Partnerships – theme 3 Impact on Learners

The impact of parental involvement on improving children and young people’s learning.

PART TWO – School Improvement PlanSummary: Key School Improvement Priorities (add further rows if required):Improvement Priority Title Relevant QI(s) and Theme(s)

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Embedding effective teaching practices 2.3

Wellbeing, equality and inclusion for all learners 3.1

Raising attainment in Numeracy 3.2

Complete a detailed action plan for each of these agreed priorities on the following pages (add more pages if required).

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In depth action plan #1Improvement Priority title: Embedding effective teaching practicesLinked to QI/Theme:2.3Linked to National Improvement Framework Priority (check any that apply):

Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy ☒ Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children ☒ Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing ☐ Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people ☒

Linked to National Improvement Driver (check any that apply): School Leadership ☒ Teacher Professionalism ☒ Parental Engagement ☐ Assessment of Children’s Progress ☒

What difference will it make for learners? (what impact do we expect to see?): We have developed teaching practices over the last two years and now need to embed these changes effectively throughout the

school so that every child experiences the highest quality of teaching throughout the school. Every child will be engaged with their own and others’ learning We will use the most effective methods, as determined through educational research, to have the most impact on pupil

engagement and pupil attainment The pace and challenge of learning will increase Learning will be skills based and not task based, learning will move on every day

Success criteria (how will we know if the change has been an improvement?): There will be a common, shared vision, of effective practice throughout the school Children will progress through cfe levels at an increased pace Differentiation will be evident in classrooms Evidence of sharing effective Learning Intentions and Success Criteria will be observed within classes and written samples All staff will work with pupils in an effective way, moving learning on

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What exactly are we going to do? (detail of specific actions)We will provide training sessions on the following themes which will be introduced, implemented, monitored, revisited and embedded

What is high quality learning and teaching? Learning Intentions and Success Criteria How to give feedback Higher Order Thinking Skills and open questions Differentiation Pace and challenge Engaging the learner Moderation of practice from class to whole school level Revisit Comprehension – has it moved on? How do we assess in class?

We will develop leadership at all stages by staff taking roles of responsibility to move practice forward, write staff guides and evaluate existing practices.

Who will lead this? (detail of responsibilities and timescales)Wendy Mackay with whole staff responsibility throughout

Monitoring and evaluation procedures (how will we know if our success criteria have been met and what evidence will we have to inform our next annual School Improvement Plan Report?):

Learning visits CPD session discussions Sampling of work Learning conversations

Who will lead this? (detail of responsibilities and timescales)Wendy Mackay with whole staff responsibility throughout

Equity implications: (how will you ensure that pupils experiencing disadvantage will not be adversely affected by this improvement project?)This improvement should enhance the education for all childrenStaff wellbeing and pastoral support implications: (how will you ensure that this improvement project does not impact negatively on staff wellbeing and workload?)We have been making these improvements over time so as not to overwhelm staff and create a supportive ethos with change and development

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Creativity opportunities: (how can opportunities be included in this project to address the development of creativity skills in pupils?)Creativity will be encouraging and celebrated with these developments; effective teaching will bring creativity forward.Expected resource needs (including costings if applicable): Allocation of Pupil Equity Funding should be referenced in this box, if appropriate:Literacy development office - £2500, £4000 reading resources, use of PSA time and ASN teacher.

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In depth action plan #2Improvement Priority title: Wellbeing, equality and inclusion for all learnersLinked to QI/Theme: 3.1Linked to National Improvement Framework Priority (check any that apply):

Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy ☐ Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children ☒ Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing ☒ Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people ☒

Linked to National Improvement Driver (check any that apply): School Leadership ☐ Teacher Professionalism ☐ Parental Engagement ☒ Assessment of Children’s Progress ☒

What difference will it make for learners? (what impact do we expect to see?): We want to provide all pupils with the opportunity to have a breakfast before school therefore ensuring they are ‘ready to learn’. We want to use a variety of ways of reaching out to disengaged pupils and giving opportunities to succeed through a nurturing

approach throughout the whole school. Pupils will feel happy and relaxed in school, free from any other pressures in their lives. Pupils and parents will know that we ‘know’ the pupils well, providing individual nurturing support where needed. Pupils will want to be in school and have ownership over their learning. Pupils who require IEP’s will have SMART targets particular to them focussing on realistic and achievable targets.

Success criteria (how will we know if the change has been an improvement?): I have identified pupils through SIMD that I will track through attainment and attendance in relation to the breakfast club, I will

look for improvement in both. We will look for an increase across the school in attendance and reduction of lateness. Pupils being supported individually will be ‘checked in’ with to gauge emotional wellbeing and attitude to school and themselves,

looking for improvements over the session. Partner agencies will be consulted and referred to in a clear process through ASN. Part-time attendance will increase through a measured approach with all those involved.

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What exactly are we going to do? (detail of specific actions) Training for ASN staff in Quest skills. Use of new NDAS forms to request input with quicker consultation for

families. Breakfast club started in Term 1 open to all pupils but subsidised for those

identified through SIMD data. 8.00 am every morning. Increase in PSA time to support individuals with developing resilience and

emotional intelligence 2 x 1hour sessions weekly. Potentially start after school care if breakfast club goes well. Use Paul Duncan to work with disengaged or challenging pupils through

outdoor pursuits linking back into school. 2 x 3 hour session weekly. Acquire a bus from Stagecoach to turn into an exciting learning/chill-out

space.

Who will lead this? (detail of responsibilities and timescales)HT, ASN teacher and DHT


Clerical support will be bought in for this role and part of the remit will be to check against measureable success criteria and manage data around the impact.

Evidence a reduction in absences from SIMD 1 and 2. Reduction in violence and aggression forms being completed. Increase in attendance time from part-time to full-time attendance.

Who will lead this? (detail of responsibilities and timescales)Clerical assistant and HT

Equity implications: (how will you ensure that pupils experiencing disadvantage will not be adversely affected by this improvement project?)Any charges will be subsidised for pupils in SIMD 1 and 2. All pupils with ASN will have access to any of the supports above.Staff wellbeing and pastoral support implications: (how will you ensure that this improvement project does not impact negatively on staff wellbeing and workload?)Ensure staff have time to review change discuss impact on pupils and staffCreativity opportunities: (how can opportunities be included in this project to address the development of creativity skills in pupils?)We will be looking at creative ways to break down barriers for pupils to express themselves and have a release.

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Expected resource needs (including costings if applicable): Allocation of Pupil Equity Funding should be referenced in this box, if appropriate:Breakfast Club staffing – 2 x PSA’s @ £17 per hour each = £6630.00, Extra PSA time to support Resilience – 1 x PSA @ £17 per hour x 2 hours = £1326, Clerical time to support – 1 x Clerical @ £13 per hour x 3 hours = £1521, Paul Duncan – Outdoor learning to breakdown barriers 6 x £17 per hour = £3978

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In depth action plan #3Improvement Priority title: Raising Attainment in NumeracyLinked to QI/Theme:3.2Linked to National Improvement Framework Priority (check any that apply):

Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy ☒ Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children ☒ Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing ☐ Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people ☒

Linked to National Improvement Driver (check any that apply): School Leadership ☐ Teacher Professionalism ☒ Parental Engagement ☐ Assessment of Children’s Progress ☒

What difference will it make for learners? (what impact do we expect to see?): Improve attainment results in maths Equipping pupils with suitable life skills Improve speed mental agility Improved aptitude in P5-7 and in preparation for transition to Culloden Academy Pupils will be able to transfer maths skills into real life situations and more complex maths comprehension

Success criteria (how will we know if the change has been an improvement?): Evidence of improved attainment results in mental maths throughout second level Sample work throughout to evidence change Baseline assessment results will show improvement All staff will be confident in their approach to teaching mental maths Children will be able to use a variety of strategies to solve given problems

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What exactly are we going to do? (detail of specific actions) Implement a whole school approach to teaching mental maths A minimum time given to teaching mental strategies each day ASG project moderating standards across the cluster Staff guide to ensure consistency throughout the school Through CAT sessions, we will focus on developing staff skills and

ensuring pace and challenge throughout early to second level

Who will lead this? (detail of responsibilities and timescales)Sandra Bell


Raised attainment in maths assessments Improvement in SPP results based on class evidence ASG moderation of standards together Sampling work/profiling

Who will lead this? (detail of responsibilities and timescales)

Equity implications: (how will you ensure that pupils experiencing disadvantage will not be adversely affected by this improvement project?)This improvement should enhance the education for all children, specifically gender equality in the work place.Staff wellbeing and pastoral support implications: (how will you ensure that this improvement project does not impact negatively on staff wellbeing and workload?)We will ensure staff are skilled up and have adequate time to embed the improvement.Creativity opportunities: (how can opportunities be included in this project to address the development of creativity skills in pupils?)We will look for exciting ways to engage learners in their numeracy learning including the use of technology and active learning.Expected resource needs (including costings if applicable): Allocation of Pupil Equity Funding should be referenced in this box, if appropriate:n/a

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APPENDIX 1: Completion advice

This template contains two parts, which should be completed as follows:

PART ONE – Standards and Quality Report referencing previous Improvement Plan and next stepsThis is the “Standards and Quality Report” part of the document. In this section you should evaluate where you are with regard to the QIs and themes from How good is our school? (4th edition) selected by Education Scotland as being of key importance. Your analysis of these will include analysis of improvements arising from your last School Improvement Plan and will relate to the NIF priorities and Highland Council priorities.

You may have improvement priorities from your last School Improvement Plan which relate to other QIs from HGIOS?4. If so add the details in the appropriate section. Note that there is an expectation that schools will have evaluated where they are in each QI included, using the 6-point scale in HGIOS?4. Individual themes should not be evaluated in this way.

Note that your self-evaluation should specifically address your progress towards the NIF priorities and local priorities from Highland Council (though of course these will overlap significantly). Please make such comments explicit (i.e. they should reference the NIF priorities directly).

Key priorities identified in PART ONE can be highlighted and then subsequently fleshed out in PART TWO.

Should you have a visit from HMI, the information from PART ONE can be updated then cut and pasted into the self-evaluation document which you would be required to prepare for the HMI visit. If you are using the Highland Council HGIOS?4 self-evaluation templates (ensuring an evidence-based approach to this self-evaluation activity) you will be able to cut and paste your comments into this document as the columns correspond.

NB – There is an expectation that your Standards and Quality Report will be shared with the school community. Please be sure that you and your staff are happy that what you have recorded in your self-evaluation sheets is suitable for sharing. If you wish to, you could save your self-evaluation sheets as a separate file (so that you have a record) and then edit the sheets in the Standards and Quality Report until you are comfortable with sharing them.

PART TWO – School Improvement PlanIn this section identify key priorities that you will take forward in the forthcoming year’s School Improvement Plan. Give each planned change a title and then complete a detailed action plan for each. It is recommended that schools restrict

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planning to three main priorities, but depending on local circumstance you may have more than three action plans. If so, simply copy the relevant boxes for completion.

For further advice on completing this document, please contact your Quality Improvement Officer.

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APPENDIX 2: Scottish Government’s 3-Step Improvement Framework for Scotland’s Public Services

In considering your Improvement Planning process, it is useful to bear in mind the Scottish Government’s 3-Step Improvement Framework for Scotland’s Public Services. The full document can be obtained from your Quality Improvement Officer.

Step 1 is ensuring that there is clarity about the vision and strategy for the planned improvement (including understanding of how the change will work and who will drive it).

Step 2 is about ensuring the conditions are right to allow the improvement to flourish. These six questions should be asked of every planned improvement:

Step 3 is the implementation phase. The focus should always be on the simple formula of aims, measures, testing and changes. The underlying principle in the recommended improvement methodology is “Aim big, start small”.

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APPENDIX 3: Organisers and Interventions for Pupil Equity Funding

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APPENDIX 4: Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the timescales for completion of this work?A: Your self-evaluation activity should be ongoing throughout the year. In January to March of the session your thoughts should be turning to agreeing priorities for the following session’s School Improvement Plan, based on what your self-evaluation is telling you. The Plan should be submitted by the date indicated by your Quality Improvement Officer (currently this will be a date in June).

Q:

A:

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APPENDIX 5: Glossary of terms

Attainment The measurable progress which children and young people make as they progress through and beyond school. This progress is in relation to curriculum areas and in the development of skills for learning, life and work.

Achievement The totality of skills and attributes embedded within the four capacities of Curriculum for Excellence and developed across the curriculum in school and through learning in other contexts.

Creativity The process which generates ideas that have value to the individual. It involves looking at familiar things with a fresh eye, examining problems with an open mind, making connections, learning from mistakes and using imagination to explore new possibilities.

Closing the attainment gap Working to reduce the gap in progress, attainment and achievement between those living in Scotland’s least and most disadvantaged homes. Many children and young people from lower-income households do significantly worse at all levels of the education system than those from better-off homes.

Disadvantage This is a term used to describe the extent to which children experience socio-economic barriers to their progress. It is commonly measured using the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), which was used to determine which schools received Scottish Attainment Challenge funding, or by considering Free School Meal entitlement, which was used to calculate Pupil Equity Funding allocations.

Equity Treating people fairly, but not necessarily treating people the same. Equity in education means that personal or social circumstances such as gender, ethnic origin or family background are not obstacles to achieving educational potential and that all our young people are well supported to secure wellbeing, skills for learning, life and work and the best possible post-school destination.

Family learning This is a powerful method of engagement and learning which can foster positive attitudes towards life-long learning, promote socio-economic resilience and challenge educational disadvantage. Engagement with families is going to be crucial in addressing the equity gap.

Partners Partners include all individuals or organisations that deliver learning and contribute to the life and work of the school. These may include CLD services, colleges, universities, employers, third sector, community organisations, and libraries. GIRFEC partners are the professional partners you work with who help you to address the GIRFEC agenda (e.g. Educational Psychology service, CSWs, Speech and Language Therapy and so on.)

Pupil Equity Funding The Pupil Equity Funding is additional funding allocated directly to schools and targeted at closing the poverty related attainment gap. The Scottish Government has committed to this funding as part of the Scottish Attainment Challenge programme from 2017-18. The Pupil Equity Funding forms part of the £750m Attainment Scotland Fund. It is allocated on the basis of Free School Meal entitlement.

Safeguarding This is a much wider concept than child protection and refers to promoting the welfare of children. It encompasses: protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s health or development; ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care, and taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcome. Child protection is part of this definition and refers to activities undertaken to prevent children suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm.

School community This means all children and young people, staff, parents/carers, families and partners who are connected to the school.

Volunteers This means everyone who contribute to the school’s curriculum (in the widest sense) by offering activities and opportunities for children, but who are not employed to do this. Parents running after school clubs or school chaplains offering lunchtime drop-in sessions would be two examples of volunteers.

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