Author: Mr Roundtree

We’re an outward-looking school: we work closely with the local authority and with other schools, including as part of Noctua Teaching School.

As a school which has been previously judged to ‘require improvement‘, the local authority offered us a full teaching and learning review, carried out by two advisors, one of whom is a trained Ofsted inspector. We’re always keen to hear from others so we can keep improving, and were therefore happy to take up the offer.

Here are some extracts from the report:

• ‘Evidence from the review paints a positive picture of a much improved and still improving school. The Executive Headteacher has worked closely together with the Head of School to drive developments across the school. A recurring theme throughout the day was the commentary from staff, children and Chair of Governors alike: “This school is unrecognisable from what it was two years ago.”‘
• ‘…leaders at all levels are determined that the pupils of Scholes will all achieve well. Strong ambition and collegiality now permeates what is a collegiate, reflective and professional staff team who are ambitious for themselves and the school.’
• ‘Governance has been transformed from the time of the last inspection.’
• ‘Lesson observations supported by book-looks and data analysis evidence the impact of improved teaching over time.’
• ‘…pupils are clear about their learning’
• ‘The team were impressed by the consistent approaches to planning and pedagogy that ensures pupils receive an equitable diet in terms of challenge and learning.’ [This point was made in reference to teaching and learning across Y1,2  Y3,4 / Y5,6 mixed age classes.]
• ‘Neat presentation in books accompanied by high productivity supports the improvements in pupil achievement and progress over time.’
• ‘Teaching assistants play an effective role in supporting pupil learning in classrooms and are now a strength of the school.’
• ‘The Early Year Leader leads this area of the school with passion and skill. She has a deep understanding of children’s development and current research… In the view of the team, the provision in Nursery is outstanding. In Reception, the teaching of phonics was precise and accurate.’

A core area they suggest we explore over time is boys’ writing – it’s not low compared to how boys perform nationally (79% reached the expected level in 2018 at Scholes, higher than the national figure of 72%; at the higher level, 16% compared to 15% nationally), but there is a gap with the very high figures for girls (at Scholes in 2018, 95% reach the expected level and 45% reached the higher level).

Well done to all the staff and pupils; thank you to parents and carers for continued support.

Thanks to all of you who came along to the Homework Review session last Thursday 22 November. Feedback was really positive:

• ‘I think this was the most useful opportunity for parents to come into school… it will really help with homework problems at home and puts homework into context.’
• ‘I liked seeing all the children’s ideas for their homework.’
• ‘It was a very nice and welcoming session.’
• “It was good to see children learn from each other.’
• ‘A lovely, meaningful session.’

In the 2018 annual survey of parents and carers, the vast majority supported our Homework Policy, although a small number had some concerns that it was not marked. Our Feedback Policy states:

Research shows that feedback which is as immediate as possible is recognised to be the most effective way to impact on children’s progress / attitudes. As a result, circulating to give verbal feedback on a one-to-one or small group level, and use of the visualiser on a whole-class level, will be used. Equally, we encourage parents / carers to provide similar feedback at home (including comments in the child’s Homework Books).

Peer assessment is a particularly appropriate way to provide feedback as it is a chance to share and celebrate learning.

We recognise the expectation from parents of at least a tick. However, staff should prioritise verbal feedback and peer reviews because of the above evidence. As a result, homework activities may not always be marked, but they will all have been reviewed and effort will be celebrated in some way.

Parents / carers who came to the Homework Review session will, we hope, have been reassured. Many of the comments afterwards suggest they were:

• ‘The comments by children when they were discussing their homework went well… they really knew what was good and this meant they could get more ideas from others for next time’
• ‘It was a good opportunity to see how feedback is given and gain insight into my daughter’s learning.’

One parent commented the homework and review process would be better if there was somewhere for parents / carers to add their own comment eg on any difficulties their child encountered. As you can see from the extract from our Feedback Policy, above, we encourage parents / carers to provide feedback – we’ll do more to remind you of that… just adding a short note at the end of the page, regardless of what type of homework (Creative, Talk Time or Practice Makes Perfect), is really helpful. Thanks for that helpful prompt.

These open sessions in school are an important way to gain understanding and awareness of expectations so you can support your child at home and track their progress alongside school. Please do keep making every effort to attend – coming up are:

• ‘Watch us while we work’ – a chance to see some English and Maths teaching on Wednesday 27 February at 9am
• ‘Topic review’- a chance to look at Topic Books and join in the review of topics on Monday 25 March at 2pm