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By Jon Wright, HMI

26 October 2022

Blog post | 26 October 2022

Embedding the Four Purposes: what works well in primary schools?

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In our Annual Report summary findings, we highlight the emphasis primary schools have placed on implementing the Curriculum for Wales and reflect how many schools have begun considering how to embed the Four Purposes.

Annual Report summary findings 2021-22

What works less well?

Annual Report summary findings 2021-22

This year, for the first time, we have published our summary findings early in the autumn term on what we’ve learnt from our inspection and engagement work with schools in the previous academic year. To support schools, we have recently published a set of self-reflection prompts for primary school staff. These provide a useful tool to aid staff discussion around the effectiveness of their school’s approach to embedding the Four Purposes. To support this further, I want to reflect on some of the features of the most effective practice inspectors have seen during their engagement and inspection activity in recent years.

What works well?

The most effective schools ensure that their curriculum is driven by clear a purpose and a sound understanding of the skills, attributes and characteristics they want their pupils to acquire by the time they leave the school. To achieve this, they understand that how they teach, and why they teach what they do, is just as important as the content of the curriculum.

Although the language is relatively new, we know that developing the characteristics defined within the Four Purposes has been a priority for effective schools for many years, and inspectors have reflected this in their reports over time. Our most recent inspection framework, as outlined in ‘What we inspect’, makes specific reference to the Four Purposes and uses much of the same language. However, previous frameworks have also recognised the importance of positive attitudes to learning, the development of pupils as active and considerate citizens and the development of attributes, such as confidence, resilience and empathy.

The most effective schools recognise the need to build on their existing strengths and ensure that their approach is driven by a thorough understanding of the needs of their pupils and their context. One size does not fit all and, as with many aspects of school improvement, what works well for one school may not be appropriate for another. However, our in-depth engagement with schools across Wales allows us to draw some general conclusions about what works best when working to embed the Four Purposes in your school.

Leaders

Organise purposeful opportunities for all staff to work together to develop a shared understanding of what the Four Purposes mean in their school and how they aim to reflect this in teaching and learning
Build purposeful consideration of the four purposes and the school’s shared understanding of what these look like in their context, into their self-evaluation processes and use this to support improvement planning
Prioritise the aspects of the Four Purposes that are most relevant to their school, its pupils and their context
Realise that developing pupils as ambitious, creative, ethical and healthy citizens has always been a feature of effective schools and this means that they work with staff to build on existing strengths
Recognise the importance of effective assessment for learning (AfL) techniques in embedding many of the attributes contained within the Four Purposes, ensure that staff have a sound understanding of how and why AfL is effective and use these strategies to support pupils to develop as self-aware learners
Ensure that professional learning supports staff to fully understand the principles of metacognition that underpin effective learning and many aspects of the Four Purposes
Work effectively with receiving secondary schools to ensure a shared understanding of longer-term goals and to support transition
Engage effectively with parents to ensure that they understand the benefits of developing the Four Purposes with pupils, the school’s approach and how they can best support their children
Always focus clearly on how new initiatives impact on pupils.

Teachers

Collaborate to plan for the growth of these attributes in pupils in developmentally appropriate ways as they move through the school
Are clear about the purpose of their teaching in lessons and over time and understand how this fits in with the longer term goal of developing learners that embody the four purposes
Develop an understandable and relevant language of learning that is not limited to the terminology of the four purposes, but is expressed in a way that is developmentally appropriate to their pupils (child friendly language)
Carefully consider the best activities to develop the four purposes in both the short and long term and work purposefully with pupils to integrate their ideas where appropriate
Reflect on how well pupils are developing these attributes and use their findings to inform future teaching and learning.

All staff

Recognise when pupils demonstrate these attributes and provide praise and encouragement to support pupils to recognise them in themselves and others
Recognise that the embedding of these attributes is a long and progressive journey and have a shared understanding of the characteristics, learning attributes and behaviours that pupils will demonstrate by the end of their time in the school.

What works less well?

As well as those positive aspects outlined above, inspectors have also identified practice that is less effective. Much of this involves the use of superficial strategies that have little impact on outcomes for pupils and where staff do not have a clear understanding of what they are trying to achieve. Often, it also involves schools skipping the important initial stages of developing a shared understanding of what the Four Purposes look like for their pupils, in their context. It also includes, focusing too much on individual purposes in one-off lessons, developing bureaucratic tracking systems and overly praising pupils for limited progress against the purposes in individual lessons, for example focusing on ‘being ambitious’ in a single lesson or, ‘being creative’ in another, rather than developing an ethos of learning where pupils develop and apply a range of attributes and skills, where relevant, in lessons and over time.