The school adopts a systematic and authentic approach to self-evaluation. All self-evaluation activity is purposeful, consciously designed, and intrinsically linked to effecting improvement planning. At its centre is a clear and genuine desire from all staff to provide the best possible learning experiences and outcomes for pupils. No self-evaluation work is undertaken to satisfy external audiences but serves the sole purpose of providing the school with the information it needs to effect continuous improvement, whilst maintaining a thoughtful balance with the interests of staff workload and well-being.
The school has a clear annual ‘quality cycle’, which sets out how and when leaders will evaluate their work throughout the year. As part of this work, roles and expectations of leaders and their teams are clear and leaders set beneficial success criteria from the outset of this work. The school calendar, drawn up in consulation with a staff focus group, comprises dates for quality assurance activity, so that staff are equipped to contribute productively. For example, there is a systematic approach to learning walks and pupil work scrutiny, calendared a year in advance, and undertaken at departmental level in the first half of the term followed by a whole-school focus in the subsequent half term. Leaders produce clear and concise summary evaluation reports, which focus closely on pupil progress and learning and the impact of teaching and curriculum on pupils’ learning. These findings are reviewed and shared with all staff to identify clear and precise aspects for improvement. A critical part of this work focuses on gathering information on pupils’ progress in literacy, numeracy and digital competence. In addition, the reports clearly indicate the progress that has been made in relation to areas for development identified during the previous evaluation cycle. This helps the school to plan precisely and effectively for improvement. These reports are initially discussed during senior leadership team meetings and senior leaders then review findings in link meetings with their allocated middle leaders. The school calendar is planned so that there are departmental meetings scheduled at the earliest opportunity after pupil work scrutiny weeks so that analysis of quality assurance findings may be considered and responsive actions planned.
There is a coherent approach to using information gathered during self-evaluation. Each member of the senior leadership team is linked carefully with a member of the middle leadership team. Leaders meet regularly (approximately once per fortnight) in these allocated pairs to support and evaluate the work of the relevant team. All evaluation reports emanating from activity such as learning walks and pupil work scrutiny are discussed in these line management meetings and then in departmental meetings where the results are shared with the relevant staff. This helps to ensure continuity of messaging and expectation across the school. Further, the reports are presented and discussed at the relevant governing body sub-committee meetings and the relevant senior and/or middle leader attends the meeting to present their evaluations to, and respond to follow-up questions from, governors.
The school has developed a strong approach to ensuring pupil voice informs evaluation and improvement processes well. Its Senedd structure for pupil leadership groups ensures that pupils are able to formally provide quality assurance feedback from a range of contexts, including the school council, the Eco club and the LGBTQ+ group and this feedback is discussed in senior leadership team and governing body meetings. This feedback is analysed and shared with staff during morning briefings; middle leaders discuss responsive actions with their pupil support teams in Friday morning briefings. For example, in response to pupil feedback during quality assurance of the school’s PSE provision, the school introduced Wellbeing Weeks once per half term. The senior leadership team reviews the findings and plans and implements responsive actions, subsequently collating a You said, we did outcome report for pupils. This You said, we did report is shared and discussed with pupils in assembly and in registration time, and is also shared with parents and carers via the school’s Parent/Carer Forum.
