Improving teaching
This report is written in response to a request for advice from the Welsh Government in the Cabinet Secretary’s annual remit letter to Estyn for 2017-2018. The report is intended for the Welsh Government, headteachers and staff in schools, local authorities and regional consortia. It may also be of interest to those working with teacher education and training institutions.
The first part of this report summarises first-hand evidence from inspections and from visits to the case study schools described in part two, as well as findings from educational research, to explore what makes effective pedagogy and teaching. The report outlines the strategic approaches schools have taken to improve the quality of teaching and to build teaching capacity for the future.
The second part of this report presents 24 case studies that show how leaders and teachers have built their capacity to bring about sustainable improvement in the quality of teaching in their schools. The case studies explore pedagogical improvement journeys of fourteen primary schools, nine secondary schools, and one all-age school. The schools face a range of challenges and have different starting points, from schools placed in a statutory category, to schools maintaining high levels of performance over time.