School Development Plan
1. Quality of Teaching
1.1 Ensure the quality of teaching is consistently good through collaborative planning and the consistent application of the Teaching and Learning Policy
1.2 Ensure assessment for learning is used systematically to monitor understanding, identify misconceptions and provide clear and direct feedback, in order to ensure we, respond and adapt teaching to meet the children’s needs
1.3 To ensure teaching meets the needs of all children, particularly those with SEN through the effective deployment of LSAs, rigorous implementation of My Learning Plans and SMART targets.
1.4 To improve the quality of phonics teaching to close the learning gap between the school and national through the modelling of high quality RWInc principles
1.5 To improve the progress children make in writing to close the gap between the school and national at expected and greater depth by developing effective AfL systems
1.6 For our learners become confident mathematicians who use mathematical knowledge, concepts and procedures appropriate to their next step needs with planned opportunities to reason and apply.
2. Behaviour and Attitudes
2.1 Our learners’ attitudes to their education are positive. They’re committed to their learning, know how to study effectively and are resilient to setbacks. They take pride in their achievements
2.2 Provide relevant support and professional development opportunities to all members of staff, so they understand the needs of SEN children and manage behaviour effectively.
2.3 Consistently apply the Positive Behaviour Policy, including the deployment of Emotion Coaching, ‘structured conversations’ with parents to support behaviour management
3. Personal Development
3.1 To enhance pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development so they; understand the possibilities available, the importance of reading and vocabulary, the importance of mental/physical health and cultural diversity.
3.2 To develop the breadth of our curriculum by extending; our careers programme, provision for Forest School and evaluate the impact of Votes for Schools
4. Leadership and Management
4.1 Our staff consistently report high levels of support for wellbeing issues.
All members of staff feel secure within the school setting to discuss issues that support the improvement of quality of work to achieve agreed outcomes
4.2 Leaders have a clear ambitious vision for providing high-quality education for all learners
What impact has this had on school improvement with reference to performance management
4.3 Leaders ensure that throughout the school community there are strong, shared values policies and practice.
School surveys undertaken through the year with parents and learners to ensure that improvements are constantly being made: impact this has on school improvement planning
4.4 Ensure induction for all new members of staff is effective to ensure consistency of practice
4.5 Ensure subject leaders become experts in their areas by having a clear vision for their subject and support teachers develop subject and pedagogical knowledge by auditing/ monitoring and providing professional development to improve learning
5. Quality of Education in EYFS
5.1 Establish effective leadership to establish a clear vision/values and manage the development of EYFS so expectations are clear and the curriculum meets the needs of the children in Nursery and Reception.
5.2 Construct a curriculum that is ambitious and designed to give children, particularly the most disadvantaged, the knowledge, self-belief and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. Ensuring the curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced and builds on what children know and can do, towards cumulatively sufficient knowledge and skills for their future learning.
5.3 Communicate effectively to check children’s understanding, identify misconceptions, and provide clear explanations to improve their learning. In so doing, we respond and adapt teaching as necessary.
5.4 Create an environment inside and outside that supports the intent of an ambitious, coherently planned and sequenced curriculum and resources are chosen to meet the children’s needs and promote learning.
School Context
- Whitley Abbey Primary School was graded Good by OFSTED in July 2017
- Attendance is at 93.1 (91.4 National) and is slowly improving however we are still seeing several absences linked to COVID 19.
- The school has capacity for 420 pupils from R to Year 6, currently there are 364 pupils on roll. We have a 24-place nursery offering morning and afternoon places. On average there are 47 children in each year group.
- As a result of the 2020 pandemic the school saw a decline in pupil numbers due to multiple factors. During the last 12 months, the school has admitted over 60 children. A high proportion of these children are vulnerable children (pupil premium, SEND, safeguarding, low attaining).
- The school serves a diverse community representing 12 ethnic groups and 29 languages, with the proportion of pupils, 28%, speaking English as an Additional Language which is in the top 20% of schools nationally.
- The number of pupils who are disadvantaged (28%) is above national (2020 – 23%) with 20% of pupils are in receipt of free school meals.
- The school has significant mobility in the pupil population with 29% of current pupils in school not having started their journey at Whitley Abbey Primary School
- Since the last inspection the school has increased proportion of pupils with Special, Educational Needs (School = 17%, National 2022 12.2%).
- The school started a review of its curriculum during the summer term of 2021. As a result, the school has developed, evaluated and reviewed the curriculum intent which identifies four drivers.
- Possibilities and Citizenship
- Reading and Vocabulary
- Health and Wellbeing
- Celebrating Diversity
- The curriculum is progressively planned to deliver a logical sequence of concepts, content and skills across multiple teaching stages; allowing pupils to consolidate learning through regularly revisiting skills (deliberate practise) at increasing levels of difficulty. These skills are framed within the development of new knowledge. New ideas are clearly related to previous learning, with the aim of progressively increasing competency. The consolidation of knowledge and skills allowing children to master key learning that can then be independently applied.
- Learning in the foundation subjects is sequenced through curriculum maps and retrieval practices are used to support deeper learning. Progress is measured through the assessment questions.
- Core principles and a clear progression in reading, writing and mathematics have been developed and are evaluated by leaders across the school.
- Read Write Inc was implemented in September 2019.
- Attainment in Year 2 was in line with the national average in 2022 for all areas and over 90% passed the phonics screening in Y2 due to focused phonics teaching.
- Attainment in Year 6 was above the national average in all areas except writing in 2022 due to focused interventions. Progress measures were in the average group for all areas.
- Four teachers and five LSAs left the school last year and two returned from maternity leave.
- A new EYFS lead has been appointed for this year (the school has been without a EYFS lead since Christmas 2021)
- Three members of the SLT were appointed in September 2021.
