by academies for academies final with new logo-1

8/6/2019 By Academies for Academies FINAL WITH NEW LOGO-1

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By academies for academies

academies supporting each other


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Over the last six years, members of The

Schools Networks academies team havebrokered support for academies beforeopening, in the rst year of operation andat other times of challenge. A range of consultancy has been employed duringthat period, but as the success of theacademy programme has grown, thesupport has been brokered increasinglyfrom other academies.

The advantages of this are many. Forinstance, academy staff involved aretotally conversant with the challengesbeing faced and are equally committedto overcoming these challenges. Whatis more, as relationships develop,academies move into a partnership mode,learning from each other, whatever theoriginal motivation for coming together.

This reects The Schools Networks by schools for schools model.

The case-studies which follow cover theeleven themes most requested during thelast six years and which have a signicantimpact on raising standards. These are:

Attendance

Behaviour

Curriculum design

Data

English

Leadership

Mathematics School organisation

Science

Special Educational Needs

Teaching and learning.

We asked contributors from academiesthat have worked with others to outlinetheir successful practice in these areas,

although mindful that they continue toface challenges and have plans for furtherdevelopment themselves.

Introduction


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Although we asked contributors to

concentrate on their area or themeas much as possible, we were awarethat these overlap in any academy,providing a holistic ethos. So schoolorganisation is seen as a vital part of an attendance strategy at David YoungCommunity Academy as it is in behaviourmanagement at Wren Academy. Theproductive use of student data featuresin several case-studies whatever thetheme, and it is impossible to write aboutleadership in isolation.

Two areas not on our original list of mostrequested themes, which feature regularlyin these case-studies, are the use of specialism and the creative involvementof students or student voice. It is clearthat these are seen as important elementsfor many in the systematic drive forachievement.

What is clear from all our contributorsis their whole-hearted commitment toan educational philosophy emphasisingequal value and a determined optimism

concerning the potential for success of allthe students in their care. In many cases,these students have not been served wellby the education system in the past and,of course, deserve nothing less.

We are proud to make these case-

studies available to you, knowing thatthey represent remarkable achievementsacross the academy system and awillingness to work with others.

If you want to know more about theacademy support system still brokered by

The Schools Network, or wish to be a partof it, please contact the academies teamon [email protected].

...Introduction


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David YoungCommunity Academy

Context

David Young Community Academy, in Leeds,opened in September 2006. Two underperforming

secondary schools had been closed and all900 students transferred into the new-buildacademy. The predecessor schools hadreported attendance levels of 83% and 300 of thetransferring students had been identied as beingpersistent absentees. Within the DYCA catchmentarea there was a culture of non-attendance, not

just among the transferring students but amongmany of their parents and even grandparents.Poor attendance, however, was not and is notthe real challenge; it is merely an indicator of theunderlying issues that need to be tackled.

Challenge faced

The academy had inherited a substantial numberof young people who had been growing up withlow expectations for themselves and who lackedimportant basic life skills. Without these skills,it was easy for them to view any educationalopportunity as yet another threat of failure. Indeed,over a third of them had rejected schooling,many had become antisocial, disruptive and

even violent; the cycle of underachievementand disaffection was ready to roll on. Our realchallenge was how to interrupt that cycle in anarea of Leeds with some of the highest deprivationindices in the country.

Key intervention

DYCA introduced pastoral support based on

the house-parent system found in many publicschools. Students are afliated to a form; about

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25 students put together in, largely, sibling

groups. Each form has a teacher as form tutorand a team leader; non-teaching and withresponsibility for all pastoral care for that form.Each team leader is responsible for three formgroups but, because of the vertical form structure,perhaps only 50 families. This means that teamleaders develop a holistic understanding of the students and their families and bring thatunderstanding to bear in identifying any barriers tolearning, including those specic to each studentspattern of attendance. This level of understandingis very difcult, if not impossible, to developwithout the regular opportunities for contactand communication created by the verticalform structure. Team leaders are responsiblefor monitoring their own students attendance,making rst day calls and initiating home visitswhere appropriate.

Success factors

Successes came from creating positive parentingwithin the school environment.

To do so, team leaders adhered to the FiveFingers of Love modelled at the 40-place,residential, Mulberry Bush School in Oxfordshire,where some of the most disturbed and damagedchildren in Britain are sent for rehabilitation.

Finger 1: Security

Staff must become like hyper-vigilant parents inthe minutiae of daily routines and preoccupationsthat over time become the containing frameworkfor the child. The child learns that another personis interested in and cares about them.

Finger 2: Boundaries

Starting with the external norms or rules of thehouse and school and then inwards to theinter-personal boundary setting which ultimatelyhelps the child distinguish right from wrong, linkaction and consequences. This requires realcommitment because, for the more challengingchildren, these inter-personal boundaries have tobe fought for, negotiated, explained and then re-set in the same way ve hundred times a day..it is an act of love supported by focussed and

constructive use of aggression.

Finger 3: Signicance and Identity

Signicance and identity develop from havinggood-enough parenting; the secure basefrom which we all develop a sense of who weare. Good-enough parenting is a concept fromDonald Winnicotts work on transitional objectsand transitional phenomena: the good-enough

mother starts off with an almost completeadaptation to her infants needs and as timeproceeds she adapts less and less competently,gradually, according to the infants growingability to deal with her failure. So, for the childto grow, to become more competent as anindividual, the mother must gradually withdrawwhilst still providing a holding environment, atrust relationship allowing the childs transition togreater autonomy.

Finger 4: Community

Developing a therapeutic community offerssanctuary, a holding environment, because it cantolerate and contain high levels of disturbanceand emotional pain and offer reection andunderstanding to the children placed in it. Its notabout me and you, its about us; everyone here, alltogether. Internalising such positive experiences,

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over time, is wholeness inducing. It must be

continuously role-modelled by mature adults tohelp children to feel that they are no longer aloneor marginalised in an apparently hostile world.

Finger 5: Creativity

This tension between creation and destruction isa constant element in any therapeutic relationship.Staff must celebrate this tension betweencreativity and chaos, recognising they would haveto encounter and accept pain and hatred before

there would be any eventual acknowledgementof love. In other words, whatever was thrown atthem (both literally and guratively), to help thechild move forwards, staff must always display anunconditional positive regard its not the childbut their behaviour that is problematic.

To translate these therapeutic interventions froma small, Key Stage 2 (KS2), residential settingto a 1000 place,11-18 secondary school on alarge council estate, we stripped away the dip-in-

and-out, statutory, service-centred, counsellingand care culture that had failed the predecessorschools. We removed the isolation and so-called inclusion units that had been failing todeliver change and we stamped out the previousacceptance of low aspirations among staff,students and parents. We replaced them with avirtual family environment in which we set rm,clear boundaries, high aspirations, fair sanctionsand just rewards - and we did this with just 20staff instead of the 50 plus support staff employedin the predecessor schools.

Impact judgement

HMI rated our pastoral care as outstanding andreported that it does a great deal to help studentsfeel safe, valued and well cared for. This includesthe effective form system which provides studentswith high quality care and support. Team leadersattached to each form provide a successful linkbetween home and academy through productiverelationships with parents and carers. Teamleaders attend all pastoral and academic meetingsand this has successfully increased the numberof parents who attend. All procedures to ensurestudents are safe are implemented rigorously.Students express condence in staff and willinglyconde in team leaders and others if they haveconcerns. The support given to vulnerablestudents, including those with poor attendanceor at risk of exclusion, is very effective (and) hasresulted in a steady improvement in attendancelevels.

...Attendance


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Wren Academy

Background

Wren Academy is an 11-18 secondary schoolin the London Borough of Barnet. We are nowopen to three year groups and over the next fouryears the academy will take in a further year group

annually, growing to its optimum size of about1100 students. The academy, specialising indesign and the built environment, is sponsored bythe Church of England and Berkhamsted Schooland is located in a brand new suite of buildingswith state-of-the-art facilities.

Maintaining engagement and exemplarybehaviour through responsibility and positivecontribution Starting an academy fromscratch allowed the implementation of a robust

behaviour policy enabling students of all agesand abilities to learn within clear boundariesand meet the high expectations of both theirbehaviour and their academic achievement. Inorder to counter-balance this, we identied aneed to ensure that all students were given theopportunity to remain engaged by contributingto their learning environment. From the outset,students are expected to take a full part in the lifeof the academy, therefore taking on some quite

substantial responsibilities from a young age.Where disengagement has taken place thereis a need to ensure that the responsibility andinvolvement becomes even more individualisedand student-led. Examples of the type of responsibility and the impact are outlined below.

Curriculum Advisors Students in all years actas curriculum advisors and attend planning andevaluation meetings with curriculum staff. Theycontribute to the meetings, advising on lesson

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planning, content, resources and future ideas.

Students observe lessons and give feedback tothe staff. Schemes of learning reect a studentperspective and are evaluated and improvedeach year, resulting in an exciting, engaging anddiverse student-led curriculum. An added benetof this close working relationship with staff isthat the students witness the modelling of staffsbehaviour with peers, professional interactionsand appropriate exchange of ideas. Students takethese skills back into their approach to learningand life in the academy. In the English departmentthe curriculum advisors took part in a moderationmeeting and fed back to their peers about theprocess. They also attended external trainingwith a member of staff and will work with them todeliver this element of learning to their peers. Inhumanities, students have consulted on displayand have advised staff on what engages studentsin this area and how display can help them withtheir learning. Students also act as a vehicle forspreading good practice amongst departments.

Student Interviewers Students from years 7,8 and 9 interview prospective candidates duringall selection processes. Careful choice ensures adiverse representation of students, including thosewith SEN and representatives of all ethnic andgender groups. Students are trained to interviewand are given the responsibility to devise their ownquestions. The panel is invited to feed back tothe staff interview panel and join in deliberations,giving a measured opinion about the employability

of each candidate. Students in this role reportthat their views are valued and that they have apart to play in the development and stafng of theacademy.

Student Observers Students from years 7,8 and 9 apply or are approached to train aslesson observers for staff already teaching at theacademy. As part of the training, students areintroduced to the varying elements of the lessonplanning and delivery process and taught how

to give feedback to a member of staff after the

observation. As a result of this initiative studentscultivate an understanding of how and whylessons are taught in a certain way. Students workin pairs and under the supervision of the memberof staff who is also observing the lesson.

Student Receptionists Students in years7 and 8 are invited to apply to work with ourreception team for a day each year. The studentsare trained and supervised, but work under theirown steam for the majority of the day. Not onlydo the students feel privileged to be trustedwith responsible jobs within the academy, theyonce again have the opportunity to observe aprofessional working environment and watchinteractions between staff, helping to shape andmould their own interactions with peers.

Tracking, monitoringand rewarding positivecontributions

In addition to the sense of involvement and thesatisfaction of noticing their impact, studentsneed to be rewarded for their contribution.Involvement in student voice and any positivecontributions are recorded and tracked on acentral spreadsheet. Positive contribution badgesare awarded according to the level of contribution.

The reward for this is based upon a bronze,

silver and gold badge system; these badges areawarded once a term and are refreshed each year.Students see the value of their contributions andare commended for their efforts. In the Autumnof this year 60% of students had taken on someresponsibility within the academy, this numberincluded students from the various groups,including SEN, G&T, vulnerable students and allethnic groups.

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3 Curriculum design

Using the specialisms

Macmillan Academy

Macmillan Academy is situated in Middlesbroughand has had academy status since 2005.Prior to that it had been Macmillan College,

a City Technology College which opened in1989. We have used our autonomy as anacademy to develop a creative and distinctivecurriculum. Central to our approach to curriculumdevelopment have been our two specialismsand the way in which they have been infusedthroughout the curriculum. Over the last veyears our specialisms in PE and science haveevolved into specialisms in outdoor learning andenvironment sustainability.

Outdoor learning has proved to be a powerfulvehicle for delivering a more competency-basedapproach to KS3 which was reected in thenew National Curriculum. Outdoor learningseeks to build habits of mind such as effectivecollaboration, problem-solving and resilience. Aswell as week-long programmes at Ullswater foryear 7 and year 12 we are very pleased with thetwo-day programmes we have delivered in years7 9. During these days, students are taken

off timetable in groups of twelve and developspecic skills through work on our high and lowropes course, climbing wall and through theuse of the local Water Sports Centre. Outdoorlearning makes a valuable contribution to our PEcurriculum and the extra-curricular opportunitiesthe students receive through activities such asclimbing, mountain-biking and sailing are verypopular.

The contribution which our sustainability

specialism makes to the ethos of the academyis equally signicant. There are physical signson our building such as wind turbines and solar

panelling that would indicate that we take ourresponsibility for environmental sustainabilityseriously. However our work in this area is uniquebecause it is very much led by students. Basedon ideas from our student-led Eco Council wehave made real progress in this eld recently.We have created an outdoor classroom, a largegarden with a pond, a wild meadow and an areafor growing vegetables. Several subjects havedeveloped a sustainability context to their subject.

This is particularly strong in year 7 and makes aclear statement to students about the importance

we place on this. We have also created an Ecoroom made exclusively out of recycled materialsand we have signicantly reduced our printing.


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...Curriculum design

Both of our specialisms have had a signicant

impact on the academy. We aim to develop alearning culture where students not only achievewell academically but also develop the personalcharacteristics necessary to thrive in later life.

This is a difcult balance to achieve but we feelthat outdoor learning has certainly helped them todevelop these personal characteristics. We alsowant our students to have an awareness of globalissues particularly those that will affect their livesas adults and our emphasis on sustainability iscrucial in this regard.

In making these areas of practice successful,staff enthusiasm and commitment have been keyfeatures. The staff involved are very passionatebelievers in the impact that the two areas canmake and are real experts in their eld. Neitherspecialism works in isolation and they areintegrated across the whole curriculum. This hasenabled a far more signicant contribution to ourethos than would have been the case had theybeen rooted within a single department.

Our approach has always been to create auid curriculum and we constantly look foropportunities to develop it further. We haverecently started to develop our own KS3Baccalaureate. With the removal of KS3 SATs thishas given students something to work towardsand tries to strike a balance between academicexcellence and personal development. TheBaccalaureate has ve sections (Academic,

Enrichment, Service, Enterprise, Project), andthe students accumulate points in each section.By the end of Year 9 their points will be turnedinto a Baccalaureate at either Bronze, Silver orGold level, which will be awarded to them in anend-of-year celebration marking the transitionfrom KS3 to KS4. The Service section hasgiven an opportunity for our outdoor learningand sustainability specialisms to work together.Students have been engaged in a variety of community projects from path-laying to tree-planting in the local National Park. A futurepotential development could be for us to look atForest Schools.

From September, we will also be developing a

new programme called Mindset. In this we havefused together Citizenship and Learn to Learn.

The course is a current affairs course which triesto develop a global mindset but also to develophabits that students can transfer across thecurriculum and later in life. We do benet fromworking closely with other schools and are alwayshappy to share ideas on curriculum design.

Partnership working

Archbishop Sentamu Academy

Archbishop Sentamu Academy opened

in September 2008 in the premises of thepredecessor school, Archbishop Thurstan. Theacademy is situated in East Hull, in one of themost deprived wards in the country. Nonetheless,we pride ourselves on the fact that the studentsleave their outside lives at the school gates, andthat within the academy walls they work hard andmake good progress regardless of their economicand social backgrounds. However, in terms of healthy lifestyles, it became apparent that thereverse was also true; many students were leaving

their learning about health at the gates and goinghome to a very unhealthy lifestyle, which is oftentypical of poor socio-economic backgrounds. Itis a well-documented fact that unhealthy life-styles lead on to health problems, physically andmentally, which then need to be addressed by thealready overburdened NHS.

It was from this premise, that ArchbishopSentamu Academy began its symbioticpartnership with Hull Primary Care Trust (PCT) inthe summer of 2008. For the academy, it wasseen as a means to develop the health sciencesspecialism and for the PCT, a means to make


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in-roads into the East Hull community, an area

traditionally regarded as difcult for the PCT toaccess, and to promote the NHS as an employerand health as a suitable subject for undergraduatecourses of study. For both parties, it was seen asa valuable means to make a contribution to thecommunity by improving the health and raisinglevels of self-esteem of the local population.

Encouraging students to be the envoys of thehealthy life-style message was the rst challengeto both partners. Barriers had to be brokendown and lifestyle issues had to be addressedin such a way that no one felt threatened,patronised, victimised or alienated. This wastackled by working with the PCT and the localHealthy Schools partnership to actively involvestudents from the academy in national publichealth initiatives in the local community. Eventsincluded a healthy eating fair targeted at adultsin the community as part of National ObesityWeek. Students spent their lessons planningand resourcing stalls with specic messages topromote healthy eating for targeted groups of the population. Themes included healthy eating

on a pensioners budget and promoting fruit to

toddlers. This raised awareness to the studentsof the specic needs of particular groups withinsociety and took the healthy eating message totargeted groups of the community. It also enabledsixth form students to research and actively usetheories of education behind national healthcampaigns, therefore contextualising their abstractlearning, as well as enabling them to achievecredits towards their course of study.

Enrichment was seen as a second pathway tobridge the school gates barrier to adopting ahealthy lifestyle. The PCTs Earning and Learning

Team was in the early stages of writing a YoungHealth Leaders Award aimed at raising teenagersawareness of health and careers in health.

Academy teaching staff worked with PCT staff toturn the initial plan into a workable award scheme.

The result was a teenage-friendly and accessibleaward scheme with 3 levels Bronze, Silver andGold encouraging students to develop theirown knowledge of health, careers in health andto actively promote health to their peers or thewider community. The scheme is being piloted

...Curriculum design


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take more academic subjects or subjects with a

higher threshold contribution allocation. Again,the use of student data is used to support thisprocess. In years 7 and 8 we closely monitorevery child in every subject and track progressin NC sub-levels. From year 9 onwards we trackprogress and expected outcomes based uponlevels of progress, external benchmark datasets and individual point-score predictions. Theprofessional opinion of teaching staff is also highlyvalued in this process. Each and every studentis monitored in minute detail in a cycle of datacollection that takes place throughout the year.

The collected data prompts action to supportlearners.

Challenges related toour practice

Despite constant development of our procedures,there are a few challenges related to our practice.One particular challenge is keeping abreast of the plethora of qualications available to learnersand being aware of what level, what thresholdcontribution, what grade and the number of points that each qualication is worth to eachlearner. The second key challenge is getting staff to understand that decisions made at classroomlevel (and even pastoral level) can have asignicant impact upon the attainment of learners,and that these decisions should not be made in a

vacuum. These decisions, no matter how small,can have a signicant impact upon the outcomesof individuals, sub-groups and an establishmentas a whole. The last challenge is keeping up-to-date with changes in student details to monitorand manage the performance of sub-groupseffectively. Examples of this would be integratingrecent changes to our tracking system where afamily has newly been awarded FSM entitlement,or where a learner has gone into care. Thisprocess needs constant updating.

Evidence of impact

We like to think of ourselves as an academythat is about more than just percentages. Whilewe pride ourselves on making every effort todevelop the whole child, our academic outcomesare particularly positive. We have achievedcontextual value-added scores of 1029 and 1042respectively over the last two years and we lookforward to another improvement in 2011. Ouraverage point score in English has risen over threepoints in 2009-2010 and our maths almost fourpoints over the same period. In 2009 our cappedpoint scores per student were three points upon the national average and in 2010 this jumpedto eleven points above. Our total point score perstudent is well in excess of 500 points. Thresholdmeasures include 92% of students achieving atleast 5A*-C, 45% including English and mathsand 100% of students achieving at least onequalication. Almost 25% of our students leavewith at least 3 A*-A grades. Every sub-group

achieves well at GAC, notably students eligiblefor free school meals achieve almost identicallyto other students. All of these outcomes impactupon our NEET gures that were 0% in 2010.

Key elements to success

Our key elements to success divide into vecategories.

The rst is our stafng structure, where thereare TLR allowances for teachers (calledProgress Managers) to monitor and trackthe progress of students and to coordinateintervention where required. This is their sole

TLR responsibility and they keep our seniorleadership team informed of developments.

The second element is our academy calendarthat is designed around constant assessment,

feedback and data collection. After every

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data collection, Progress Managers meet

with heads of faculty to discuss progress andndings and to point out areas of priority. Thisis the backbone of our calendar work in thisarea and never stops.

The third element is what information wetrack. Thresholds, levels of progress andindividual value-added (based upon externalpoint score predictions) are all equallyimportant.

The fourth element is what we track studentsagainst. External (at least 2 sets) and internaldata sets give us the best results.

The last element is of course, what we thendo with the information, how we supportstudents and the key decisions that are made.

Future developments

Like many schools and academies, we dontstand still at GAC, we constantly rene ourprocedures and systems. We operate a Grace4 Life Entitlement encouraging our students toadopt an attitude related to constant improvementto help raise aspirations and expectations. Someof our key areas for development include thetracking of sub-groups and developing our ownagenda for the identication of these groups.

These may include; young carers, children whoare unofcially looked after (those who live withgrandparents for example), and transient students(particularly those who join after KS4 programmesof study have started). Other future developmentsinclude access for parents to nd out how theirchildren are achieving. Rather than this being ascheduled parents evening or letter home, weare making inroads into online access for parentsand carers to see exactly how their children aredoing in each subject with our online gateway.

We are also interested in developing our SIMS

system and how we can incorporate mainstreamspreadsheet software in order to reduce someof the administration time involved in trackingstudents. This is a constantly evolving part of ourwork.

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Ormiston Victory Academy

The seven months since the launch of Ormiston Victory Academy, in September 2010, have beenfull of excitement and rewards.

The newly opened academy inherited signicantunderachievement from the predecessor schooland has a higher than average number of students on free school meals (17%). ACORNdata shows that 38% of our students comefrom a contextually-challenged background.Our biggest barrier to achievement was the lowaspirations of the students.

Under the strong leadership of our new principal,Rachel de Souza, who ran Britains most

improved school in Luton, we moved mountainsin the summer getting the academy into shape,

including a new curriculum, new academy day,new policies, changes in stafng and a major re-organisation of the buildings.

A huge amount of progress has now beenmade. It is only part-way through the year andalready the academy is projecting a signicantimprovement in attainment when the Summerresults arrive. One of the main areas of success iswithin English.

An intensive intervention programme, newcurriculum design for year 11 English and animproved tracking and monitoring system areproducing impressive results. Current projectionssuggest that the academy will achieve in excessof 86% A*-C in English. The English departmenthad already achieved a 7% increase (A*-C) on theprevious years results in Summer 2010 and sincethe school opened as an academy the resourcesavailable and ethos change have resulted in evengreater success.

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Improving and maintaining high standards of

teaching and learning were crucial. The leadersof the curriculum area have worked closely with

ASTs and teaching coaches to drive forwardlearning within the department, particularly insupporting NQTs and new staff in the curriculumteam. The academy has also appointed a new,and very passionate, Director of Teaching andLearning, demonstrating our commitment toexcellence in teaching and learning across allcurriculum areas.

Another effective strategy within English has beenour Boys Achievement Group. In addition toteaching the targeted group once a week, theteacher running the group encourages regularreection on progress and talking through barriersto achievement.

However, at the heart of our success is the over-riding ethos of the English department, and alsoof the academy as a whole, that every child canachieve. When setting a target for how manystudents could achieve a C in English it was clearto us what that target should be 100%.

The initial challenges centred on raising theaspirations of the students. Our uniform changeand the implementation of a new, structured,behaviour management policy in the academy hada huge, positive impact on student behaviour andaspirations. The students self-esteem and senseof pride and identity increased and with that, a

renewed focus on learning and achievement.

The strategies used in the English department,such as our approach to target-setting and tointervention, have had a positive impact on theacademy as a whole. Members of the Englishteam are working with staff from other curriculumareas on teaching and learning and achievement,and also leading whole academy CPD.

I believe strongly that the key to our success is

a combination of positivity and determination.Underpinning this is also the belief that a keyfactor in raising achievement is improving teachingand learning.

We have a great team of staff in the Englishcurriculum area which has been so important.When we ran an intensive two-day interventionprogramme to prepare students for anexamination, the team worked collaboratively tocreate an engaging, varied and motivating learningexperience. Following that intervention, two-thirds of our year 11s improved their exam resultsignicantly.

Without our rigorous tracking and monitoringsystem, it would have been difcult to achievethe results that we have. By tracking exam,coursework and mock results regularly andsharing data across the entire English team,we have been able to personalise support andintervention, ensuring that we do the best we canfor every student. The academys newly appointedData Manager has been a fantastic support,working hard to support all curriculum areas inusing data in more effective and strategic ways.

We hope to build on this years successes, byachieving even better results within English nextyear. A particular challenge will be to improve ournumber of A/A* grades. We will also continue ourfocus on improving teaching and learning. With

improved student aspirations and great staff, weare aiming for the stars.

Put simply, we are transforming education in ouracademy and setting new standards in Norfolk.We have a relentless focus on achievement and arock-solid commitment to becoming the agshipschool of the Eastern Region. Our students andour community deserve nothing less.

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West London Academy

Context

West London Academy learning campuscomprises:

A Childrens Centre with 105 place Nursery

3 FE Primary Phase for 3 11 year olds

6 FE Secondary Phase for 11 16 year olds

A Post-16 Centre for 260 students

The John Chilton School (LA) for both primaryand high school age students with moderateto severe medical and/or learning needs

An Adult Education Centre

A Community Sports Centre

Academy Sponsor:

Sir Alec Reed, founder of the Reed Executiveemployment and training group. The academysspecialisms are enterprise and sport.

Learner Prole:

52% EAL, 62% on SEN register, 38% Free SchoolMeals.

Main challenges at start-up included:

managing a major change of culture and ethos;raising standards of attainment and progress;improving standards of learning and teaching;securing then stabilising stafng; improvingstudent attendance; improving behaviour;improving reputation locally then nationally.

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...Leadership

Key progress to date:

Top 1% and 2% of all maintained schoolsconsecutively since 2008 for KS2-4 CVA with1052.4 (2008), 1047.0 (2009) and 1042.5(2010).

Top 5% for KS4 APS nationally with486.1(2008), 471.6 (2009) and 551.4 (2010).

5+A*-C from 28% (Summer 2005) to 83%(Summer 2010).

5+A*-C incl. English & maths from 11%(Summer 2005) to 38% (Summer 2010) withan on-target projection of 45% (Summer 2011).

Reduced student absence from 10.1%(Summer 2005) to 5.7% (Summer 2010).

Ofsted (Jan 2010) judged progressas outstanding with 7 judgements of outstanding and 21 judgements of good.

National awards/benchmarks to date:

Investors in People (2008 and 2011 at Bronze);Inclusion Quality Mark (2006 & 2010); CabinetOfce Charter Mark (2008); Healthy Schools

Award (2007); The Schools Network ConsultantSchool Accreditation (2009); Investor in Families(2009); Cultural Diversity Quality Standard Gold(2009); Parental Engagement Quality Standard Gold (2010).

Immediate Future Priorities:

To raise levels of learner attainment at allstages.

To manage a 6.3m accommodationexpansion and internal remodelling atsecondary phase and 4.5m additional newbuild at primary phase.

Philosophy of leadership - Dr Hilary

Macaulay, Principal and CEO

No man is an island- or for that matter, and inthis instance, no woman, and my genuine belief that charismatic leadership is not sustainableor indeed desirable is the foundation on whichI have built the existing leadership structureswhich have helped to develop the robustdistributed leadership at West London Academy.When a charismatic leader leaves, so oftenthe organisation collapses and many years arespent trying to reclaim ground lost. I believethat leaders with genuine moral purpose shouldbe the engines in the middle of the ship theysteer, not the decorative gurehead at the prow.

This is the way in which I have tried to developleadership across our all-through academy whichhas contributed to success at all phases and inevery element of the organisation. Taking overthe leadership of a school which had, only threemonths previously, received a damning inspectionreport, coupled with considerable negative mediacoverage, did mean that a high level of directionwas needed in the rst eighteen months to getthe foundations in place. However, with a much-needed 72% change in stafng as a result of awhole-scale restructure over nine months, WestLondon Academy was reborn with a new cultureand ethos that it has maintained ever since.Building on consistency, with a relentless focus onstandards, a genuine commitment to high qualityprofessional development and ensuring that there

is nowhere to hide so that team-work is at theheart of planning, communication and raisingstandards, West London Academy feels, as acolleague said recently, normal.


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As a large and growing organisation of over 1,500

students and 250 staff, one could question howsuch an oil tanker can be steered so smoothlythrough the plethora of challenges that we face.However, every member of the crew has theirclearly dened role and a true sense of purposewith a common language used throughout thewhole academy. Rather than having to tell the staff to jump they say, How high can we go? I nowhave a team of pole-vaulters not hurdlers and thenext challenge, as one of the original academies,is to avoid any box as mundane as to be labellednormal!

What follows are three examples of how a modelof distributed leadership has led to the growingsuccess of the academy

Our practice

Online reporting (EduTrack andLAP records)Introduced in September 2009, this is anacademy-wide, bespoke web-based systemwhich has been fully designed, managedand implemented in-house. Involving middleleaders in the development process from thestart and empowering them to shape thefuture strategy for use of the software ensuresclarity of communication about the purposeand advantages of the initiative. Staff input and

analyse all performance, progress and overallattainment data at individual student, group andcohort level. This has been central in our drive toensure that all staff are leaders of learning andprogress and that data does not get issued by asingle person, but that everyone is able to access,use and plan for improvement using it. LearningLeaders and Student and Family Education (SaFE)Workers also play a key role in leading the trainingof parents and leading the academys drive forenhanced parental engagement and participation

so that no child is left behind. Parents can access

the weekly lesson data of their children andIEPs, plus all termly reports from 2007 online.

This forms part of our commitment to intelligentaccountability. LAP Records as they are known(Learners, the Academy and Parents) enablegenuine partnership working with stakeholders toraise attainment and accelerate progress.

Integrated academy improvementplanning

The academys online in-house bespoke softwarefor improvement planning includes direct links tothe original SEF categories, annual professionaldevelopment planning and all departmental/ phase prioritisation and resourcing needs, againstacademy-wide and departmental targets withfull costings, as a one-stop-shop improvementplanning, review and evaluation tool in which allstaff are directly involved. All staff are involved inthe formulation of their team plans, and senior andmiddle leaders offer bespoke training and supportto other schools on the system and process,which has a central drive on rising standardsthrough effective resourcing and best-valuenancial planning.

IMPACT strategy

This cycle of Improvement through MonitoringPerformance, Action, Challenge and Targetingunderpins the advanced quality assurance cyclethrough all functions of the academy from learning

and teaching to hospitality services, with wholestaff involvement, buy-in and accountability.Explicitly calendared into the academy year,leaders at all levels initiate and report on theirndings, both to their teams and the wholeacademy, so that every aspect of the organisationis covered and all staff involved in the process andimprovement outcomes.

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Inclusion for learning

A dynamic structure for access and inclusionunderpins the work of the academy from the

Access & Inclusion Centre, EAL team, Student& Family Education (SaFE) workers, CurriculumLearning Access Student Support (CLASS)workers, Academy counsellor and EducationalWelfare team to help ensure that no child is leftbehind, and that the ve original outcomes of theECM framework are not only met but exceeded.

The high level of expertise in senior and middle

leadership across and within all elements of theinclusion for learning provision at the academyenables opportunities for specialist, in-depthtraining to be delivered in-house and to be tailoredto the specic context worked in by partnerschools.

Early challenges

Online reporting

As a major academy-wide initiative, it wasessential to have staff from across the academyand from various roles, including teaching andassociate staff, directly involved in the year-longdesign, test and implementation stage of theproject. This also helped in the leadership of itacross the academy during the implementationphase, with different levels of leadership ensuringthat the software and system they developedwas introduced in a consistent way, and thatthe monitoring of its use and effectiveness wasspread across the leadership of the academy, notled solely from a vice-principal position. Althoughtime-consuming, it led to the introduction beingsmooth and welcomed, with the language of online reporting being spoken before the actualinitiative was fully launched. A fear of additionalworkload had to be managed and pilot groupstested the system for four months before thelaunch, talking to others not part of the pilot who

could see the speed and accuracy and reduction

in bureaucracy in the new system as a one-stop-

shop input and output source for all informationrequired.

IMPACT strategy

Ensuring that all staff from all departments/teamswere going to fully buy in to the IMPACT strategywas a challenge as there was variable practice inthe previous standard quality-assurance system.By getting a series of champions on board toevangelise about the advantages and outcomes

for improvement raised the prole of it withoutcomes published for all staff to see. Teamleaders from areas as diverse as hygiene services,the community sports centre, the primary phaseand curriculum areas took a strategic lead in theintroduction of the strategy and in ensuring thatconsistency of process, monitoring, reporting andaction was established and maintained. Althoughnot initially welcomed by those less committedto it, it enabled a culture of no place to hideand no blame but cure to be established, so

that now it is part of the language and bestpractice of the academy and has raised standardsof teaching to almost 100% good or above,marking signicantly improved and consistent.

Aspects such as cleaning routines and securitychecks are all part of the process and reportsby respective teams, with all staff responsiblefor leading the initiative in their daily work.

ImpactOnline reporting

Homework is now set and assessed in line withacademy policy by everyone across the academy,since everyone can see in real time what theresults are for any given student or group. Staff are able to engage parents fully in up-to-the-minute conversations on progress and target-setting. Students talk about their learning and

progress a lot. It has removed the over-reliance

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on behaviour conversations with parents, since

learning and progress conversations based onthe assessment in LAP records as part of theonline reporting system underpin everything.

The manager tool in LAP records enables theacademy to monitor parental access to see wherethere may be a need to engage and involve someparents more.

IMPACT strategy

The strategy has enabled consistency across

and within all areas of academy operationsand support programmes to be put in whererequired. Staff now act to improve identied areasrather than just monitoring the performance,and efciencies have been identied within theorganisation as a result of opening up every areato the scrutiny of the strategy.

Key elements

Online reporting

Ease of use of the software is a very attractiveaspect of our academys Online reporting system.Having the most up-to-date, accurate informationat everybodys nger tips immediately makesfor consistency in communication with studentsand parents and between staff. Increase inaccountability and pride in their work experiencedby staff and students alike have been powerful.

The fact that all staff are empowered to lead theimprovement in attainment and standards overallwith the use of such an up-to-date powerful set of data sets to hand has been a turning point for thecontinued success of the academy.

IMPACT strategy

The concept itself is very easy to understand bystaff and the schedule is clearly aligned to keyevents and milestones in the academy year soit is not a bolt-on. It is rmly rooted in improvingoutcomes and efciencies for all and staff cansee this. Ultimately the delegated and dispersedleadership systems which the academy hasdeliberately developed through the structureswhich have been established have moved theacademy from a position of dependency on senior

leadership to empowered and informed leadershipacross the organisation.

...Leadership


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Thomas Deacon Academy

Context

Thomas Deacon Academy opened in 2007 and isstill the largest single sponsored academy in the

country. It is situated in Central Peterborough andhas mathematics and science as its specialisms.It is sponsored by Perkins Engines and theDeacons School Trust and brought together threepredecessor schools, two of which would havebeen National Challenge had the designationbeen invented. The 5A*-C, including English andmathematics was 29% in 2007. Our forecastfor this year (2010/11) is 50% 5A*-C includingEnglish and mathematics. 37% of our studentsachieved a grade C or better in their mathematicsin 2007, we increased this to 54% in 2009 andforecast 59% for 2011. We have 20% of our year11 cohort of 350 in the most deprived 10% on theIndices of Multiple Deprivation.

Our practice

Our main focus was to provide targetedintervention for students on the C/D borderlineas well as an integrated programme for bothEnglish and mathematics students. The mainarea for intervention was to ensure that as manyof our students as possible achieved a Level 2qualication. Our initial policy decision was that allstudents in danger of not achieving a C in English

or mathematics would do both halves of the ALANto give them a full GCSE. Consequently, our listfor intervention comprised around 160 students.Our instructors delivered the majority of theintervention programme in lessons by extractingsmall groups of students (no more than ve orsix) for 45-minute sessions a week, preparing fortheir ALAN. The CPF 1 was directed in lessons byclassroom teachers at the sets where studentswere predicted less than a C grade.

7 Mathematics


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Early challenges

The main challenges in the implementation of ourintervention programme were not logistical as thewhole year had been planned out in advance; ourobstacles related to ensuring willing participationin the process amongst parents, students andstaff. We held a series of meetings for eachgroup with a presentation about the interventionprogramme very early on in the year, outliningwhat it would look like and the importance of achieving level 2 in mathematics. We highlightedthe impact their engagement would have onachieving this qualication and what we thoughtwas reasonably expected of them in orderto achieve this aim. Sharing information withstudents, staff and parents with regards to theirprogress in the intervention programme shouldnot be underestimated in ensuring success.

Impact

The main impact within the mathematics collegehas been in the use of our instructors to deliverthe main part of the programme to students inlessons. This has given them a greater inuencein affecting the bottom line outcomes for ourstudents. Another major benet has beenraising the prole of mathematics throughout theacademy. There is an expectation that all studentswill do some directed mathematics tasks in tutortime once a fortnight for 45 minutes. There werepictures of these students within their colleges,raising awareness amongst staff. Currently wehave 115 of those students who have passed the

ALAN level 2 in mathematics and an additional42 who have passed CPF, giving these studentsaccess to KS5 progression. This strategy willcontinue beyond GCSE examinations. We are ontarget to achieve our best results ever for GCSEsince the academy has been open.

The variety of practice and the planning of those activities in advance were instrumental

to our success. In addition to instructors and

tutor support, many other types of intervention,targeted and timed to help our students withtheir preparation for module tests and nalexaminations, were provided. Mathematicsand English collapsed days were organisedfor students at the start of the Easter holiday.

A chief examiner helped students with examtechnique and we allowed students to electtopics they wanted to revise, and producedindividual timetables based on mock paperfeedback. A residential trip was held after Easterto give students an intensive mathematics andEnglish preparation. Revision mornings duringthe half terms before examinations and a revisionbreakfast on the day of examination; where weprovide something to eat and access to lotsof resources and staff to ease any last minutenerves, are extremely successful. Calculators andrevision guides were provided.

The futureOur main area for development is the earlieridentication of students. We have currentlyidentied a cohort of 100 year 8 students who willundertake, as one of their GCSE option blocks, acourse in English, mathematics and ICT. Our KS4runs from year 9 to year 11. This will give themlots of support earlier on to help reduce the sizeof a year 11 cohort. We also have to incorporateFunctional Skills into the schemes of work for ourcurrent year 9 students, which will replace thecurrent ALAN work which we are doing. Finally,improving the work students can do in their tutortime in mathematics would make a massivedifference to our students. Any extra time we cangive them to practise with non-specialist staff willhelp raise, not only the prole of mathematics, butour success rate in examinations. Reviewing ourcurrent practice on re-sits and switching studentsto linear are further areas for development.

...Mathematics

CPF 1 Certicate of personal nance


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8 School organisation

Vertical tutoring, structure of theschool day including personalisedlearning time and boarding

The Hareeld Academy

Context

The Hareeld Academy opened in September2005 following a summer of wrapping hugebanners around the predecessor school withthe aim of giving the clear message that theacademy has arrived! During August, studentsand their families collected new uniforms and

nal plans were put into place that includedchanges to the curriculum; times of the schoolday; stafng structures; student management;reward systems and much, much more. Six yearsago our aims were high and realistic with sportingexcellence for all leading improvement. Given therelative geographic isolation of Hareeld villagewe are now planning a future where the mindsetshifts even further upward and onward towardsanything being possible, with learning taking

place in central London and way beyond.


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Our practice

Early needs analysis followed a simple process of identication of the challenge with solutions. Ourcommitment to vertical tutoring and personalisedlearning grew out of the following analysis:

Similarly:

Thus all students have a 45 minute personalisedlearning (PL) session that takes place mid-morning every day. During PL students are inhouses and in vertical tutor groups. During PLtime a range of activities take place:

Some students have additional sports ormusic coaching.

Paired reading takes place within the PL groupor in the LRC.

Each PL group has a house assembly perweek.

Students complete their homework/revise/

have additional tutoring.

Food trollies go to each room for thosestudents who want to purchase snacks.Others eat food that they have brought intoschool.

A variety of student leadership meetings andactivities take place throughout the term.

Once a half-term all PL groups watch aprepared themed presentation on thewhiteboards (the most recent theme wasbeing loving/kind to link with ValentinesDay).

On Fridays we often listen to THA Vibewhich is the sixth form-led radio station.

And again:

Thus, growing out of this analysis, was the needfor a boarding house on site. This facility opensin September 2011 and will cater for 50 youngpeople who will come from any of the followinggroups:

...School organisation

Issue

Time needed topersonalise thecurriculum

The need forsupervisedhomework

Follow yourDreams timeneeded

Solution

Changes to thetime of day

Personalisedlearning to featureon the timetable

Sports coaches,instructors, otheradults to addcapacity

Issue

Those studentswho arrived everymorning not readyto learn

Numbers of families strugglingto provide for theirchildren

The need for avery extendedcare/educationand for 24/7schooling

Solution

Some students tobe day boarders

Some to be term-time boarders

Communitylearning/recreation

Issue

High level of socialneed

Massive casework

demands Communityinterdependency

Solution

Student Managers Vertical Academic

Tutor Groups

Houses Communityinvolvement


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Students who might go into care if a boarding

place was not on offer.

Students who will have a greater chance of succeeding in life because of the expert careand advice that will be offered around theclock.

Students who are elite sports people and willbenet from being on site 24/7.

Sixth formers who will aim higher as boardingwill offer a bridge between school anduniversity.

Early challenges

Prior to opening we realised that we were askinga very great deal from the students because of the vast number and range of changes that wouldbe introduced very suddenly. We knew that we

would need help and support with the changes,particularly if the move to vertical tutoring and PLtime were to be a success. During the last termof the predecessor school we were lucky enoughto introduce Humanutopia to the students. Therest, as they say, is history. We have continued towork in some form or another with Humanutopiasince 2005 and the positive shift in culture of theschool/academy has been tremendous.

The creation of a state boarding facility has alsotaken us in new directions. We were incrediblyfortunate to gain the support of Lord Adonis(then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State forSchools) at the proposal and feasibility stage of the project, and this support has been carriedover to the coalition government. Given thenewness of the scheme we sought the help andsupport of those already running highly successfulboarding schools in both the private and public

sectors. The State Boarding Schools Association

has been particularly helpful in guiding us througha maze of policy and procedural requirements.

Impact

Visitors to our academy often comment onthe calm and welcoming atmosphere. Therelationships between students that are developedthrough PL time have a very positive impact onlearning. Students now believe that they canbe successful leaders and their self-esteem hasgrown tremendously. The academy now has areputation for being a friendly place to learn andapplications for places have grown from just 34 inthe rst year to well over 400.

PL time gives very many students the time todevelop their skills (particularly in sport) to a veryhigh level. Our success at international, nationaland local level in football, gymnastics, table tennis

and many other sports is testament to our exibleapproach to the needs of our students.

We have yet to prove the value of the boardingprovision but the data from the established stateboarding schools is very impressive indeed. Weare of the strong opinion that our students will bemore successful with a higher level of care andguidance.

Key elements leadingto success

Without doubt the key element to success hasbeen a team of staff with a can-do attitude. Allof our staff are committed to our vision and workextremely hard to ensure that this is turned toreality. On a day-to-day basis this means that if a



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student is absent from a lesson because they are

training, the teacher still has responsibility for theirlearning. Staff at THA are open to new ideas andare tremendously supportive of each other.

Students also understand our aims and the vastmajority buy into the structures and systemsbecause they understand why our day isstructured in a particular way.

Our personalised learning programme requiresthe support of many who are not teachers andthis includes our table tennis coach and our veryspecial partnership with Watford Football Club, forexample.

The support offered by our sponsors has beentremendous and it has been their vision that wehave enjoyed turning into reality.

Over the last six years we have worked with anygroup or organisation/individual that can supportour aims. Building capacity in unusual and unlikelyways has helped us a great deal.

The future

It goes without saying that gaining consistentlyhigh standards in all that we do remains a highpriority, but in addition our students still do notsee themselves as global citizens and the localismof Hareeld means that many students do nottravel out of the area. At a recent staff meeting ourcollective desire for all students to be exposed tothe cultural opportunities of Central London wasdiscussed at length. With the support of GoldmanSachs we will soon be taking large numbers of students into the museums and galleries that thecapital has to offer.

Very practically, we still aim to build a swimming

pool on site as this would transform the lives of our swimmers who currently can only access localpool time by getting up at 4.30am.

Lastly, there has been huge interest in theboarding development from other schools acrossthe UK. We feel a huge sense of responsibility tomake our project work and to be successful in thehope that other such schemes can follow.

As always we look forward to the future withoptimism!



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9 Science

Swindon Academy

Context

Swindon Academy opened as a 0-19 academyin September 2010 with a clear vision to be anall-through school. It began initially as a mergerof three separate schools (Pinehurst Infants,

Pinehurst Juniors, Headlands Secondary), allof which were low attaining, but demonstratingareas of strength and the potential to improve.Challenges arose from the beginning with somehesitance from staff and the community aboutthe merger. In January 2010 a second primary(Penhill School) joined the academy, but remainson a separate site. The academy is sponsoredby ULT, with Honda and Sir Antony Greener asbenefactors, and has an informal partnershipwith Marlborough College. It has a specialismin science with business & enterprise. The new

building places the school at the heart of itscommunity, which is predominantly disadvantagedwhite British, serving areas of high deprivation.

The biggest challenges faced by the academyare to change the culture of low expectationand aspiration and to raise standards in order toaddress the legacy of underachievement at allKey Stages, building secure foundations for allstudents, and securing parental engagement.

Our practice

As an academy with specialist status we aimto enthuse and educate all members of ourcommunity as to how science impacts oneveryday life. We hope not only to raise standardsof attainment and achievement in science but alsoto create an ethos in which science is enjoyed,and students develop enquiring minds.


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The development of this vision has been achieved

through a variety of means.

Specialist status this has enabled scienceto permeate through all aspects of school life,supporting students in raising their aspirations.Each area of the building, and each tutorgroup, is named after famous scientists. Allstudents from year 1-13 participate in sciencedays and festivals and visiting prominentscientists inspire the students. Launching andhosting the ULT/UCST Science Challengeraises the prole of science within the schooland the wider community.

The introduction of a variety of coursespost-KS3 specically chosen to ensure theengagement and success of students of allabilities, and to help them see the relevanceof science in their lives. Students begin thesecourses in year 9.

These include:

- OCR Triple Science.

- OCR GCSE Science.

- OCR Additional Science.

- OCR Additional Applied Science.

- Edexcel BTEC Certicate.

- Edexcel BTEC Extended Certicate.

- Edexcel BTEC Diploma.

Early challenges

Embedding the specialism was a challenge, withinitial resistance from some staff and students.

This was due in part to a lack of condence andeven a fear of the sciences. To address theseissues, opportunities were provided for staff totake ownership of and feel part of the specialism.

Faculties were asked to select quotes from

famous scientists and adopt these as mottosfor their curriculum area (eg SEN chose In themiddle of difculty lies opportunity, Einstein), andcurriculum areas in the building and tutor groupswere named after scientists. Key skills wereidentied which are central to science, but alsorelevant to all other areas (teamwork, problem-solving, independent enquiry and creativethinking). Staff received training in how these skillscould be developed and encouraged within theirown curriculum areas. Specialism handbooksdetailing examples of this are issued for use by allstaff. All students complete specialism journalsin tutor time recording how they have practisedthese skills throughout the week.

As a result of the large number of different courseson offer, difculties were encountered in ensuringall students were placed on the correct pathway,and tracked effectively to ensure appropriateintervention was in place. Rigorous trackingsystems with tailored intervention have been putin place. Students on BTEC are provided withpersonal feedback sheets for each assignment,and are able to track their own performance usingspread sheets. Diagnostic assessment is used via

Activ Inspire and the VLE which informs planningand intervention for teachers, and enablestargeted revision for students.

Impact

Science results within the academy have showndramatic improvements over the past few years,with A*- C results increasing from 27% to 98%.Students now recognise science as a strength,and are keen to progress. There is now ercecompetition from students to participate inextra-curricular science activities, with numerousapplications received to represent the school

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in science quizzes, and to join after-school

dissection and STEM clubs.

Uptake to post-16 courses is increasing steadily,both through traditional A level routes, and BTECin Medical Science. Engagement in sciencelessons has noticeably increased, as studentsare following appropriate courses and can clearlysee their own progress and successes. Key skillsidentied are also developing, not only withinscience lessons, but across other curriculumareas, with students and staff clearly identifyingwhen and where these are used.

Key elements leadingto success

This has all been achieved through team work,a shared vision (both students and staff) andthrough instilling a belief in the students whichhas clearly translated to them. Directing studentsonto the correct pathway is central to ensuringsuccess, and this has been instrumental inthe development of the science curriculum.Curriculum design has been rened to allow forexibility between different courses. Accurateassessment throughout the key stages is crucialto ensure all students have access to coursesappropriate to them. Concerted effort has beenmade to ensure that students and parents havea clear understanding of the different courses

available, and which is the most appropriate.Curriculum mapping is shared, providing parentsand students with a route through KS4, KS5and beyond within science. Parents are invited in

early in year 9 with their children to explain clearly

what is involved in each course, and studentsare involved in delivering science lessons to theirparents. Detailed analysis of students datatakes place every six weeks, and action plansare implemented as a result of this. Fortnightlytracking is also carried out, where studentsunderachieving are identied and such datashared with SLT, ensuring intervention is carriedout.

The future

Future plans within the science departmentinclude increasing the uptake of double and triplescience and consequently increasing sixth formuptake. Bridging courses are being investigatedto prepare students more effectively for A levelstudies, in particular for double science students.

The possibility of offering AS courses in scienceand applied science in Year 11 for double science

and higher-achieving BTEC students is also beingconsidered.

Science days are planned for year 11 studentsfrom other schools in order to attract them toundertake post-16 science courses at Swindon

Academy and plans are underway to offer sciencecourses to parents, and members of the localcommunity.

...Science


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Bradford Academy

Context

Bradford Academy opened its doors to its rststudents in September 2007. We have grownrapidly and now have 1100 students, includingover 200 at post-16. Bradford Academy is not

just another new school though; it provides aunique way to give children the education theydeserve, and to equip them with the attitudes,skills and knowledge, that they will need to leadsuccessful lives. We want our students to stretchthemselves and to reach further than they everthought possible.

We are sponsored by the Diocese of Bradford;together we have developed citizenship withenterprise as the specialism of the academy. Thisspecialism permeates every aspect of life withinthe academy. We have a wide range of studentswithin our catchment area, including a signicantnumber of learners with EAL needs. We also have

a Designated Specialist Provision (DSP) for 25places for learners with physical disabilities.Symbolically, our new building has the Forumat its heart, demonstrating our commitment toinvolve, inform and inspire our students to usetheir voice so that every learner is known, valuedand understood.

Our practice

Within my role as Director of personalised learningfor learning development, I work closely with theSENCo and DSP, SEN and EAL managers. I ama strategic middle leader for pupils with additionalneeds, including travellers and looked-afterchildren.

I am also in the process of completing the CCETcerticate in educational testing, to enable me totest learners and identify areas of weakness thatcan be addressed through intervention, in additionto applying for access arrangements for learnerstaking exams.

10 SEN


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...SEN

Our DSP received fantastic feedback in our last

DSP inspection for the support we provide forthe learners. We have a team of care assistants,in addition to our learning assistant team, whoprovide daily care for our DSP learners. Thismay include hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, feedingand personal care needs. Our learning assistantsmake themselves available to support all learnerswithin the classroom.

ChallengesOur learning assistants are exible within theclassroom and work with learners of all needswithin the classroom environment. This wasinitially a barrier due to their role within thepredecessor school being Velcro support forDSP learners in wheelchairs only. This hasinvolved a signicant mind shift and a valuableinput into training for the learning assistants,as highlighted in our Ofsted report from

February 2010.

The management of provision for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities is good because there is good communication between staff, systematic recording of students needs and effective training for teachers and

support staff.

We also introduced a learning assistant log, whichincludes class lists with all learners and theirneeds highlighted (EAL, SEN, DSP), copies of their timetables, issues sheets (where an issue orincident can be reported and followed up by theDoPL).

Another challenge we have overcome is

planning, delivering and monitoring intervention.In the predecessor school, intervention wasnot adding impact through short-term actionsand interventions. Learners would be in anintervention group and stay there for the wholeyear. We have worked really hard at ensuring thatlearners are identied and monitored accuratelyand to show impact, making the process moreuid. We have done this by identifying learnerswith areas of weakness in either literacy ornumeracy after our progress update review(PUR) data collections, then allocating them tostage-not-age intervention groups run by higherlevel teaching assistants (HLTAs). We have thendeveloped a tracking system for monitoringthe impact of the interventions. For learnersstruggling with reading, we complete a readingage assessment on entry to the intervention groupand then half-termly. We then move learners inand out the intervention groups as necessary.

Impact

By tightening the role of the learning assistant wehave had a positive impact on the progress of alllearners within the classroom environment. Wehave also allocated learning assistants to areaswithin the school, which has allowed for someshared planning and for our learning assistants tobe able to create resources. This is by no meansperfect and needs developing in the future, withmore time allocated to collaborative planning.

In addition, the intervention process has hadteething problems. For example which lessondo you remove the learners from? How can you

justify removing them from humanities for examplewhen they only have one lesson per week? Doyou remove learners from French if they cant reador write English?


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...SEN

These questions were often hard to answer and

we had to weigh up the impact whilst still allowinglearners access and choice. We have a carefullyplanned and structured intervention programmewhich allows for stage-not-age intervention toallow learners to make progress and hopefullyreach their potential.

Elements for success

The key elements for success within a successfulSEN department, from our experience, are highquality training with reection time, opportunitiesfor collaborative planning, exibility of supportwithin the classroom, instead of Velcro support.We have developed the team with carefullydesignated tasks for a variety of team membersensuring roles are clearly dened.

We have also achieved the Inclusion CharterMark 1 in January 2011 reected in a quotation

from our Ofsted report from February 2010.

Students with special educational needs and/or disabilities thrive and make good progress because the academy provides an inclusiveeducational environment. They

recognise and value the support they

receive and that they are very much atthe heart of the academy. They enjoy

school because they are shown respect by their peers and receive good care and support from staff.

We are hoping to develop the standards within

SEN, to ensure they include our primary phase asour all-through academy develops. We currentlyhave nursery and reception classes and this willfeed through until we have two forms of entry inevery year group.

We anticipate that our learning assistants andHLTAs will all receive the same training anddevelop as one whole team rather than twoseparate teams.

1 The Inclusion Chartermark is an Education Bradford award - a way of recognising schools with good inclusion. It also provides a self-audit for school improvement.


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John Cabot AcademyContext

John Cabot is a successful academy inKingswood, Bristol.

Originally a City Technology College which openedin September 1993, John Cabot CTC was oneof only fteen schools in a programme that has

since led to the development of well over 2000specialist schools. The academy has extendedthe original specialisms of science and technologyto add inclusion. John Cabot also works inpartnership with Bristol Brunel Academy (BBA)and Bristol Metropolitan Academy (BMA) andHans Price Academy (HPA); the four academiesform the Cabot Learning Federation. Two moreacademies will join the Federation by September2011. The academy works closely with businessand industry, particularly through its sponsors,Rolls Royce PLC and UWE. Representativesfrom these companies support the academyin all aspects of its running and also sit on theacademys governing body.

Expertise

John Cabot Academy has developed a uniqueapproach to raising the quality of learning andteaching. The Effective Lesson Framework

contains the ve key ingredients required forany lesson to be outstanding, and includes Assessment for Learning and Personal Learningand Thinking Skills. It is based on assessmentcriteria that allow progress on an individual aspectof teaching and learning to be made measurable.

The frameworks demonstrate how learningappears at different development stages, fromfocusing to enhancing. The enhancing featuresof these frameworks go beyond the requirementsfor an outstanding lesson and are aspirational butachievable.

Challenges

The challenge is to empower all staff to be ableto teach outstanding lessons all of the time. TheEffective Lesson Framework requires staff tounpick what makes up outstanding teaching and

learning and provides support and examples of excellent practice. Linked to CPD, the challengewas to make teaching and learning the cleardriving force for all professional development andto make this progress measurable. Students alsoneed to be included in all aspects and a grouphas now been trained to observe lessons usingkey elements of the framework as a basis.

Impact

The impact of the Effective Lesson Frameworkhas been extensive and allows staff to self-orpeer-assess their progress against commentsthat are not subject-specic. Ofsted regardedteaching and learning to be outstanding atJohn Cabot in 2009 and commented on thecontribution of the Effective Lesson Framework.

The impact can be seen in the classroom, alllesson plans and observation forms are nowbased around the Effective Lesson Framework

and this has had a positive inuence on theproportion of lessons that are now observed to beoutstanding.

11 Teaching and learning


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Key elements

Each area of the framework is supported byvideos of staff at the academy sharing goodpractice and these are made available to all staff through the school VLE. The Effective LessonFramework terminology is also used to embedan ethos of teaching and learning and is directlylinked to whole-school coaching and CPD.

Future developments

The Effective Lesson Framework is reviewed andupdated on a yearly basis. Staff will be able togain accreditation with a Masters in Educationfrom the Action Enquiry research work they aredoing, based upon areas of the framework. Theability to share good practice and involve allteaching, support and trainee staff will be superb.

The SamworthEnterprise Academy

Context

The Samworth Enterprise Academy, an all-through academy on the Saffron/Eyres Monsellestate in Leicester, opened in September 2007

specialising in business and enterprise with food,and will reach capacity in September 2011. Thecatchment area is within the 4th sector of totaldeprivation 1, made up of mainly White British(91.6%) with the Asian British and mixed racepopulations at 1.9% and 2.1% respectively.Educationally, the academy lies within the 2ndsector of deprivation - 54.59% of people aged 16to 74 are deemed to have no qualications and of those with qualications only 6.67% achieved level4/5 qualications 2. Here begins our challengeto educate the young people of Saffron/EyresMonsell for the future.

Our practice

The development of a Creative Curriculum beganin response to working with a group of students(age 8 to 13), alongside Creative Partnerships, todevelop creative practice across the academy.

The students designed a set of off-timetableCultural Experience Days where all studentsin the academy across the year groups took

part in mixed-age learning through storytelling,food, art, drama and music activities relating todifferent cultures around the world. Every childand member of staff shared the experiences, withthe students presenting what they had learnt ina performance-style sharing of work to parents,members of the community and governors at theend of the day.

A later project was developed as part of theliteracy curriculum and all year 7 students studiedGothic Tales with their teachers and four visitingpractitioners theatre artistes and a writer. Thefocus, alongside the development of literacyskills, was to develop the students personal,learning and thinking (PLT) skills through creative

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learning. All students accessed sessions with all

practitioners across eight three-hour sessionsand although sometimes the room was like abomb site there was lots of work going on. Thestudents were able to develop their team-workingand reective skills.

Challenges

Developing and implementing a CreativeCurriculum obviously doesnt come without any

obstacles, and during the initial implementationof creative practice, strategic timetabling of theCultural Experience Days across the phaseswas difcult! However, it was as a result of thisthat it became clear that we needed to pushcreativity into regular curriculum time in order tobe successful in developing progressive creativeteaching and learning. Therefore the focus at thispoint moved to developing the work with the year7 groups who learn within a primary structure(the majority of lessons with their class teacher,

with art, performing arts and PE with specialiststaff). It was also felt that this would amplify theimportance of creativity.

Key elements

Creative teaching and learning is gainingmomentum across the academy and most staff are keen to develop their practice. In Phase1 (Foundation to year 4), planning focuses

on themed lessons whereby all lessons focuson the same topic. Themed lessons are alsobeing developed in Phase 2 (years 5 to 8) withincreasing success, allowing us to demonstrateconsistency and progression throughout theacademy. Strategically, the group of year 7teachers who worked on the Gothic Tales projectare developing their strategies and practicefurther, and as a result are developing their ownPirate Week project where all lessons link to apirate theme. This key group of staff will continue

to develop their work and be key drivers andleaders in sharing creative teaching and learningwith other staff.

Impact

So, where are we now and where do we go fromhere? Although the Cultural Experience Dayswere successful, we continually strive to embeda creative curriculum across the academy wherestaff will model creative strategies and practice.Our students have shown, from results of projectscompleted so far, that they learn well from beingactive and creative, and staff agree, as evidencedfrom academy research, that this is the wayforward. With key members of staff on the SLT

and in middle leader roles whose remit it is tolead and embed this work, and with the fervour of other staff, success is inevitable.

Future

Our over-arching vision for the future at theacademy is to foster a whole-school spirit of creativity through creative innovation, whilst raisingachievement. We need to instil a can-do attitude

in the students, through the development of PLTskills in preparation for adult life and employability.Creativity in teaching and learning remains a focusof whole-school development, highlighted inthe SIP. In the future we will continue to developthe practice of staff already involved in creativeteaching strategies and practice and will use thesestaff to become advocates for creative teachingand learning. Additionally, the Creative CurriculumStrategy Group, a staff working party with arepresentative from each phase and curriculum

area of the academy, will attend monthly meetingsto discuss, develop and embed creative teachingand learning strategies across the academy. Theworking party will also focus on the developmentof students personal, learning and thinking skillsalongside creative learning and reective practiceand within this use the U-Explore programme toaid assessment of PLT skills across the subjects.It will also be essential to work with staff acrossthe academy to develop the language of theskills, so to be understood by the different ages.

Although we are making good progress, we stillhave a long but exciting journey ahead of us!

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1 www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk 2 April 2001 census


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Grateful thanks tothe following for theircontributions

Attendance Alan Bolton, Assistant Vice Principal, David YoungCommunity Academy.

Behaviour

Jo Bell, Assistant Principal, Wren Academy.

Curriculum design

Using the specialisms Phil Latham, Principal,Macmillan Academy. With thanks to Macmillan

Academy for images.

Partnership working Alison Mulqueen, Vice Principal, Archbishop Sentamu Academy.

Data

Richard Hobbs, Assistant Principal, Grace Academy,Coventry. With thanks to Steve Hill Photography forthe images.

English

Claire Heald, Assistant Principal, Ormiston Victory Academy.

Leadership

Dr. Hilary Macaulay, Principal and CEO, West London Academy.

Mathematics

Alan McMurdo, Principal and CEO, The ThomasDeacon Academy.

School organisation

Lynn Gadd, Principal, The Hareeld Academy. Withthanks to Sylvain Deleu for the sporting image.

Science

Jacqui House, Assistant Principal, Swindon Academy.

SEN

Lisa Rumford, Director of Personalised Learning forLearning Development, Bradford Academy.

Teaching and learning

James Hall, Assistant Principal, John Cabot Academy.

Becky Tooth, Middle Leader for Performing Arts, TheSamworth Enterprise Academy.

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