Standards, Quality and Improvement Plan Prospect Bank School

A safe, supportive and inclusive community where everyone is valued.

Standards and Quality Report for session: 2016 - 2017Improvement Plan for session: 2017 - 2018

STANDARDS and QUALITY REPORT session 17 -18

Context of the school

Prospect Bank School is a special school community providing education for primary age pupils. The school opened in 1975 and is situated in the Leith Links area of the city. We cater for primary age learners with complex, long term additional support needs where the presumption of mainstream cannot be met. Needs of learners are primarily associated with learning disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The school serves a wide area and pupils travel from all parts of the City of Edinburgh.

Our maximum roll will continue to be 56 with a maximum pupil teacher ratio of 1:10. There is a senior management team (SMT) of Head Teacher, Depute Head Teacher, Principal Teacher and part-time Business Manager. We have 8 full and part-time teachers and 19 support staff (full and part-time) working across the school. Classes are organized by age, with a class teacher and 2 or 3 support staff per class. Last year we had Art and PE Specialists working with all children, as well as input from outside agencies such as Dancebase and Active Schools. We work closely with allied health professionals to meet the needs of our pupils and last year had Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Community Child Health supporting us in school. We have strong links with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and Psychological Services.

We are part of the Drummond Cluster and are working hard to raise the profile of the school and become more involved in cluster developments. To enable the cluster to better support learners with autism, we hosted an “autism friendly classroom” session, to demonstrate the practical supports we put in place for our learners. We continue to build strong links with local mainstream primaries, through buddy classes or contact visits. We make very good use of the facilities in the local community to enhance the curriculum for our learners.

Our Vision, Values and Aims

Our Vision is for all learners to be the best they can be; to provide a safe, supportive and inclusive community where everyone is valued.

Our Values:

Our learners have complex, long term additional support needs which are primarily associated with a learning disability, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other complex needs. These additional support needs impact on learners’ ability to develop skills for learning, life and work.

We want our children to be as independent and included in society as they can be and our curriculum, teaching approaches and environment are adapted to enable this.

We build a consultative approach with parents, partner services and the local community and we value this as it enables us to provide a curriculum that is meaningful, breaks down the barriers to learning and continues to develop our inclusive society.

We want our learners to feel safe, supported and valued. They should experience achievement and success now and in their future lives and enjoy the rewards this brings them and their families.

Our curriculum has a clear rationale based on shared values & mutual respect. It is designed within the four contexts of learning to promote challenge, enjoyment, breadth and depth, progression, relevance, coherence, personalisation and choice in learning for all learners.

Our Aims:

Our children will be Successful Learners. We will:

• provide stimulating and motivating learning experiences.

• ensure the highest quality teaching and learning.

Our children will be Confident Individuals. We will:

• ensure a safe, secure and challenging environment.

• ensure that we improve self-esteem and feelings of being valued and listened to.• promote a sense of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Our children will be Responsible Citizens. We will:

• ensure a climate of respect for people and the environment.

ensure a wider and deeper understanding of the world in which they live.• demonstrate personal responsibility, compassion and support for others.

Our children will be Effective Contributors. We will:

• provide an inclusive communication setting where all children can communicate effectively.

• work closely in partnership with parents and carers and outside agencies.

Significant Factors, session 16 - 17

Prospect Bank had a special school sector “Ready, Steady, Go” review in September 2016. This identified development areas in literacy, total communication and with our IEPs. We feel the majority of issues have been addressed during the current academic year; however, we will have a strong focus on inclusive communication in session 17/18, including establishing a new communication class. This will be detailed in the school improvement plan.

Staffing this year has been a significant challenge. There has been a high level of staff absence due to illness, some of it long term, and staff have also suffered a number of bereavements. All members of staff have been supportive and flexible to minimise the impact this has had on our learners.

We are pleased to be receiving £38400 from the Scottish Government’s Pupil Equity Fund. Learners, staff and partners were consulted before a spending proposal was created. As our focus is on literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing, we have invested in resources to support this. The spending proposal was well received by staff, parents and partners, and this will be detailed in the school improvement plan.

As a staff, we have been very aware of the City of Edinburgh “The 1 in 5: Raising Awareness of Child Poverty” project. In Prospect Bank, 2 in 5 of our families are in poverty; i.e. twice the average for the city. We looked closely at the amounts of money we were asking parents to contribute over the year, such as breakfast, horse riding and The Yard, a local facility which allows our learners to experience creative, adventurous indoor and outdoor play in a well-supported environment. SMT and the Friends of Prospect Bank have been actively involved in fund raising, and we have also sought support from the council with additional grants for our Breakfast Club. As a result, it is our aim as a school community to address the cost of the school day and to help our families by NOT asking parents or carers for any financial contribution in session 17-18. We are also providing a free school sweat shirt for each child at the start of the academic year.

QI 1.1: Self-evaluation for self-improvement.

Collaborative approaches to self-evaluation. Analysis and evaluation of intelligence and data. Ensuring impact on learners’ successes and achievements.

As a school we are committed to ensuring that school improvement is built on effective self-evaluation. A strategic overview is shared with the whole school community at the start of each school session, ensuring a shared understanding of the strengths and improvement needs of the school. A rigorous and timed self-evaluation calendar is also designed and shared so that the direction of the school for each session is clear for all. Self-evaluation processes are clearly linked to current national, authority and school agendas, with impact on learners analysed and next steps set. This is an ongoing process and is monitored during the year, through SMT and staff meetings, to ensure the school is on target.

As individuals and with colleagues, we evaluate our own class work as reflective practitioners and make improvements. Documentation (in the form of weekly and termly planning) is sufficiently detailed and purposeful. We have a strong mentoring system to support new staff into our school. Our weekly planning and evaluating format lends itself well to supporting this process along with our weekly team meetings and fortnightly whole staff meetings. We work as a school community and with partner services to evaluate provision in order to secure continuous improvement and continually assess and meet the needs of our learners. We have robust systems in place throughout the year to consider the views of staff, parents, learners, partners and others about the quality of their work. We work in active partnership with other services for children to secure improvement. Our vision, values and aims are used as the basis for reviewing our work.

We use a range of assessment tools to measure children’s progress across the curriculum. Data is collected from IEPs, where targets are set annually and reviewed each term. This year, most children fully achieved their long term IEP targets. These targets are shared with parents and carers who are invited to comment and suggest next steps throughout the year.

Subject Long term targets fully achievedLiteracy 83%Numeracy 80%Health and Wellbeing 89%

Almost all learners are using Read Write Inc (RWI) to support learning in literacy, with some learners using a supplementary programme Reading and Language Intervention (RLI). RWI is based on reading recovery methods and has been used successfully in school for five years. Learners’ progress is systematically assessed and recorded twice per year, using formal RWI assessment tools. SEAL numeracy assessment has been used where appropriate, giving us baseline measurement for the next academic year and ensuring learning and teaching gives optimum pace and challenge.

Our self-evaluation focuses on key aspects of our learners’ successes, with the main aims of raising attainment and achievement and closing the equity gap. It draws on a wide range of advice and evidence and is rigorous, systematic and transparent. All our teams reflect on current practices and evaluate any new initiatives, ideas and changes we have introduced. Therapists meet regularly with SMT and with class teams to discuss appropriate interventions and classroom activities. We provide opportunities for regular professional dialogue through various staff trainings and meetings, including whole staff, teacher, support staff, Health and Safety, Parent Council, Friends of Prospect Bank and SMT meetings. Professional dialogue is clearly linked to areas identified for improvement. Minutes and feedback are made available to all, via a cloud based provision, Microsoft OneNote. Children play an active role in the life of the school through informal circle time and 1:1, small group discussions with staff and more

formally through our Pupil Council. All our learner achievements are celebrated, as demonstrated on our ongoing Achievement Wall. The wider community are consulted through informal discussions where appropriate e.g. views on School Fair and Neighbours Near and Far. We ask parents to give us feedback on their experiences of key school events, to ensure that we are getting it right for all of our families. Their views are also sought on their child’s IEP and comments invited on Learning Journals. Learning Journals is an online facility, which allows staff and parents to share, comment on and celebrate children’s achievements, both in and out of school. All feedback is considered and actioned appropriately.

Our school community takes a joined up approach to improvement across all that it does. We are committed to acting on the results of self-evaluation and can show clear evidence of improvement based on our actions as part of our self-evaluation. We take a ‘you said, we did’ impact and evidence approach. Our improvements focus particularly on continuing improvements to learning and teaching and the achievements of all learners. We are totally committed to improving outcomes and raising attainment and achievement for all children through robust self-evaluation.

QI 1.3: Leadership of change.

Developing a shared vision, values and aims relevant to the school and its community. Strategic planning for continuous improvement. Implementing improvement and change.

This has been the first full year of our current management team at Prospect Bank, following an interim period of acting posts. With the new team in place, there has been an ongoing review of shared vison, values and aims. Whilst the school has an extremely positive and inclusive ethos, a whole school discussion at the start of the year was a way of empowering the whole school community and creating a real sense of ownership.

The use of Learning Journals has continued across the school, using ICT to enhance our communication with parents on their children’s progress and support children to share their experiences and achievements with their families. This involves all staff and families. New staff were trained in the practical aspects of Learning Journals, and guidelines revised with clear expectations for their use, including a section in the WTA to ensure no increased workload. Exemplars were created, to outline “what makes a quality observation”, ensuring consistency across the school. New parents were introduced to Learning Journals. SMT role throughout, particularly DHT role, was to support and encourage staff, parents and learners to engage with Learning Journals, as this continuous, online approach is very different for all concerned.

Staff engagement remains variable – most staff immediately engaged and exceeded expectations, but some were offered more regular support and encouragement. Parental engagement has improved as the year progressed, especially when parents were given the opportunity to add their own observations from home.

Following evaluation of Learning Journals with a range of stakeholders, we will continue to use them next year, with the key focus on Learning Journals as a tool for reporting to parents. We will continue to work closely with other schools in the special sector.

QI 2.2: Curriculum.

Rationale and design. Development of the curriculum. Learning pathways. Skills for learning, life and work.

Our curriculum has a clear rationale based on shared values. It has been developed using the 7 design principles across the four contexts of learning allowing all children to develop in the four capacities. The curriculum design ensures all learners receive their entitlements. It promotes challenge,

enjoyment, breadth and depth, progression, relevance, coherence, personalisation and choice in learning for all pupils. There is a strong focus on both relevance and personalisation, ensuring we meet the individual needs of our learners, through carefully planned Individual Education Plans (IEPs). The curriculum takes account of our local circumstances and of local and national advice. As part of a special sector within Edinburgh, we are developing strong links and all staff have the opportunity to share best practice, shadowing each other and participating in whole sector training.

We hope to continue to further develop these links next session, both within and outwith the authority, as we value this joint approach to professional development. A high priority is given to the development of health and wellbeing across skills for learning, life and work, literacy, numeracy, world of work, enterprising activities and culture. For the first time in several years, we have been able to provide weekly swimming sessions. We have also offered weekly opportunities for cycling, including cycling off site for six of our more skilled cyclists. By offering swimming and cycling, we are giving the children skills they can then develop with their own families and in their own communities.

We develop and refresh our curriculum on a regular basis, involving all staff in the process and taking account of the views of our learners, parents and the wider community. We reflect in staff teams on the range and quality of experiences for learners, the impact of these experiences on learners and the positive outcomes they achieve. We reflect on our practice continually, to see what works and what does not work. We plan carefully and in consultation with our stakeholders in making curriculum innovations, adaptations to meet the needs of our learners, and opportunities for choice and, where appropriate, for specialisation. A four-year programme of whole school Interdisciplinary Learning (IDL) topic plans is ongoing, and has been shared (and subsequently adopted) as an example of good practice with other special schools within the authority. The IDL programme provides creative, motivating and engaging experiences for our learners, across all the experiences and outcomes of a broad, general education (BGE). The programme will be reviewed in the next academic year.

Our programmes and courses are stimulating, challenging, relevant and enjoyable. Teachers develop literacy and numeracy skills appropriate to the curriculum area and we will continue this through more contextualised learning opportunities e.g. literacy and numeracy in the playground.

Our curriculum promotes wider achievement well and learners grow as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. Learners have opportunities to take part in community events organised by Leith Festival, such as the art exhibition and carol singing. We work very closely with our Riding for the Disabled (RDA) partners at the Drum, and this year we have continued to offer training for their staff in working with children with a learning disability and ASD. We have had a huge number of sporting opportunities and successes both in and out of school this year, due the involvement of Active Schools co-ordinator, Disability and Inclusion.

Outdoor learning has had a major impact this year, with the continuation of Forest Schools one day per week. Our specialist art teacher has taken the lead role in this. We were well equipped with wet weather gear and tarpaulins. Two classes have been involved, and their increased confidence and resilience in all weathers has been a pleasure to see! They have really benefited from time to develop the four capacities within this totally different, and for some, entirely new environment. For this reason, we are extending the Forest Schools project to four classes for the coming session, as well as working on a new outdoor learning project with Scottish Natural Heritage. Other outdoor learning opportunities have taken place at The Yard, Foxlake (Dunbar) and Fordell Firs (Dunfermline).

Learning for sustainability is fully embedded across our curriculum, with an annual calendar of events such as World Porridge Day, One Planet Picnic, RSPB Bird Watch and Empty Classrooms day. We also raise funds for our link school in Sudan. We were awarded our 5th Eco Schools Green Flag in September 2016, showing an ongoing commitment to sustainability.

We are continuing to develop learning experiences that ensure, as much as possible, that our learners are creative, enterprising and prepared for the world of work and future careers. A highlight of our school year is our Neighbours Near and far event, where we invite and entertain our senior citizens from the local community. Leaners are involved in planning, marketing and co-ordinating on the day. From the buying the ingredients and making the Fairtrade baking, delivering leaflets to the local community to welcoming our visitors and being school ambassadors, our children are celebrated as confident individuals, successful learners, effective contributors and responsible citizens. From a peak attendance of 70 in 2016, we were disappointed with only around 20 visitors this year. We will work with the local community council and churches to see how the event could reach more people.

QI 2.3: Learning, teaching and assessment.

Learning and engagement. Quality of teaching. Effective use of assessment. Planning, tracking and monitoring.

The learning environment in Prospect Bank is positive and nurturing. It provides individual challenge leading to high quality learning through personalised outcomes. All learners are motivated and eager participants in their learning. They enjoy being actively involved in their learning and sharing their success, in particular sharing their learning in relation to whole school topics. Each class has opportunities to lead assembly where they share their learning with the school and invited guests. This experience builds confidence and self-esteem for all.

Overall, the quality of teaching is good, as evidenced through weekly plans and termly IDL plans, which are monitored by SMT and peers, and also through planned classroom observations by SMT, 4 times per year. Learners’ engagement and inclusive communication were themes for focussed classroom observations.

Staff work hard to create appropriate and individualised resources to engage all learners. Digital technologies are an integral part of our learning and teaching, with interactive boards and iPads being used on a daily basis to support, engage and motivate. A range of digital technologies also support non-verbal learners as their personalised communication device.

Learning opportunities take place throughout the local community and beyond, making use of outdoor spaces, local shops, theatres and sports facilities. Wherever possible, all learners take part in these opportunities; however, the nature of ASD means that for some of our learners, a trip new environment can be extremely challenging.

We match learning activities to the needs of our learners and groups with different abilities and aptitudes which ensures all are challenged appropriately, and at a pace which ensures ongoing progress. On the whole our tasks, activities and resources provide good support and challenge to enable all learners to maximise their progress.

Staff are constantly evaluating the impact of teaching and this is noted within weekly plans, where SMT and peer reviewers can suggest adaptations or enhancements. Assessment is primarily through planned observations, which are then recorded and shared on Learning Journals. Learning Journals allows staff to link each observation to relevant experience and outcomes from Curriculum for Excellence. IEP targets are evaluated termly, and again this is evidenced on Learning Journals as well as within the IEP document. There is some formal assessment, where appropriate, using RWI and SEAL assessment tools.

There are various systems in place across the school to ensure progress is tracked and monitored regularly: However, we recognise the need to consolidate and review the individual tracking processes to ensure a consistent and accessible tracking framework to ensure that monitoring is more robust.

QI 2.4: Personalised support.

Universal support. Targeted support, Removal of potential barriers to learning.

Individualised Educational Programmes (IEPs) and Coordinated Support Plans (CSPs) contain appropriate learning targets for our learners and are monitored and updated regularly. Parents, partners and the learners themselves are involved in reviewing learner’s needs and setting next steps. Where appropriate, learners can suggest their own targets using our child friendly targets or through talking mats. Parents are involved during parental consultations and through online Learning Journals, and partners liaise directly with staff during dedicated liaison time. All parties, including the learners, contribute to Child Planning Meetings.

We aim to get it right for every child, and in all our planning of the identification of need, the child is always at the centre. We identify, review and evaluate learners’ needs including those whose needs are significantly different from those of their peers. We do this through working closely with our learners, their parents and partner services. We are always building on ways to include our learners as much as possible in their target setting and decision making through meaningful, relevant and well planned interventions.

One of the key strengths of our school is the ability to break down barriers to learning. We take positive and proactive steps to ensure that factors such as the learning environment, family circumstances, health needs, disability or social or emotional factors which may hinder learning are promptly identified and addressed effectively. We work very closely with families to build positive, supportive and solution focused relationships. We may involve other partners such as health professionals, social workers or ASL service, as well as using the expertise and creativity of our own staff to plan highly individualised learning experiences and support plans.

QI 2.5: Family Learning.

Engaging families in learning. Early intervention and prevention. Quality of family learning programmes.

Parental engagement is good, with 84% of parents actively engaging (not just signing up) with Learning Journals. Learning Journals uses ICT to enhance communication with parents on their children’s progress and supports children in sharing their experiences and achievements with their families. 38% of parents share achievements from home, which has been really useful for class teams. Some parents do not have internet access, and they have been invited to view the observations in school or given a paper copy, to ensure equality. Video evidence is proving to be very popular, as parents can see strategies used in class and then further develop this at home.

Learners enjoy seeing their own achievements, and Learning Journals are used in Child Planning Meetings (CPM) as evidence of success. We also use them in assemblies, to celebrate achievements.

Number of families December 2015 June 2016 June 2017

Signed up with email address

86% 95% 95%

Engaging 56% 69% 84%

Not signed up 14% 5% 5%

Sharing achievements from home (new initiative for 1617)

38%

Attendance at parental consultations is good, despite this involving a long journey for some families. We provide afternoon and evening appointments, with crèche facilities for at least one of the sessions. For parents who have been unable to attend, we have offered telephone consultations to ensure that every parent has spoken to their child’s class teacher. We are always looking at creative solutions to help remove any barriers to parental engagement, as we appreciate the importance of this in raising attainment and closing the attainment gap. We are excited that, for the first time, we will be employing a family learning worker for the next academic year.

Almost all families attend an annual CPM for their child, along with other professionals. Again, we ensure that all parents are engaged by providing interpreters or offering phone consultations if necessary. Additional CPMs are planned as required, monthly for some families. The head teacher, as named person, is pro-active in seeking supports and solutions for families by involving other professionals and outside agencies where appropriate. Parents noted in the end of year questionnaire that “staff work closely with families and take on their views”.

We had a successful open morning in June, when over 20 families joined in class activities. This was followed by a picnic lunch together, and there should have been a whole school trip to the Leith Festival funfair in the afternoon. However, for the first time in 10 years this was rained off.

Strong home-school links are provided on a daily basis through home school diaries. The diaries allow for daily dialogue between home and school, and visual supports within the diary help children to share news about their day in school or their weekend. News is also shared with families through social media accounts.

Our Friday morning parent group is very supportive, creating resources such as busy bags and visual supports. The group is also a social and support network for parents, who value their time together. Unfortunately, due to the demand for space within the school, it has not been possible to allocate a specific space for parents and this may have impacted on their attendance and engagement.

We have previously worked in partnership with CAMHS to provide family learning through the Confident Parenting Programme. This was very well received by parents and supported families across the school with building their confidence in managing the daily challenges they face. We hope to repeat this programme next session, with parents new to the school being given priority.

QI 3.1: Improving wellbeing, equality and inclusion.

Wellbeing. Fulfilment of statutory duties. Inclusion and equality.

All learners feel safe and secure in our school, as evidenced in the Ready Steady Go questionnaire (September 2016), with social and emotional wellbeing being given an extremely high priority. GIRFEC practices, including wellbeing indicators, are an integral feature of school life, and form the basis for our pupil profile document and Child Planning Meetings. Revised paperwork from City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) will be in place for next session. Pupil voice is extremely important. The school uses an inclusive communication environment to ensure all learners have a voice, through words, photos, signs, symbols, gesture or body language. We intend re-focussing on this in the next academic year, due to staff changes and a slippage in the accuracy of our signing. We are also introducing a class with a particular focus on developing communication.

Many of our learners are able to share their likes and dislikes through the use of interactive Boardmaker software or video, which is then used within the Child Planning Meetings (CPM). For some of our learners this concept is very challenging and staff, through the detailed knowledge and understanding of individuals, are able to support learners to share their likes and dislikes. Our learners’ involvement in their CPM was identified as best practice within the authority, and shared with visiting professionals from Sweden.

For the past three years there has been a strong focus on children’s rights, and we were awarded Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) in May 2016. Assessors noted the enthusiasm, passion and commitment of staff and learners. They also noted that staff interviewed demonstrated a sound understanding of the principles of RRSA and United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and used a variety of communication aids to ensure all children had opportunities to share their views. Class charters are visible and encourage autonomy from the earliest stages.

Building on our success with RRSA, we introduced the “7 Golden Rules for Participation”.This links closely with Article 12 of UNCRC “You have the right to an opinion and for it to be listened to and taken seriously.” We use the 7 Golden Rules to help our learners understand about participation and to further support them to take part in decision making. Our Pupil Council will play a key role in taking this forward.

We are proud of being a fully inclusive school. Each year we hold a Diversity focus week, where we celebrate the diversity of cultures within our school community. Families and friends are invited to join us and to share their culture through photos, music, food and clothing. This year we had an international assembly with input from our Sudanese, Polish, Spanish, Portugese and Romanian learners. The children learned simple greetings in Arabic and Polish, and were able to see video footage of our link school “Broader Horizons” in Sudan. This year we have raised over £400 towards resources for the school, through donations and the proceeds of our RagBag recycling. The new resources are due to be shipped to Sudan at the end of June.

Some of our learners have health issues which impact on their stamina and ability to walk longer distances. We ensure that effective supports are in place (e.g. alternative routes, additional staff, buggy or wheelchair) to allow the learner to participate at an appropriate level and feel fully included. Where trained staff are needed (e.g. for a learner with epilepsy) this is taken into account when planning class teams to ensure adequate cover at all times. Current staff training is vital, for the safety of the child and also to maintain staff confidence in providing support when required.

QI 3.2: Raising Attainment and Achievement:

Attainment in literacy and numeracy. Attainment over time. Overall quality of learners’ achievement. Equity for all learners.

The key priorities in the National Improvement Framework provide a focus for our work in raising attainment and achievement, as well as closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children. At Prospect Bank, over 40% of our learners are in the lowest 20% of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), giving a clear indication of the social wellbeing needs of our learners. We have several children who are Looked After and Accommodated Children (LAAC) and their needs are carefully monitored and managed through regular multi-disciplinary reviews and providing ongoing practical support for the learners and their carers.

Almost all learners are working within the Early Level in literacy and numeracy. This finding is similar to another special school within the City of Edinburgh with the same profile of learner. This trend has been consistent over the past four years; however, a few P7 learners are working within some aspects of First Level in literacy and numeracy. All learners have individual targets in literacy and numeracy, which are tracked throughout the year. These targets are shared with learners in a child friendly symbolised format, and the children celebrate their own successes and achievements.

We have worked hard over the past few years to close the attainment gap by introducing literacy and numeracy strategies which are relevant and meaningful to our learners and provide them with the best opportunities to develop skills, particularly skills for learning, life and work. Professional dialogue groups have collated resources to support literacy and numeracy interventions. Read Write Inc (RWI) continues to be our key literacy resource, but it does not necessarily meet the needs of every learner (e.g. some learners are clearly whole word readers). We have introduced a supplementary resource “Reading and Language Intervention” (RLI) for teaching whole word readers and are very pleased with progress made so far. This targets the needs of our individual learners and ensures they are fully engaged in their learning. All teaching staff are now trained in delivering RWI and all staff have been trained in delivering RLI.

Our Achievement Wall is appreciated by learners, families and visitors to the school. It shares photos showing personal achievements for each individual, this is regularly updated and celebrated at assembly. These photos form part of the learner’s Achievement Profile which is shared with families at Parent and Carer Consultations. Work with our partners gives further opportunities for building confidence and self-esteem through achievement in sports, expressive arts and outdoor learning.

The very strong links with other local primary schools (St Mary’s Leith, St Ninian’s and Hermitage Park) is an example of best practice and continues to support and enhance our learners’ achievements, through, for example, successful joint activities and joint Pupil Council meetings. We link with local schools within walking distance, rather than our cluster primaries which are further afield.

Over the past few years the number of pupils who have a shared placement with other schools has remained the same; we have also been happy to host contact visits for a few learners from other schools in a reciprocal arrangement. We are very proud of this achievement and this has resulted in enriched learning experiences for all children who take part across different contexts. Unfortunately, there will be no shared placements or hosted visits for the coming session.

The JASS programme was successfully completed by all P7 learners last session and we celebrated this achievement at our Leavers Ceremony in June. Again this is a trend we intend to follow next session. Our inclusive approach to JASS has produced results which compare well both across the City and beyond, and our specially adapted resources have been highlighted as best practice and shared with other schools across Scotland.

Attendance levels remain high for the session, with a whole school average of 94.65%, including 4 learners with 100% attendance. Attendance is carefully monitored and any concerns addressed quickly by SMT, with supports put in place if necessary. It should be noted that the school no longer has the support of an Educational Welfare Officer.

There have been no exclusions this session.

School Priority 1: To develop awareness and understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), particularly within the context of health and wellbeingNIF Priority Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing NIF Driver Teacher professionalismSchool improvementAssessment of children’s progress

HGIOS4/HGIOELC QIs/Identified Themes 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment2.4 Personalised support3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion

Progress and impact: In house training for all staff was well received. YouTube links provided at the training allowed further study for all staff.

Staff knowledge and understanding of sensory issues has increased, allowing better understanding of children and more appropriate interventions to support positive learning experiences. A sensory issues reference document created by staff, was particularly helpful in working towards removing barriers to learning for our learners.

Training in delivering Sensory Circuits (a sensory motor programme) was provided by our occupational therapist (OT).

This was a useful practical session at the start of the school year and all classes are now using Sensory Circuits, with groups or individuals, enabling children to engage effectively with the day ahead. Visiting speakers from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and Fragile X Society were of benefit to newer members of staff, who were then able to provide more targeted support for learners. Fragile X Society provided useful reading material based on current research as well as answering individual questions, allowing for better understanding of the impact of Fragile X on a child and their family, and also its co-morbidity with ASD.

A cluster ASD session in Prospect Bank was attended by 25 cluster colleagues, allowing them to see an autism friendly classroom and discuss strategies used to support learners, such as visual supports. This also gave opportunities for developing support networks, working across the cluster to support learners with ASD.

Next Steps: Continue to develop awareness of ASD, especially around sensory sensitivities, through close observation and

discussion of individual learners Work closely with occupational therapist to provide individual / group programmes for specific sensitivities (e.g. around

food), to allow learners to experience a more varied and nutritious diet. Continue to offer support and advice on ASD on a cluster basis, through classroom visits and professional dialogue. Continue to provide enhanced PE provision, to include a range of lunch clubs (dance, yoga and sensory circuits)

School Priority 2: To ensure a clear process for planning, monitoring and tracking of learningNIF Priority Improvement in children and young people’s attainment / achievement, particularly in literacy and numeracy NIF Driver Performance informationTeacher professionalismAssessment of children’s progressParental engagement School leadership

HGIOS4/HGIOELC QIs/Identified Themes 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment2.4 Personalised support2.5 Family learning3.2 Raising attainment and achievement

Progress and impact: All staff have been trained in using Learning Journals, and exemplars were created to ensure high quality, yet concise

observations of children’s learning and suggestions for next steps. This has meant more meaningful engagement with families about their child’s learning and clear progression pathways.

Parental engagement has been consistently high throughout the year, with 89% actively engaged, allowing parents to see what and how their child is learning. 38% of parents regularly shared achievements from home, linked to IEP targets, evidencing the transfer of skills between school and home. This has allowed regular and meaningful dialogue between home and school on the child’s progress and development of new skills.

SMT provided written feedback on staff observations recorded in Learning Journals Staff trialled draft CEC Monitoring and Tracking documents, but given that our children progress in such very small

steps, did not find these documents were able to review progress effectively. Individual assessments in literacy and numeracy have given a clear baseline for measuring progress and for

personalised support, which has meant more focused learning, with appropriate pace and challenge. Next Steps:

Use finalised Education Scotland benchmarks to ensure an effective system of monitoring and tracking for all learners Continue to use and promote Learning Journals as a means of ongoing reporting to parents

School Priority 3: To embed good practice from Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) Level 1 and introduce the 7 Golden Rules of Engagement

NIF Priority Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people NIF Driver School improvementTeacher professionalismParental engagementSchool leadership

HGIOS4/HGIOELC QIs/Identified Themes 2.3 Learning and engagement3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion

Progress and impact: Good practice in RRSA was maintained, with a range of visitors in school to observe this, including local schools, CEC

officers and representatives from the office of the Children’s Commissioner. Children were proud to be part of this and spoke confidently about the school and their achievements.

The Golden Rules have been introduced and all staff and children have been involved in creating a working display showcasing the work we are doing. Pupil council have taken forward the 7 Golden rules initiative as their focus, and this has supported engagement and pupil voice across the school. Children are more aware of their role in decision making and their right to have choices

In house training session was very successful; staff engaged very well with the activities and developed their understanding of RRSA and its links to GIRFEC wellbeing indicators. Children are encouraged to share their views and empowered to be active citizens and learners.

Joint pupil council meetings have been held with 3 local schools, helping to build respectful relationships where children know that they are listened to in an inclusive environment.

Next Steps: Continue to build on positive links with mainstream schools in the local community, to further promote inclusion and pupil voice Introduce new GIRFEC child planning documents across the school, and further develop the involvement of children in their Child Planning

Meetings (CPMs) and transition (Mosaic project – led by educational psychologist), to support children in being part of the decision making process Maintain current high standards and good practice in RRSA to continue to involving learners in decision making Further develop Golden Rules initiative through the Pupil Council

School Priority 4: To embed literacy and numeracy pathways and introduce resources to supplement current literacy provision

NIF Priority Improvement in children and young people’s attainment / achievement, particularly in literacy and numeracy NIF Driver School improvementPerformance informationTeacher professionalismSchool leadership

HGIOS4/HGIOELC QIs/Identified Themes QI 1.3 Leadership of changeQI 2.2 CurriculumQI 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessmentQI 3.1 Raising attainment and achievement

Progress and impact: All classes are stimulating literacy and numeracy rich environments, encouraging awareness and supporting

development of skills in literacy and numeracy Visual Supports Strategy Bronze Award achieved in May 2017 – visual timetables in use across the school, with

consistent symbol use, providing structure and predictability for all learners. Environmental labelling is standardised and consistent, giving children communication support across the school.

Clearly evidenced raised attainment in literacy. Literacy co-ordinator has ensured structured, quality teaching and well supported tutor groups

All staff have been trained in Reading and Language Intervention (RLI), which complements RWI and supports whole word readers. This has again provided targeted support and removed barriers to learning for our learners

New resources have been created to support RLI initial modules, providing a range of motivating activities for learners Moderated assessment carried out in October and June has ensured appropriate tutor groups and ensured ongoing

progress. Baseline numeracy assessment has started later than planned; this was delayed to allow for a clear focus on literacy

Next Steps: Continue to deliver RWI in tutor groups with ongoing assessment and moderation, and additional staff training as

required Continue to develop RLI with PSAs trained to create new resources, providing relevant pace, challenge and motivation Numeracy co-ordinator to provide strong lead in raising attainment PEF used to create numeracy (SEAL) resource boxes for each class, allowing for focused learning activities PEF used to purchase sensory story boxes, supporting improved learner engagement PEF funded family learning worker and school staff to provide a series of literacy and numeracy information sessions for

parents

Self Evaluation 2016 – 2017

Quality IndicatorSchool Self – Evaluation2016 - 17

Inspection Evaluation

(If during 2016-17)What is our capacity for continuous improvement?

1.3 Leadership Of Change 4

2.3 Learning, Teaching And Assessment 4

3.1 Ensuring Wellbeing, Equity And Inclusion 4

3.2 Raising Attainment And Achievement 4

2.4 Personalised Support 4

2.5 Family Learning 4

2016 – 2020 School Self Evaluation/Plan for QI Engagement

QI 2016 - 2017

2017 – 2018

2018 – 2019

2019 – 2020 Comments

1.1 Self-Evaluation for Self-Improvement √1.2 Leadership of Learning1.3 Leadership of Change √ √ √ √1.4 Leadership and Management of Staff1.5 Management of Resources To Promote

Equity Leadership And Management Overall

2.1 Safeguarding and Child Protection2.2 Curriculum √2.3 Learning, Teaching and Assessment √ √ √ √2.4 Personalised Support √2.5 Family Learning √2.6 Transitions 2.7 Partnerships

Learning Provision Overall 3.1

Ensuring Wellbeing, Equality and Inclusion √ √ √ √

3.2 Raising Attainment and Achievement √ √ √ √

3.3 Increasing Creativity and Employability Successes and Achievements Overall

Key Areas for School Improvement

NIF Priority 1 – Improvement in attainment, particularly in Literacy and Numeracy.

QIs/ThemesQI 1.3 Leadership of changeQI 2.2 CurriculumQI 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessmentQI 2.5 Family LearningQI 3.2 Raising attainment and achievement

Priority 1a

To raise attainment and engagement in numeracy Overall Responsibility DHT / Numeracy co-ordinator

Outcomes

There will be improved attainment and engagement in numeracy across the school All staff will have a shared understanding of SEAL and its delivery in classesFamilies will be more confident in supporting children to develop numeracy skills

Tasks By Whom Resources Time Impact/ Progress

Sector moderation of numeracy at early and 1st levels

All CTS Sector CAT August 2017 and January 2108

School follow up to sector moderation sessions

All CTs Information from Sector CAT

October 2017

Assessment of numeracy across the school

Numeracy coordinator

Cover from DHT

Curriculum meetings

Initial assessments in place for August 2017 to set baseline

Further

assessments in January and June 2018

Provision of appropriate resources for all classes to deliver SEAL

SMT Numeracy co-

ordinator

Each class to have a grab box of practical materials for SEAL delivery

In place for September 2017 with evaluation in March 2018

All classes and play areas to be numeracy rich environments

SMT Numeracy co-

ordinator

Classes to use visuals to promote numeracy

Provision of playground games / playground painting

Playground painting to take place over summer break

P1, P4, P7 Standardised assessments to be completed if required

Benchmark data to be gathered for both literacy and numeracy

SMT/CTs Allocation of time in line with WTA

Curriculum meetings

April/May 2018

Numeracy levels to be entered on SEEMIS for collation by CEC/ES

Numeracy coordinator

CTs/Admin

Administrative time

Curriculum meetings

May 2018

Training provided for families, in supporting their child’s development of numeracy skills

Family learning worker

Numeracy co-ordinator

Time Activity packs

for home

From September 2017

Priority 1b

To raise attainment and engagement in all areas by supporting children’s communication

Overall Responsibility HT / communication co-ordinator

Outcomes

There will be improved attainment and engagement by ensuring enhanced communication skills for all learners All staff will have a shared understanding of Inclusive Communication and its impact across the school Staff and families will be more confident in supporting children to develop communication skills

Tasks By Whom Resources Time Impact/ Progress

Inclusive Communication policy to be launched

DHT Paper and electronic copies of policy available

Time for all staff to become familiar with the policy

August In Service day

Communication co-ordinator role introduced

SMT JK

Time allocation for co-ordinator role

From August 2017

Specialist communication class established

SMT Smaller class size

Trained staff Support and

advice from SaLT

From August 2017

Staff training in PECS and CODES framework

SMT Staff identified KEYCOMM support

External PECS level 1 and 2 course booked

CODES framework training from KEYCOMM

Level 1 August 2017Level 2 Nov 2017

Improved engagement / involvement of SLTs and KEYCOMM

SMT / communication co-ordinator

SLTs KEYCOMM

Initial planning meeting to determine levels of support

Early September 2017 with review in March 2018

Consistent use of Signalong for all staff (including those not class based)

SLTs SLTs will provide 6 weekly training for all staff

Posters and symbol dictionaries for all classes

Starting September 2017

Maintain standard achieved for Visual Supports Bronze award and work towards Silver award.

Communication co-ordinator

Designated support staff

VSP organisers

Consistent visual supports across the school

Criteria for Silver award (currently being written)

Ongoing

NIF Priority 2 – Closing The Attainment Gap Between The Most And Least Disadvantaged Children

QIs/Themes1.5 Management of resources to promote equity2.5 Family Learning3.1 Inclusion and Equality

Priority 2a:

To reduce the attainment and achievement gap for our school

Overall Responsibility HT / family learning worker

Outcomes:

All staff will be aware of what the attainment and achievement gap looks likeStakeholders are aware of Equity Funding allocation and how it will be used in 2017 – 18Where appropriate, staff use performance information to reduce the attainment and achievement gap

Tasks By WhomResources Time

Impact/ Progress

Parental engagement to be reviewed/strategies to be put in place to engage families in learning/ target group of parents to be invited to workshops

DHT Family Learning

worker (funded by PEF)

Meeting time September 2017, with review in

January 2018

April 2018

Promote literacy and numeracy at home through enhanced parental engagement

SMT Literacy and

numeracy co-ordinators

Family learning worker

Provide a range of training for parents in how to support their child’s learning in literacy and numeracy

Create a booklet to

Family Learning worker expected to start in September, following

show parents ways of promoting numeracy in the home and in the environment

recruitment

The 1 in 5 Child Poverty awareness project – Prospect Bank will be a cost free school, with parents not being asked for any additional financial contribution

SMT Friends of Prospect

Bank

Ensure sufficient funding available to cover all additional expenses such as The Yard, horse riding and P7 Adventure Week

Fund raising ongoing

Review termly

NIF Priority 3Improvement In Children And Young People’s Health And Wellbeing

QIs/Themes 1.5 Management of resources to promote equity2.4 Personalised support3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion

Priority 3a:

To support children’s health and wellbeing through provision of additional therapies, activities and staff training

Overall Responsibility DHT

Outcomes:

All staff will be aware of the impact of children’s health and wellbeing on their learningAdditional therapies will have positive impact on child’s health and wellbeing, and their ability to engage in classStaff will be trained to provide activities to support the development of health and wellbeing

Tasks By Whom Resources Time Impact/ Progress

Continue to develop ASD awareness for all staff

SMT Autism Toolkit www.autismtoolkit.co.uk

Staff reference library to be established

Ongoing in-house training and support

Throughout session 17-18

Music therapy provision to support health and wellbeing

PEF funded music therapist

Music therapy will be available, one morning per week. The therapist will work with individuals and small groups

Throughout session 17-18

Happy Ears music to support health and wellbeing

Music instructor Weekly sessions for children and CPD session for staff to support delivery of music in class

Training on In Service day 23rd October

Yoga to support health and wellbeing

PEF funded Yoga instructor

Weekly sessions for children and CPD session for staff

Training on In Service day 23rd October

Enhanced PE provision

PE teacher Additional teaching tine to allow the further development of swimming and cycling skills, including cycling off site

One day per week

Health Promoting School level 3 award

DHT Time to work with learners, staff, parents and partners

Evidence based presentation

Assessment at end of session 1718