Text Box: SATs 2008 As for the outcome for this year’s 2008 Key Stage Two SATs? Well once again we are delighted with the progress each and every child here has made and also of the overall results. We are fortunate that despite all media reports we have a full set of data and the scripts are well marked. I can therefore include our provisional SAT results for you, so that you can help us to celebrate all of the hard work that children, staff and parents have put into achieving them.   SCHOOL 2008                                                                                                NATIONAL 2007 For English:      Level 4 and above 96%      Level 5   37%      For English:    Level 4 and above 80%      Level 5   33% For Reading:      Level 4 and above 96%      Level 5   48%    For Writing:      Level 4 and above 89%      Level 5   37%    For Maths:                    Level 4 and above 92%      Level 5   48%      For Maths:      Level 4 and above 78% Level 5   33% For Science:      Level 4 and above 99%      Level 5   51%      For Science:   Level 4 and above 87%      Level 5   46%   Well done Year 6!!   LOCAL AUTHORITY REVIEW (June 2008) The Local Authority is charged with the duty of monitoring the effectiveness of the schools within the Borough and therefore also undertook an inspection of our practices, standards and of our effectiveness and I am extremely proud of the outcome of the report. I have enclosed some excerpts below for your interest. As a school we do recognise ourselves in its findings. We concur with our strengths and the ways forward suggested to enhance our current practice, mirror exactly our own school development plan actions for the coming year. The review was carried out by four inspectors from Solihull Quality Division (Education and Children’s Services) over a period of five days. The focus of the review was to provide the school with judgements on the quality of learning and teaching, to review the cycle of school self evaluation and the impact of this on classroom practice and standards, with a particular focus on the use of assessment data to inform learning and teaching in order to raise standards.   The Inspectors judgements are as follows:   The Quality of Learning and Teaching: The quality of teaching is a strength of the school. There is some outstanding practice and much good practice which can provide a model for staff development. Staff are supportive of each other and strive to achieve best practice. They are committed to improvement and are willing to accept change when necessary. They have managed the introduction of the APP pilot and the changes to the literacy and numeracy frameworks well. Good practice is shared and quality resources are developed, often in a collaborative way. There has been a strong focus on standards and all staff are conversant with the data they need to track progress and set targets for their children. Assessment practice is good and generally sharply focused on improvement. Learning environments are good despite classrooms often being overcrowded as children get older. Resources are well managed and generally of good quality. Teachers seem to be enjoying their time in the classroom and this enthusiasm for learning is having a very positive impact on the attitudes of the children they are teaching. Support assistants are well integrated into the work of the classroom and are providing a very valuable contribution to the quality of learning. The quality of learning is good. There are high standards of behaviour and children are highly motivated and responsive to good teaching. They are open and friendly and enthusiastic about learning. They work well together and demonstrate resilience, a willingness to persevere when faced with difficulty or challenge. They are resourceful and have good self-management skills. They are developing independence at an early stage and are confident about themselves as learners. The aspects of Building Learning Power that the school has focused on are very evident in classrooms and this approach to learning is becoming embedded across the school. There is no reason to doubt that this is having a beneficial effect on learning and standards. Most children make good progress.   In carrying out observations Inspectors noted that teachers were: Thorough in their planning and preparation, taking into account previous learning. They had identified clear objectives and criteria for assessment They were willing to use planning flexibly so that when necessary they could respond to what children were saying or doing during the lesson Resources were carefully chosen to support the aims of the lesson and aid pupil progress, they were of good quality and well presented. There was good use of ICT to aid learning Modelling was used effectively Good questioning was challenging thinking and developing learning. Teachers were listening carefully to what children had to say before responding with follow up questions or comment. This had a very positive impact on the quality of dialogue in the classroom Children were given sufficient thinking time before answering questions and time for reflection when necessary Good explanations were helping children to gain further understanding Good knowledge of personal, group and class targets was used to challenge children and aid assessment When appropriate children were offered choices in the way they preferred to work Attention was paid to building on previous learning Little teaching and learning time was wasted Support assistants were used effectively to help meet the learning objectives   Assessment was used well to inform teaching and learning: There was good use made of WILF or other success criteria (sometimes through prompt sheets) to guide teacher questions and activities and support teacher and self-assessment during the lesson There was regular reference to learning targets Self and peer assessment was valued and was effective in helping children to check their work and where necessary make appropriate changes Good quality feedback gave children a clear understanding of what they needed to do to make improvements Intervention and support was well targeted    And that children were: Enthusiastic about their learning Remaining on task throughout the lesson Developing good independent learning strategies Working well in a collaborative way as well as alone Confident about themselves as learners Clear about their learning targets and understood what they meant   Assessment for Learning, Target Setting and Pupil Progress: The school is able to demonstrate how it tracks pupils’ progress at whole school, cohort and individual pupil level. The IT system is updated termly and is rigorously explored and analysed by senior leaders, looking for patterns, trends, rates of progress and anomalies. Analysis is turned around quickly and communicated back to staff to ensure findings are fed into the next teaching and intervention cycle. Discussions are held with staff around pupils who have not made expected progress and also about pupils who have made better than expected progress and the factors associated with both. The school also uses its analysis (especially year group variability) wisely to target appropriate CPD for staff and intervention for pupils. Currently the school is investigating the disparity between reading and writing results in Key Stage 1 - this is effective practice. Another example of effective practice is the inclusion of a year group ‘raising standards’ plan within the overall School Development Plan and linked to performance management. The use of assessment data – the impact of analysis and intervention on performance: The school has a clear structure for recording assessment outcomes.  It is now possible to track the progress of individuals and groups as they move through the school.  The response of children and staff to the progress being made in assessment, recording and intervention was very positive.  There seems to be a greater confidence in the tracking processes and the opportunity to intervene effectively.  There is a strong understanding of tracking and intervention across a broad group of people and there has been a sustained focus on this aspect by all those involved in leadership at all levels, including governors.    School self-evaluation:            The cycles of school self-evaluation are clearly understood at all levels; what is being evaluated, why and who is involved. Feedback from evaluation is given and acted on. Roles and responsibilities are clear at every level. Monitoring is done on a regular cycle and feedback has led to changes in systems, organisation and classroom practice. There is a good process in place for writing and up-dating of the school improvement plan. The planning process involves all staff. There is a clear understanding across the school of how priorities are agreed and what they are. The completed SIP is available to all through the INTRANET. Meeting cycles are regular and all staff are aware of them. There is consistency of messages across the school and staff are involved and well informed. Communication systems are good. The SEF (School’s Self- Evaluation Form) is comprehensive and reviewed by senior staff on a regular basis.     I am sure you will join me in congratulating our school on receiving this report and in recognising that it arises from the culmination of much hard work, dedication and commitment by all concerned here at Monkspath whether from the teaching staff or from any of the wide range of support staff. They never cease to ensure that we strive to achieve the very best possible outcomes academically, socially and emotionally for your children. I know that bolstered by your continued support and encouragement, we can continue to strive to improve on our best practice to date and never to settle for anything, but the very best possible of outcomes for every single child within our highly inclusive school. Well done to our children too who were described as being ‘outstanding ambassadors for the values of the school’ by one of the inspectors recently and we are tremendously proud of them for this.     W J Hutchinson Head Teacher