No fear! Technology will tackle the challenges of school improvement

No fear! Technology will tackle the challenges of school improvement.

Schools are very comfortable with using technology to closely monitor the progress of pupils and take action if any issues are uncovered. Pupil tracking and management information systems that help schools do this have been widely used for several years. 

But when it comes to using ICT for the management and tracking of the school improvement processes that help staff perform to their best – for example CPD, performance management and school development planning – schools are less likely to invest. 

Instead most schools – around 85 per cent of those in England and Wales – use ‘homebrew’ approaches, usually consisting of elaborately constructed computer spreadsheets or simple box files full of paper, to manage this area. 

It seems strange doesn't it that there is this contrast of approaches, especially when both play an absolutely vital role in helping pupils really achieve. 

Money, time and complexity are the main reasons why this approach still persists but I’m confident school leaders are waking up to the reality that dislocated systems are simply not doing the job. It’s too tricky to get an intelligent view with a PC spreadsheet because it takes too much time to mine the data, interpret it in various ways and link it to evidence. I’ve seen for myself some wonderfully creative, DIY documents which at first appear to be a massive step forward for schools. But after a few months, it becomes quite apparent that maintaining them is a full time job and it gets out of hand.

As well as clouding a school’s view of what it needs to do to keep on improving, this traditional approach could also create problems with Ofsted. The body now wants schools to give full account of the school improvement processes that ultimately have a huge impact on pupil attainment.

It wants evidence that the SLT knows the school’s strengths and weaknesses, that leaders are immersed in self-evaluation and that development plans are focused on improving teaching and raising achievement. These are compelling reasons for schools to change to something more efficient and coherent and which ideally gathers evidence of impact from grass roots level, yet many still have a bit of a blind spot in this area.  I worry that this reluctance might be a sign of a deeper, age old, issue – a fear of change. 

As well as potentially obscuring a school’s view of school improvement processes, DIY tracking and management could have serious implications for the professional development of staff too.  

Many opportunities could be missed because your colleagues don’t have a more complete awareness of their abilities. But if we can ensure that performance discussions are informed and evidence led then decision making becomes informed by evidence at an individual and school level. That’s good for schools and for the professional development and motivation of everyone working in them.  

Schools need to seize the opportunity to let online technology assume the role in school improvement planning that it is already playing in supporting student progress. Technology can support change and make it easier. 

School improvement planning and the monitoring of impact shouldn’t be about cold data crunching. We need to use technology to support people in their development and let them make a real contribution to school objectives. This applies equally to individuals following their own career path and large organisations trying to make sense of the bigger picture. 

For example, if a school’s performance management systems show that staff need some professional development in a particular area it would help if they were given the means to evaluate that CPD themselves and back this up with evidence that it is making a difference. Many leaders will claim they already do this, but are the methods they use sustainable, accessible and above all, do they solve the old problem of how to produce evidence of the impact of CPD on pupil achievement?  

Then there are the questions of time and resources in an age of austerity. Taking a ‘homebrew’ approach to school improvement planning means time organising the paperwork for performance appraisals, job applications and CPD. 

If school leaders use the technology to get a clear view of what’s happening in these areas they can make sure everybody plays a part in reaching school development targets. It also means that leaders can identify which staff members need more professional support and everyone gets recognition for their contribution. The result is a better run school in which pupils prosper. 

This is easier said than done with traditional tracking and management methods but it is achievable using the online school improvement planning systems that are now available. These systems can unify staff rather than alienate them, giving them a voice in the change management process that otherwise might not be heard. This is about staff having ownership and control. And there’s nothing more powerful as an antidote for the fear of change.

Making a major contribution to the progress of children

  

 Making a major contribution to the progress of children

William Barcroft Junior School

Increasing accountability and giving staff the power to make a real difference were two key drivers behind headteacher Claire Constantopoulos’ search for a new school improvement management system.

“We were looking for a system which ensured that staff and governors could be actively involved in the development of the school,” says Claire, head of William Barcroft Junior School in Cleethorpes.

“We wanted something that increased accountability and strengthened performance management processes - and went hand in hand with the staff’s desire to make a real difference,” she explains.

“We always strive to be transparent and gain trust, so I wanted a shared location for all the schools documents that was easily accessible to staff, regardless of where and when they were working.

“Another important element was to make sure that school self evaluation was constantly informed by the great work being done throughout the school.”

Bluewave.SWIFT School Edition was chosen because it answered all these needs, says Claire. “The online system helps schools link together and drive improvement processes including self-evaluation, school inspection reports, strategic planning, professional development and performance appraisals. The system also helps schools keep ahead of ever-changing accountability and inspection requirements while saving time and cutting costs.

Says Claire: “When the leadership team was led through the demonstration, we discussed the benefits of the system. It had to become an integral part of the way the school worked. This needed to be modelled by the senior leadership team. Bluewave.SWIFT needed to become an everyday word in school.

“It was also clear that as a speedily developing school the implementation needed to be planned carefully and the staff had to understand the benefits of learning a new way of working.”

When Bluewave.SWIFT went ‘live’ at William Barcroft the first action for Claire and her team was to build up the system as a resource bank by putting all documents into the resource area.

“We were very strict and it became a joke in the school. The response was always ‘That’s great, have you uploaded it to Bluewave?’”

Before Bluewave.SWIFT the school’s leadership team did all the SEF. Now self evaluation and action planning is much more of a shared endeavour. “The staff are amazed that many of the pieces of evidence they have already put onto the system are crucial to informing self-evaluation and in turn action planning,” says Claire.

The next step was to move the performance management process into Bluewave. This has helped William Barcroft Junior School make significant strides in the way teachers conduct pupil assessment for learning.

“When we did a round of lesson observations a common thread that emerged was the need for assessment training as most of the staff were quite inexperienced in this area. This was flagged in performance management as an issue so we found some training which the staff completed,” explains Claire.

“In a recent round of lesson observations, assessment for learning has become good to outstanding throughout the school, from what was a very mixed picture.”

The Bluewave.SWIFT system means that Claire gets an instant picture of the school’s progress in any development area – and this helps her justify spending decisions.

“When I have done a round of lesson observations I go back to the lesson observation section of the Bluewave system which brings up all the data. I can explain to governors why I am spending so much money on school training.”

William Barcroft staff have recently been issued with iPads and this has enhanced the lesson observation process, says Claire. “I input straight into Bluewave.SWIFT during the lesson observation and then the teacher can see exactly what I have written straight after the lesson has finished.

“I can also shoot video of the lesson and take pictures of materials such as lesson plans and attach them to the observation record.”

Claire is convinced that the Bluewave.SWIFT system is making a major contribution to the progress of children at William Barcroft.

“The impact of Bluewave has been huge to the progress of children in our school. The way in which staff and governors are interacting with the action plans and creating  evidence means that they always keep the Ofsted criteria in mind and this has created many questions which of course leads to discussion and the team generating ideas. Our team feels empowered and valued. The easy access to all evidence has made us all feel more secure that we are working in the right direction.”

Measuring CPD Impact - Let’s clear away the confusion

Let’s clear away the confusion

It would be rare to find a school today that didn’t have systems of some kind in place that helped them accurately track and measure the attainment of pupils.

Management information and pupil assessment systems are now commonplace in schools and academies because they make it easy for leaders to analyse a student’s progress so that teachers can target support where it is most needed.

Ensuring that no pupil falls through the net and that every student meets or exceeds their potential is a number one priority for every school leader.

But in order for them to fully realise these ambitions they need to look at ‘backroom’ school improvement processes such as CPD, performance management and development planning as much as what happens in the classroom.

If school leaders have a clear view of what’s happening in these areas they can make sure everybody plays a part in reaching school development targets. It also means that leaders can identify which staff members need more professional support and everyone gets recognition for the contribution their work makes. The result is a better run school in which pupils prosper.

We know these processes have a big impact on pupil performance. The Teacher Development Trust for example highlights a New Zealand study showing that classes whose teachers had taken part in high-quality professional development improved twice as fast as those in other classes. It also showed that the 20 per cent of pupils deemed ‘least able’ made improvements up to six times faster than their peers in other classes.

Strange, then, that the vast majority of schools in England and Wales today – around 85 per cent – simply don’t have the means to track and manage these improvement processes in ways that make it easy for them to use the information and act on it. The fact is many leaders think they have that ‘clear view’ but when compared with schools that use modern day tools, the gap is quite staggering.

Most schools still follow the standard information gathering approach, usually involving hyperlinked Word documents, over-complicated computer spreadsheets or lever arch files destined to sit on an office shelf.

Money, time and complexity are the main reasons why this approach still persists. It’s too tricky to get that intelligent view with a PC spreadsheet because it takes too much time to mine the data, interpret it in various ways and link it to evidence. I’ve seen for myself some wonderfully creative, DIY documents which at first appear to be a massive step forward for schools. But after a few months, it becomes quite apparent that maintaining these tools is a full time job which can’t be sustained because there aren’t the resources. Another downside of this approach is that these ‘homebrew’ tools often become unstable and this frustrates school leaders when they need to access accurate information.  

As well as clouding a school’s view of what it needs to do to keep on improving, this traditional approach could also create problems with Ofsted. The body now wants schools and academies to give full account of the improvement processes that ultimately have a huge impact upon pupil attainment. It wants evidence that the SLT knows the school’s strengths and weaknesses, that leaders are immersed in self-evaluation and that development plans are focused on improving teaching and raising achievement.

These are compelling reasons for schools to change, yet most still have a bit of a blind spot in this area.  I worry that this reluctance might be a sign of a deeper, age old, issue– a fear of change.

All school leaders and their staff are open to change if it means tangible improvements. But human nature is what it is and some schools think it better to avoid the discomfort and continue as they have always done.

I believe the intelligent management of these processes will help leaders and their staff overcome these fears. School improvement planning and the monitoring of impact shouldn’t be about cold data crunching. We need to use technology to support people in their development and let them make a real contribution to school objectives. This applies equally to individuals following their own career path and large organisations trying to make sense of the bigger picture. Essentially, it’s time to adopt modern day business practice for the business side of things so that the number one priority, education, is informed, evidence lead and free from the burden of bureaucracy .

For example, if a school’s performance management systems show that staff need some professional development in a particular area it would help if they were given the means to evaluate that CPD themselves and back this up with evidence that it is making a difference – or not. Many leaders will claim they already do this, but are the methods they use sustainable, accessible and above all, do they solve the old problem of how to produce evidence of the impact of CPD on pupil achievement?

This is easier said than done with traditional tracking and management methods but it is achievable using the online school improvement planning systems that are now available. These systems can unify staff rather than alienate them, giving them a voice in the change management process that otherwise might not be heard. This is about staff having ownership and control and it helps dissipate their fears about change.

The issues around school improvement planning that I pointed out earlier are likely to become even more pronounced for leaders of groups of schools, such as academy chains, federations and trusts.

Recently I’ve been spending more time working with groups of schools, helping them to address these issues. They are all faced with some common challenges. The chief one is how to reduce the time spent on school improvement planning across their schools while ensuring that there is consistency in tracking, management, reporting and ultimately quality assurance so that it makes it easier to manage and deliver support where it is needed.

In these situations the quality assurance of member schools becomes a pressure point because of geographical distance. A teaching school will, for example, need to monitor the progress of teacher training students and the quality of its ITT provision.

With online systems the miles don’t matter as much. This gives school leaders the means of reviewing the schools from where they work and target support where it is needed.

As the UK education system becomes more diverse, with academies at the forefront of this transformation, there is now an even greater need for schools to manage themselves as effectively as possible. Paper and spreadsheets might give schools data about their school improvement processes, but it won’t be easy to interpret or act upon because it will be so difficult to manipulate.

It really is time for schools to get a clear, intelligent view of improvement processes like CPD, performance management and development planning so that they can meet the demands of accountability – and help staff help pupils achieve.

Outstanding Testimony - Seend Primary School

"...it is perfectly in line with Ofsted’s requirements and ensures that all I have to focus on is the school improvement work needed to raise standards..."

"I am in the first year of using Bluewave.SWIFT so I am still not fully aware of its ultimate potential. However it has already had a profound affect on certain aspects of my work. I was initially looking for a system that would help me to present a more structured School Development Plan and that is exactly what I got. The governing body were very impressed with what I was able to present to them this year, as it clearly links in with the Ofsted Categories. However, the system has given me much, much more. It has allowed me to input the Teacher Appraisal targets onto the system – linked to the projects within the School Development Plan and to Professional Standards. The system encourages the staff to then take ownership of recording their progress against their targets by logging on and recording their evidence.

The Self-Evaluation section provides an extremely comprehensive set of prompts to encourage you to assess yourself and identify where you need to improve – thus linking into the School Development Plan. With the facility to tie in CPD as well, as far as I am concerned, it is perfectly in line with Ofsted’s requirements and ensures that all I have to focus on is the school improvement work needed to raise standards and not worry about whether I have missed something or that it is not all joined up thinking – the hard work has been done for me.

One other thing to add is the ongoing support that I have received in building up the skills base to operate the system has been second to none. I am happy to recommend this as a complete system in managing school improvement."

Jackie Chalk, Headteacher, Seend CofE VA Primary School

First the SEF now SFVS… how many more plates to spin?

First the SEF now SFVS…

…how many more plates to spin?

Schools face many challenges today not least how to cope with the fallout of recent changes and cuts to budgets; there are clearly many decisions to be made which may significantly impact the school, its staff and students. Potentially all decisions will involve the governing body and it has never been more important that the decisions made must be well informed decisions.

Question: ‘How can we be assured we are well informed?’

Consider the revised SFVS framework which many schools must complete by the end of March 2012. This revision is intended to reduce the level of complexity associated with its predecessor FMSiS. We might look back and ask ‘what of all our past efforts in FMSiS?’ and look forward and ask ‘what if SFVS changes into something else, perhaps something even bigger and more complex than FMSiS?’

The challenge of catering for the future with regard to SFVS might not in itself be that big an issue. However, if we consider the bigger challenge of how to produce many self-evaluation reports, including whole-school inspections focussing on performance and improvement, then we begin to see how this aspect of school monitoring is akin to [pardon the pun] death by a thousand cuts.

In the past, the public sector, with a more centralised ‘control and management’ resource (now rapidly diminishing) didn’t always call for schools to adopt new ideas and mechanisms that would sustainably support their own operational efficiencies; the net result is that as schools become more independent and self-reliant, they may often lack the necessary ‘tools’ to survive in a challenging environment with regard to provision of coherent management information.

Microsoft Word or Excel (or similar products) will not, without high maintenance, connect your Strategic Development Plan to Performance Management dynamically and will not facilitate an automatic flow of information from your Development Plan to your Self-evaluation Report.

“… This is one of those products that really does deliver what it says on the can and is the first programme I have ever bought that really does significantly reduce my workload.”

Mark Edwards, Headteacher
Shire Oak CE Primary School

We genuinely believe there is a better way for people on the front line of accountability in schools to manage and reduce this workload:

“Our ability to secure accountability is significantly improved with Bluewave.SWIFT. Previously everything was coming into the Head teacher’s office and never going out.”

 

John Drake, Headteacher

Coppice Valley Junior School

We also believe there is a consensus developing that any school facing this myriad of challenges over the next few years will only succeed, in relative terms, if they adopt a modern, purpose-built, coherent and future proof approach.

Keith Wright has worked with schools for the past seven years offering front line support and strategic direction.

He is the Managing Director of Bluewave.SWIFT a company specialising in the field of school improvement management

www.bluewaveswift.co.uk

Implementing a Coherent Whole School Improvement system for Self Evaluation, Development Planning, Performance Management and Continuing Professional Development

ROYDS SCHOOL SPECIALIST LANGUAGE COLLEGE

Traditionally, schools have not fully grasped the way in which to evaluate the effectiveness of all that they do and we were one of those. Oh Yes – we evaluated Performance Management and produced reports for governors. We evaluated CPD and departments provided their analyses year on year. We drew up our School Development Plan with all the appropriate priorities, and departments provided their own plans to dovetail into this. We evaluated individual areas such as Behaviour and made improvements accordingly but, somehow, we were working in compartments rather than as a whole. We were using the Leeds Quality Standards Framework (QSF) which enabled us to start exploring many aspects of our activity. We saw packages on the market and tried them but they were, in many ways perpetuating what we were already doing. Bluewave SWIFT provided the answer through marrying the QSF with a sophisticated yet understandable whole school evaluation product which did what it said on the tin – it linked up all areas of school evaluation into a coherent whole.

We started with Performance Management as this was one area in which all colleagues annually participate and would be the means of introducing Bluewave SWIFT to them. Clear ‘click by click’ guides were provided to complement the User Guide already built into the process and all colleagues received training in how to use the module. We developed a ‘Preparation’ template which was completed by reviewees and emailed to their Reviewer two days before the review was held. Feedback testified to the efficacy of doing this as reviewees indicated that they felt it gave them a really positive control in the process. As part of the review, CPD needs were discussed in relation to the agreed objectives and these were entered, generating all the needs in a coherent manner for the CPD Co-ordinator to develop individual, departmental and whole school training plans. During the year, as colleagues’ generated evidence against their objectives, they evaluated their progress against the SWIFT statements linked to, for example, a Professional Standard. A survey of   teaching and support colleagues showed that 91% felt that they had been enabled to make a positive contribution to the process as seen from the following comments:

‘It allows for a more focused discussion to take place with regard to staff progress and development. Also it will be valuable as an online portfolio giving access to information in an electronic format.’

‘Using Bluewave makes it a more formal and professional process enabling me to track my progress through evaluating my achievements against clear statements.’

‘I feel the formal structure is good, it ensures that progress is made on CPD and it helps greatly in evidencing achievement.’

‘It was closely tied in with the School Improvement Plan and allowed for focussed discussion on staff and departmental needs.’

‘This is quick and easy to track. Also reminding me what my targets are. It is great to have all my progress in one place.... no more searching for bits of paper!’

At the same time, the Headteacher and Leadership team utilised the School Development Plan module for the last two of a three year plan. The SDP was converted into the Bluewave SWIFT format with great ease. We were able to feed into the process, information from RAISE ONLINE as a means of sharpening the focus of our project development. Data from the Local authority as well as our own internal data for monitoring student improvement also informs training needs and the meeting of targets both through Performance Management. All this development has been made possible because Bluewave always responded quickly and positively to comments and suggestions for improving the process and were very supportive in maintaining contact with us. For example, we were asked for ideas that would help them in developing Classroom Observation schedules, and, in a short time, many of these were in place enabling us to test out the process successfully.

Next Year we will be developing this further by training all Heads of Department in the process of putting their own plans onto Bluewave, linking them to the SDP. In order to make this more meaningful, the SEF headings provide the basis for all SDP planning.

REFLECTIONS

·        The success of the process lies in the systematic way of training and developing colleagues ‘a step at a time’. Through familiarisation with one module of Bluewave SWIFT, they came to see the real value of the others. We now have ‘Bluewave Champions’ in the school who are working with departments and individuals to guide them through each aspect of the programme.

·        The school needed to start somewhere and Performance Management proved to be a valuable vehicle for this. On reflection, however, in order to discover the power of the process we would recommend that it begins with completion of the new SEF which generates the priorities for the SDP. Projects based on these priorities would be established before the Performance Management Cycle begins so that when Objectives are being identified they can be directly linked to the school priorities through membership of a project. The CPD needs generated would be directly linked to school priorities and evaluation would seamlessly run throughout the process, evidence being generated from the individual, being available for promotion into SDP projects and ultimately to the SEF which is viewed by Ofsted.

THE NEXT STEPS

Through building up the use of Bluewave SWIFT, it is the intention that we will continue to develop expertise in each area of the programme, refining the links and using the new ‘Strengths and Weaknesses’ facility in the CPD module to further focus the projects in the SDP and the training received by individuals and focus groups in the school.

The ultimate aim over three years is to so inform and train colleagues that all business will be conducted using Bluewave SWIFT as the vehicle for all evaluation. Don Rolls, Performance Manager at the school commented:

 ‘It is terrific to see a product on the market that does what it says, which is sensitive to current trends and changes in education and which seeks to serve the needs of its clientele, through insightful ongoing refinements based on research amongst the shop floor users!’

Don Rolls – Deputy Headteacher

Royds School Specialist Language College, Leeds