School Improvement
Sustainable school improvement is our core business and schools joining the Trust do so with the aim of improving each other so that each of them can become outstanding. School to school support is at the heart of WPT and we see a synergy in working in partnership with other schools and other school leaders.
Our school improvement model is centred around 10 distinctive features:
1.
KNOW OUR ACADEMIES WELL QUANTITATIVELY
The academies monitor progress and performance not just in tests and exams but also in real time at key points across the year.
2.
ENSURE OUR ACADEMIES WORK TOGETHER
The trust commission or conduct external/peer reviews for each school. This often involves senior leaders from one or more school using a formal model to scrutinise another.
3.
ADAPT STRATEGIES TO A SCHOOL’S CONTEXT
WPT understand where each school is on its school improvement journey and have pinpointed precisely the issues that need to be addressed if it is to make progress.
4.
DEPLOY EXPERTISE STRATEGICALLY
Within the trust we achieve a win-win by broadening the leadership experience of their best and emerging leaders; deploying them to support academies that have particular problems or challenges.
5.
COACH IMPROVEMENT IN TEACHING AND LEARNING
6.
USE ENQUIRY-BASED LEARNING TO ACCELERATE IMPROVEMENT
It is staff learning with and from each other (both within and across schools) that makes an impact in terms of student learning and progress, in particular a research focus on SEND, disadvantaged pupils and safeguarding.
7.
EMPOWER OUR LEADERS AT ALL LEVELS
We believe the best MATs know that they gain real energy and momentum when they empower leaders to work together.
8.
EVOLVE AND APPLY SOME NON-NEGOTIABLES
The development of the MAT in the early days was organic whereas now it is increasingly systemic. Centralised systems and deliberate actions to facilitate collaboration have allowed schools to develop the sharing of good practice and grow together without losing the uniqueness of each school and stifling creativity.
9.
WORK WITH AND LEARN FROM OTHER SCHOOLS
WPT appreciates the incentive and learning that comes from engaging with schools and practice outside our MAT. We are open to learning from other organisations; so we encourage our academies to look outwards as well as inwards for improvement support.
10.
MOST IMPORTANTLY MEASURE OUR IMPACT AND REFINE OUR DIRECTION OF TRAVEL
FOR INADEQUATE SCHOOLS
The aim is to quickly establish a confident and competent leadership and school improvement team in the school that will ensure significant and rapid improvement.
Where schools are judged inadequate WPT will provide intensive leadership support to add capacity until a substantive Headteacher is appointed, then work alongside them to establish an effective team to move the academy forward. WPT directors will review the governance and establish a local advisory committee that is accountable to the board of Trustees.
Intensive support will then be provided from the existing expertise within the MAT, as well as external support that the MAT has access to. This will focus on addressing issues relating to teaching, curriculum, behaviour, attendance, safeguarding, governance and data analysis.
The new leadership will implement robust systems and procedures that will evaluate progress against a robust improvement plan and hold leaders to account.
FOR SCHOOLS THAT REQUIRE IMPROVEMENT
For these schools the aim is to develop and improve leadership capacity, in order to accelerate progress through improved teaching and learning and monitoring.
Add effective capacity to the leadership to ensure that there is a sharper focus on the monitoring of the quality of education in terms of intent, implementation and impact. Where necessary adjustments are made to the curriculum.
Broker specific support from across the MAT- e.g. teaching staff may transfer to support the existing staff to quickly raise standards of achievement; develop an appropriate curriculum and assessment systems, implementing robust performance management systems, pedagogy and coaching.
Establishing an effective program of CPD to upskill all staff.
FOR SCHOOLS THAT ARE GOOD OR BETTER
The aim here is to ensure that these schools continue to move towards and sustain excellence, through sustainability, succession planning, moving to system teaching and leadership and developing staff at all levels.
Lead professionals within the MAT will work alongside the leadership teams to develop and deepen an ethos of enquiry focus and learning
Teachers and other staff will be expected to support other schools in their improvement through sharing best practice. Schools will be encouraged to internally & externally network across the MAT and with other schools