SCHOOL STANDARDS MONITORING SUB COMMITTEE (OF THE …moderngov.torfaen.gov.uk/documents/s28237/Primaries... · COMMUNITIES OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE) 26 October 2017 EFFECTIVENESS

SCHOOL STANDARDS MONITORING SUB COMMITTEE (OF THE LEARNING COMMUNITIES OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE) 26 October 2017 EFFECTIVENESS OF SCHOOL SUPPORT – GARNTEG PRIMARY SCHOOL Report Submitted by: David Congreve, Lead Director for Children and Young People. Report Written by: Corporate Improvement & Scrutiny Team & Education Business Unit

1. Area Affected 1.1 Not applicable. 2. Purpose of Report 2.1 To enable members of the sub-committee to discuss, understand and challenge the

performance and progress of Garnteg Primary School so any issues for development / areas for improvement can be addressed.

3. Suggested Scrutiny Activity 3.1 Members are invited to:

Scrutinise the information presented in appendix 1 to this report, which sets out the current performance of the school and its progress towards set targets;

Explore key areas for improvement detailed in the School’s Development Plan (set out in appendix 2)

Consider the key issues for the school as highlighted by the Local Authority (set out in appendix 3);

Examine the current level of support being provided to the school by the Education Achievement Service (set out in appendix 4);

Enter into a meaningful dialogue with the Headteacher and Chair of Governors, Local Authority officers and representatives from the Education Achievement Service to explore all aspects of the school’s performance and progress; and

If appropriate, agree a set of issues for development / proposals for improvement for the Headteacher and Chair of Governors; the Education Service and the Education Achievement Service to agree and address in partnership.

4. 4.1

Background As a result of their monitoring visit in February 2013, ESTYN (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales) recommended the Council should provide greater challenge and support to schools and undertake a more robust role in monitoring their performance.

4.2 4.3 5. 5.1

Evidence from other local authorities and the Council’s external regulators suggested that this challenge and support role could be addressed by establishing a small sub- committee or panel, made up of highly trained members. This sub-committee was therefore established to:

Improve the communication and dialogue between elected members, individual schools, the Council’s Education Service and the Education Achievement service

Scrutinise and challenge the performance and progress of individual schools;

Scrutinise and challenge the support individual schools receive from the Council’s Education Service and the Education Achievement Service; and

Contribute to improving the outcomes for children and young people across Torfaen, particularly with regards to pupil attainment.

Current Situation The appendices attached to this report highlight the key areas for scrutiny.

Appendix one highlights the current levels of performance for the school and its progress towards both its own targets and those of the Council. Appendix two sets out key areas of the School’s current Development Plan. This highlights the main improvement areas that the School has made a priority to develop. Appendix three provides an overview of the school’s performance by the Council’s Education Service. This section should set out the successes of the school during the past year and highlights any areas for concern for further investigation. Appendix four outlines the support provided to the school by the Education Achievement Service.

6. Expected Outcomes 6.1

The expected outcomes from the work of the sub-committee are:

A shared vision for education in Torfaen

An understanding of the performance and progress of individual schools in Torfaen.

The identification of best practice so it can be explored, highlighted and shared;

The celebration of success;

An understanding of the reasons behind any underperformance;

The identification of issues for development / areas for improvement;

The recognition of any strategies, policies and / or practice issues that are hindering improvement; and

An improvement in the performance in all Torfaen Schools.

7. Actions to be taken following the Sub Committee Meeting 7.1

If required, joint realistic and achievable actions should be developed and agreed by the school, the Education Service and the Education Achievement Service, working in partnership to address the agreed issues for development/ areas for improvement identified as a result of this scrutiny activity.

8 Monitoring and Evaluation 8.1 8.2

It is anticipated that progress in delivering the actions outlined in the agreed joint action plan will be monitored on a regular basis by the three parties involved in their delivery. The sub-committee will expect to receive progress updates on a six monthly basis to ensure the issues identified are being addressed in a timely manner.

9. 9.1 9.2 9.3

Conclusion It is now widely recognised that a shared vision for education in Torfaen is needed across all stakeholders. The role of the sub-committee in holding individual schools to account; and building confidence into the system by enhancing understanding and knowledge must be seen as a positive step and a vital component of achieving this vision. By reviewing the data of individual schools, members of the sub-committee will be able to create a detailed understanding of how Torfaen schools are performing and progressing; and by maintaining an overview of the relationship between schools, the Council’s Education Service and the Education Achievement Service, the sub-committee will be able to help ensure all stakeholders are working in partnership to secure improved outcomes for children and young people.

10. Suggested Scrutiny Activity 10.1 Members are invited to:

Scrutinise the information presented in appendix 1 to this report, which sets out the current performance of the school and its progress towards set targets;

Explore key areas for improvement detailed in the School’s Development Plan (set out in appendix 2)

Consider the key issues for the school as highlighted by the Local Authority (set out in appendix 3);

Examine the current level of support being provided to the school by the Education Achievement Service (set out in appendix 4);

Enter into a meaningful dialogue with the Headteacher and Chair of Governors, Local Authority officers and representatives from the Education Achievement Service to explore all aspects of the school’s performance and progress; and

If appropriate, agree a set of issues for development / proposals for improvement for the Headteacher and Chair of Governors; the Education Service and the Education Achievement Service to agree and address in partnership.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Summary of the School’s performance & progress. Appendix 2: Key areas from the School Development Plan Appendix 3: Key issues for the School (as identified by the

Council’s Education Service). Appendix 4: Current level of support provided to the School by the

Education Achievement Service.

Background Papers

Note: Members of the public are entitled, under the Local Government Act 1972, to inspect background papers to reports. The following is a list of the background papers used in the production of this report. None

For a copy of the background papers or for further information about this report, please telephone:

Rebecca Fahey-Jones, Corporate Scrutiny Officer Tel: 01495 766337 [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Garnteg Primary Performance Data

APPENDIX 1

Foundation Phase

FSM benchmarking group – pupils of statutory school age eligible for FSM

FSM Benchmarking

School O5+ 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17

FPI 1 1 1

LLC 1 1 1

MD 1 1 1

PSWCD 1 1 2

School O6+ 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17

LLC 1 1 1

MD 1 1 1

PSWCD 1 1 1

Foundation Phase Indicator

2015 2016 2017

Garnteg 93.9 93.8 94.3

Family 84.4 87.9 85.3

Torfaen 86.0 88.6 88.6

Wales 86.8 87.0 87.3


Language, Literacy & Communication

Mathematical Development

LLC O5+ 2015 2016 2017

Garnteg 97.0 93.8 94.3

Family 87.0 88.9 86.4

Torfaen 88.7 90.4 90.8

Wales 88.0 88.0 88.1

LLC O6+ 2015 2016 2017

Garnteg 48.5 53.1 51.4

Family 26.7 32.3 37.0

Torfaen 34.9 39.3 39.1

Wales 34.2 36.2 38.1

MD O6+ 2015 2016 2017

Garnteg 48.5 56.3 54.3

Family 27.8 31.6 35.9

Torfaen 33.2 37.2 39.0

Wales 34.3 36.4 38.7

MD O5+ 2015 2016 2017

Garnteg 97.0 96.9 94.3

Family 86.6 90.3 89.0

Torfaen 90.1 91.5 90.7

Wales 89.7 89.9 90.3


Personal & Social Development, Well-Being

and Cultural Diversity

PSWCD O5+ 2015 2016 2017

Garnteg 100.0 100.0 94.3

Family 93.6 94.9 92.9

Torfaen 94.7 95.3 95.1

Wales 94.8 94.5 94.7

PSWCD O6+ 2015 2016 2017

Garnteg 63.6 59.4 65.7

Family 41.2 51.5 52.4

Torfaen 58.6 54.0 61.6

Wales 56.0 58.9 61.3


LLC


MD

PSWCD




Key Stage 2

School L4+ 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

CSI 1 1 1 1 1 1

English 1 1 1 2 1 1

Mathematics 1 1 1 1 1 1

Science 1 1 1 1 1 1

School L5+ 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

English 1 1 1 1 1 1

Mathematics 1 1 1 1 1 1

Science 1 1 1 1 1 1

CSI 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Garnteg 91.7 95.7 90.0 89.3 90.6 95.1

Family 75.8 73.5 79.9 82.4 85.1 88.8

Torfaen 85.6 89.1 91.2 84.3 89.9 89.5

Wales 82.6 84.3 86.1 87.7 88.6 89.5


English L4+ 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Garnteg 91.7 95.7 93.3 89.3 90.6 95.1

Family 84.3 80.5 83.6 84.4 86.9 89.4

Torfaen 87.8 90.3 92.4 87.1 91.1 92.0

Wales 85.2 87.1 88.4 89.6 90.3 91.1

English L5+ 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Garnteg 62.5 65.2 66.7 57.1 59.4 56.1

Family 26.6 29.4 29.6 33.9 33.8 36.0

Torfaen 40.3 38.4 43.8 36.3 41.2 41.9

Wales 32.9 35.7 38.0 40.8 42.0 44.7


Mathematics L4+ 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Garnteg 91.7 100.0 93.3 92.9 93.8 97.6

Family 78.5 78.9 82.9 86.4 88.4 89.7

Torfaen 89.1 92.2 94.3 87.3 91.4 91.5

Wales 86.8 87.5 88.9 90.2 91.0 91.6

Mathematics L5+ 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Garnteg 58.3 60.9 56.7 57.1 65.6 61.0

Family 24.9 29.4 33.6 38.6 36.6 41.1

Torfaen 40.7 38.5 41.6 36.1 41.9 44.1

Wales 32.9 35.7 38.0 41.2 43.2 47.0


Science L4+ 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Garnteg 100.0 100.0 100.0 96.4 93.8 100.0

Family 84.0 83.7 86.8 88.8 89.0 91.9

Torfaen 90.7 92.8 94.5 90.4 92.7 93.8

Wales 88.5 89.7 90.3 91.4 91.7 92.2

Science L5+ 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Garnteg 66.7 73.9 66.7 64.3 62.5 61.0

Family 23.9 32.3 30.9 33.2 38.7 38.5

Torfaen 40.0 37.8 43.3 38.5 44.8 46.5

Wales 33.1 36.1 38.4 41.1 42.5 46.4


English


Mathematics

Science




Attendance (2017 data not yet released)

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

School attendance 93.5 93.5 94.4 95.2 95.0

LA attendance 94.1 93.6 94.7 94.9 94.8

Wales attendance 93.9 93.7 94.8 95.0 94.9

School U/A 2.1 2.3 1.4 0.8 1.0

LA U/A 0.9 1.3 1.1 1.2 1.0

Wales U/A 0.7 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.1

FSM

Bench

marki

ng

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Attendance 1 1 1 1 1


Attendance target for 2017/18 – tbc

Exclusions

Primary 2016/17


Primary 2015/16

2014/15 2015/6 2016/17

F/T exclusions school 0 1 0

F/T exclusions LA 155 182 159

Perm exclusions school 0 0 0

Perm exclusions LA 1 1 2

APPENDIX 3

Garnteg Primary School

LA Report

Garnteg Primary School is in the small town of Garndiffaith, near Pontypool in the Torfaen local

authority. There are 276 pupils aged three to eleven on roll. This includes 35 part-time nursery-aged

children who attend either a morning or an afternoon session. There are nine classes in the school.

With the exception of the part-time nursery class and one reception class, all classes have mixed

aged pupils. Around 40% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. This is higher than the average

for Wales (21%). A very few pupils are looked after by the local authority. The school has identified

around 34% of its pupils as having additional learning needs. A very few pupils have a statement of

special educational needs. English is the predominant language for all pupils and currently only a

very few pupils receive support for English as an additional language. No pupils speak Welsh as their

first language. The headteacher took up her post in February 2010. The school was last inspected in

May 2015.

Last Estyn Inspection Report May 2015

The school’s current performance Good

The school’s prospects for improvement Excellent

Recommendations

R1 Improve the presentation of pupils’ work, particularly, handwriting and spelling and number

formation in the Foundation Phase.

R2 Further improve pupils’ Welsh skills.

R3 Ensure that marking provides pupils with clear guidance on how to improve and that pupils have

enough time to respond to advice.

Estyn has invited the school to prepare a written case study, describing the excellent practice

identified during the inspection.

Where is the school now?

The school was categorised as Green for the third year (January 2017) under the National

School Categorisation. This means the school:

Has a track record of sustaining a high level of outcomes

Knows itself well and identify and implement priorities

Demonstrates resilience at all levels

Is rewarded with greater autonomy

Will be challenged to move towards or sustain excellence

Have the capacity to lead and to contribute to support

S Davies (Head of Learning TCBC)

Appendix 4

National Categorisation School Report

(Provisional pending National Verification)

School: Garnteg Primary

Region: EAS - Torfaen

Step 1 - Standards Group

Based upon the National Categorisation for standards the school is: 1

School Context

• There are 271 full time pupils on roll and a further 45 children attend the nursery part

time. The school is organised into ten classes. These include one part time nursery class that

meets in the morning and afternoon, one single aged class Reception. In the Foundation

Phase there is 2 split Rec/Yr1 and two split yr1/2 classes. There are five split classes in Key

Stage 2, two Year 3/4 , one Year4/5 and two Year 5/6 classes.

• Over the last 3 years approximately 41% of pupils are eligible for Free school meals

in 2015-6 43% of pupils are entitled to free school meals this is places in the over 35%

benchmarking group quartile 5

• In 2015-6 there were 16 pupils who are being ‘looked after’ by the local authority (LA),

18 pupils are currently on the children protection register and 4 pupils are recognised as a

“child in need.” Approximately 15% of pupils have currently or previously had some level of

involvement with Social Services. .

• Base line indications show that attainment on entry to the school at both Nursery and

Reception is generally below the national average with 56% of pupils on entry to reception

with lower standardised scores than their chronological age 29% of pupils 12-18 months

below chronological age September 2015. Approximately 42% of pupils are identified as

having additional learning needs (ALN) and two pupils receive a statement of ALN. No pupil

received a fixed-term exclusion in the last year.

• Currently 2015-6 3% of learners are EAL slightly below the LA average of 5% in

Torfaen.

• Year 2 – Cohort of 32. One pupil represents 3.3 %. There were 19 boys and 13 girls.

• Year 6 – Cohort of 35. One pupil represents 3.9%. There were 15 boys and 20 girls.

pupils

Quality Assurance

Regional

Moderation

National

Verification

Evaluation

Over the last 3 years the school has been Quartile one position at both Foundation Phase and Key Stage 2 in all phase and key indicators and also quartile 1 position for attendance for the last 4 years attendance).

There is strong correlation between of teacher assessment v test data in 2015-6 all years 2-6 were above the LA and Welsh average .with an average of 93% attaining 85 plus . Also a strong correlation for 116 plus scores in Year 2 Year 5 and 6. In 2015 all teacher assessments and national test end of Key stages were verified in the Estyn inspection.

Areas for further improvement

Main areas for improvement from the school’s performance data 2015-6 is to improve 116 plus scores for learners in the reading and reasoning tests for learners in years 3 and 4

Step 2 – Improvement Capacity

The categorisation based upon evidence and discussion at Step 2 is: A

Evaluation

The head teacher has established a clear vision for the school. This focuses well on achieving high standards and engaging purposefully and effectively with the local community. These overarching priorities have underpinned the school’s successful development over recent years very well. A recent review of the school’s vision has led to the development of the Sparkle and Climb curriculum, which embraces the new curriculum changes very effectively. Leaders actively involve all stakeholders in whole school developments. The school has worked very well to embrace new changes to the curriculum and these are being successfully embedded across each key stage. The school’s capacity to plan and implement change is very strong. The school’s self-evaluation processes are very accurate, wide-ranging and the volume and quality of monitoring are very high. Effective analysis of the performance data is a strength of the school. Leaders use this

analysis very well to measure the quality of teaching and learning across the whole school.

Future targets are clearly identified through the SER and these feature strongly in the

school’s SDP.

The school’s Raising Attainment Group and Curriculum Learning Teams are very effective in

ensuring that the highest possible standards are met by all pupils. The school sets

challenging targets and regularly meets or exceeds these.

The highly effective intervention programmes for vulnerable pupils impact positively on their wellbeing and standards. These include the Steps programme, Tackling the Tail and Catch Up Reading. Improvement planning is highly effective and addresses the key areas for school improvement. Actions include a rationale, success criteria, resources, monitoring information

and key evidence. Each action plan is monitored rigorously by leaders and teams across the school, to raise standards for all pupils. The school has a proven track record in successfully implementing national and local priorities. This includes the school’s work as a Pioneer school, Creative Lead School and its work within the field of MAT. A recent addition to this is their involvement with the British Council on critical thinking skills and STEM questioning. The school’s capacity to bring about improvement is excellent. There are many significant examples of partnership working. Many of the newly formed partnerships have been developed through staff research into their own areas of development, based on the 4 core principles of Donaldson Report. Governors clearly play an important part in the success of the school and are actively involved in key decision making. They are very supportive and challenging of the school’s performance and are encouraged to express their views at all times. The head teacher has shared out responsibilities very effectively to staff at all levels. Staff

understand their responsibilities well and undertake their roles effectively. The senior

leadership team and the raising attainment group work very well together. There is a strong

collaborative ethos across the school. Regular management and team meetings provide

effective lines of communication between leaders, teachers and support staff. The

arrangements for supporting subject co-ordinators through curriculum teams and shadowing

roles are good.

The school’s performance management arrangements are well-embedded to challenge staff.

Professional development opportunities are a very strong feature of the workings of the

school. Staff are clearly engaged with this process and use it well to address pupil progress

and share pedagogy.

The quality of teaching and its impact on learning is a very strong feature of the school.

Standards over a number of years support this and the quality of work witnessed in pupils’

books is of a high standard.

A shared understanding of the ETF has enabled all staff to identify the characteristics of

excellent and good. A very detailed monitoring programme in place, ensures that this practice

is shared very successfully across the whole school.

The delivery and management of intervention programmes are very good and have a very positive impact on pupils’ progress. Monitoring activities focus very well on the impact of initiatives and interventions and the identification of quantifiable measures is particularly good. Improvement planning is effective and has helped to deliver significant gains in pupils’ progress from their relatively low starting-points on entry to the school. Teacher assessment is an extremely strong feature of the school. The raising attainment group is very effective in analysing performance information from a range of sources. For example, it uses national data, the outcomes of standardised tests, monthly assessment information on pupils and value-added data to identify those pupils who are on track to

achieve their personal targets and those who are not. The quality of the school’s SDP and SER are excellent.

Areas for further improvement

To develop the pedagogical approach to the new curriculum To improve pupil’s Welsh Skills To improve attainment for MAT groups of learners

Evidence scrutinised to make the judgement

Self-Evaluation Cycle and Self-Evaluation Report

School Development Plan 2016-2019, including planned spend of PDG and EIG

Curriculum plans

Staffing Structure

Target Setting Information Y2-Y6

School’s Data Analysis based on AWCDs 2015-2016 and national tests

Learning Walk / Wall trawl – whole school

Pupils’ Books (to be confirmed prior to the visit)

Cluster Moderation Report 2015-2016

Interviews e.g. SMT

Presentations on Pioneer School

Creative Lead Presentation

Step 3 – Support Category

The overall support category for the school is: Green

Exceptions

Exceptions have been applied: No

Categorisation Overview

The judgement at Step 2 and the decision taken at Step 3 are provisional until

National Verification has been completed.

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Exceptions applied

1 A GREEN no

Documents

SCHOOL STANDARDS MONITORING SUB COMMITTEE (OF THE …moderngov.torfaen.gov.uk/documents/s28237/Primaries... · COMMUNITIES OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE) 26 October 2017 EFFECTIVENESS