Dear Parents and Carers
Last week we had a visit from Tony Hand, Vice CEO of Fierté and Becky Harris, headteacher of Violet Way Academy in Burton, to carry out a 2 day Strategic Peer Review (SPR) alongside myself. We asked them to look at a range of areas that we have been working to improve in the 2 years since the last SPR and 4 years since our last Ofsted in 2020. Between us we visited lessons, spoke to parents, scrutinised work in books, interviewed teachers and leaders and interviewed children. An exhaustive process that left no stone unturned.
The findings were overwhelmingly positive in all of the areas examined but we obviously looked for areas to improve too. Notable improvements and strengths were found in our teaching of phonics and early reading, and this strength is clearly spreading through KS2 now. EYFS was also seen as an area that has had huge developments and progress from previous reports with the children being challenged, working more independently and showing the characteristics of effective learning.
Science following the Kapow scheme was effective with lots of practical activities and opportunities for 'working scientifically' along with good teacher subject knowledge that meant any misconceptions were quickly addressed.
Writing has been an area we have identified as a focus this year and we have taken on a new scheme for teaching it which was seen as having emerging evidence of increased challenge and composition of more independent and extended pieces of writing.
There was good use of pedagogy (teaching techniques) by all staff but there was a certain amount of low level disruptive behaviour that was picked up in the report. The suggested next step for this was to agree a set of clear routines and processes across the whole school rather than each teacher doing something a bit different e.g. ways of getting children's attention or how to enter a classroom etc. We have already worked on developing this consistency so children are clearer on expectations wherever they are in school and whoever is with them. All staff thought that this would be a good idea and have bought into the process.
Probably the most positive aspect of the report was around Personal Development. This is the 'wider curriculum'; the things that we do beyond the National Curriculum subjects. The following bullet points are straight from the report:
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There are a multitude of ways in which the school develops children personally – a range of clubs, representing the school at sports events, performances, active School Councillors and House Captains, visits and trips along with opportunities such as being a ‘Kitchen Assistant’ serving puddings at lunchtime. Children value these opportunities and take their roles seriously.
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Children know how to keep themselves safe – in the classroom, when using computer devices and on roads. They know about healthy relationships and how, with the assistance of adults, they can be helped to sustain these.
This is just a snippet of the report but the staff are proud of the many strengths identified and are keen to work hard on the practical next steps and actions suggested.
