School Improvement Plan

Introduction

Our School Improvement Plan (SIP) sums-up our main priorities for the year, across a number of key areas.
Our priorities match the needs of the school, because they are based on our on-going self-evaluation activities.
The overall aim is to enhance teaching and learning, and to continue to raise standards of pupil achievement.
We operate an ‘in focus’ system at GPS, whereby (usually) one curriculum subject each term is focused upon for additional focus and development. English and Maths are always 'in-focus'.
- Autumn Term 2023: Computing & ICT
- Spring Term 2024: PSHE
- Summer Term 2024: PE
If a subject is ‘in-focus’, the Coordinator receives extra non-contact time (for subject development & monitoring), and a staff meeting or twilight is dedicated to an aspect of the subject.
English, Maths, EYFS and SEND are core elements of the SIP, and are always ‘in-focus’ (and each leader receives weekly non-contact time).
We have decided as a school that PSHE and PE should feature prominently in our annual School Imp Plan, given the importance of personal development, well-being & physical/mental health.
For other curriculum areas, each coordinator draws up a ‘light touch’ annual Action Plan (unless the subject is ‘in-focus’), and these subject leaders are provided with non-contact time so that they can develop and monitor their subject area – we call this ‘active maintenance’.
Our SIP is a collaborative endeavour:
- Discussion in SLT and in Staff Meetings
- Discussion with Governors
- Subject Leaders' draft their Action Plans, leading to further discussion in SLT, Staff Meetings and with Governors.
- Valued input from the external partners we work with - for example TfC English, Maths and EYFS consultants, from our local Sports Partnership, and from our experienced Clerk to Governors.
- Where appropriate, input from our Parent Surveys, Pupil Surveys and from our School Council.

Summary of our 2023-24 SIP

Each of the areas below has a detailed Action Plan, in our School Improvement Plan (SIP), showing how we will achieve our aims and objectives, and also showing howe we will monitor progress and evaluate outcomes.

Leadership & Management

To continue to develop and improve the quality and impact of leadership and management, across the school, and - in particular - to ensure consistently high quality teaching and learning.

Further review & update our Quest Curriculum, reflecting the views of teachers now that it has been in full use for over a year.
Ensure consistently high-quality teaching and learning (high expectations, high engagement, strong outcomes, professional devt, monitoring & evaluation).
Develop the skills & roles of subject leaders across the school, so that they make effective contributions to developing teaching & learning in their subject.
Continue to respond to the actions recommended in our Nov 2022 Ofsted Report
Continue to update all Policies, in a systematic way, building on work done so far.
Continue to develop role of TAs & Nursery Nurses, so that they make a highly effective contribution to teaching, learning & pupil progress.
Continue to demonstrate support for staff well-being.
Further develop the effectiveness of the Governing Board in supporting and challenging the school.
Ensure that Behaviour and Attitudes and Personal Development are maintained as strengths, & further developed in line with agreed priorities.

Developing the GPS Governing Board

To continue to develop the effectiveness of the Governing Board in supporting and challenging the school, so that the school continues to develop and improve.

Further develop the skills of FGB, to monitor, set goals, evaluate and review school improvement and pupil achievement.
Ensure that Governors are engaged with school & know the school well – which in turn will give them the knowledge upon which to make judgements & decisions, & to hold school leaders to account.
To ensure GB is at full strength, and that attendance remains strong.
Raise awareness of the governor role within school and with parents.

Teaching, Learning, Curriculum and Assessment

To continue to develop and improve the quality of teaching, learning, curriculum and assessment.

Raise attainment for all children by continuing to improve and develop the quality of teaching.
Ensure that our 4 ECTs receive effective support, so that they are equipped to teach to a high standard.
Keep our SIP under review, to ensure an organised and well-coordinated approach, thus ensuring each priority is carefully accommodated within our ongoing schedule of meetings, and that non-contact time is provided where appropriate. This way, all ongoing developments will be manageable and ‘doable’.
Ensure that TA support in school has a positive impact on the progress and attainment of identified children
Keep our ‘quest’ Curriculum under review, so that it develops in line with use i.e. in line with ongoing teacher reflection and feedback.
Review existing Assessment systems, to ensure: that assessment is well-structured, & that it provides ongoing diagnostic information, as well as periodical summative snapshots of progress & attainment, and that this information is well-used.

SEND

To raise the attainment of SEND children and ensure that children with SEND make similar rates of progress as their non-SEND peers. To ensure early identification and appropriate support for children with SEND. To ensure that support for children with SEND is appropriate to meet their identified, specific needs.

To ensure that provision for children with SEND is consistent within Quality First Teaching (Ranges 1&2).
To continue to develop recording and referral processes to ensure positive outcomes for children.
To ensure that assessment of children with SEND is always high-quality.
To raise awareness and understanding of specific identified SEND in order to ensure that provision for children is appropriate (SEMH/Communication and Interaction).
To raise awareness of and introduce alternative methods of communication and recording for children with SEND (also to include children with EAL).

EYFS

To raise standards and ensure our EY provision is of a high quality.

To develop strategies to support children with EAL in EYFS.
To improve the progress and attainment in physical development with a focus on handwriting in Reception.
To develop strategies to support children with ASD in EYFS with a particular focus on progress in C&L.
To continue to support and lead EYFS, in particular new staff members in Little Butterflies.
To review the assessment systems in EYFS to ensure it is highly effective and useful for all staff and parents.

English

To raise standards in reading and writing, and ensure good or accelerated progress for all children.

To evaluate, devise and implement a well sequenced and progressive oracy curriculum from EYFS to Year 6.
Devise a whole school approach to the teaching of fluency, beyond the teaching of phonics.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the teaching of spelling and reflect upon policy and curriculum.
To assess the sequencing, teaching and application of spelling from Reception to Year 6.
To develop reading areas across school to promote reading for pleasure.

Mathematics

To raise standards and accelerate progress in Mathematics.

To develop pupil’s confidence and fluency in understanding and using their multiplications tables.
Develop children’s ability to explain and verbalise strategies and generalisations in maths by improving maths oracy.
Ensure progression in maths across the school, updating long term and medium term planning for maths to incorporate Reception, Nursery and Little Butterflies.
Through cross curricular maths, children to understand the importance of maths in the enrichment and life skills.
To update the maths policy to reflect maths teaching at Grangetown Primary School.
To support all staff – ECT and staff in new year groups - in maths teaching and learning and school policies.

PSHE

To ensure an effective approach to PSHE, across the school.

To create a list of core texts linked to the JIGSAW scheme for use across Nursery- Y6.
To implement a Forest School approach throughout school to give children greater access to nature – positive outcomes include greater physical and mental well-being.
To develop the use of floor-books throughout school, as an assessment tool during PSHE lessons.
To achieve the Platinum Anti-Bullying Award.
To continue to develop the role of the School Council.
To take on board emerging Government guidance in RSE, expected in late-2023 or early 2024.

Personal Development and Behaviour

To support pupils’ readiness for and engagement with school and learning. To promote emotional health and well-being to help children understand and express their feelings, and build their confidence and emotional resilience and their capacity to learn.

To raise awareness and understanding of identified SEMH Needs in order to ensure that provision for children is appropriate
To review and update whole school Child on Child abuse police in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023
To review and update the whole school polices: Behaviour Policy, Anti-Bullying Policy, Children’s Anti-Bullying Policy and Online Safety Policy
To continue to develop children’s play, communication and interaction skills in order to ensure socially positive relationships over play and lunchtimes.

Science

To develop the planning and teaching of science across school, ensuring we have a coherent & engaging curriculum which utilises outdoor learning opportunities around our school and in our local area

To further develop the use of the outdoors as a means of enhancing children’s learning in Science, both around our school and in our immediate local area.
To develop our Science planning (Quest 1 and 2), ensuring that this is embedded across the school and that there is a positive impact upon pupil learning
To apply for and achieve the platinum Green Trees School Award to help enrich the curriculum.
To continue to raise the profile of Science across the school to increase opportunities for all children and instil a love for Science

Physical Education

To ensure the profile of PE and sport across school remains high by continuing to raise the outcomes for all children through high quality PE provision as well as increasing the engagement of all pupils in daily physical activity and ensuring all children have a positive approach towards an active and healthy lifestyle.

To increase the engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity, providing pupils with the opportunity to access at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity every day.
To ensure all children have the opportunity to access a wide range of sporting opportunities, both in school and as extra-curricular provision.
To increase the confidence, knowledge and skills of all staff in teaching PE and sport.
To raise the attainment in primary school swimming to ensure children can competently and confidently swim over a distance of at least 25 metres, in line with the National Curriculum requirements.
To select and use planning, preparation and assessment practices that progress pupils learning.

ICT

To ensure that we have a well-structured curriculum across the school, designed to enhance teaching and learning in Computing.

To reshape and develop the GPS computing curriculum, ensuring that it matches the needs of the children and is progressive within and across year groups.
To review our approach to Online Safety and ensure it is consistent across the school.

History

To continue to develop leadership, teaching & learning in history, and ensure that the Quest curriculum is fully embedded throughout KS1 and KS2.

To update the history policy to make amendments regarding accepted history terminology
To create a whole school history display to promote history throughout the school
To finalise the new Year 4 local history unit of work and add to the Quest document

Geography

To further develop leadership, teaching and learning in Geography and ensure that gaps in learning are addressed.

To ensure that children are offered a broad range of visits and visitors in order to creatively cover aspects of the geography curriculum
To improve teaching and learning in geography through developing fieldwork across school.

Art

To further develop leadership, curriculum, teaching and learning in Art, to ensure a positive impact upon pupil engagement and achievement.

To gain an understanding of the art curriculum across the whole school.
To develop the teaching and learning of art by ensuring that each year group has the resources needed.
To ensure artists are linked to the topic in art. E.g. if they are focusing on painting the artist is a painter.

Religious Education

To continue to develop the RE curriculum across school, exposing children to new concepts, visits and visitors whilst developing their knowledge of the prominent religions in the North East.

To ensure the RE curriculum is being taught accurately, ambitiously and consistently across all year groups ensuring that children are making good progress.
To link with the local Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Hindu communities in the North East
To raise the profile of RE within school.

Design Technology

To further develop leadership, curriculum teaching and learning in Design Technology, to enhance pupil engagement and achievement.

To ensure the new DT curriculum is being covered and delivered consistently.
To develop the teaching and learning of DT by ensuring that each year group has the resources needed.
To ensure teachers are confident in teaching all aspects of the DT curriculum.

French

To continue to develop our high-quality French curriculum, so that pupils enjoy learning French and to optimise pupil achievement in French

To ensure that French phonics are systematically taught throughout Key Stage 2 in a relevant and age-appropriate manner.
To highlight suitable activities for those children who are working at greater depth and those who require additional support when working independently.
To make a link with a school in a French-speaking country in order to better understand the culture and language.

Music

We appointed a new Music teacher and coordinator in September 2023, on a Supply basis. Once this teacher is settled at GPS, a ‘light-touch’ Action Plan will be produced.

An even more concise Summary of our Key Priorities for 2023-24!

1. Curriculum, Teaching, Learning

1.1 Further review & update our Quest Curriculum, to reflect the views of teachers, now that it has been in full use for over a year.

1.2 Raise attainment for all children by continuing to improve and develop the quality of teaching.

1.3 Effectively support our 4 ECTs, to ensure a successful Induction period.

2. EYFS

2.1 To improve the progress and attainment in physical development with a focus on handwriting in Reception

2.2 To develop strategies to support children with ASD in EYFS.

3. English and Maths

3.1 To evaluate, devise and implement a well sequenced and progressive Oracy curriculum from EYFS to Y6.

3.2 Devise a whole school approach to the teaching of fluency, beyond the teaching of phonics

3.3 To develop pupil’s confidence and fluency in understanding and using their multiplications tables.

3.4 Develop children’s ability to explain and verbalise strategies and generalisations in maths by improving maths oracy

3.5 Ensure progression in maths across the school, updating long term and medium term planning for maths to incorporate Reception, Nursery and Little Butterflies

4. PSHE/Science

4.1 To implement a Forest School/Outdoor Learning approach throughout school to give children greater access to nature – positive outcomes include greater physical and mental well-being.