Self- Evaluation Effectiveness of leadership & management Headteacher: Celia Dawson
Self Evaluation 2015/16 SUMMARY The effectiveness of leadership & management is judged to be OUTSTANDING because:
The school is visionary & takes risk & chances to strive to improve
CGS leads the Mitcham Town Community Trust a co operative of local schools and community partners. The MTCT actively promotes shared Inset training opportunities, has established additional pupil study opportunities, offers family learning, & has established Masters courses. CGS is recognised as an “Innovation Hub” (A Centre for Learning Research and Innovation) in partnership with West London University. The head is recognised as an NLE & due to the strength of the deputy is able to use this to support other schools, supporting two schools to move from RI to Good and mentoring aspiring heads. The head is employed within Merton to develop other schools & leadership teams & has run effective & highly valued Middle Leadership training courses for 5 years. CGS runs the highly valued LA (MAOS) outreach service to support mainstream schools with ASD learners. This has been evaluated as an excellent service which is impacting very positively on learners & schools capacity to meet needs. She is a leading practitioner in moving forward the ASD agenda in Merton. CGS co leads The Merton Special School Teaching Alliance, developing all aspects of school to school support, ITT training, research & delivering a range of courses which have been highly valued & impacted on staff development. The TS has further developed to include mainstream partners across Merton impacting positively on local schools. CGS curriculum is exceptional in its creativity. Learners at all ages & ability have numerous opportunities to participate & excel at drama, dance, art, music or sport, building personal skills & developing self esteem. Subject leaders are knowledgeable of school standards & areas for development. They produce informed action plans for their subjects that link with whole school aims & ensure that a high quality of teaching across the curriculum is sustained. Curriculum leaders work exceptionally well together to ensure there is a consistency of practice, a rigor in marking & assessment & opportunities for progression for all learners.
life chances for all its learners. The committed & effective GB openly support this style of leadership & provide challenge &
maintain a high commitment to furthering pupil well being. CGS thrives on challenge, new developments, innovative practice & creativity. The school is truly dynamic, it never stands still, takes risks & it continuously sees possibilities & not limitations. There is a clear & understood commitment by all to the aims of the school & the commitment to enabling learners students develop & grow in this environment, showing pleasure & taking risks, in a safe, secure, happy environment. Staff “buy in” & actively promote this ethos & the school boasts a truly collegiate staff. The Senior & Middle Leadership teams demonstrate great strength and depth in their capacity to drive the schools continuous improvement. There is strong, proven evidence of the excellence of the continuous programmes for effective professional development & succession planning. Comprehensive action planning ensures well informed strategies are put in place to sustain & develop provision. A thorough timetable for professional development is implemented for both Class Teachers & Teaching assistants which addresses common areas of development & reflecting a focus on effective teaching & learning. Professional development opportunities at CGS are outstanding at every level, as is demonstrated by the rigorous & personalised Appraisal system for all staff. There are clear criteria for performance related pay. Effective & responsive packages of support are available at every level of development. We have staff completing MAs & research projects, staff offering professional mentoring & an well developed ITT programme through our TS status. The school has a depth of history in professional development which is testament to this strong commitment. CGS has a culture of high expectation which has enabled learners at the school to excel. CGS curriculum ensures all learners, irrespective of need make outstanding progress in the core areas of communication, literacy & numeracy. Data shows progress for learners is outstanding.
Self Evaluation 2015/16 SUMMARY The effectiveness of leadership & management is judged to be OUTSTANDING because:
The 6th form curriculum leads to learners achieving exceptionally high rates of employment though Project Search. CGS led the development of Project Search a work based development programme for post sixteen learners preparing for work & employment in line with Government agendas, Project Search continues to thrive; in its 5th year 71% young people have found employment. There is a very strong emphasis in year 11 & the 6 th form on preparation for employment & independent living. The 6th Form skills based curriculum has undergone a major reorganization and together with the implementation of accredited programmes and effective assessment, has led to more rigorous monitoring of progress. Careers Evenings, links with colleges, work experience, volunteering, youth clubs and travel training lead pupils into adult life and successfully support families with the transition. There is a highly constructive & ambitious dialogue between the school leadership & the governing body. Governors are well informed of the current school context & challenge robustly when needed. They are proactive in arranging visits to the school. They have high expectations for outcomes & provision for learners . Governors monitor the curriculum through termly class based visits, by discussion & challenge at the Teaching & Learning Committee meetings, through discussion around end of year reports from curriculum leads & by being kept up to date with new initiatives. eg: Infomentor the new assessment package & assessment research and moderation. The LAC governor works with the safeguarding lead to ensure rigour & best practice. Pupil safeguarding & well being is paramount to & well managed by all staff; staff understand their roles & are trained to recognise & respond to signs of abuse or anxiety. Roles & responsibilities are clear & understood by all. Governors are regularly informed about how the school manages & supports children with specific needs over & above their learning needs. A nominated Governor is the safeguarding lead. SLT & 4 Governors are trained in Safer Recruitment.
Governors actively promote the schools ethos, support & challenge us to maintain excellence at every level . Governors are active in understanding & knowing what happens in school, & in challenging our processes & thinking. Governors seek to know standards are maintained & all children improve & develop. Governors are instrumental in shaping policy & school priorities. CGS works with a large number other agencies delivering a variety of therapies as part of its approach to meeting needs. The school has trained its own Play therapist, buys in OT, the Leading Ladies project, GAV ( Gangs against violence) Metro CHARITY, Image in Action (sexual health projects) and CAMHs, all support promoting learners emotional well being. Parents commit to our aims & ethos & actively support us in all we do. Termly surveys tell us parents feel learners feel safe & are happy to come to CGS & make exceptional progress. Staff opinions are regularly sought & used to inform & develop provision. Best practice is modelled & shared resulting in typically excellent opportunities for learners to learn. CGS is an accredited RRS school & actively seeks to promote inclusion & diversity. Prejudice is not tolerated. A range of opportunities for learners to share opinion & have an active voice in the school have been established resulting in excellent relationships between staff & learners & a highly positive school culture being developed. As a result of regular & visible celebrations of the diversity of the school community alongside a robustly implemented PSE/ SRE & social skills curriculum & high profile school council, learners are well prepared for life in modern Britain. There is an active response to current national priorities such as embracing the Prevent agenda through open discussion & promotion of developing learners capacity to keep themselves safe & free from harm. Safeguarding procedures are robust with effective action taken where needed to ensure all learners are safe and heard.
Self Evaluation 2015/16 SUMMARY The effectiveness of leadership & management is judged to be OUTSTANDING because:
To sustain Outstanding standards the following areas are being worked on: Embed the use of the Infomentor assessment tool to ensure that assessment is used to effectively benchmark achievements for all pupils. Develop capacity at Middle leadership to support effective development of new benchmarking Continue to develop Governance so that Governors systematically self evaluate effectiveness & demonstrate deep knowledgeable of the context & challenges including provision for vulnerable groups. SLT to continue to embrace the expansion of the school, ensuring succession planning and rigour in teaching and learning, to be evidenced over time by maintaining an Ofsted judgement of Outstanding.
Reviewed: CD/SLT – December 2016 Governors to review: Investors in People –January 2017