Briefing draft by WVCP School

Committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people

WE LEARN - TOGETHER

Class arrangements 2010/11: A briefing paper

DRAFT Notes:

• (In this briefing paper we will use the words attainment and progress in a specific sense: ◦ Attainment refers to the level a pupil has reached in an area of learning (Level 1A,

•

3C, 2B etc.) ◦ Progress is the rate at which a pupil moves from one level to another year-on-year. (In KS1 this is expected to be one sub-level per term. At KS2 this is two sub-levels per year.) Background information supplying the statistical evidence for the changes we envisage is supplied later in this document.

From September 2010 our class arrangements will be as follows: Class

Years

Teacher

Class 1

R (EYFS) and 1

Miss Sutton with Mrs Hammond

Class 2

2 and 3

Mrs Wilson with Mrs Goodrum

Class 3

4 and 5

Mrs Chidwick and Mr Simington with Mrs Bullock

Class 4

Mrs Miller, Mrs Knighton, Mrs Springfield

These are provisional arrangements determined by budget and the finance committee. We will confirm these arrangements when the budget is set after April 1st.

In the course of our consultations over the last few months, a number of issues have emerged as common reactions and concerns. In this next section, we list those and supply our thinking on each.

Frequently asked questions: Why change class groupings at all?

It is more logical to have 2 year groupings from class R through to year 5. This leaves the single class as year 6. Government funding for interventions and disruptions to learning for year 5 will no longer take place. Full focus on year 6 will permit maximum progress and high attainment dependent on individual ability. We can forge an exciting curriculum which permits us to just think of a group of 13 pupils in their final year at Wetheringsett Primary School. Transition to chosen high schools, for most Debenham High, will be much more flexible and will allow us to take part in even more events that Debenham have planned for our year 6 pupils in the coming year.

But surely you cannot cut across KS1 and KS2?

We already know that SAT testing at the end of KS1 iand in all years by end of year tests and APP (Assessing Pupil Progress). The new curriculum wants us to dissolve barriers between classes and year groups according to need. The head teacher agress with this view. We know that programs of study will permit us to work across the key stages. We also, already work across EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) and year 1 in class 1, so it is a method of working, with which we are already familiar.

Teachers are experts in their classes. How will they know how to teach other year groups? But we must defend our present progress at KS2.

We are all professional trained teachers. We were trained for primary or secondary (sometimes junior or middle). Any present skill base for a particular year group is more accurately seen as an association with a particlar level of ability. Teaching skills should be applied to all ability levels and across the full range of primary subjects. Where training needs arise, we will fully plan and put in place what is required as identified and monitored thorugh our performance management arrangeements. We are currently coming up to the review time for these documents and will focus on such needs, at these meetings.

KS2 results have an excellent record at the moment but are in slight decline in the last year. We depend on the abilities of one teacher to catch up for all our class 4 pupils. This does not currently happen in year 5 as most pupils plateau in terms of progess. Most progress is currently made in year 6. (approximately of progress across the 2 years of class 4 is in year 5 average figures taken from last years year 5 -25%, and 75% in year 6 last years year 6). In addition we are all responsible for the progress of all children in school. We now have a job share in class 3 (years 4/5) of Mr Simington and Mrs Chidwick. We will be monitoring progress half-termly and are well aware of the required progress to ensure we can maximise the attainment of pupils in years 4/5 to prepare for year 6. The change to class structure is directed at what is the best pattern for our pupils in school. In other words, taking all teachers out of the equation, what would be the best pattern of class arrangements for 7 year groups and 4 classes from year R to year 6. We believe that the answer is the new arrangements outlined here.

What about KS1? Isn't that where the weakness is?

Any specific weaknesses in teaching form a separate issue and will be dealt with separately. Yes, our results at KS1are not as strong as those at KS2. They have been less strong over the last three years. The key to progress and attainment is teaching by our teachers and support staff. (see below) All teaching across the school must be at least good and more often outstanding. For that we must all share good practice in and out of the school and raise our performance. Every teacher must do this from class 4 to class 1. We will be monitoring ALL teaching termly and will report on standards of teaching to governors. We will also use performance management routines to set rigorous targets which will be reviewed with individual teachers termly.

How are we judged as a school by OFSTED or any other outside agencies?

The attainment and rate of progress of the school is complicated but largely centres on Year 6 and focusses on mathematics and English. The opportuntiy to differentiate and the progress of our SEN pupils is a strength of the school because of our setting arrangements. Under the new class arrangements, our class teachers will not be working with their classes in mathematics and English but rather with ability groups. This time with pupils comprises 43% of our week and is in our focus subjects. We are planning for our class 4 teacher to work with the higher ability pupls in year 5 and 6, even under the new arrangements, allowing our strength in working with SEN to continue across 5/6 and in lower years. We will all, as teaching adults in school, be working more and more across the age ranges. Our new curriculum, which we have to work to, will require greater flexibility with year groups. There is little research evidence that the number of pupils affects progress up to around 25 pupils.

We seem to be exposing more pupils Instinct does, however, tell us that this cannot be true. We believe we can to the improve our pupils performance by differentiating for all abilities. Therefore, all adults will work with groups for mathematics and English to allow for maximum weaker teacher focus for specific groups of learners. We will be expecting all teachers to teaching be raising standards by at least the national average per year. Where this does practitioners? not happen, we will take action and be monitored in so doing by governors. Our whole school progress, year on year, does not work efficiently at the moment and we depend on particular strong teachers while failing to address the issues of succession (what happens if someone leaves) and strength of teaching lower down in the school.

What if this does not work?

We also want the school and the parents to be much more flexible about who teaches who in the school. For instance - the headteacher currently teaches all pupils in the school as does the class 1 teacher. We expect all teaching in all parts of the school to be at least good and sometimes outstanding at all times. Every lesson is important from Monday to Friday. This is our belief and philosophy for teaching. We have an interim year before new curriculum changes come, where year 5 will have worked with the year 5/6 teacher. This should permit us to monitor closely the effects of the changes.

Why do it this September 2010 and decide in March 2010? Why not wait a year? Why not wait and see how the changes already made to raise standards work? What about TAs? (Teaching Assistants). (They look more like teachers here.)

It takes a lot of preparation to make changes and to ensure staff are prepared and trained. This decision will give us six months to prepare for the class changes. We also have to design a new curriculum and have this in place and running by September 2011. This, in itself, is a massive task. If we leave the decision we will have to make all changes in September 2011. That will not be satisfactory. We can then model our ideas in the coming year for a new curriculum, knowing our class groupings are settled. (The new curriculum will require us to work in even more imaginative groupings. We need to also be prepared and to have trialled ideas that suit our school, during 2010/11)

We have never, in schools, had the luxury of waiting and seeing. We evaluate very carefully as we go. Government have been repsonsible for one initiative piled on top of another and often contradicting each other. We model the way schools work as an onion with each layer operating simultaneously. We will overcome our problem of evaluation by ensuring we do so as the school moves forward, half term by half term with the assistance of our governors, who will be working with us on our development plans.The new arrangements are part of a whole school vision and are interdependent. We will, in the judgement of the head-teacher, make more progress and achieve higher levels of attainment, if we adopt curriculum change, class structure change and address key issues that are currently stifling progress. We also want to be certain that we can replace any teaching staff at any point because we are clear about what we look for in teaching and will expect only the best from all our teachers. This includes the head teacher!

This is part of our vision. We want all our adults in school to be skilled practitioners. We already know that the skills of our TAs contribute hugely to the progress of our SEN pupils. Whenever we are working in mathematics or English discretely, we will use all our adults to permit us to break down into smaller teaching groups based on ability. Our TA's will work under the guidance and supervision of the class teachers and the heads of subject.

This isn't just the head teacher acting on a whim or having a particular interest? But some children will have been with one member of staff for a long time.

Thank you for all this but I am still worried and do not know what to do.

All our plans are scrutinised by the governors and by outside agencies which will include a school link adviser, a school improvement partner, the church education department and our visit from Ofsted is imminent.. Ofsted will take great interest in our published plans. We have consulted widely about our plans but in the end this is a decision by the head teacher as manager of the school. He has listened to the views of all stakeholders, the governors and advisers to the school. In his judgement and with the evidence available, this is by far the best route to raise standards across the school, provide more appropriate consistency of teaching and develop better rates of progress and attainment,year on year. This arrangement will also overcome some of the transistion problems that see pupils progress slowly when they move from class to class or school to school. This is true of most primary schools. But we will be working in more flexible groups as time goes on. We also have described the setting arrangeemnts we will be following for 43% of the week. The most important expecation is that every child is making at least expected progress. We will share that progress with our termly interim reports and welcome you monitoring and intervening where you have concerns. All teachers are aware that we are looking for good to outstanding teaching. We will not compromise and I know the governers support this view. Where we share your concerns about the performance of any teachers or teaching assistants, we will take action swiftly through our performance management procedures. But the improvement I am seeing as head teacher even in the six months I have been at the school, is gratifying and I am looking to see even more as we move into this exciting era. We can all appreciate that with any change there is worry. It is sometimes too easy to complain at the school gate or beyond and not share your concerns with the head teacher. I have endless patience and will do my very best to put your mind at rest. Please feel able to speak to me personally. I will be at the Parent's forum and you can always make an appointment with me when you see me at the school gate. Ring or email me if you wish. Don't worry away on your own as the opportuntiy to share concerns will always be there. This particularly applies once we come back in Septtember. Share concerns earlier rather than later.

01449 766215

How do I contact you?

mr.simington@wvcpschool.com Catch me at the school gate. Come to a parent Forum. These will be flagged in the three-weekly newsletter.

Background statistical information: (Estimated school population 77 pupils) From September 2010 our class arrangements will be: Class

Years

Class 1

R (EYFS) and 1

10%

Miss Sutton with Mrs Hammond

Class 2

2 and 3

25%

Mrs Wilson with Mrs Goodrum

Class 3

4 and 5

20%

Mrs Chidwick and Mr Simington with Mrs Bullock

Class 4

77%

Mrs Miller, Mrs Knighton, Mrs Springfield

SCHOOL AVERAGE 2010/11

SEN 2010/11 Teacher (National average 20%)

33.3%

2009/10 SEN average was 28%

These are provisional arrangements determined by budget and the finance committee. Class 1 SEN figure is only indicative at this stage. We will confirm these arrangements when the budget is set after April 1st. Arrangements for mathematics and literacy (ENGLISH) settings. We wish to continue the successful arrangements for setting. This permits children to work, by and large, at the level of their ability rather than necessarily their age. Mathematics and English comprise 43% of the working week and are the subjects that are assessed at KS1 and 2 with statutory tests. These lessons take place daily for both curriculum aspects.

These figures below are based on current staffing and an analysis of current progress of years R-5. Only rarely will class 1 pupils work at level 2 but where this happens we would be able to make adjusted setting arrangements in the term that level 2 was achieved by an individual pupil. Years

No in maths group in each year

No in English group in each year

Teacher

Area of work (using the name we currently give that learning space)

5,6

4/7

5/7

Mrs Miller

Class 2

Mrs Knighton

Library/Reception

Mrs Springfield

Library/Reception

4/5

6/8

6/7

Mrs Chidwick/Mr Simington

Class 4

3/4

4/1

Mrs Bullock

Library/Reception

2/3/4

8/3/1

9/3/1

Mrs Wilson

Class 3

2/3

1/3

Mrs Goodrum

Library/Reception

R/1

Miss Sutton

Class 1

R/1

Mrs Hammond

Class 1

TOTAL 77

P scales are used to indicate progress towards achieving level 1. Level 1C is the lowest level of achievement (1C/1B/1A 2C/2B/2A 3C/3B/3A etc) Expected lowest progress for each year is given below. In addition we have targets to achieve attainment at higher levels across the ability range. (Our target this year for level 5 is 40% of pupils which is 5 out of 12 pupils. We already know that three are currently working at level 5 in English and mathematics.) In the attainment table below, please note that SEN pupils will always struggle to achieve the levels of attainment of Non-SEN pupils. So where year groups have a high rate of SEN, attainment may not be so strong. This is what we would expect to see as governors and managers of the school.

PROGRESS TABLE MARCH 2010 Year

Level

% FEB 2010 % FEB 2010 SEN % M E

Year R

P levels

100

Year 1

Year 2

50%

Year 3

33%

Year 4

Year 5

77%

Year 6

33%

SCHOOL AVERAGE

28%

Other subjects, including science and ICT will all be taught in class groups. (57% of the school week) (Our ICT vision statement is hopeful that we will be able to integrate ICT into the curriculum and phase out discrete ICT lessons.)