School Self Evaluation
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Ofsted's school inspection framework (2005) takes into account the requirements of the Children Act (2004), and the five key outcomes for children and young people proposed by Every Child Matters. The framework gives strong emphasis to school improvement through the use of the school’s own self-evaluation, including regular input from pupils, parents and other stakeholders, as the starting point for inspection and for the school’s internal planning and development. School evaluation and review of its management of pupil mobility should include examination of:
Both administrative and pupil support systems need to be monitored, together with the practice of both pastoral and teaching staff, and the work of other key support staff and outside agencies. Ideally both mobile and stable groups of pupils should be consulted. Causes of mobilityIslington schools with significant numbers of mobile pupils have identified the following causes of mobility:
Measuring pupil mobility in Islington schoolsThe following percentage number measurement has been proposed by Ofsted (Managing Pupil Mobility, 2002): Mobility=
Pupil mobility at school level using this measurement is the aggregate of individual pupil movements in any one academic year. Using this calculation, Islington primary schools with more than the average pupil mobility (for primary schools in the borough) are considered by CEA@Islington EMAS to have high pupil mobility. Those with more than 25% are considered to have very high pupil mobility. Islington secondary schools with more than the average pupil mobility (for secondary schools in the borough) are considered by CEA@Islington EMAS to have high pupil mobility; those with more than 15% are considered to have very high pupil mobility. Analysing and using data on mobility Collecting and analysing data on additional admissions and leavers can help schools to identify trends and ensure that interventions are targeted effectively. This, together with local data that provides detail of social context, local mobility factors and children’s achievements, can also provide useful information about the school’s attainment profile and any changes to the context in which the school works. There are sources of information that can help:
For the purposes of an Ofsted inspection, it is very important that schools keep their SEF up to date with information about the number of mobile joiners, including those who have arrived since the last school census return. Ofsted inspectors need to know the level of pupil mobility, the profile of pupils, particularly the identity and proportion of minority ethnic groups represented in the school including pupils from refugee families, and the number of pupils for whom English is an additional language (EAL) and who are at an early stage of learning English. Ofsted inspectors are encouraged to be alert to the effects of mobility on schools and to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies that support pupils’ well-being and progress. Clear evidence and tracking of differences in performance between mobile and stable groups of pupils can help inspectors’ awareness of the current challenges the school faces. Target setting and attainmentWhen considering the performance of the school’s mobile pupils sitting key stage assessments as compared to that of the stable population it is important to remember that although evidence across LEAs suggests a negative attainment gap between additional admissions and the stable population, the relationship between pupil mobility and attainment is complex. According to Ofsted: ‘It is difficult to isolate the effect of pupil mobility on attainment because it often occurs alongside other factors, such as disrupted family life. Differences in the relationship between mobility and attainment also reflect differences between schools in their ability to manage mobility effectively.’ (Managing Pupil Mobility, Ofsted, 2002) The process of setting targets is complex when there is a high rate of pupil mobility in a school. This adds to the importance of good quality induction procedures and accurate assessments of pupils’ educational experience and attainment. The use of short-term targets can also help drive learning. New arrivals with EAL and school performance tables
The performance of new arrivals in the national end of key stage tests and GCSE, who have arrived in the country in the previous two years and who speak English as an additional language, can in certain circumstances not be included in the school’s results when calculated for the national school performance tables. Further guidance is available from the DfES website guidance on Final decisions on content of the School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables. Managing supportReviewing the impact of support strategies, including multi-agency involvement, relies on the collection of monitoring information from key support staff involved. Interventions to support the wider needs of pupils and their families need to be regularly supervised and properly documented, with outcomes recorded. This includes outside agency workers placed at the school. Attendance, behaviour and other pupil referral data needs careful monitoring to identify how well mobile pupils are settling in. Support materials for schoolsPupil mobility audit This audit form enables schools to establish a baseline which analyses mobility patterns, its impact on attainment, attendance and exclusions, good practice and areas for development. The DfES form can be located in appendix 1 of the DfES guidance document. Review questions linked to downloadThis downloadable document, drawn from a similar document produced by the London Borough of Lewisham’s Ethnic Minority Achievement Service, provides schools with a list of questions and prompts that can support school self-evaluation of their management of pupil mobility and support for all new arrivals. Useful websites for schoolsCEA@islington's strategy and performance information Ofsted guidance on the inspection framework http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/schools/ Ofsted guidance on school self-evaluation http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/schools/sef.cfm Pupil mobility and target setting: primary and secondary school case studies on the DfES standards website |
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