How can school leaders use data and AfL to reduce inschool variation

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How can school leaders use data and AfL to reduce
in-school variation? 
DfES Secondary Conferences, 2004-5
National College for School Leadership and
Leadership Network
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Why does this matter and what can we do?

• The degree of within school variation in this
  country is a high figure by international
  standards substantially greater than countries
  like Taiwan or Hong Kong
• It is a major barrier to transforming standards
  and to personalisation seen as part of the
  furniture
• It makes collaboration between schools relatively
  superficial
• NCSL and Leadership Network schools collaborating
  on a research and development project to uncover
  successful strategies

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Last year you said..

• Need data to measure variation - to get to
  acceptance that there is a problem
• Define root cause of variation
• Encourage middle managers to drive the process -
  Ensure subject/department heads are equipped to
  reflect on their practice
• Get a shared understanding of what is learning
  - a whole school policy of learning
• Work across subject boundaries

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Last year you said..

• Supportive culture to share developmentof data -
  a within-school group
• Student feedback on teaching
• Formative approach
• Shared understanding of effective teaching and
  learning, AFL monitoring and evaluation
• High quality CPD

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What has the project involved?

• Joint DfES/NCSL Steering Group
• 25 schools from the Leadership Network
• Main workshops in September and December, and
  other group meetings
• Support from David Reynolds and Regional
  Co-ordinators
• Commitment to taking action and sharing the
  results

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Entry points for project schools

• Data collection, analysis, interpretation and
  use
• Teaching and Learning/ Teacher learning focused
  observation
• Curriculum reform engaging learners more
  closely
• Middle leader development learning from
  innovative practice

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Within School VariationMiddle Manager
DevelopmentAngela BriggsThomas Sumpter
SchoolScunthorpe, North Lincolnshire
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The Coaching and Mentoring Process

• 1. LEA Consultant team (Advisers, Consultants,
  ASTs) meet with Head Teacher (School takes
  ownership)
• 2. Consultant meets with designated Head of
  Department
• 3. Consultant and HOD Feedback to SLT on Teaching
  and Learning Foci (eg AfL, group work, developing
  thinking skills)
• 4. Success Criteria agreed (How will the
  consultant know when they have been successful?)
• 5. Consultant observes Head of Department
  teaching (qualities and areas for personal
  development)
• 6. Coaching begins involving Consultant/Head of
  Department/Teacher

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1.Consultant team meet with Head Teacher

• Objectives of support are discussed (Y9,Y11
  borderline)
• Stages of support are agreed
• Time line established
• Consultants are allocated to Departments

2.Consultant meets with designated Head of
Department

• Working relationship established (trust)
• Subject Teaching and Learning Audit completed
• - Audit Tool
• - Subject Data analysed (KS2, KS3, tracks,
  formative assessments)
• - Observation records
• - Results of pupil work scrutiny
• Observation schedule arranged

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3. Feedback to SLT to inform whole school
Teaching and Learning Foci

• Copy of Subject Audit returned to SLT
• Consultant/HOD meets with SLT
• SLT agree on the Teaching and Learning Foci
• - Assessment for Learning
• Learning Styles

4. Success Criteria agreed

• Leadership and Management at least
  'satisfactory' (Middle Managers)
• Quality of Teaching and Learning across the
  department is at least 'satisfactory'
• Individual Pupil Targets achieved
• - defined from the Value Added data
• - judged half-termly (teacher assessment / test)
• Consultants' judgement on the capacity of the
  Middle Managers' ability to sustain
  improvements

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5. Consultant observes Head of Department
teaching

• Observations focused on specific teaching groups
• Observations with dual teaching and learning
  focus
• - Whole School - e.g. Assessment for Learning
• - Department - e.g. Managing group work

Feedback

• Consultant demonstrates constructive feedback
  which identifies
• - Areas of strength
• - Areas in need of development
• - Strategies to improve

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6. Coaching begins involving Consultant / Head
of Department / Teacher

• Joint Planning (Teacher/Head of
  Department/Consultant)
• Observation of Teacher with Consultant in the
  role of Coach (Head of Department observes and
  critiques the process)
• Observation of Teacher with Head of Department in
  the role of Coach (Consultant observes and
  critiques the process)
• Evaluation against original success criteria

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When the Consultants have gone?

• Class teacher (and Head of Department) undertake
  observations
• of Leading Teachers
• within their department
• in other schools
• in other departments
• INSET
• whole school on Quality of Teaching and Learning
• departmental INSET on leading learning
• Leadership and Development program (Middle
  Managers)
• Middle Management Development Programme (Coaching
  Model) cascaded to other schools
• Outcomes/Impact Lauretta Williams,
  Deputy
• GCSE results
• Within School Variance
• OfSTED
• Leadership and Management

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Leading Teaching, Leading Learning

• Sue Towers
• West Oaks School
• and
• Technology College

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Reducing in school variation

• Specific school factors
• less in the way of externally quantitative
  moderated data to identify variance
• vast amounts of pupil data of qualitative nature,
  school uses P scales and PIVATS but target
  setting has to be cautious as no national
  criteria and moderation
• - variation defined in terms of the range of
  teacher expertise and knowledge and the
  consequence of these variations on pupil learning
  outcomes.

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Aims of the project

• To define and exemplify the characteristics of
  successful teaching with pupils with SLD to
  collate a live teaching and learning policy
• To reduce variation in teaching range and skills
  through greater consistency in teacher
  assessments
• Refocus planning to describe intended learning
  outcomes and ensure more robust (ie moderated)
  teacher assessments to quantify the impact on
  pupil learning outcomes / achievement
• To impact positively on pupil achievement

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Process

• Questionnaire to teaching staff - focus on
  perceptions and pre-project notions of learning
  behaviours
• Identification of coherent pairings of teachers
  for working together, using ASTs as coaching
  support
• Teachers observe individual pupils in their own
  and their partners group noting and describing
  learning behaviour and the strategies which
  initiated the response (video evidence included)
• Feedback and transcribe observations for
  moderation at later date
• Planning together and timetabling teaching in own
  group and in partner group
• Observation/evidence collation continues within
  the context of the joint teaching feedback
  and discussion re-focussing of learner
  outcomes

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Final stage

• Analysis of evidence collated implications for
  classroom change
• Evidence annotated and moderated with staff
  across school
• Analysis of implications for school-wide
  development
• Identify future working

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Outcomes to date

• Greater focus on learning outcomes a pupil
  outcomes focus to monitoring rather than teaching
  performance grading
• Professional debate at a greater depth on the
  subject of T L
• Use of ASTs to support and coach in areas such as
  completing effective observations, planning for
  learning outcomes, resources for teaching and
  assessment
• Rationale for greater consistency in practice
  across classrooms
• Staff have a broader overview on skills and
  expertise in school
• (particularly validated practice of less
  experienced members of staff)
• Evidence discovered by teachers themselves that
  level of expectation for some pupils is too low

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Generic Issues

• Tightly framed collaborative work minimises
  in-school teacher variation
• Using skills and expertise of teachers within
  school is effective in coaching capacity as they
  lead by example as well as provide a level of
  objectivity
• Use of an umbrella subject to get within a key
  issue in a more effective way
• Teachers as classroom researchers becoming
  engaged in finding answers to a question supports
  the learning journey made by the teacher
  themselves
• Any project has to be perceived as having
  integrity and impact at the classroom level

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Discussion, Audit and Next Steps

• What do you do already to identify WSV?
• What processes do you have in place for
• Discussing WSV?
• Reducing WSV?

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What Entry point would be your priority?

• Data collection, analysis, interpretation and
  use
• Teaching and Learning/ Teacher learning focused
  observation
• Curriculum reform engaging learners more
  closely
• Middle leader development learning from
  innovative practice

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Issues around Data

• Getting onto common ground to better understand
  what we mean by WSV common data sets
• Question assumptions
• Focus on all year groups, not just yrs 6,10, y11
• Evidence-informed dialogue
• Link to other levers

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Linking with the key elements of Assessment for
Learning

• Questioning
• Giving appropriate feedback
• Sharing criteria with learners
• Peer and Self Assessment
• Making formative use of summative data

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For further information

• www.ncsl.org.uk/research
• colin.conner_at_ncsl.org.uk
• jane.creasy_at_ncsl.org.uk