School Improvement Plan - summary - 2024-25
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 2024: Science
- Spring Term 2025: Art
- Summer Term 2025: TBC
- 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.
Our Current SIP Priorities
- To raise standards in reading and writing, and ensure good or accelerated progress for all children, particularly by developing fluency and comprehension in reading, and through a focus on how teachers plan and sequence a series of writing lessons.
- In particular, Reading will receive a whole school focus, including: How we develop Early Reading, developing the Assessment of Reading across the school, implementing a new KS2 reading scheme, plus 'tactical' steps to raise end of KS2 outcomes.
- To maintain our Oracy focus, by continuing to embed Oracy across the whole curriculum; thus – over time - making a significant & positive contribution towards raising standards of pupil attainment in all areas of learning.
- To raise standards and accelerate progress in Mathematics, particularly by improving fluency and automaticity, and by continuing to develop & refine the way our Maths curriculum is designed.
- Ensure that our two new ECTs (starting year 1 of their induction), and our existing two ECTS (entering year 2 of their induction), are well supported, to help them develop their skills and confidence as teachers and thus enable them to make the best possible contribution to pupil learning and to raising attainment.
- To raise standards of attainment and accelerate progress in Early Years, particularly through a focus on calculation in Maths, communication and language, and by further developing how we use the Outdoors to promote pupil learning.
- Review our Teaching, Learning and Assessment Policies/Procedures, to ensure optimum impact upon pupil learning, attainment and progress across the school.
