Head teacher praises school collaboration
What are the priorities for head teachers? In the first of a series of first-person pieces by heads working with the Central South Consortium, Chloe Langson, head at Cardiff’s Meadowlane Primary, explains how working with other schools has improved standa
Since working in the Central South Consortium, I have had the opportunity to work with a number of different schools across the five local authorities.
These opportunities have been available through Pathfinder projects, a School Improvement Group and, more recently, peer inquiry work.
When I started at Meadowlane Primary School in September 2014, we were a red-category school. I was linked to another Cardiff school to support us in raising standards. I was able to work closely with the head teacher, with a focus on the Foundation phase, improving standards in teaching and learning and assessment.
My teachers worked alongside the teachers from our Pathfinder school, observing teaching, looking at children’s books and discussing assessments and teaching. The support had a positive impact, and in January 2016 we became a yellowcategory school.
Following this, we were asked to support another Cardiff school as a new Pathfinder. This was a great boost to the staff of Meadowlane, as their good practice had been recognised and they could share this with another school.
I have also worked closely with 10 schools from across the five local authorities in my School Improvement Group (SIG). Within the group there are infant schools, junior schools and special schools – this has been excellent for sharing expertise and good practice between the schools.
The main focus of the SIG over the past two years has been improving the quality of teaching – moving adequate teaching to good, and good teaching to excellent.
The SIG has worked together in a number of different ways to achieve this.
All schools have taken on the same model (CONTINUA for Teachers) to assess the quality of teaching; joint INSET days for the 10 schools have been held to address common areas for improvement, to moderate the level of children’s work and to identify effective feedback that leads to pupil progress; teachers have worked alongside each other, observing teaching, discussing planning and scrutinising children’s work; and teacher exchange projects have taken place to enable teachers to focus on their own individual development needs in a different school setting.
As a result of this work, the teaching at Meadowlane has improved significantly.
Finally, I have recently been part of two peer inquiries. I led one peer inquiry at a primary school in a different authority and I have had a peer inquiry carried out at Meadowlane.
The peer inquiry model enables colleagues to have an in-depth look at everything happening in your school, and from this, strengths and areas for development are identified.
I found both peer inquiries very useful. They were a great opportunity to confirm and celebrate the things we are doing well at Meadowlane, but in addition to this, I have taken new ideas to help make Meadowlane even better.
I believe working with other schools is the most effective way to improve. My work with other schools has been invaluable in improving practice and raising standards, and I am certain this will continue as the network of schools I work with grows.