New online tool from The Skills Factory transforms school self-evaluation processNew online tool:
• Provides schools with a ‘living' school improvement and development plan
• Answers Ofsted concerns about effectiveness of school self-evaluation
• Links directly to the Ofsted evaluation checklist and includes all essential monitoring systems that a school needs
• Ensures an up-to-date Ofsted S4 form at all times
• Can be accessed by entire school community
The Skills Factory has today launched an online tool that helps primary and secondary headteachers create their school improvement plans and share them with their staff, governors, parents and pupils. Called Schoolcentre.net (www.schoolcentre.net), the tool incorporates all of the essential monitoring and evaluation systems that schools need to ensure effective management, from pre-inspection and post-inspection evaluative reports to subject-specific action plans. As a web-based resource, it becomes a living tool that enables subject leaders and teachers to take responsibility for different parts of the plan and record evidence of the school's progress and the impact of targeted actions on raising achievement and attainment.
Recent Ofsted reports have identified weaknesses in the extent to which schools undertake rigorous self-evaluation and use the findings effectively. One reason for this is that activity plans and performance reports are paper-based and are not easily linked to identified targets, actions or evidence of impact. The new tool overcomes this problem through the use of integrated monitoring tools, action plans and performance reports via the Schoolcentre.net portal.
Schoolcentre.net enables schools to produce and link core instruments that are used to guide and measure school improvement: School Improvement Plan; Ofsted Action Plan; School Development Plan; as well as individual subject and teacher development plans. It is easy-to-use and with the Ofsted evaluation checklist at its heart, schools can quickly evaluate where they stand in relation to statutory requirements and national and local strategies. They can then identify their strengths and the areas requiring further improvement.
Schoolcentre.net has been piloted in 13 schools in Essex LEA since February 2004. Headteachers from a range of schools and Senior Advisers in Essex were involved at the earliest concept stage, taking part in planning sessions to highlight the areas of school management they found most problematic. To address the needs raised in these discussions, The Skills Factory developed Schoolcentre.net.
Alison Fiala, Principal Primary Adviser, Essex LEA, says: "There is no other resource that I have come across that helps schools construct school improvement plans derived from the Oftsed self-evaluation criteria. I believe that schools who make good use of Schoolcentre.net will be able to convince their community, the LEA and Ofsted that they have, at their heart, school improvement that ensures high standards in both attainment and achievement for all pupils."
Carl Messer, Headteacher of St Lawrence CE Primary School in Essex, says: "At long last, I have a tool that helps me plan for school improvement all year round. We can link our plans, successes and priorities with one tool and share these effectively with the whole school community. Now the responsibility for moving the school forward can be driven by everyone including the children, not just the school leadership team."
Stephen Chynoweth, Headteacher of The Tyrrells Primary School in Essex, says: “Over the last year at our school, the need for an ‘organic' action plan, one that grows and develops in ‘real time', has become apparent. School planning should be about being flexible, evolving priorities, accountable and measurable whilst ergonomic. Schoolcentre.net provides that ‘organicity'.
"Schoolcentre.net could be he heart of a school, driving development as well as promoting school evaluation and reflection. It enables planned developments to be accessed by all, accountable to evidence and ideal in enabling school improvement to raise standards through a colleagic school community format," concludes Chynoweth.
Using a standard browser, Schoolcentre.net offers anywhere, anytime access with tailored reports available on request. For example, once a school's self-evaluation framework is complete, the Ofsted S4 form (1) can be printed automatically – ideal for the proposed 48-hour notice inspections (2).
In addition, the tool will support the preparation of evaluative Headteacher reports for the Governing Body, subject leader curriculum reports and will provide evidence of progress in staff performance management objectives. Schools can also attach sources of evidence to support evaluation of their activity. When local and national initiatives take place, any changes to school improvement objectives can be immediately built into the development plan.
Geoff Broadbent, founder of The Skills Factory and Director of Online Learning at Granada Learning, believes that Schoolcentre.net provides a new approach to school improvement. “Government regulations, national initiatives and Ofsted inspections mean that schools must constantly update their school improvement plans and ensure that the actions are tracked and progress evaluated and celebrated. Schoolcentre.net creates a living improvement plan that is owned and used by all staff, not a static set of documents that is only used by senior management. We want to make management of school improvement as easy as possible – and Schoolcentre.net does just that.”
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(1) Ofsted S4 is the self-evaluation form to be completed by schools before they are inspected under the OFSTED framework. It is designed to help the inspection team take account of the outcomes and processes of the school's self-evaluation. It is mandatory for all schools.
(2) In February 2004, Ofsted announced a review of school inspection entitled “The Future of Inspection”. Under the proposed framework, schools would be inspected at least every three years and the notification period ahead of inspection would be cut to as little as 48 hours notice of an inspection, as opposed to a couple of months.
About The Skills FactoryThe Skills Factory are creators of award winning lesson planning and record keeping software. The aim of the company is to reduce the time teachers spend planning lessons and as such, they have produced a range of innovative software programs that plan lessons, set targets, assess pupil attainment and create reports. The Skills Factory is part of the Granada Learning Group.
URL: http://www.skillsfactory.com About the Granada Learning GroupThe Granada Learning Group is a leading provider of quality educational resources across all media. The Group's expertise in assessment, curriculum books and software, learning platforms, special educational needs and professional development combines to provide schools and pupils with affordable quality materials and innovative connected solutions.
URL: http://www.granada-learning.com
For further information, please contact: Danielle Williams PR Manager, Granada Learning Tel: 020 8996 3632 Email: danielle.williams@granadamedia.com
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