schoolcentre.net enhances school improvement planning and effective self-evaluation with link to Ofsted's new inspection framework18 July 2005 – schoolcentre.net, an online portal designed by The Skills Factory to aid school improvement planning and effective self-evaluation, has added the new Ofsted Self-Evaluation Form (SEF) to its range of school management tools. Teachers can now cross-reference their SEF with their school development plan, action plan and improvement plan. Importantly, they can attach evidence, such as assessments, photographs and video files to support statements made in the SEF and as part of their action plans. Teachers can also insert actions against each SEF question, creating a direct and secure link between the SEF and their school improvement plan. schoolcentre.net is designed to help primary and secondary headteachers create their school improvement plans, delegate actions to designated staff, and share the plans with other staff, governors, parents and pupils. The portal incorporates all of the essential monitoring and evaluation systems that schools need to ensure effective school self-evaluation, from pre-inspection and post-inspection evaluative reports to subject-specific action plans. The new SEF functionality adds to schoolcentre.net’s portfolio and ensures that all the documentation a school needs for year-round school improvement and self-evaluation can be co-ordinated effectively. schoolcentre.net can also be tailored to meet individual school’s needs. Geoff Broadbent, founder of The Skills Factory and director of online learning at Granada Learning, said: “Ofsted’s new inspection framework means that teachers need to be constantly up-to-date with their school improvement planning. Enabling teachers to complete their SEF and add evidence to support their evaluations on schoolcentre.net means that the process can be done simply, easily and in line with their other school management plans.” The SEF is placed at the centre of Ofsted’s new inspection arrangements, serving as the principal document when planning a school inspection. Ofsted believes the SEF is crucial in evaluating the quality of school management and leadership, and the school’s capacity to improve. The SEF asks schools to evaluate their progress against an inspection schedule, set out the main evidence on which this evaluation is based, identify strengths and weaknesses, and explain the action the school is taking to remedy the weaknesses and develop the strengths. Terry Lister, Head of St Uny Primary School in Cornwall, has started using schoolcentre.net to manage the school improvement process in his school in the advent of the new 72 hour notice inspections. He explains, “As it is web-based, schoolcentre.net enables us to keep all our development planning up-to-date, using evidence and data that we already maintain on our ICT system. This fits well with the reducing the workload agenda. It makes planning more accessible, effective and relevant, and gives more time for teachers to concentrate on teaching.” Other key benefits of the additional SEF functionality include: • All key school improvement documentation can now be found in one place. • The SEF is never ‘locked’ – it is always available for users to edit. • Teachers can use schoolcentre.net to submit their SEF automatically to the Ofsted website. • Easy printing of SEF for workshops and meetings. For schools who would like to receive a demonstration, please contact The Skills Factory by emailing info@skillsfactory.com . For school improvement training and consulting, The Skills Factory works in partnership with Cambridge Education, a global education services company and one of the most renowned training providers in the UK. Cambridge Education offers a dedicated teacher training service on schoolcentre.net.
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Cambridge Education
Cambridge Education is a global education service company working with partners whose business is education – schools, public sector agencies, education institutions and organisations, donors, charities and governments.
About The Skills Factory The Skills Factory has created a range of school management, 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 aid school improvement, 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 Morgan PR Manager, Granada Learning Tel: 020 8996 3632 Email: danielle.morgan@granadamedia.com
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