Getting Better Never Stops!

There is something hugely satisfying as a school when we hear of the achievements of our ex-pupils. While we don't wish to take any of the credit or claim any responsibility, there is a sense of pride amongst us that one of our own has gone forward and done so well. Recently, we were extremely pleased to hear that Callum has gone on to do so impressively well in Athletics and that another of our ex-pupils, Macy, has just been made Head Girl at Bitterne Park. We're proud of the achievements of all of our pupils and it's really nice to hear about what they're doing now.

Ofsted: 'Parent View' Feedback

While we await the official report from last week's visit, we can share the responses we obtained from the Parent View feedback during the inspection which were very positive - thanks! We would like to comment that the short notice nature of inspections has impacted on the proportion of responses but we would like to thank those of you that were able to respond within the limited time frame. It's also worth a reminder that there is always a link to Ofsted Parent View from the parents section of our website.

A Strong Team!

We have a had a very busy few days and the dust is settling after our visit from Ofsted. While we await the full report, expected in a couple of weeks, we take a moment to reflect on our experience. We are not allowed to provide any details of the inspection judgements but we can say how very proud we are of our school, our staff, our children and the community which we serve. We are looking forward to being able to share Ofsted's findings with you all soon! Thank you for all the support you have shown.

Developing vocabulary for EAL pupils

We have been working hard in improving outcomes for EAL pupils. Research shows...

• It takes 5-7 years to master the language skills needed for the curriculum. Therefore, removing bi-lingual support too early may be harmful to the child’s academic success.
• Receptive vocabulary of EAL students who have been educated through English for 10 years had gaps in the most frequent words.
• In the EAL situation, vocabulary coverage is not planned but arises from teaching in the curriculum areas
• Intervention by mainstream subject teachers in vocabulary development may often be limited to simplification or unfamiliar words, rather than attending to the need to increase vocabulary size or develop deep word knowledge.

A good example of this in practise is how certain words go with other words. Native children understand this but EAL pupils don’t. E.g. You catch a bus but not a car. You miss the bus but not a car. You can have a cup of strong coffee, but not a strong coke!

For EAL pupils, learning in a language has massive challenges - here's a few things we can do to help: 

• Repetition 
• Use in writing sentences (retrieval) 
• Regular practice of words (space out practice) 
• Model different uses of the word (go beyond that lesson). 
• Imaging (provide a mental image of the word). 
• Saying and other tricks to remember words (I have a friend to the end). 
• Reusing vocabulary in practical ways, e.g. in science. 
• Word associations.

School leadership... crises as the norm?

We thought we might share some perspectives on current leadership practices both locally and nationally made by Steve Mumby in a recent presentation to schools in Southampton. He has a interesting take on the acceptance that crises is the norm and that we shouldn't be phased by it! Obviously, this is heavily summarised but we particularly liked this advice for schools:

• Regard crises as the norm and complexity as fun
• A bottomless well of intellectual curiosity
• A complete absence of paranoia and self-pity
• Unwarranted optimism

Attachment Behaviour Theory

We've updated our website with some recent training on attachment behaviours which we found very useful. The CPD is aimed at teachers but the principles behind it are applicable to anyone who has or works with children. Attachment is not something which only affects children, but all of us, throughout life and in all our relationships. The link is here.

The Future for Southampton....

With the DfE's recent proposals for academisation in mind, the local authority has been engaging with schools on what the future for education in the city may look like. Here are some models from other authorities that are being explored...

•Dorset
Partnership between LA and schools; focuses on vulnerable pupils. All schools are members. School Improvement system is owned and driven by schools. LA has statutory function in ensuring quality provision and facilitating improvement.

•Hertfordshire
Herts Learning – 520 shareholders – not for profit company that reinvests money to improve services. Offers teaching, learning, leadership & business support for schools. The council commissions core services from the firm and is its biggest customer.

•Wigan
Schools work together in 8 autonomous consortia to support self-improvement. A school improvement board monitors the work. Resources and expertise are pooled to improve teaching standards and learning. The council provides funding and works with the consortia to identify those who are under-performing.

•Durham
Educational Development Service (2002) merged with the LA’s School Improvement service to monitor, challenge and intervene in schools as well as provide consultancy, training & development and advisory work.

•Lincoln
Responsibility for improvement rests with local headteachers, based around peer review. Training for peer review funded by LA. Where peers don’t agree this leads to professional dialogue. Group of heads appointed as panel of experts to identify broader trends in the outcomes of the peer reviews/how lessons can be learnt. The panel then advises the LA on where to focus school improvement resources. Led by the area’s forum for governors and headteachers (LA funded). In addition, LA works with the 9 Teaching Schools through Lincolnshire Teaching Schools Together.