Curriculum for Excellence Primary School Leadership Conference Keynote presentation

Transforming lives through learning


Curriculum for Excellence Primary School Leadership Conference

Keynote presentation

Graeme Logan

September / October 2014


evidence of impact of Curriculum for Excellence

Between September 2013 and June 2014, in almost all schools

inspected (91%), one or more aspect of children’s/young

people’s positive attributes (e.g. confidence, ambition,

motivation) and/or learning experiences are reported as a key

strength.


primary school inspection findings 2013-14 key strengths

126 schools: positive attributes of children 81 schools: the impact of the leadership of the headteacher 60 schools: teamwork and commitment of staff to ensure

positive experiences/improvements for children 44 schools: aspects of support and care 42 schools: impact of partnerships with parents 41 schools: impact of partnerships with the community,

including local businesses 27 schools: children’s learning experiences 18 schools: children’s attainment in literacy and English 15 schools: outdoor learning


primary school inspection findings 2013-14 areas for improvement

93 schools: continue to develop the curriculum 65 schools: need more effective systems for improvement

through self-evaluation 51 schools: improve approaches to meeting the learning needs

of all children 49 schools: improve approaches to tracking and monitoring

children’s progress to ensure they attain as highly as possible 38 schools: improve children’s learning experiences, including

opportunities for responsibility and leadership 31 schools: raise attainment

(numeracy/mathematics with the most specific mentions) 8 schools: improve partnerships with parents


primary school inspection findings Sept 2013-June 2014

unsatis. weak satis. good vg exc.

1.1 1 12 27 54 38 1

2.1 0 4 21 55 49 4

5.3 1 17 18 61 31 5

5.1 3 18 30 57 24 1

5.9 1 25 31 49 22 5

133 inspections carried out


Inspection Advice Note 2014-15

year of ‘consolidation’ in terms of expectations reducing bureaucracy clear strategy for assessment planning progression skills for learning, life and work



continuing to implement Curriculum for Excellence

pathways not tramlines informed personalisation and choice a broad general education for all reduction in assessment building on the success of this year’s national

qualification results



In Curriculum for Excellence, learners make progress by:

continually building on their prior learning; accessing enriching, stimulating, relevant and appropriately

challenging learning experiences and; having opportunities for applying, consolidating and reinforcing

learning.

Learning is usually not linear and learners may progress along different routes and pathways through the Experiences and Outcomes.

Expectations and milestones are important.


‘Mountains of bumph are no substitute for clarity.’


tracking and monitoring

Your analysis and intervention to

help every child make the best

possible progress, based on

a range of assessment evidence.


your school assessment strategy purpose and principles of assessment links between learning, teaching and assessment place of formative assessment range of assessment methods place of summative or standardised methods arrangements for moderation arrangements for tracking and improving children’s

progress reporting, recognising achievement, profiling


The leader of the

school is also the

narrator of the

school.


‘Many organisations are

over-communicating and

under-conversing.’ Richard Reeve


professional dialogue

criticality challenging, questioning, debating identify, conceptualise and define best practice or best problems? apply your skills in enquiry to professional

dialogue in your school and cluster


classroom interventions which seem to have most impact…• accessing prior knowledge and utilising prediction• authentic engagement• reinforcing and modelling high expectations • differentiated challenge • enquiry and high quality questioning • finding excellent solutions or products• metacognition • land-marking progress against agreed outcomes• purposeful assessment and feedback• rehearsal, consolidation and transfer

Alistair Smith 2014


follows instructions must get it right wants the answer follows the teacher’s logic and tries to

get it right follows teacher’s pace answers teacher’s questions grouped by the teacher rewarded upon completion is given a mark, level or grade assessed by the teacher focus is on becoming a better

performer concerned with status and pecking

order

makes decisions must have a go wants the method learns incrementally and by trial and error

controls own pace answers own questions elects who to learn with rewarded by effort interprets own mark, level or grade assessed by teacher/self/peers focus is on becoming a better learner

concerned with progress and capacity to improve

independentdependent


Local Shop Learning

‘If you were running a supermarket instead of a school and saw that 30 out of 100 customers each day left your shop without buying anything, you would think about changing your inventory. But that does not happen easily in schools because of deeply rooted, even if scientifically unsupported, beliefs that learning can only occur in a particular way.’

Lord Knight of Weymouth, quoted Education Britain: The Journey to Education Reform, Education Foundation 2011


strong self-evaluation is often… precise and focused forensic in the analysis of children’s progress practice-based rather than just paper-based able to generate specific strengths and areas for

improvement, for example in relation to active learning

Prioritises time and energy on learners’ experiences and outcomes. Ensures low internal variability in core areas.


Additional in-service day (primary)

Film clips of headteachers describing their journeys in developing the curriculum relative to their own context available on the Education Scotland website.

The assessing progress and achievement professional learning resource assessment, including tracking and monitoring.

Evaluating and Improving the Primary Curriculum toolkit. Resources to support the implementation of 1+2 languages model: resources for P1-P7 SSLN Professional Learning Resource on numeracy published recently and the national

numeracy framework will to be published in the autumn. Annotated exemplars of assessing progress through the various levels for each

curriculum area have now been published on Glow.


http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/e/evaluatingandimprovingourcurriculumprimary/introduction.asp?strReferringChannel=educationscotland&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-713590-64


http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learningteachingandassessment/assessment/progressandachievement/professionallearningresource/curriculum/languages/literacyandenglish/progress.asp


http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/video/r/reducingteachersplanning.asp?strReferringChannel=educationscotland&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-615801-64


http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/keycfesupport/index.asp


http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/p/polaar/introduction.asp?strReferringChannel=educationscotland&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-615801-64


major deliverables 14/15

HGIOS 4 Opening Up Great Learning series refresh of Glow more examples of planning progression new range of e-bulletins, including monthly

digest for headteachers


your primary curriculum

rationale: clear, compelling story of how you have designed the curriculum; vision; purpose

programmes and courses: best possible progression for all children across all curriculum areas

transitions: designed to ensure continuity in learning four contexts for learning/totality of the curriculum

helps all children to achieve as well as they can


The vision

Learners in Scotland will progress in

one of the most effective education

systems in the world, renowned for

the ability of national and local

partners to work flexibly together to

achieve high quality and equitable

outcomes for all



educational outcomes for all learners are improving

inequity in educational outcomes is eradicated

public confidence in education is high

Keep the focus on outcomes for learners!


Never forget the important of what you say and do as headteacher!

Control (is s/he in charge?)

Clarity (is s/he sure of her ground?)

Coherence (can I align my aspirations with his/hers?)

Concern (does s/he understand the challenges I face?)

Consistency (will s/he adopt the behaviours she espouses?)

Documents

Curriculum for Excellence Primary School Leadership Conference Keynote presentation