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How good is our school? - Self-evaluation using quality indicators 2002 Edition incorporating the six-point scale

Part 2: Self-evaluation using quality indicators

How to use Part 2

Part 2 is in 6 sections. It provides both general and specific advice on how you might use the quality indicators printed within Part 3.

Quality indicators their terminology and structure
How to use quality indicators general advice on their use within self-evaluation
Using quality indicators for routine monitoring how to use them in the course of your normal management activities
Taking a broad view how to carry out a general audit within a limited timescale
Taking a closer look general guidance on gathering detailed evidence and making evaluations
Taking a closer look: Case studies of good practice based on examples from a range of schools
forward planning
learning and teaching in a secondary school
programmes of study in a small primary school
homework in the early years
meeting pupils’ needs in English language in a small primary school
attainment: 5-14 levels
attainment throughout a secondary school
classroom learning and pupil attainment
equality and fairness
the school library

Quality indicators

The quality indicators are organised into an overall framework of Key Areas.

There are seven Key Areas relating to the main aspects of a school’s work.

1. Curriculum
2. Attainment
3. Learning and teaching
4. Support for pupils
5. Ethos
6. Resources
7. Management, leadership and quality assurance

Each Key Area contains a number of quality indicators.

e.g. Ethos

5.1 Climate and relationships
5.2 Expectations and promoting achievement
5.3 Equality and fairness
5.4 Partnership with parents, the School Board and the community

Each quality indicator has a number of themes relating to observable areas of activity.

e.g. Equality and fairness

• sense of equality and fairness
• ensuring equality and fairness.

Each theme is illustrated at two levels (Level 5 very good and Level 2 weak) indicating specific features to look for.

e.g. Ensuring equality and fairness

• Positive steps are taken to ensure that pupils, parents, and staff are treated equally, with respect and in a fair and just manner. Culture and language, disability, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation and special educational needs are not barriers to participation. There is a whole-school approach to issues of equality and fairness, such as racial harassment and sexual discrimination. Pupils are assisted to feel confident in recognising and addressing discrimination. Staff, pupils and visitors to the school feel valued, safe and secure.

Illustrations are intended to help create a shared understanding of the balance of strengths and weaknesses which correspond to each of the six levels. They are based on HMIE experience of best practice in the particular aspect of provision concerned and should make it easier for users to find examples of best practice to inform planning for improvement.

The quality of what you observe within each quality indicator can be judgedagainst six levels.

Levels

6 excellent - excellent
5 very good - major strengths
4 good - important strengths with areas for improvement
3 adequate - strengths just outweigh weaknesses
2 weak - important weaknesses
1 unsatisfactory - major weaknesses

How to use quality indicators

Our three basic questions can guide you through the process of evaluation.

• Agree what you are going to focus on, referring to the expectations within the school aims.
• Define the area of activity, focusing on a curricular area, topic, stage or teaching approach.

• Select appropriate quality indicators.
• Use the illustrations to develop questions to be answered during the evaluation process.
• Identify features to look for, referring to relevant national and/or local advice or adapting other examples.
• Decide what evidence you need to show that these features are present and effective.
• Collect the evidence and judge the quality of what you have observed, referring to the illustrations at both Level 2 and Level 5 to come to a balanced judgement overall.

• Identify key strengths and areas which require improvement.
• Provide feedback to staff and offer them the opportunity for further comment.
• Report on the standards and quality of what you have observed.
• Identify priorities to be included in your development plan.

Quality indicators may be applied at the level of:

the whole school e.g. Monitoring progress and achievement (QI 4.4)

an individual class e.g. Meeting pupils’ needs (QI 3.4)

a specific context e.g. Overall quality of attainment (QI 2.1)

several contexts e.g. Expectations and promoting achievement (QI 5.2)

As they are designed for use in a range of contexts, indicators may use terms like ‘well matched’, ‘used effectively’ or ‘an appropriate range’. You can find out what they mean in specific contexts (a subject, sector or stage) by referring to recent publications on the curriculum or learning and teaching. From these you can identify specific features which indicate what very good or excellent practice would look like. Not all the features have to be present for it to be judged as ‘very good’. You are not aiming to tick them off on a checklist. Some may be more important than others. It is the quality of what you see that matters.

There are a number of ways of collecting evidence.

Ask people what they think

• individual interviews
• group discussions
• working parties
• surveys and questionnaires
• written responses and detailed comments
• team meetings

Look at documentation and resources

• pupils’ work
• reports to parents
• profiling of pupils’ responses to tasks
• diaries or records of work
• programmes of study or schemes of work
• forward plans
• progress reports on the development plan
• course materials across the ability range
• policies and guidelines
• minutes of meetings

Engage in direct observation

• shadow individual pupils
• follow a class
• observe lessons
• video record your own teaching
• exchange classes
• observe each other in pairs
• work alongside other teachers

Analyse data

• progress from prior levels of attainment
• overall progress towards school targets
• Standard Tables of examination results
• 5-14 levels of attainment
• data collected nationally or locally
• value-added measures of performance

Using quality indicators for routine monitoring

Many managers carry out monitoring and evaluation as part of their normal activities.  By drawing together all your routine monitoring in an annual calendar, you can spread it evenly throughout the year.  If you also link it to quality indicators, you can use the evidence for the school’s standards and quality report.  Here is an example of one school's calendar for monitoring.

What

Frequency

QI

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Course Units

Annual programme

1.1, 1.2

National assessment data

Annually

2.1

Forward plans

Six-weekly

3.1

Homework diaries

Termly

3.1, 3.2

Pupil jotters and classwork

Monthly sample

3.3

Working in classrooms

Planned programme

3.1 - 3.5

Reports to parents

By stages

3.5, 3.6

Pupil progress/profiles

Termly

4.4

Monitoring IEPs

Weekly

4.5, 4.6

Attendance

Monthly

5.1

Behaviour

Monthly

5.1

Staff views

Termly

5.1, 7.1

Sampling pupils’ views

Annually

5.1, 7.1

Sampling parents’ views

Annually

5.1, 7.1

Health & safety checks

Termly

6.1

Progress in SDP

Termly

7.3

The focus, order and frequency of your own monitoring will probably differ from this example, but the principle remains the same: to manage the evaluation process.  If you map the evidence on a grid of quality indicators, you can see the extent to which this routine monitoring has provided enough evidence for you to be able to report on standards and quality and whether or not you need to take a closer look in certain areas.

Taking a broad view

Self-evaluation across all Key Areas

Every so often it can be helpful to stand back and consider the question with which this publication began: How good is our school?. All those involved in the provision of services may have a role to play:

• the staff as a whole
• the headteacher
• senior managers
• individual teams, departments or stages
• parents and others with a stake in our schools
• the education authority.

Every year you might scan across all the Key Areas and assign one of the four levels to each quality indicator. Use your professional judgement and refer to evidence which has been gathered in the normal course of your work. You do not need to look in detail at everything that is going on. Concentrate on the main areas of activity. You can then record the evidence alongside the relevant quality indicator. Remember, you are not just recording possible sources of evidence. You are recording evidence you have actually examined during the course of the year.

In a small school, you could carry out the broad view at a staff meeting. In a larger school you might divide into subject, modal or stage groups. Senior managers might scan all the quality indicators while teams or departments choose a subset focusing on learning and teaching. You might, however, decide to work together.

However you decide to work, the aim should be to promote objective and open discussion founded on evidence. Hence our key question, How do we know?. Set out one of the six levels of performance against each indicator, perhaps using a grid similar to the one in the example below.

When you have finished, you can see at once which quality indicators have been evaluated at level 5. These indicate your key strengths and should be recognised as such.

You can also immediately identify those assigned a level 2 or 1. These are, or should be, priorities for improvement within your development plan. You can take a closer look at these areas using the method described later in Section 2, in order to identify the contributing factors. If there are several areas for improvement, you will need to select the most pressing when agreeing priorities for your development plan.

This example illustrates one way of taking a broad view. There are, of course, other ways of managing the process. The example is based on practice within one school. The school:

• set aside part of an INSET day or time within stage, team or department meetings
• gave each person, group or team a different Key Area at each session
• aimed for all Key Areas to be covered during the course of the year by more than one group
• asked each group to assign a level of performance to each QI within the chosen Key Area
• asked them to support their judgement by noting pieces of evidence.

This method of working:

• can save time by giving you enough firm evidence for you to be able to act without having to take a closer look at the area in question
• allows the whole team in a small school or subject department to look at one Key Area in each evaluation session and cover all Key Areas over an agreed period of time
• collates evidence under each quality indicator or theme
• assists senior managers or the co-ordinating team to agree which quality indicators or aspects still need a closer look to ensure that the evidence is firm and that the methods of collection of evidence are appropriate and rigorous.

Taking a closer look

Self-evaluation of a specific area

There may be a number of reasons for you to take a closer look at some aspects of the school’s work. Specific issues might have arisen while taking the broad view, when carrying out routine monitoring, or as the result of an HMIE inspection or education authority review. Taking a closer look is also an integral aspect of school and departmental planning. You will probably wish to look at some areas like attainment every year. Similarly, learning and teaching is likely to remain an area of focus, the emphasis on specific aspects changing from year to year. Other key areas or quality indicators may only be reviewed every three years or so, if the quality of provision has been evaluated as very good or excellent.

The evidence on which you base your judgements must be reliable and withstand external scrutiny. When you take a closer look, you will be moving beyond staff views and other easily accessible evidence and focusing on a wider range of sources. Some of this evidence you may need to search for or set out to find. Although scrutiny of documentation may form one stage in the process, it is what happens in practice which really matters. Evaluation often involves assessing the perceptions of pupils, parents and others. The approach must be manageable.

1. Limit the area of focus and select key features in advance.
2. Do not expect to see everything or try to evaluate too much.
3. Decide who is to manage and co-ordinate the evaluation and who is to be involved.

When you summarise the results, try to reflect both quality and quantity. It is common for some aspects to be delivered well across the school while others are not. This information will be essential when planning for improvement.

• tracking the use of quality indicators over a three-year cycle
• evaluating any area judged level 2 or lower each year until performance improved
• identifying the strategies which may have contributed to areas becoming strengths
• using a team approach to evaluation where possible
• involving senior promoted staff in supporting and moderating self-evaluation in teams
• recording meetings where evaluation took place or was discussed
• surveying parents where appropriate
• taking pupils’ views and organising discussions with the Pupil Council
• discussing the results of evaluation and identifying action to bring about improvement.

The following examples drawn from HMIE inspections are based upon the approaches taken by a range of schools to the use of quality indicators in school self-evaluation.

Taking a closer look at forward planning

Context

The education authority had agreed an approach and structure for forward planning with schools. Staff were now confident and skilled in drafting and implementing forward plans.

• Focus: the school saw forward planning as a key process in delivering effective learning and teaching and meeting pupil needs. They felt that forward planning should be included as a routine monitoring activity within the evaluation cycle.

• They identified the relevant Key Area and quality indicators: QI 3.1 Teachers’ planning, QI 3.2 The teaching process, QI 3.4 Meeting pupils’ needs. Using the illustrations, they entered key features of effective forward planning on a grid.
• Senior managers evaluated each plan by writing evaluative comments opposite each feature. Time was set aside for them to meet with each teacher every six weeks. They discussed and evaluated the teacher’s self-evaluation of her/his own teaching and pupils’ learning during the previous block in relation to the forward plan.
• Discussion of evidence of attainment and progress was a key part of the agenda. They agreed some points for the teacher to take note of in implementing the forward plan.
• At the end of every week, teachers used a simple proforma to evaluate progress made in implementing the agreed forward plan, together with the progress of individual pupils or groups towards targets. They also identified support needed and resource requirements.

• They entered agreed discussion points on evaluation grids and used them to shape the next forward plans and daily programmes. Progress was reported weekly or at the next meeting.
• Staff evaluated the timetable in relation to structure, balance and use of the flexibility factor. They considered balance over the year and within the six week block.
• At their weekly meeting, senior staff discussed the outcomes of forward plan evaluations and any issues arising from weekly evaluations and classroom monitoring. This overview enabled them to consider how best to support teachers within the classroom and fine-tune the allocation of learning support and other resources.
• The headteacher used the evaluations to inform the annual Standards and Quality report.

• Letters to be sent to parents at the start of each planning block suggesting how they could help their child at home.
• Notes of consultations with each teacher to include praise as well as action points.

Taking a closer look at learning and teaching in a secondary school

Context

Senior staff and departments took a closer look at selected key areas every year.

• Focus: the school chose to review learning and teaching in relation to programmes of study.

• Staff selected the quality indicators relevant to these areas:
  • QI 3.1 Teachers’ planning
  • QI 3.2 The teaching process
  • QI 3.3 Pupils’ learning experiences
  • QI 3.4 Meeting pupils’ needs
  • QI 3.5 Assessment as part of teaching
  • QI 4.4 Monitoring progress and attainment
  • QI 5.2 Expectations and promoting achievement
  • QI 6.3 Organisation and use of resources and space
• Features to look for came from QI illustrations, national advice and school policies. They were turned into questions for yes/no responses which teachers answered as individuals.
• Staff collected further evidence by:
  • monitoring pupils’ progress through scrutiny of pupil profiles
  • looking at pupils’ self-evaluation pro-forma completed at the end of S1
  • reviewing the use of resources in relation to programmes of study and forward plans
  • promoted staff working alongside colleagues in classrooms
  • teachers sampling written work within departments.
• They completed evaluation grids with themes turned into questions and sections for response, evidence, action and overall evaluation. These were submitted to senior staff.

• Responses were discussed during department meetings with link senior managers.
• Completed departmental responses went to senior promoted staff who identified key issues at S1/S2, S3/4 and S5/6 in summary form under quality indicator headings.
• Departments drew on the findings to write standards and quality statements for their plans.
• A working group used key findings to produce a learning, teaching and homework policy reflecting the QI illustrations. Implementation became a departmental and school priority.

• Survey of pupils’ and parents’ perceptions of the quality of education in the school.
• Senior managers working with departments to produce effective action plans.
• Specific advice and in-service training for staff on aspects of learning and teaching.

Taking a closer look at programmes of study in a small primary school

Context

This small rural school had three or more stages in each class. It had an overall cyclical programme in each curriculum area which identified what was to be taught and learned over the year. These programmes were based on 5-14 guidelines tailored to meet the needs of a small school. To assist delivery and make monitoring manageable:

• the yearly programmes were broken down into termly forward plans
• weekly and daily diaries broke these down further into specific targets
• these targets were shared with pupils as daily tasks recorded on the blackboard and in their daily diaries.

• Focus: in this context, teachers needed to be assured that programmes of study:
  • delivered the full curriculum entitlement to each child
  • fully met the needs of each child
  • made delivery manageable for the teachers of composite classes.

• Teachers identified relevant quality indicators:
  • QI 1.1 Structure of the curriculum
  • QI 1.2 Courses and programmes
  • QI 3.1 Teachers’ planning
  • QI 3.2 The teaching process
  • QI 3.4 Meeting pupils’ needs
• Evidence was gathered mainly through routine monitoring using a number of approaches.
• Both teachers and pupils were involved in collecting evidence.
• The emphasis was on identifying and sharing with pupils what was to be achieved, how it would be assessed and what would demonstrate evidence of success. It involved formal and informal assessment, observation, peer assessment and, in particular, self-assessment.
• Each pupil’s assessment tray contained: a folder of notably good or poor work; work done specifically for assessment; national tests; and summaries of daily tasks entered on a curriculum profile. These all contributed to a profile which was transferred between stages.
• The evidence from routine monitoring was recorded periodically on a grid. Staff made overall evaluations against each indicator at the relevant stage in the planning cycle.

• Strengths were recognised and areas for improvement included in the development plan.

• To use this evidence to contribute to an annual evaluation of overall attainment.

Taking a closer look at homework in the early years

Context

The school had revised the school aims so that they were more capable of being evaluated.

• Focus: staff decided to evaluate provision against school aims. Within the key area of learning and teaching, they identified homework, specifically reading, at each stage.

• Staff used the current homework policy as a starting point. They selected quality indicators appropriate to monitoring and evaluating programmes of study:
  • QI 3.1 Teachers’ planning
  • QI 3.2 The teaching process, theme 1: range and appropriateness of teaching approaches
• The headteacher consulted the School Board and followed their recommendation to carry out a survey of parents’ views.
• The School Board assisted with the design of the questionnaire which was based on the school homework policy and collated the results.

• The headteacher and School Board discussed the results of the survey and identified action points for the staff to consider.
• Parents wished to see homework in areas other than reading. Mathematics and writing were suggested.
• Parents were also keen to support their child in homework tasks and looked to the school for guidance.
• The headteacher worked with staff to review the homework policy and produce appropriate homework at each stage for mathematics and writing, to operate on a termly basis.

• After a year, the headteacher and staff evaluated homework provision again using the quality indicators. They looked at examples of homework tasks and the implementation of the policy at each stage.
• They used this evidence to contribute to an annual evaluation of overall attainment.
• They concluded that homework needed to be more differentiated in mathematics and writing, and that parents needed more help and guidance in playing their part.
• This became a priority in the development plan.
• A working group prepared differentiated homework sheets in mathematics and writing.
• Teachers are now to work with a group of parents to produce a booklet of activities at each stage for parents to use at home with their child.

Taking a closer look at meeting pupils’ needs in English language in a small primary school

Context

Staff had agreed to monitor and evaluate all curricular areas in rotation, looking at the implementation of curriculum and learning and teaching policies, and attainment. Different aspects were monitored and evaluated each term using a similar approach, agreed with staff in advance.

• Focus: the school wanted to know if pupils’ needs in the area of English language were being appropriately met. They also wanted to know how well the recently introduced policy on the technical skills of writing and presentation of work was being implemented.

• Staff selected the following quality indicators:
  • QI 3.3 Pupils’ learning experiences
  • QI 3.4 Meeting pupils’ needs
  • QI 3.5 Assessment as part of teaching
• The headteacher drew up a grid in which illustrations of appropriate themes from these quality indicators were turned into questions. She added columns for features to look for and evidence, together with space for comment and overall evaluation. This was discussed with staff.
• The headteacher looked at language jotters from all pupils, in all classes and at all stages.
• She carried out classroom observation by working alongside each teacher and used the grid to record detailed comment.

• The headteacher discussed the evaluation of performance in each class with the relevant teacher, using the grids for reference.
• Staff discussed the findings and agreed that they needed further support in setting appropriate work, marking and presentation.
• The headteacher photocopied samples of children’s work at each stage and presented them in a booklet form to staff. In these, she added comments on the appropriateness of the task and the marking approach adopted. She included some examples of a pupil’s work over a period of time, where good progress was evident and, in some instances, where regression had occurred.

• Reinforcement of the policy on technical skills and presentation became a priority in the school development plan the following year.

Taking a closer look at attainment: 5-14 levels

Context

The headteacher and staff recognised the importance of regular and continuous monitoring of pupils’ performance. They recorded the progress of each pupil in achieving 5-14 levels in each curricular area.

• Focus: the school analysed the attainment of pupils at all stages and levels in reading, writing and mathematics. They aimed to use the results to plan improvements to the quality of learning and teaching.

• They aimed to evaluate attainment in each of the targeted areas in relation to national levels using the QI terms: excellent, very good, good, adequate, weak or unsatisfactory. These evaluations would then feed in to an overall evaluation using QI 2.1 Overall quality of attainment.
• Teachers recorded the date at which pupils achieved a level, confirmed by national test.
• In December each year, they submitted estimates predicting when pupils were expected to achieve the next level, on the basis of current progress.
• They also submitted group lists to senior staff at regular intervals indicating changes in the composition of groups.
• Senior managers analysed the information on a continuous basis during the course of the session in order to track the pace of progress of every pupil.
• They matched mid-year estimates of levels likely to be attained at the end of the school year.
• At the start of each new session, teachers and senior staff together analysed the attainment profiles of individual pupils, classes and stages. They compared overall performance in the school with that of previous years.

• Teachers monitored the progress of those not already at the expected level for their stage.
• At transfer between stages, teachers discussed the progress of individual pupils and set targets for them.
• The whole staff monitored progress towards achieving the overall school target.
• They made an overall evaluation against QI 2.1, taking into account themes from other relevant indicators as indicated in the illustration.
• Specific staff development needs arising from the analysis of attainment, for example in writing at some stages, have been addressed.

• Earlier testing, in P2 and occasionally in P1, to confirm the levels achieved.

Taking a closer look at attainment throughout a secondary school

Context

The school already had a system for monitoring pupils’ performance in SQA examinations but had decided to extend performance monitoring to all stages within the school.

• Focus: the school decided to monitor whole school, course and subject performance as well as the progress of individual pupils. They would also monitor pupil progress at S1/S2.

• The school used Standard Tables of results, including raw data, percentages, relative ratings, national comparison deciles and value-added residuals to achieve an evaluation at S4, S5 and S6 for the whole school, each course and each subject. They analysed SQA results by overall grade, individual Standard Grade elements, gender and concordance with estimates based on preliminary examinations. They tracked these over time and evaluated pupils’ progress. Senior managers discussed results with link departments.
• A grade-point-average was calculated from S3 assessments and used as a reference point for tracking each pupil’s performance through S3 and S4.
• Key staff monitored S1 and S2 pupil reports, looking at attainment in 4 curricular areas over set periods.
• They used data from a standardised reading test to establish reading ages on entry to secondary school. They established the average reading age for each year group and tracked this over time. They also tracked the percentage of the year group with reading ages of less than 10 and less than 9.2. Support for learning staff monitored the progress of these pupils using a commercial computer program and identified pupils in need of further support.
• Pupils monitored their own progress using the evidence of reading and numeracy tests and other assessment materials. They also compiled their own profile in computing.

• Each pupil being monitored was interviewed by the principal teacher of English, agreed targets and was given a programme of focused reading activities. The principal teacher interviewed them again to discuss progress one month later.
• Reports on attainment were drawn up at whole school and departmental level.
• The head of department and link senior manager or headteacher reviewed the analysis of data annually and identified strengths and points for action. They discussed the implications for learning and teaching and for the development plan.
• Good practice identified in one department was disseminated to the rest.

• The school will extend tracking to pupils’ performance in writing.

Taking a closer look at classroom learning and pupil attainment

Context

Senior managers identified a focus on learning as a key characteristic of their leadership. How good is our school? was used over a period of time to take a broad view of each quality indicator in turn.

• Focus: middle and senior managers wanted to keep learning and teaching and attainment under constant review in order to seek improvement, especially in pupil attainment. Classroom performance was seen as the key to this.

• The senior managers undertook visits to a range of classes every week. This approach was fully discussed with staff in advance and drew on QI 2.1 Overall quality of attainment and QI 3.3 Pupils’ learning experiences. Its focus was very much on class and pupil performance. A weekly programme of visits was published. It was shared with staff in advance and involved three periods each week for each senior manager. All classes in the school were visited several times over the year.
• During a visit, senior staff usually established the teacher’s view of class progress, praised good work, checked jotters, assessed the attitudes and work ethic of the class and considered ways to remedy any under-performance identified. A brief record was made of each visit by entering information into a data base on a standard grid based on the QI illustrations.
• After full discussion, teachers agreed to a planned programme where they would observe each other twice a year with the focus clearly on learning and teaching. An observation grid based on the themes of QI 3.1 Teachers’ planning and QI 3.3 Pupils’ learning experiences was used to record evaluations. The evaluations were discussed and agreed making full use of the illustrations of the PI themes.

• Frequent praise and encouragement was given to both staff and pupils which, together with the continued focus on learning and pupil performance, was used to built up a strong ethos of achievement and helped the school meet its attainment targets.
• Priorities and targets were identified for inclusion in the school plan.
• Discussions about learning and teaching at stage/department meetings and INSET days was made a common practice and fuller use was made of quality indicators.

• To extend the use of pupil evaluation of courses and to encourage pupils in the self-evaluation of their own learning.

Taking a closer look at equality and fairness

Context

The school wished to develop a policy on social and cultural inclusion, with senior managers leading a drive to establish a more positively inclusive atmosphere in the school.

• Focus: a staff working group decided to review current practice in the area of equality and fairness in the school community in preparation for its work.

• The working group used the national publication A Route to Equality and Fairness as the basis for their review
• The following quality indicator themes were selected:
  • QI 5.1 Climate and relationships, theme 2: reception and atmosphere
  • QI 5.3 Equality and fairness, theme 1: sense of equality and fairness
• The group reviewed the features to look for described in the national document and selected those which suited the needs of the school. They included areas of focus such as concern and tolerance for others, recognising and valuing differences, countering discrimination, and support for social and cultural background of children.
• They used the chosen features to devise questionnaires for teachers, parents and children. The features also formed the basis of pro forma for classroom observation focusing on equality and fairness in the learning environment.
• The questionnaires were used as a focus for discussion with groups of parents, staff and children in order to elicit more specific views. Great care was taken to ensure that groups were representative of all sections of the community.
• They summarised the evidence collected and identified strengths and areas for action.

• The ‘traffic lights’ approach, set out on page 28 of the national publication, was used to set out the actions needed for improvement.
  • Red: Things to stop doing - ‘making assumptions because of children’s background’.
  • Amber: Things to keep doing - ‘maintaining strengths in praising and rewarding achievement and valuing all children and parents’.
  • Green: Things to start doing - ‘celebrating cultural diversity, assisting groups who feel discriminated against, reinforcing positive behaviour and attitudes’.

• A joint working group of teachers and parents will use the evidence to draft a school policy on inclusion.

Taking a closer look at the school library

Context

As part of the monitoring of the learning and teaching policy, the school library resource committee was asked to look at how the library supported learning and encouraged independence and responsibility in pupils.

• Focus: the committee decided to focus on the use of the library by pupils and teachers to support learning and to meet pupils’ needs.

• The committee used the national document Taking a closer look at the School Library/Resource Centre. They selected quality indicators appropriate to meeting pupils’ needs and providing opportunities for pupils to make independent use of resources
  • QI 3.4 Meeting pupils’ needs
  • QI 6.3 Organisation and use of resources and space (with particular reference to independent use)
• The staff were asked to meet in groups to identify the main issues arising from the quality indicators in the context of the library resource centre and to report back to the committee. The librarian provided support and summarised their conclusions.
• The committee drew up a self-evaluation pro forma for teachers and the librarian to use when observing pupils working in the library. The aspects to be monitored included the links between the use of the library and the pupil’s curriculum, differentiation of tasks and outcomes, use of ICT, opportunities for pupil choice, support for study skills and pupil responsibility.
• The committee and the librarian interviewed pupils in groups, discussed the issues with teachers, looked at pupils’ folders and evaluated forward plans which referred to learning in the library.
• The findings were drawn together and the strengths and areas for action agreed.

• The committee presented the findings to a staff meeting with the librarian playing the key role.
• The librarian delivered INSET on study skills and reference skills.

• Teachers’ plans and schemes of work will refer to the use of the library as part of pupil learning as appropriate.
• Study skills courses will be introduced for all pupils.

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