It’s important that the vision of the school is shared with parents though different means, for example, prize-giving, induction meetings, curriculum workshops, school concerts and regular newsletters. (parent)
The boxes on these pages contain snapshots from schools.
The new headteacher involved the school community and its partners in looking at the vision and aims of the school together. The staff and School Board worked closely to co-ordinate the consultation with parents. The school community feels that it owns the vision and aims. The headteacher and staff together reflected on current practice across the school and identified people with particular strengths which would be important to the school in striving for improvement. |
The school has a clear vision which is summed up in the phrase ‘only the best will do.’ The key aspects are high expectations, and valuing staff and investing in their professional development. The headteacher also takes responsibility for planning and day-to-day organisation, giving staff time to innovate and improve. The consistency of practice and very high levels of organisation in classrooms, display and planning are striking. |
Education is a process of living and not a preparation for future living. (John Dewey)
Key features
Dimension 3: Develops a common vision across children and young people, parents and staff
It is particularly important to develop a common vision among all members of the school community. At the heart of that vision will be the provision of the highest quality learning and teaching and the need to ensure that all children achieve their fullest potential.
We are constantly trying to improve the school. It would have been easy to sit back but we wanted to know what needed to be improved and looked at it. We finish a job and say ‘now what?’. For example, spelling was good but not good enough. We have very high standards. (class teacher)
The vision of the school should be shared through open days to allow parents and the community to come in and experience what the school is all about. (class teacher)
The vision for the school is linked to the priorities in the three-year development plan. The agenda is set through a collaborative approach to decision making which values and involves staff and the school’s partners. Staff always return to the vision and aims when making final decisions. Striving to achieve the Charter Mark Award has given the school a common focus and engaged everyone in the process of reflecting on and improving practice. The school has decided to become involved in projects and initiatives to encourage partnership working. It aims to embrace change but also to monitor and evaluate progress continuously. It has established clear links between the school development plan, the standards and quality report and its vision and aims. |
The nature of the vision
The responsibility of all the school community in enabling all children and young people to develop relevant capacities and attitudes; setting a direction which promotes high aspirations and a ‘can-do’ attitude; creating the conditions where creativity and innovation flourish; promoting fairness, justice, equality of opportunity and equal access; establishing a focus on learning and relationships; putting values into action; focusing on improvement and raising achievement.
A school is good to the extent that… |
A school is excellent to the extent that… |
It aims to promote and develop young people’s capacities across the curriculum. |
All staff focus on developing young people’s capacities and attitudes through the medium of learning and teaching approaches and through in-school and out-of-school experiences. They create the conditions in which learners feel safe, valued and secure. |
Staff have adopted effective practices for promoting positive behaviour. Approaches include establishing rights and responsibilities and systems of rewards and sanctions. |
The school community has a can-do attitude. Children not only behave well, they learn with and support others. They want to achieve highly in relation to their personal goals, to be involved in the life of the school and feel good about themselves and their school. |
Staff are encouraged to develop their practice as part of the school’s vision for improvement. |
It nurtures creativity among staff and young people. All members of the school community interact productively across perceived boundaries of age and stage, formal roles and remits and involvement in the formal curriculum or in learning outside school hours. Both staff and young people are encouraged to be innovative and to engage in original thinking and critical reflection and enquiry. |
Children are encouraged to show tolerance and compassion and to support others. Staff take firm action to address discrimination. |
It stresses the importance of putting values into action. Staff and pupils demonstrate personal responsibility, compassion and support for others, and actively promote fairness and justice in their dealings with each other. |
Schools need to get to know families and children well. (headteacher) |
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A school is good to the extent that… |
A school is excellent to the extent that… |
School improvement and pupils’ achievements are part of the school’s vision. |
Staff demonstrate through their actions that school improvement and raising standards of achievement are of paramount importance. They promote and ensure equality of opportunity and equal access. |
Leaders analyse information, identify appropriate approaches and mobilise teams within the school in order to deliver the vision. |
Staff apply consistent approaches across the school which are supported by policies, systems and structures and which reflect the vision of the school. They consistently promote a collective commitment to the highest possible standards and success for all learners. |
It’s about having the vision and innovative ideas, imagination and a ‘have a go at everything’ attitude — and that rubs off on the children. (headteacher) |
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Creating the shared vision
Setting a strategic direction which is ambitious and challenging; actively involving staff, pupils and parents in developing a common vision through reflection and debate; shaping this vision in close consultation with partners, stakeholders and the wider community.
A school is good to the extent that… |
A school is excellent to the extent that… |
Its aims provide a clear, strategic vision which takes into account the views of all involved with the school and informs development/ improvement planning. |
The direction for the future is ambitious, challenging and ongoing. It is shaped by an informed awareness of current educational thinking and involves recurring reflection and debate among young people, parents, staff and partners, and analysis of where the school, department or team is at. |
Staff are committed to the vision. It is exemplified in well-established vision statements and school policies which are consistent with such statements. |
The necessary collective commitment of all staff, pupils, parents and the wider community has been secured. Leaders at all levels motivate and inspire others to sustain this commitment through their daily interactions. |
We are always reviewing what we are doing and looking critically at our own practice and the needs of each of our children. (headteacher) |
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Sustaining the shared vision
Self-evaluation, joint planning and accountability are the essential drivers; motivating and inspiring others to sustain a collective commitment; involving representatives of wider partnerships when reviewing the work of the school; planning new developments and identifying future improvements.
A school is good to the extent that… |
A school is excellent to the extent that… |
Staff plan and evaluate effectively at all levels in the school. Leaders keep up-to-date with national and local initiatives, make information about these initiatives available within the consultative structures of the school and use them as drivers to shape policy. |
Staff see self-evaluation, joint planning and accountability as essential drivers. They base the school’s challenging and ambitious vision closely on the results of accurate self-evaluation. The school’s involvement in national and local initiatives has been carefully planned and is sustainable. |
Leaders disseminate information and performance data and routinely consult staff on policies and development/improvement plans. |
Staff recognise the value of using a wide range of data in analysing the impact of the school’s vision for learning. They use the results of their analyses to focus their improvement activities on action which will have a significant impact on pupils’ learning experiences. |
Staff make reference to the vision at key stages in the development/improvement planning process. |
All members of the school community take full account of the school’s vision when reviewing its work, implementing improvements and shaping future direction. |
Planning and organisation are the fulcrum of this school. (headteacher) |
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