Improving Outcomes for Learners Through Self-Evaluation: page 7

Improving Outcomes for Learners Through Self-Evaluation

6. QI 1.1 Improvements in performance

This QI is placed in the outcomes/impact section of the framework. The QI relates to the achievements of the school or centre as a whole. It relates to all the work of the school or centre and is about the outcomes the school or centre has achieved. In essence, this QI focuses on how successful the establishment is at delivering its vision.

6.1 Key Features

In evaluating this QI, a holistic, rounded judgement is made on how well the school or centre is improving its performance. The scope of the QI is given in the Key Features:

This indicator relates to the achievements of the school or centre. It relates to the overall performance and improvement of learners’ progress in becoming successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. It also relates to how successfully the school or centre has taken forward its vision. The application of this quality indicator should take account of the nature of the school or centre, its learner population and its context.

When applying this QI and making judgements on the quality of provision it is important to:

take account of the context of the school or centre in each theme;
take account of the evaluation of QI 2.1 learners’ experiences; and
take account of the quality of teaching (QI 5.2), meeting learning needs (QI 5.3) and expectations and promoting achievement (QI 5.5).

This QI is a direct measure of the success of an establishment. It includes the outcomes for its learners, expressed as their attainments and achievements, and these depend on the quality of its approaches to teaching and helping learners to learn. In addition, this measure also includes how well the establishment knows itself and how well it is improving or maintaining high levels of performance.

The following diagram shows the evidence which must be considered when making this evaluation.

QI 1.1 Improvements in performance

diagram

6.2 QI 1.1 Organising evidence underpinning evaluations

Theme 1: Standards of attainment over time/children’s progress

In looking at this theme, the context of the establishment is taken into account. The quality of learning and teaching and meeting learning needs also has to be taken into account when evaluating attainment data. If there is, for example, significant headroom for improvement in teachers’ expectations of learners, the quality of teaching and meeting learning needs, then it can be expected that there would also be significant headroom for improvement in attainment/progress.

Key Questions

Sources of Evidence

Related Impact and Process QIs

Have we improved standards of attainment or maintained them at a consistently high level?
How good is our children’s progress/pupils’ attainment?
Does the quality of our learning, teaching and meeting learning needs suggest that there is significant headroom for improvement or is it very high?

Learners’ progress records
Attainment data eg school data on reading levels; EA data; SQA data
Data on other qualifications, e.g. City and Guilds awards and enterprise awards
Comparative data with other schools with similar characteristics
Achievement of targets in IEPs

Are learners actively engaged in learning? (QI 2.1)

How effective is teaching and the involvement of learners? (QI 5.2)⁸

How effective is the establishment at making arrangements to meet learners’ needs? (QI 5.3)

Do teachers and learners have appropriate expectations? Is there a strong ethos of achievement? (QI 5.5)

Theme 2: Overall quality of learners’ achievements

This theme focuses on the overall quality of learners’ achievements. It is about the overall success of the establishment in developing its young people as successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens.

To evaluate the evidence for this theme, the evidence and evaluation made for QI 2.1 should be taken into account. It is necessary to look for data on the overall quality of achievement in comparison to similar schools; to aspects of personal and social development; to the range of achievements; and the impact of additional activities in and beyond the school/pre-school centre day. It is important to take account of the context of the establishment and evaluate the value added to learners by the establishment. Data will include school leavers’ destinations.

Key Questions	Sources of Evidence	Related Impact and Process QIs
What difference are we making to the personal and social development of learners? How determined are our young people to succeed and achieve high standards? Are our learners becoming progressively more confident, more effective contributors, more responsible as they move from stage to stage? Do their learning skills develop at an appropriate pace?⁹ How good is the range of activities and experiences and how well are our learners engaging with them in developing their personal and wider achievements?	Observation of learning experiences, e.g. in class, wider opportunities, out-of-hours clubs Records of achievements such as success in work experience; residential courses; and additional activities in and beyond the school day Data on personal and social skills qualifications, e.g. Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards, Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN) Interviews of different groups of learners Analysis of questionnaire responses of learners and other stakeholders Youth Achievement Awards data Trend data on school leavers’ destinations	Are learners actively engaged in learning? (QI 2.1) Do learners have an appropriate curriculum? (QI 5.1) Do teachers use methods which are likely to develop all four capacities? (QI 5.2) Do the establishment’s arrangements for meeting learning needs help to develop all four capacities? (QI 5.3) Do teachers and learners have appropriate expectations? (QI 5.5) Does the establishment take effective steps to meet learners’ emotional, physical and social needs? (QI 5.8)

Theme 3: Impact of the school improvement plan

This theme focuses on the extent to which the school or centre has been successful in achieving its vision and aims and bringing about planned improvements to the outcomes for learners.

The effectiveness of the school’s or centre’s self-evaluation is a critical feature in considering this theme. The school or centre should be able to show that it knows itself from its self-evaluation activities; that it has brought about demonstrable improvement to children and young peoples’ learning experiences, achievements and attainments; and that it has been successful in providing high and improving quality education for all learners.

Key Questions	Sources of Evidence	Related Impact, Process and Leadership QIs
How well have we achieved our vision for children and young people? To what extent have we improved learners’ experiences? To what extent have we improved progress or attainment? To what extent have we improved the wider achievements of learners?	Improvement Plans Progress/attainment and achievement data trends Standards and Quality reports Senior manager and staff interviews Parent/Parent Council interviews	Does the leadership of the establishment have ambition? Do the vision, values and aims guide and have an impact on improvement? (QI 9.1)¹⁰ How effective are leaders at bringing about change and improvement? (QI 9.4) Does the school/centre have appropriate systems and culture to evaluate its own progress and take steps to bring about improvements? (QI 5.9)

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