OFSTED Action Plan

Brookmans Park Newsletter
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Brookmans Park School
OFSTED Action Plan

After an OFSTED inspection, schools have to produce an Action Plan setting out how they are going to deal with the issues raised in the report. This has to be approved by governors and staff and then sent off to the DfEE. We have commenced work on the plan and several sections have already been completed. I have to make regular reports to the governors as to how the work is progressing.

P.J. Evans - Headteacher.
September 16, 1999

Issue 1 - To raise standards in Information Technology in KS2

	Action	Responsibility	Completion Date	Success Criteria
1.1	Training for teaching staff and particularly in KS2 to increase confidence, and improve skills. Application to be made for funding from New Opportunities Fund for ICT training. Ring fenced funding available Ł4750.	IT coordinator to receive training. Organised by Head	Due to start January 2000 and will take up to 18 months. Completion date is July 2001.	Training completed for co-ordinator and all staff to have received training to enable them to carry out the programmes of study in the National Curriculum
1.2	Carry out an audit of the software and other resources available. Seek advice from the County IT adviser on what is required in addition. Funds available Ł500 from ICT budget.	Classroom teachers under the guidance of IT coordinator. IT Adviser	Audit to be completed by November 1999. Expenditure on software to be undertaken before April 2000.	Purchase of resources to meet the requirements as identified by IT adviser.
1.3	Developing assessment to ensure children build on previous knowledge. Cost of one days consultation @ Ł250. To be paid for from the Standards Fund.	IT Co-ordinator in consultation with all staff and IT adviser	By end of school year 2000.	Written assessment procedures to be in place.
1.4	Improve monitoring of Schemes of work which OFSTED said offered good guidance. Release for IT coordinator through cover by head and supply teacher.	IT Co-ordinator and Head.	Starting in January 2000 and then on-going.	Report back to class teachers, Head and governors of observations undertaken.
1.5	Arrange connection to the INTERNET and the use of E-mail on a phased basis first through KS2 and then KS 1. No cost to the school. To be borne by the authority through National Grid for Learning.	Head to liaise with the Adviser at HES to arrange link up to the County service as soon as possible.	First meeting arranged for Summer term 1999. Link to be made in the Autumn term 1999	Successful link to the INTERNET and training received in its use.
1.6	Adviser to be consulted to see if the school is 'on track' to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum. Cost of a day's consultancy Ł250 to be paid out of the Standards Fund	IT co-ordinator to arrange for visit and set up arrangements for 'feed back'.	End of spring term 2000.	Favourable report from IT adviser.
1.7	Use of individual staff knowledge to cover aspects of IT such as word processing, spread sheets and data handling. No cost.	IT co-ordinator and head to organise sessions when time permits during staff meetings.	End of summer term 2000.	'Feedback' from staff on how expertise has been improved.

Issue 2 - Address the issue of unsatisfactory teaching by improving class management and ensuring sufficiently challenging work.

	Action	Responsibility	Completion Date	Success Criteria
2.1	To arrange visits to other teachers' classes to improve exchange of ideas on dealing with differentiation and organisation in the classroom. Teacher supply cover and head to cover classes. Supply cover to be paid for from the Standards Fund.	Head/deputy head and infant co-ordinator to organise exchanges between classes.	This will have to be on-going monitoring so that, once in place, will continue. Start April 2000.	Head/deputy head and infant co-ordinator to write brief reports on observations and make suggestions for improvements.
2.2	Staff to agree and write a teaching and learning policy which will indicate the broad approaches this school takes in the classroom.	All staff to contribute and policy to be written up by the INSET co-ordinator.	End of spring term 2000 after some monitoring has taken place.	Production of policy and inclusion of staff handbook.
2.3	Subject co-ordinator to assist through input at staff meetings to offer advice on differentiation in their subjects.	Subject co-ordinators.	To commence summer term 2000.	Briefings from c-ordinators to senior management team on progress seen.
2.4	Selected staff to attend suitable training course on differentiation and classroom management. Three teachers to attend courses. Cost = 3 x Ł130 plus Ł400 supply cover. To be paid from the Standards Fund.	INSET co-ordinator and senior staff to arrange and authorise.	As and when suitable courses arise but preferably over the next 18 months.	Successful attendance at training courses with consequent observable improvements in the classroom.
2.5	Improve information sent out to parents about homework by starting homework books which set out clearly dates for completion and approximate time to be spent.	Headteacher in consultation with staff and governors.	End of autumn term 1999.	Successful implementation of the new scheme and gauge feedback from parents.

Issue 3 - Improve pupils' progress in design and technology

	Action	Responsibility	Completion Date	Success Criteria
3.1	Appoint a member of staff to take responsibility for technology. Possible cost could be additional payments to teacher on a temporary basis until the programme is implemented. Possible cost approx. Ł600.	Senior management team and governors.	Appointment to take place during beginning of autumn term 1999.	Agreed appointment of members of staff.
3.2	Improve resources for technology and ensure an adequate system for checking sufficiency of stock and re-ordering where appropriate.	Technology co-ordinator.	Half-term 1999.	Teachers satisfied that their classes' needs for resources are successfully met.
3.3	Training from HES Advisory Service. Technology adviser to help on progression through the Key Stages.	Deputy head and INSET co-ordinator to arrange.	INSET day set up for all staff on first day of autumn term 1999.	Completion of training day followed by discussion and planning how to implement what has been learnt.
3.4	Monitoring standards in the classroom by observation and checking planning forecasts.	Senior managment team and technology co-ordinator.	On-going but commencing autumn term 1999.	Reports from co-ordinator and isual evidence from the examples of work done in the classroom.

Issue 4 - Improve the school's monitoring procedures: address weaknesses in appraisal and the monitoring of teaching and pupils' progress

	Action	Responsibility	Completion Date	Success Criteria
4.1	Develop monitoring by co-ordinator by releasing on a phased basis starting with the core subjects, IT and technology. See issues 1 & 2. This will be done with a combination of supply cover and cover by head. Funding of Ł1,000 to come from the Standards Fund.	Subject co-ordinator and senior management team.	On-going but commencing autumn term 1999.	A regular monitoring programme in place with reports to the governors on a termly basis.
4.2	Co-ordinators to receive termly plans of their subjects from every class teacher. No financial cost but significant time implications.	Subject co-ordinators.	Starting autumn term 1999 and then termly.	New programme in place and teachers better informed of what is being taught in their subject.
4.3	Head to visit classes to monitor delivery of the curriculum. No financial cost but significant time implications.	Head in consultation with class teachers.	Starting January 2000 and thence every teacher to be seen at least termly.	Head is better informed of what is being taught in the classroom.
4.4	New appraisal scheme to be introduced by the government in September 2000. Head to attend training course in order to start when required. Cost of training will be Ł150. Appraisal to be carried out on a cyclical basis with all teachers being appraised every two years unless otherwise directed.	All staff. Governors to be kept informed of progress.	Training to take place during school year 1999 and tehn appraisal routine to start September 2000.	Appraisal programme in place with all teachers part of the on-going programme.
4.5	Training for lunchtime supervisors. Either through HES or 'in-house'. To include: how to talk to children; how to foresee potential problems and de-fuse the situation; organising and supervising games. Cost of buying-in training would amount to Ł300.	Senior managment team and INSET co-ordinator.	To be completed by the end of spring term 2000 and then repeated as personnel change.	Monitoring by volunteer teaching staff to observe improvements and indicate where progress still needs to be made. Also a decrease in 'incidents' which occur in the playground.
4.6	Continue to develop governors involvement in the school development plan and the implications for spending priorities.	Head and financial administator and finance committee.	On-going from September 1999.	Awareness by governors of how the development plan is put together and their actual measurable input into its writing.

Issue 5 - Subsidiary Issues

	Action	Responsibility	Completion Date	Success Criteria
5.1	Training for all staff on child protection.	Head	End of half-term autumn 1999.	Successful delivery of training so all staff are aware of what to look out for if any sort of abuse or neglect is suspected.
5.2	Carry out risk assessment in the school to ensure health and safety requirements are met. Head booked on a risk assessment course in September. Health and safety officer to be appointed from the staff. Course fee Ł160 to be paid from the Standards Fund.	Head and newly appointed health and safety officer together with governors from the premises committee.	To be carried out during the autumn term after attendance at the course.	Written risk assessment document and regular completion of check lists to ensure there are no dangers which are waiting to be dealt with.
5.3	Improve annual reports so they give better information on attainment in relation to national expectations. Include reporting of ICT as a separate curriculum item.	All staff.	Started July 1999 but will be completely finished in the July 2000 reports.	New style of report in place.

September 16, 1999