As a headteacher, providing the children we serve with the very best education is my number one priority. Fundamental to this is school improvement, which is an ongoing journey and continual process that remains important within every school in the country.
School improvement encompasses every aspect of a school, including enhancing teaching, learning, behaviour, the school environment and more. There are different ways to measure success and a school’s performance, be that exam results, teacher retention, pupil destinations or presence in the community.
However, the last five years have been particularly difficult for schools. We experienced the pandemic and subsequent school closures which have had lasting impacts on pupils, as seen through a widening attainment gap, worsening behaviour problems and ever-growing pressures on SEND resources. Coupled with changing Ofsted frameworks designed for a pre-pandemic world, schools have been facing enormously challenging headwinds. It has made school improvement more difficult to achieve, but also more important as we strive to ensure pupils are given every opportunity to overcome these hurdles and reach their full potential.
Headteachers, teachers and support staff across the country have done an incredible job of navigating schools during this time of turbulence and recovery. Looking forward, I wanted to share our experience of school improvement at Wainscott Primary School.
Our school’s journey