The Leadership Network Within School Variation Project How schools are identifying and addressing in

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LOCAL CONFERENCES 2006
The Leadership Network Within School
Variation Project How schools are identifying
and addressing internal variation TITAN
PARTNERSHIP 19th March 2007
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Within School Variation What is it and why does
it matter?

• According to OECD (2000) variation in
  performance within schools is four times as great
  as the variation in performance between schools.
• Miliband 2002
• Patterns of learning and achievement are
  profoundly affected by processes internal to the
  school over which teachers have considerable
  control. Hart et al 2004

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What is it and why does it matter?

• WSV - discrepancies in performances between
• specific groups, teachers, or subjects within a
• School
• A leadership issue part of the furniture
• Potential for improvement of pupil achievement
  and school standards
• Supports self evaluation

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Within School Variation The Project

• NCSL and Leadership Network schools collaborating
  on a research and development project to uncover
  successful strategies
• The hidden gem in the work of NCSL

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What has the project involved?

• Joint DfES / NCSL Steering Group
• 50 schools from the Leadership Network
• National and regional workshops
• Support from David Reynolds and Regional
  Co-ordinators
• Commitment to taking action and sharing the
  results

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Areas of focus for the project

• Data collection, analysis, interpretation and
  use by all
• Teaching and Learning / Teacher learning focused
  observation, coaching
• Curriculum reform engaging learners more
  closely
• Middle leader development learning from
  innovative practice The engine room of reform
• Application of Standard Operating Procedures
• Pupil Voice

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The report

• 14 case studies largely phase one schools
• Analysis of key lessons to emerge from the
  project

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Four key themes

• a specific focus on the collection, analysis,
  interpretation and use of data
• the development of strategies that focus on
  teacher learning through, for example, the
  focused observation of specific aspects of
  practice
• proposals for curriculum reform, with innovative
  suggestions for restructuring the curriculum so
  that it relates more to the interests of learners
  and their learning preferences
• a focus on the development of middle leaders and
  learning from the innovative practice of others
  in the school

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Two further themes

• consistent application of standard operating
  procedures (agreed approaches applied across the
  school e.g. in relation to teaching and learning)
• the central importance of creating opportunities
  for children and students to offer their ideas
  about how teaching and learning could be improved
  (referred to, as shorthand in this guide, as
  pupil or student voice)

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Departmental Partnership

• Lawrence Sheriff School, Rugby

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Basic Principles

• Improvement through collaboration
• All departments can learn from one another
• Focus upon the positive

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Structure of Partnership

• English/ Science (GCSE)
• Maths/ICT (GCSE)
• History/ Geography/ RE (GCSE)
• French / German (GCSE)
• PE/ DT (GCSE)
• Media / Business Studies (A-Level)
• Music / Drama (A-Level)

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Success Measures

• AIM Reduce variation in results to no more than
  10
• HOW MEASURED?
• Percentage gaining A/ grades at GCSE
• Value-added residuals (using ALPS)
• BUT
• Need to measure what we value, not value what we
  can measure

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How Partnership Developed

• Meetings on training days
• Lesson observations (see examples)
• Discussion of student feedback
• Summary of good practice
• Sharing good practice on specific issues
  (coursework supervision, modular courses)

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Evaluation data

• English/ Science A/ at GCSE
• Gap 2003 23 (English 45, Science 22 )
• Gap 2005 21 (English 46, Science 25 )
• Gap 2006 -5 (English 49, Science 54)
• French/German A/ at GCSE
• Gap 2003 46 (French 61, German 15)
• Gap 2005 12 (French 82, German 70)
• Gap 2006 -14 (French 60, German 74)

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Data (continued)

• PE/Art A/ at GCSE
• Gap 2003 47 (Art 58, PE 11)
• Gap 2005 2 (Art 56, PE 54)
• Gap 2006 -2 (Art 70, PE 72)
• Maths/ ICT A/ at GCSE (late starter)
• Gap 2005 31 (Maths 56, ICT 25)
• Gap 2006 33 (Maths 80, ICT 47)

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Evaluation cultural impact

• Positive staff response. Best commentQ What
  will we stop doing?A Avoid being isolated and
  insular with regard to our subjects (PE/DT)
• These scientists talk a surprising amount of
  sense (English dept.)
• Reciprocal observation very well received
• Partnership should be one of equals

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Where to now?

• Using partnership to focus upon pastoral
  structures
• Using wsv as a basis for our self-evaluation
  model, including student voice and student
  observation
• Partnership becoming part of our meetings
  structure