School Improvement Offer
Why Great Heights?
Great Heights Academy Trust believes that all of our schools should have a continuous focus on school improvement and that all leaders should have high aspirations and expectations for all pupils. We believe we are all on a continuous journey to know more and remember more.
Bowling Green Academy joined the Trust in December 2020, having been through two years of change and instability. I started four months later and, with the Trust’s support, the progress made has been fast-paced and wide-reaching – felt by children, parents and staff alike.
Jamie Stuttard, Principal
Dani Worthington
Trust Director of School Improvement
Our Academy Teams, SCITT, Research School and English Hub give us unique strengths to ensure all those in our care can be supported on their improvement journeys.
- Our AA Teamworks West Yorkshire SCITT plays a key role in our recruitment and retention strategy, working closely with our Great Heights West Yorkshire Research School and Great Heights English Hub. Weekly bulletins are sent to all academies, providing updates and webinars on teaching strategies designed to upskill all teaching staff.
- Our Great Heights Research School offers a planned series of high quality research informed CPD across all our Trust academies, in addition to a bespoke offer dependent on need. We currently have six trained Evidence Champions based in our academies to support the work of the Research School.
- The Great Heights English Hub promotes a love of reading and supports schools to provide excellent phonics and early language teaching. We have 13 Literacy Specialists based across our academies.
We can offer support from specialists within the Trust in all areas (school improvement planning, financial and business management, pupil premium reviews, behaviour programmes and the development of the curriculum) to other schools. To find out more please email Dani Worthington via mat@greatheightstrust.org.uk
How we tailor support
The level of support is categorised to: Good/Outstanding School Offer; RI Offer; Inadequate Offer or New to Trust Offer.
A forensic analysis of need is carried out through systematic and rigorous monitoring and evaluation of all major aspects to enable any issues to be found and appropriate support/intervention to be planned and implemented across:
- Safeguarding
- Effectiveness of leadership and management
- Quality and appropriateness of curriculum offers
- Standards of behaviour and attitudes
- Personal development
- Effective use of data to inform improvements which are securely evidence-informed
Joining the Great Heights Academy Trust has provided us with opportunities to access research, school to school support, develop our staff and apply new strategies at Raynville that have resulted in an improvement to our attainment and progress. The networks that have been established ensure high quality resources and advice are shared effectively across the academies.
Andrew Midgley, Principal
What does the offer include?
The Great Heights Academy Trust School Improvement Offer ensures that all Great Heights academies are working together to improve outcomes for children. The offer includes appropriate levels of challenge and support through a calendar of audits, reviews, quality assurance and school improvement visits.
The calendar includes:
- Minimum two SIP visits
- Peer validated typicality
- Data review
- Phonics review
- SEND review
- Subject specific review
- Staff and wellbeing review
- Attendance review
- Post OFSTED planning support
- Bespoke support offer dependent on need
Quality Assurance includes:
- Site monitoring visits, collection and discussion on emerging data, holding academies to account for pupil outcomes conducted by the Director of School Improvement/CEO with external school improvement partner
- Following the same basic pattern for each academy in order to ensure a consistent and clear overview of performance
School Improvement visits include:
- Working with academy staff to develop and improve practice
- Strategic planning
- Coaching and mentoring
- Team teaching and demonstration lessons
- Planning CPD
School Improvement Team
The School Improvement Senior Leadership Team are supported by and deploy expert practitioners from across all our schools to provide expert support in English, Maths, Teaching and Learning, Curriculum Development, Assessment, SEND, Early Years, Phonics, Vision, Ethos & Values, Behaviour and Attitudes and Personal Development, in addition to drawing upon the expertise of individual subject leaders.
If you would like to learn more about how Great Heights can support your school to flourish, please contact Dani Worthington via mat@greatheightstrust.org.uk