School Development

Priority 1: Ensuring disadvantaged pupils succeed

• We know that some children experience difficulties which may impact on their learning, attendance or access to opportunities. These challenges will vary from child to child and they are unlikely to be the same for every child in your care.
• We want children to be free to reach their full potential at Bishop Wood whatever their starting point.

What will we do?

• We will keep improving our knowledge and understanding of the needs, strengths and circumstances of our disadvantaged pupils. Teachers and school leaders will collaborate to identify any barriers to learning and participation and ensure that support is in place.
• Teachers will use assessment evidence to tell what children have learnt and to identify gaps in their learning where further teaching and support is required.
• We will make sure we support you in a way that meets your specific needs. This could mean extra help with reading, writing or maths, support with attendance or wellbeing, or practical and financial support to help your children have the same access to school as everyone else.
• We want every child to experience all the broad range of activities that make school life so much more than just lessons – trips, clubs and enrichment activities.

Priority 2: Securing Progress through Adaptive Teaching and Inclusion (SEND)

• Our aim: All children with SEND to have access to high quality teaching and the right support so that they make good progress and become independent members of the school community.
• Every child learns in their own way. We view inclusive teaching as happening every day, with teachers making informed adjustments so that all children can engage in the curriculum and succeed.
• We will refine our approach to inclusion this year to make sure support is consistent, thoughtful and makes a positive impact.

What will we be doing?

• We will create and start implementing a new Inclusion Strategy to detail how we will cater to the needs of pupils with SEND and improve inclusive practice throughout the school. This will be established during the Autumn term with implementation and review during the spring and summer terms.
• We will develop Hertfordshire's guidance on Ordinarily Available Provision. This explains the general teaching approaches, adjustments and support that should be available to pupils on a day to day basis. Practically speaking, this will be providing whatever tools our teachers need such as clear explanations, visual aids, well-planned lessons and appropriate scaffolding to enable children to understand, have access to and fully take part in learning.
• We will offer staff additional training and professional development opportunities so that they can feel confident in supporting an extensive range of needs.
• According to their needs, some children may receive extra help in a small group or individually. We will examine how this is organised and provided, and how it is monitored and evaluated.
• We'll also improve how teachers and teaching assistants work alongside each other to make sure the extra support is helping children build their skills, confidence and independence.

Priority 3: Staff Wellbeing

We recognise that working in a school is a challenging profession with many potential stressors. In line with our vision and values, we want staff wellbeing to be a key development area.

• What we want to achieve: To develop and maintain a happy, caring, efficient and well-structured working environment, in which the staff believe that they are valued and able to give of their best to the children in their care.
• We know that staff wellbeing and the quality of education we are delivering are linked. When staff feel supported, clear on expectations and can get on well with each other, it has a positive impact across the whole school.

What will we be doing?

• Further develop staff communication in the school to ensure all staff have access to clear, appropriate information and a shared understanding of matters of concern and routines.
• The design of a Staff Handbook will be a key focus of this work. This will include summarising essential information about routines, roles and responsibilities, and agreed ways of working, in order to promote a greater consistency throughout the school.
• We will go over our behaviour expectations and practice procedures with all staff so that they know what to do to encourage good behaviour, how to respond to challenges and how to seek extra help.
• Discussion points during regular staff meeting, giving colleagues a more consistent, confident approach to everyday school moments.
• We seek to create a happy, positive, purposeful school where children are happy and secure so they are ready to learn.
• We will keep on offering opportunities for staff to enhance their knowledge and skills, be provided with meaningful feedback and have conversations about their professional development.
• We will actively seek staff feedback on areas of strength and areas for development, including workload, professional support and opportunities to maintain a healthy work-life balance.