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School Improvement
Self Evaluation and School Improvement
Governors and Senior Leaders at Woodlands recognise the link between self-evaluation and school improvement planning and know that accurate judgements about the school’s performance leads to highly effective planning for future improvements. They recognise that self evaluation enables them to justify their judgements, and present focused plans for development and improvement.
Robust school self-evaluation (SSE) underpins the school improvement planning cycle. It gives focus to gathering and analysing a range of evidence and making accurate judgements. The cycle involves on-going review, updated planning, implementation and evaluation throughout the school year.
The school carries out an in-depth evaluation of its performance, identifying strengths and areas for improvement or development. These findings are then written up in a self-evaluation report. Using the report, we then produce Strategic Intents that span 3 years and a School Development Plan (SDP) that covers the following year’s objectives.
The plan is based around the four Ofsted judgement areas, as well as including details about how the school will deliver effective provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC). It is not a list of everything which the school will do during the year; but it is a list of the key objectives which school leaders need to address if the school is to remain or move towards excellent outcomes for pupils.
The SDP is then implemented, monitored and evaluated on a regular basis to assess the impact the school improvement plan is having on improving outcomes and performance. Findings are shared with governors and staff and the improvement plan is modified to respond to the evaluation findings.
Monitoring
The SDV and Self Evaluation are used on a continual basis to drive improvement. They are frequently updated and regularly monitored. Governors receive regular, termly updates on progress towards targets in the plan.
Appraisals
The staff’s appraisal objectives link to the priorities for the school, and our CPD programme supports the targets and objectives.
School Self Evaluation
School self-evaluation (SSE) is a collaborative, reflective process of internal school review. It provides teachers with a means of systematically looking at how they teach and how pupils learn and helps schools and teachers to improve outcomes for learners.
At Woodlands we have introduced a cycle of School Self Evaluation for continuous reflection and improvement:
- Curriculum Impact Weeks (Teachers)
- Learning Walks (Teachers and TA3s)
- Learning Conversations (Teachers and TAs)
- Peer to peer observations (Teachers, TA3s and TA2s)
- Planning Scrutiny (Teachers and TA3s)
- Pupil Progress meetings (Teachers)
- Weekly moderation / Feeding Forward / Reflection (Teachers and TA3)
- Half termly moderation (Teachers, TA3s and TA2s)
- Half termly quality assurance (SLT / MLT)
- Staff Appraisals (Teachers, TA3s and TA2s on request)
Strategic Intentions 2024-2027
Quality of Education:
We are committed to delivering an outstanding education for every pupil, building resilience and empowering them to achieve their personal aspirations and prepare for life beyond school.
2025/2026 - To embed and evaluate the impact of the six curriculums across school, ensuring they promote clarity, progression, and high-quality personalised learning that meets the complex needs of all pupils.
To meet the needs of all learners by strengthening pupil voice and enhancing parental engagement.
2025/2026 - To further embed and sustain Woodlands' outstanding culture of positive behaviour and emotional wellbeing through enhanced consistency, strengthening parental engagement and pupil voice, ensuring high expectations and personalised support remain central to the school's ethos.
We will nurture confident, creative, and resilient young people who uphold respect and fairness within their communities.
2025/2026 - To enhance the impact of personal development by strengthening pupil leadership, broadening real-life community learning experiences, and embedding robust systems for tracking enrichment outcomes and Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) across all pathways.
To establish a leadership model that fosters a collaborative culture among all professionals, enabling every student to thrive.
2025/2026 - To strengthen leadership capacity at all levels and enhance strategic planning to sustain high-quality provision, respond to increasing complexity, and support the school's future direction, including potential Trust conversion.