Featured Teacher
W
ith significant growth
and a genuine focus
on the standards
agenda, it is hardly
surprising that the competition for
school places has become a key
focus for the many new schools in
the region. Parents are far better
informed on the attainment and
progress, not only of their own
children, but of the whole school
picture and therefore schools need
to become far more sophisticated in
ensuring they communicate better in
the market place.
It is normal for a new school to face
initial teething problems in the early
days as the school’s ship settles into
its course, and as the Prinicpal of a
school launched just three years
ago, I believe that we are already
in a position to evaluate what has
worked and what has not worked for
us, as a new school in relation to the
collation and tracking of data.
Our school has a uniquely explicit
way of connecting education with
the world in which we live, namely
“The Hartland Way”. This philosophy
is the bedrock of our strong values-
driven education, which enables
us to thrive.
But one key area
which has had a rather unsettled
start at Hartland was in the area
of assessment, recording and
reporting. At a time of great change
in the move to “Life without Levels”
as part of the British curriculum
system, the first year of the school,
saw much discussion and debate
about the best way forward for its
community. Joining the school in
Year 2 of operation with a new team
and a fresh pair of eyes, allowed
me; to evaluate work to date and an
opportunity to look at best practices
across not only the Middle East, but
the international environment of
schooling.
Initially, the approach to student
assessment was quite basic. There
was a lack of understanding in the
tracking system that had initially
been purchased for the school and
teachers were not as comfortable
with its use as they ought to be. For
a variety of reasons, they found it
cumbersome and leaders were not
making effective use of the data to
drive the school forward. Teachers
reverted to using safe and tried
methods of Excel spreadsheets, and
central data analysis and collation
were not robust enough as a result.
It became increasingly difficult to
gain real insight from the data. The
complexities of sharing data among
colleagues became time consuming.
After recognising the issues, the
school began looking for the best
and most accurate way to track
progress. It was undoubtedly a
challenge for the school but one
that they overcame by their sheer
resilience and dedication to the task
at that time. Taking a decision to
investigate alternative Management
Information Systems was a core
job undertaken during my first year
at the school. My main aim was to
move staff away from manual Excel
spreadsheets (as well as paper-
based files!) and implement a
solution that was beneficial across
the whole school, for the leadership
team, teachers, governors, students,
and parents.
Having found the right solution
for the school means that now,
our leadership team has instant
access to ready-made data reports,
allowing us to better triangulate
our thinking and our evidence. This
information directly informs and
accelerates the school improvement
plan. We view results and analyse
data quickly, comparing across our
broad range of subject areas, which
allows early identification of issues
and more responsive intervention
where needed. We are also able to
build on the areas of strengths that
we see in our day-to-day teaching.
The better use of data has enabled
more robust discussions amongst
teachers and leaders and has also
changed the conversation that we
have with children and parents. It has
empowered a review of the working
curriculum and has informed us of
the journey that we need to take.
Providing a fast way to record
assessment
and
evidence
dramatically
reduced
teachers’
workload, allowing more time to
be spent informing the next steps
of learning. Instead of recording
assessment at the end of lessons,
teachers use iPads to record as it
happens with photos, videos and
notes as evidence; freeing the staff
from hours of managing assessment
data.
Schools need a quick and
easy, but reliable way to see how
each student is performing; day-to-
day, and term-to-term. We now show
progress against learning goals, at-a-
glance attainment spread across the
class, and students are often involved
in self and peer-assessment. One of
the main benefits of using data in
this way is that students themselves
have a better understanding of their
abilities and thereby have higher
expectations and aspirations for their
own learning and this has shaped a
modification to our curriculum as we
build on the promotion of problem
solving, inquiry-led learning, and
critical thinking skills.
By having an assessment system
in place that we have all agreed
on, we are also better informed
and prepared to meet the rigorous
expectations of parents, governors
and indeed, external inspection
teams.
In January of 2018 we
were rated ‘Good’ in our first
KHDA inspection, an outcome
that was supported by our ability
to demonstrate explicitly how we
collate and use data to inform our
planning and outcomes.
Our short journey so far has
taught us that there are numerous
approaches to tracking and using
data and ultimately each school will
find their own way. Indeed, every
school will also find their own system
and process. But for us, the change
to our current tracking system was
both needed and crucial in our
development and growth. Every new
school has a unique stamp, and so
does every student, but the trials and
errors along the journey were the
best indicators that guided our final
choices. Ultimately, the robustness
of the system and the processes
will be the keys to embedding long-
lasting success. If you can get this
piece of the jigsaw right from the
outset, you will certainly navigate
those uncharted waters of a new
school opening, with a greater ease.
Class Time
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Sep - Oct 2018
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