Validated self-evaluation
Angus Council
19 June 2012
Contents
Page
1.
The aims, nature and scope of validated self-evaluation
1
2.
Validated self-evaluation in Angus Council
1
3.
Education Scotland’s assessment of the quality of
self-evaluation in Angus Council
2
4.
What does the Council plan to do next?
4
1.
The aims, nature and scope of validated self-evaluation
HM Inspectors (Education Scotland) were invited by Angus Education Service to
work in partnership and undertake a validated self-evaluation (VSE) as part of the
Council’s ongoing continuous improvement. As a regular part of Education
Scotland’s work with the Education Service, the District Inspector (DI) liaised with
staff in preparation for the VSE. This report includes Education Scotland’s
assessment of the rigour of Angus Education Service’s self-evaluation. It also
includes a summary of the agreed key strengths and what the service plans to do
next to continue to improve.
Prior to the joint VSE work with Education Scotland, Angus Education Service
carried out a comprehensive self-evaluation as part of their normal planning for
improvement cycle, using indicators from Quality Management in Education 2
(QMIE2). Stakeholders, including children and young people, contributed to the
evaluation. The service also used data such as information from Education Scotland
inspection reports as well as national and comparator statistical information in
relation to current national priorities. As a result, they identified areas of strength
and areas for further improvement. They developed a clear action plan as a result,
and sought the involvement of Education Scotland in taking forward a number of key
priorities.
From the self-evaluation process, and the resultant Standards and Quality Report
(2010-2011), Education Scotland and senior managers from Angus Education
Service identified five priority areas of work for more focused, in-depth analysis,
through the VSE. These were:
1. Strategic support for Curriculum for Excellence - Review the effectiveness and
quality of the support and direction in implementing Curriculum for Excellence
across the secondary sector.
2. Review the implementation of Getting it right for every child in meeting the
needs of children in the early years who require additional support.
3. Evaluating the impact and outcomes of Angus Education service
self-evaluation - Review the quality of support, challenge and feedback
provided by Link Quality Improvement Officers and Senior Officers to schools.
4. Planning and monitoring learning - Evaluate the effectiveness of the range
and quality of support to schools in relation to pedagogy and the use of
cooperative learning approaches.
5. Strategic resources and financial management - Review and evaluate the
impact of Devolved School Management procedures and arrangements in
supporting the successful delivery of education services across Angus
Council.
2.
Validated self-evaluation in Angus Council
Staff involved in the VSE process, worked very well with HM Inspectors and
Associate Assessors in developing further their existing partnerships through
planning, working and evaluating together. For example, the joint work with the DI
and the Quality Improvement Officers which built on the ongoing support and
1
challenge of the DI role and focused specifically on consistency of practice through
reviewing the Angus Quality Improvement Guidelines. Throughout the first main
stage of the VSE, staff worked well with HM Inspectors in effectively analysing
available data and information, interviewing a wide range of stakeholders and
partners, and examining practice across the Council. The programmes and planned
activities were well considered and provided good opportunities for the team to
reflect on the quality and outcomes for Angus children, families and staff across a
wide range of provision. The presence of Educational Scotland team members on
priority theme groups supported Angus colleagues in taking forward their
improvement agenda, by providing a wider, external, perspective on practice.
Following the first stage of the VSE, Angus senior managers and the priority theme
leads met with HM Inspectors to share and take stock of the initial findings of the
VSE. Working together, they analysed and tested the findings of the VSE, the
learning that had taken place and the rigour and robustness of the process. At this
stage there was clear evidence that participation in the VSE had prompted greater
self-reflection and had enabled staff to build on their already strong self-evaluation
approaches. While HM Inspectors were able at this stage to conclude that the
quality of self-evaluation was high, Angus colleagues were keen to continue the VSE
process through further focused capacity building activity, including on the impact of
devolved school management and the leadership development of principal teachers.
Members of the Education Scotland team acted as ‘critical friends’ to senior officers
during this second phase.
3.
Education Scotland’s assessment of the quality of self-evaluation in
Angus Council.
Senior managers, elected members and Angus education staff demonstrated a
strong knowledge and understanding of improvement through self-evaluation. They
worked closely with HM Inspectors and their approach was responsive, thorough,
and rigorous. Elected members participated well in a range of evaluative activities
including focus group discussions. The VSE process involved a wide range of
partners, including parents and community learning and development staff. This
helped to ensure that a broad range of evidence was gathered, including direct
observation of activities such as ‘Just Play’ and ‘On Track With Learning’, and
discussions with stakeholders, such as probationer teachers. Staff across the
service share a clear sense of common purpose and are open to suggestions for
improvement. Angus staff who engaged in the review groups were open, responsive
and reflected effectively on their work as part of the VSE process. Staff were
strongly committed to improvement through self-evaluation and this was
characterised by a willingness to question their existing practice and explore ways to
improve the robustness of evidence gathering.
Senior managers drew on a wide range of data, which they used effectively to
monitor how well the service was performing. For example, they had used data
effectively to monitor and increase the number of young people completing awards
which recognised broader achievement. Throughout the VSE process, senior
managers, group chairs and team members demonstrated enthusiasm, motivation
and a very high degree of openness and frankness. Senior staff took a strongly
2
self-critical approach, actively probing aspects which were less effective. They
welcomed and took full advantage of the independent benchmarking which
HM Inspectors provided.
From the evidence gathered throughout this process and ongoing challenge and
support, HM Inspectors are confident that the quality of self-evaluation in Angus
Education Service is strong overall, though not yet consistent across all
establishments and services. The VSE process has further enhanced the quality of
the self-evaluation and increased the capacity of staff and partners to develop further
their approaches to ensure better outcomes for Angus learners.
What strengths has the validated self-evaluation identified?
Angus Council and HM Inspectors have jointly identified the following high-level
strengths.
•
Very effective leadership and clarity of purpose demonstrated by the Chief
Executive, Director of Education, senior staff and elected members, in improving
the work of the Council.
•
Strong culture of improvement through self-evaluation across the service, led by
the Director of Education.
•
Very well considered strategic support for the implementation of Curriculum for
Excellence across the Council.
•
Extensive range of high quality experiences that enhance the achievements of
young people.
•
Clear focus on inclusion and participation of learners in schools and
establishments, reducing exclusion in communities across Angus.
•
Wide range of positive partnerships involving children, young people and parents
which strengthened communication and engagement with the Education Service.
What is the Council’s capacity for improvement?
There is a strong culture of self-evaluation within and across services, including early
years, additional support and the senior management team. The approach to
self-evaluation is open and rigorous and there is a clear commitment to continuous
improvement across education services.
Approaches for engaging with stakeholders and making use of rich sources of
evidence and data are strong and continue to improve. Senior managers have
focused on embedding a culture of self-evaluation where staff have been
encouraged and empowered to make decisions and adopt creative approaches to
improving service delivery. This approach also promotes accountability across the
organisation, focused on improving outcomes for children and young people. The
VSE process has helped the service focus more clearly on achieving improved
3
outcomes. The learning which took place during the VSE process has increased the
confidence of the service in developing effective practice, in particular in its
approaches to implementing the ‘Getting it right’ agenda. Elected members, the
Chief Executive, and the Director of Education provided a very clear sense of
direction.
Education Scotland are confident that Angus Education Service has a strong
capacity to continue to improve and is well placed to fulfil its ambition to deliver high
quality services that meet the needs of all.
4.
What does the Council plan to do next?
HM Inspectors and Angus Council have agreed the following areas for further
improvement. These are to continue to:
•
ensure the culture, approaches and impact of self-evaluation for improvement
within all establishments and services are more consistent and lead to
improvement; and
•
strengthen leadership capacity across schools and centres to improve outcomes
for all learners.
Further details of the service strengths and areas identified for improvement are
given in the Standards and Quality report (2011) prepared by Angus Council.
http://www.angus.gov.uk/ccmeetings/reports-committee2012/Education/51App.pdf
Anna Boni
HM Inspector
Education Scotland
19 June 2012
How can you contact us?
Should you wish to comment on any aspect of validated self-evaluation you
should write to Dr Gill Robinson, HM Chief Inspector, at Education Scotland,
Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston,
EH54 6GA. Alternatively, if your query is related to this report, you may also
write to Mr Richard Stiff, Chief Executive, Angus Council, Angus House,
Orchardbank Business Park, Forfar, DD8 1AX.
4