ASHVILLE COLLEGE SENIOR SCHOOL
Presentation to Year 5/6 parents
Wednesday January 15th 2014 19.00-20.00
“Academic Expectations and Aspirations in
Senior School”
Gareth Johnson – Academic Deputy Head
The format for this evening
• Presentation – brief summary of Academic Development
in Senior School since September 2011 (40 minutes).
• Q/A – further clarification and anything else academic you
want to know about Senior School (20 minutes).
The underpinning themes in Senior School…
• We are constantly evaluating our own performance as a
Senior School and looking for ways to improve all aspects
of it.
• The new Senior School Management Team is extremely
proactive and quick in resolving all academic issues.
• We will always have ambition to be the independent
Senior School of choice both locally and further afield –
and we are getting there!
(cont.)
• The culture in Senior School is now such that all
colleagues (specifically Middle Leaders) take on major
responsibility.
• All colleagues are subscribed to a “Continued Academic
and Professional Development Plan”, whose aim is…
“…to always strive to become a better version of ourselves
and to never lose our heart.”
Breakdown of the presentation
The most important things we’ve been doing are…
• Enhancing the educational provision for our pupils.
• Tightening up.
• Increasing accountability of performance (pupils and
staff).
• Encouraging the best professional development
opportunities for staff, including making Teaching &
Learning the central theme for all internal training.
(cont.)
And the proof that it’s working is…
• Constantly improving external examination results, raised
entrance requirements and university entrance successes
including Oxbridge.
• Pupil (and staff) numbers and recruitment.
• The “state” of our Senior School Common Room.
Enhancement of educational provision
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•
•
•
Curriculum review and new subjects.
Pupil voice.
The “flexible curriculum” and satisfied customers!
Provision for high-achieving pupils, including scholarship
assessments prior to joining.
• Learning support and EAL (English as an Additional
Language) reform.
• Teaching provision using subject specialists across the
whole College.
Tightening up
• The new school day.
• Pupil registration.
Accountability of performance
Pupils
• Arrangements in years 7-11 and pupil monitoring via
teachers and form tutors (Academic Tutoring).
• The academic role of form tutors and Heads of Year.
• “Early intervention”.
• The new sixth form arrangements.
• Pupil interviews in years 11, Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth.
Accountability of performance
Staff and departments
• Lesson drop-ins by Heads of Department (HoDs).
• Pupil work scrutiny via HoDs and via Form Tutors.
• Pupil academic reviews and pupil voice.
• Appraisal and lesson observation.
• Post external examination department accountability.
• The new “Department Review”.
Professional Development Opportunities
•
•
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•
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•
•
Middle Leadership Programme.
Senior Leadership Programme.
Twilight training and Teaching and Learning focus.
The “Shared Best Practice” Forum.
Whole school initiatives (e.g. appraisal reform).
HoD training days.
External opportunities – new/aspirant HoDs in the North
of England.
• (My role in the above and also in the Independent
Schools’ Qualification in Academic Management).
And the best part about it?
• It’s extremely cost-effective and in the most part free!
Specific Opportunities for Middle Leaders
•
•
•
•
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Department Reviews.
Academic Gifted and Talented/Scholarship Co-ordinator.
Academic Data Manager.
Academic Assistant Timetabler.
(Examination Board IGCSE Principal Examiner and other
roles at awarding bodies).
The proof that it’s working?
External examination results
• Value-added scores in the past three years.
• Headline A-level results in June 2012/2013.
• Headline AS-results in June 2012/2013.
• Headline GCSE results in June 2012/2013.
• University entrance statistics (including Oxbridge).
Scholarship entry requirement
• Lower Sixth September 2013 (6 GCSE grade A*s).
(cont.)
Pupil numbers in Senior School
• September 2010: 505.
• September 2011: 507.
• September 2012: 517.
• September 2013: 535.
And this is by raising not lowering the academic bar!
(cont.)
Staff recruitment
• Director of Sport (additional role).
• Director of Outdoor Education (additional role).
• IT Manager (additional role).
• Computing teacher (additional role).
And…
• The quality of applicants for jobs in Senior School.
(cont.)
The “state” of our Senior School Common Room
Perhaps most importantly…
• A happy and engaged body of teachers which prioritises
Teaching and Learning both in discussion and practice.
• A supportive and proactive new Senior Management
Team which empowers junior colleagues in order to give
the feel of collective academic responsibility in a bid to
continually raise academic standards in Senior School.
Thank you for listening…
Gareth Johnson
Academic Deputy Head
academicdeputy@ashville.co.uk