1. education
2. school

Beatlie School
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN
2014-2015
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Healthy
Achieving
Included
Active
Respected
Safe
Responsible
Nurtured
Learning
and
Teaching
Successful
Learner
Confident
Individual
Responsible
Citizen
Effective
Contributor
Vision
and
Leadership
Culture
and
Ethos
People
Partnership
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The West Lothian Context
West Lothian Council is committed to delivering the best possible outcomes for children and young people so that they have the best start in life and are ready
to succeed by following the principles of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) and Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC).
Within Curriculum for Excellence, every child and young person is entitled to experience a curriculum which is coherent from 3-18. Those planning the
curriculum have a responsibility to work in partnership with others to enable children and young people to move smoothly between key transition points,
building on prior learning and achievement in a manner appropriate to the learning needs of the individual. This should ensure that young people are well
placed to move into positive destinations and adult life.
The Corporate Plan sets the strategic direction and our priorities for West Lothian Council. There are eight priorities that we, and our community, believe can
make a lasting and sustainable impact on the local area and improve the lives of residents in West Lothian.
Priority 1: Delivering positive outcomes and early interventions for early years
Priority 2: Improving the employment position in West Lothian
Priority 3: Improving attainment and positive destinations for school children
Priority 4: Improving the quality of life for older people
Priority 5: Minimising poverty, the cycle of deprivation and promoting equality
Priority 6: Reducing crime and improving community safety
Priority 7: Delivering positive outcomes on health
Priority 8: Protecting the built and natural environment
The Corporate Plan informs Education Services Management Plan to ensure our work impacts positively on services for children and young people. Education
Services focuses particularly on priorities 1, 2 and 3.
Education Services Management Plan
Education Services works towards achieving the key strategic aims of the council, in partnership with schools. In particular, Education Services aims to
improve opportunities for children and young people by:
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Raising standards of attainment and achievement
Improving employability and positive destinations for all school leavers
Improving the learning environment
Promoting equality of access to education
Developing values and citizenship
Promoting learning for life and encouraging a creative, enterprising and ambitious outlook.
Working with a range of partners, the key purpose of our work is to continuously raise attainment and achievement for all children and young people in West
Lothian, ensuring that our young people succeed in securing a positive and sustained destination after school. DATA LABEL-PUBLIC
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Factors Influencing the Improvement Plan
School factors
 Inveralmond Cluster Improvement Plan
 Improving pupils’ learning and teaching
 School profile – diverse needs of pupils arising from complex medical and physical factors
 Continuum of support – meeting the needs of all pupils
 Multi-agency working from 3 – 18 years
 Rights Respecting Schools initiative
 Eco schools award
Local authority factors
 Single Outcome agreement
 Corporate Plan
 Integrated Children’s Services Plan (Life Stages)
 Education Services Management Plan
 Moving Forward Together
 Curriculum for Excellence Implementation Guidance
 Raising attainment, including for those at risk of missing out
 Increased entitlement to early years provision
National factors
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Single Outcome agreement
Getting it Right for Every child (GIRFEC)
Curriculum for Excellence
National Qualifications
Child Protection Issues / Guidance
National Legislation: Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014
GTCS revised standards and professional update
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Our School Values, Vision and Aims:
Vision Statement
To provide education of the highest quality in partnership with parents, carers and Allied Health Professionals for all pupils which will meet their
individual educational, personal and spiritual needs and which will enable them to be successful learners, confident individuals, responsible
citizens and to make an effective contribution to society in their present and future lives.
School Aims
In Beatlie, we aim to create a happy, nurturing environment which addresses the very specific physical, medical, sensory, social and educational
needs of our pupils by –
Learning and Teaching
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planning appropriately to provide a stimulating and accessible curriculum based on the values and principles of the Curriculum for Excellence and
incorporating national initiatives e.g. Eco Schools, Healthy Schools, Rights Respecting Schools etc.
 preparing our pupils for life by –
:- fostering independence
:- developing communication skills
:- providing support to move into positive, sustained destinations beyond school
Vision and Leadership
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Committing to supporting colleagues and to improving outcomes for children and young people
Demonstrating a strong common purpose to provide children and young people with high quality learning experiences within a caring and supportive
environment
Partnership
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creating Individual Education Plans (IEPs) in consultation with The Team around the Child including parents and allied health professionals
working closely with parents in a supportive and collaborative way to ensure a positive relationship between home and school
People
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ensuring that staff receive on-going professional development opportunities through high quality training/CPD and supportive quality assurance
Ensuring a culture of on-going self evaluation, shared ownership, collegiate working
Culture and Ethos
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maintaining a climate where everyone is treated with respect and where every pupil is enabled to reach their full potential
ensuring a culture of celebration and achievement
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promoting inclusion and equality in school and in the local and wider community
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Strategic Curriculum Plan (Three Years)
Session
Desired Outcomes
Area for Development
Curriculum Development
2013-2014
Review and refine use of signing, signifiers and symbols across the school to support pupils’
understanding across all areas of the curriculum and in daily life. (Priority 1)
Curriculum Development
2014-2015
Improve learning and teaching by reviewing, developing and refining the nursery planning,
assessment and evaluations. (Priority 2)
Raising attainment through improved curricular
To ensure full curricular coverage within the early level experiences and outcomes for Science
continuity in science
from 3 -18. (Priority 1)
Raising attainment through enhanced partnership To enhance joint working with existing and new partners to create further unique and
working
innovative opportunities for our pupils. (Priority 2)
Health and Wellbeing
2015-2016
Self evaluation
Develop a programme of study which addresses the very specific needs of Beatlie pupils in
regard to Es and Os of ‘Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood’ to ensure coverage
and progression from 3 – 18.
Refine PRD process within Beatlie to ensure professional learning includes a wide range of
opportunities to further develop knowledge and skills in line with GTC and Education Scotland
development statement.
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2014 – 2015
Priority: Raising Attainment
Area for Development 1: To identify significant aspects of learning and ensure full curricular coverage within the early level experiences and outcomes for
Science from 3 -18.
School’s current position: Through on-going tracking and monitoring, the school has identified gaps in coverage of the Experiences and Outcomes within
Early Level science. There is also a concern that the necessity to work repeatedly at Early Level from 3 – 18 could lead to unnecessary repetition of content
and limited experiences for the pupils.
Desired Outcomes
Pupils benefit from a
shared understanding of
the significant aspects of
learning within the Beatlie
context for science.
Pupils are benefitting from
a clearly identified
progression pathway in
Science.
Pupils experience
variation of topic, context,
challenge through delivery
of a more coherent
science curriculum.
All teaching staff have a
shared understanding of
how to use the curriculum
framework.
Implementation Process (Actions)
By whom
Time Scale
Resources
Monitoring
Audit coverage of Es and Os and identify
gaps in coverage. 3 working groups – a
representative from each department on
each group.
 Look at tracking and monitoring
 Look at current topic overview
 Look at previous planning folders
Teaching staff
organised into 3
working groups
and SMT
Aug – Oct 2014
Tracking Records
Professional dialogue –
SMT and working
groups
Identify ways to cover Es and Os not
being covered at each stage.
 Identify new topics
 Explore ‘Equals Science’, ‘The
Profound Curriculum’,
Teaching staff
organised into 3
working groups
and SMT
Dec 2014
Equals Science
programme
‘The Profound
Curriculum’
Collated evidence working groups and
SMT
Identify significant aspects of learning at
each stage for each E and O.
 Look at authority progression
pathway for science
 Look at significant aspects of
learning papers produced by
Education Scotland
Teaching staff
organised into 3
working groups
and SMT
Jan – March
2015
Education
Scotland papers
Collated evidence working groups and
SMT
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Pupils are experiencing
their full entitlement to all
Es and Os within early
level science over a 3
year rolling programme of
work.
Create a framework which identifies how
each early level E and O is covered and
the significant aspects of learning at each
stage.
 Collate the work from each
working group into one coherent
framework
SMT
Apr 2015
SMT
Share Framework with all teaching staff
with a view to using to inform following
year’s planning
SMT and staff
May 2015
Feedback from staff to
SMT
Evaluation:
Evidence
Is there a shared understanding of the significant aspects of learning within the Beatlie
context for science?
Sources of evidence: professional dialogue, feedback from
working groups, quality improvement procedures, end products.
To what extent are pupils benefitting from a clearly identified progression pathway in
Science?
Significant aspects of learning have been identified and are ready
for use during 2015/2016 planning.
Do staff deliver a more coherent science curriculum in which pupils experience variation of
topic, context, challenge?
Early indications show that a progression pathway is in place to
be implemented in 2015/2016 in order to ensure pupils
experience breadth and progression of experiences in early years
science from 3 - 18.
Do all teaching staff have a shared understanding of how to use the curriculum
framework?
Are procedures in place to ensure that pupils will experience their full entitlement to all Es
and Os within early level science over a 3 year rolling programme of work?
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2014 – 2015
Priority: Raising Attainment
Area for Development 2: To enhance joint working with existing and new partners to create further unique and innovative opportunities for our pupils.
School’s current position: The school has very good joint working procedures with partners. However, it is felt that more joint evaluation and planning could
identify further opportunities and strategies to support the pupils and involve their families more in the life of the school. (Pupils are transported into Beatlie
from across West Lothian, limiting opportunities for families to be as involved with the school as they would be in a mainstream setting.)
Monitoring
Desired Outcomes
.
Implementation Process (Actions)
By whom
Time Scale
Pupils experience an
extended range of
appropriate and
stimulating learning
opportunities.
Evaluate partnership provision in the senior
phase by seeking views of staff, parents and
existing partners.
 Questionnaires to gauge satisfaction
and to elicit suggestions for
improvement
SMT
Oct 2014
Analysis of results - SMT
Jointly evaluate projects with current
successful partners with a view to developing
further across the school. e.g Clowndoctors,
Nordoff Robins.
 Joint planning meetings
SMT
Clowndoctors
Nordoff Robins
Oct 2014
Evaluations from
partners - SMT
Identify new partners who will provide unique
and relevant opportunities appropriate for
Beatlie pupils.
 Eco partnerships
 Drama/performance groups
All staff
June 2015
Observation of new
experiences – Staff
Create social networking opportunities for
parents across nursery and school.
Staff
June 2015
Families have increased
opportunities to be aware
of and participate in the
life of the school.
Events Committee
Parent Council
Resources
Refreshments
Observation
Post-event evaluations –
SMT
Annual ‘Calendar of Events’ revised and
shared with parents to identify further
opportunities for family involvement in the life
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of the school.
Pupils benefit from
increased support for and
communication with
parents.
Create a school website.
SMT and APSW
I.T. support
Web designer
June 2015
Identify appropriate training opportunities for
parents
SMT
Dec 2014
Evaluation:
Do pupils experience an extended range of appropriate and stimulating learning opportunities
Have there been increased opportunities for families to participate in the life of the school?
Have pupils benefitted from increased support for and communication with parents?
Additional Tasks 2014-15
Increase staff knowledge and understanding of GIRFEC
Web designer
SMT and web designer
Post-event evaluations
Evidence (How do we know?)
Sources of evidence: professional dialogue, feedback from
questionnaires, observation of range of new experiences
and activities for pupils and parents, parent evaluations.
New partners identified.
Increased opportunities for families to be involved in the life
of the school.
School has a web site.
Revised Calendar of Events shared with parents.
Training opportunities provided for parents.
Social events provided for parents.
Eco partner identified and working with pupils
Responsibilities
SMT
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Further increase staff knowledge and understanding of appropriate strategies
to support Beatlie pupils through identification and provision of appropriate
training.
Lynda Keith, Concept Training, SMT
Pupils will continue to achieve through very effective support mechanisms
being in place to support high numbers of new staff joining Beatlie in August.
SMT and identified peer ‘buddy’
Secondary pupils will work towards appropriate awards following on from this
year’s achievements; ASDAN, Duke of Edinburgh, SQA.
Secondary Staff
Monitor use of AAC through regular observation and discussion
SMT
Identify future OORs (Objects Of Reference) to be introduced across the
school in line with new policy.
Teaching staff and Speech and Language Therapist
Nursery teachers to identify further planning to be updated in session 2014 –
15 and continue to update.
Nursery teachers
Support teachers to meet expectations set by GTCS Professional Update
SMT and teaching staff
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