View from the Classroom
Ash Grove Primary and Nursery School, Macclesfield T
his month, we chat to Head Teacher Mark Avis who helped improve Ash Grove Primary and Nursery School’s Ofsted rating from Satisfactory to Outstanding in February 2013 through tracking pupil progress with formative assessment tool Classroom Monitor. He is currently sharing this best practice with Daven Primary School in Cheshire to help build on its Good Ofsted rating.
Tell us something about Ash Grove Primary and Nursery School
Ash Grove Primary and Nursery School is a community school and has 180 boys and girls aged from 3 to 11. It is a smaller-than-average- sized school in which the majority of pupils are White British with a high proportion entitled to the pupil premium and free school meals (FSM). The percentage of pupils with a statement of special educational needs or supported through School Action Plus is well above average.
Why was tracking pupil progress so important to you?
We were struggling to assess pupils effectively, identify areas in which they needed extra support and implement suitable intervention strategies. Although we were using Assessing Pupils’ Progress (APP) as a tracking framework, it was an unwieldy paper based system that collated information using the optional SATs test once a year which we found ineffective. We wanted something online and easy to use, but still robust.
What changes did you make?
I researched online school assessment solutions and found Classroom Monitor, which enables schools to track pupils against curricular goals, store evidence and open up new lines of dialogue about each pupil’s next-steps in learning. We introduced Classroom Monitor because we needed a reliable solution to perform formative assessment and staff at Ash Grove have embraced it very positively – it has given them more confidence as now they know exactly what to do to make their teaching more effective.
What have the benefits been? In February 2013, Ash Grove received an Outstanding Ofsted report. Having something like Classroom Monitor is important for Ofsted, because it enables you to demonstrate where the children are at every stage. If you are using your Pupil Premium Fund to target pupils on Free School Meals (FSMs) and you want to identify what those children need to
Mark Avis, Head Teacher at Daven Primary school
Mark has been a teacher for nearly 25 years, focussing on Year 6, and a senior leader for 13. He was Deputy Head at Ash Grove Primary, where he oversaw the introduction of Classroom Monitor in 2008. The school then went from Satisfactory to Outstanding in its February 2013 Ofsted inspection. Mark is now Head Teacher at Daven Primary, where he is working in partnership with Ash Grove to raise standards. He is currently studying an MA in Primary Maths Pedagogy, and is especially interested in how schools will adapt to assessing without levels under National Curriculum 2014.
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www.education-today.co.uk April 2014
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