Impact and Evidence Base Introduction School development plan

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How a School Develops One Aspect of its SDP:
A Report That Critically Reflects on the Actions, Impact and Evidence Base
Introduction
School development plan (SDP) is undertaken to improve the overall program of the
school. It is a policy of every school to improve the standards of education as well as the
students with the knowledge they impart (Welsh Government, 2014). A school sets a vision
(which is led by the headteacher) and undertakes certain steps to achieve that vision, which
altimetry leads to improve the standards and the learning outcomes post the plan is being
achieved (ibid, 2014).
The school development programs can be done for anything which ultimately brings
out a better change for the pupils in the school (Department for Children, Education, Lifelong
Learning and Skills, 2017). Most of the schools set up an authority that reviews this
development plan after frequent intervals to see whether they are still any shortcomings in the
plan which can be improved accordingly (Education Authority, 2020).
At my placement school, the plan is reviewed by the authority during the year to
evaluate the achievements (using qualitative and quantitative data), to see the deviations and
then to reflect on action and improvement required for the next steps. There are also
additional plans which are linked to the learning areas (where each learning area has their
development plan) and driven by the senior team and Assistant Headteacher who oversees
Teaching and Learning.
The SDP focuses and reflects on learners and community, taking into consideration
the school context and pupils' socio-economic backgrounds which may have an impact on
their academic achievements.
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The School is a mixed, comprehensive and pioneer school in South Wales (Estyn,
2018), with 1766 pupils and is rated as Green according to the National School
Categorisation System (My Local School, 2019). There are 7.8% of pupils who are eligible
for free school meals, around 12% have special educational needs, nearly 25% come from
different ethnic minority backgrounds (other than White British) and over 20% speak English
as an additional language (Estyn, 2018). Thus, the school set one of its SDP priorities for
Teaching and Learning (2018- 2021) to focus on EAL.
Literature Review
Learning and Teaching are meant to be equitable for all. That is the reason that the
school development plan is important to ensure that there is inclusion for all the students. To
achieve education for all, it is necessary to complement school development that links
different parts with one another and the wider communities (Ainscow et al., 2012, p. 203).
There must be local efforts to ensure systems are equitable which needs to solve the wider
inequalities within the society (Children's Rights: a Teacher's Guide, n.p). Furthermore,
educators working in the school setting have the responsibility of ensuring education for
democratic citizenship and human rights (Brett et al., 2009, p.3). The introduction of English
brings equality and settle the socio-economic differences within the school. Therefore,
children's rights need to be incorporated with the curricula and also to the normal teaching
practices. According to Conteh (2018, p. 5), the relationship between the teacher and pupils is
important when teaching an extra language. A kind relationship ensures the empowerment of
the pupils through the learning process making it moves toward the right perspective of
multilingualism.
According to Mathew Effect (Margolin, 2018, p.3), in learning, the rich get richer
while the poor get poorer. When pupils fail at an early age of reading and writing, they
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dislike reading going forward thereby becoming poorer in knowledge and those who read
become stronger and read more making them richer in knowledge (De Graaf, 2019, p.21).
The Matthew effect in education.). Developmental changes are more sensitive to a written
personal narrative. Thus, the Mathew Effect suggests that for students to be verbally
productive, there is a need for extra support to perfect the writing achievements (Rigney,
2009, P.3). The support needed is ensuring the teachers empower students to be independent
learners so that they can take more time to learn beyond the classroom (Javed, 2017, P.34).
English as an Additional Language attracts most policymakers and educationists
(Demie,2018, p.2). Pupils who have English as an Additional Language achieve less in
reading, writing and Maths at Key Stage 2 (Demie, 2018, p.142). While those who are
English speakers perform better.
In my placement school, there are students from different communities with different
languages. In order to achieve equity for the learners, there is a need to empower English
learning as a method to create equality within schools. The ability to empower learning
beyond the classroom is the key to achieve better performance (Demie, 2018, p.140). Yet,
cognitive-emotional characteristics are also impacted by social structures because of
emotional support, feedback, and support (Siraj & Mayo, 2014, p.1)
Additionally, parents are the key stakeholder who may provide the headteacher and
teaching staff the necessary support to implement an effective School Development Plan
(Government of Ireland, 2010). Therefore, involving parents in learning of English as an
additional language may offer support to pupils, making it easier for teachers and learners
(Whalley, 2007, p.1). With globalisation changes, there is a need for coping which starts in
the lower level of education. The need for having English use is important to cope with
global changes. The teaching of EAL in multicultural schools can be rewarding in a positive
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way (Premier & Parr, 2019, p.33). Teachers are always willing to give their best in teaching.
However, diversity in the classroom may hinder them for the fear of appearing insensitive or
challenges in dealing with different values (Arshad et al., 2012, p. 3). Currently, the
education sector in Wales is struggling with funding, and the result of the act that was passed
in education back in 1999 (Welsh Government, 2014, n.p). Therefore, a good School
Development Planning needs to be a constant exercise, where all the stakeholder reviews and
plans on improving the performance in school on regular basis. The major effective school
improvement planning needs to be comprehensive by assessing the needs, prioritising the
needs and using the data to make decisions (Hanover Research, 2014, p.7).
According to Hanover Research (2014, p.1), three evidence-based models suggest
how school development planning can be guided. First, is the Daggett System for Effective
Instruction which guides the transformational leadership by giving focus across the entire
system of education and developing the instructional effectiveness to improve performance.
Second, Results‐Oriented Cycle of Inquiry is a process that focuses directly on the outcomes
and stimulates learning from successes and diagnosis of the problems. Lastly, the Balanced
Scorecard Model which helps in strategic performance with objectives translated into vision
and mission.
From the literature, several themes come up with the School Development Planning,
which includes the engagement of the community for empowerment and support of the
students (Ainscow et al., 2012, p. 203). Also, parents’ involvement is required to support
educators improving student achievement in the plan. The relationship between the teachers
and learners in the introduction of the English language should aim to create an empowering
relationship that helps students do more than classroom work in perfecting the learning
(Conteh, 2018, p.1). In all the learning environments, School Development Planning is
significant and can be achieved in different ways, including Daggett System for Effective
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Instruction, Results‐Oriented Cycle and Balanced Scorecard Model (Hanover Research,
2014).
School Development Plan (SDP)
The School Development Plan is Teaching and Learning of English as an Additional
Language. In my placement schools, there are pupils from different ethnic groups who take
English as their second language. More than 20% are fluent in English (Estyn, 2018, p.2),
which means that around 80% are not fluent. As indicated earlier, due to global changes, the
needs of learning and improving the techniques of teaching when dealing with the EAL
learners is required. Also, those who take English as their first language are said to be having
better performance as compared to those who take it as a second language (Demie, 2018,
p.2). To bridge the gap and ensure equality, the development plan of EAL learners is the key
to the school. The School Development Plan takes several stages as discussed.
The first stage is a self- evaluation with the main aim to compile a comprehensive
report about the current state of the school. Heighten awareness to the community on how
and why the school is running and the context in which it operates (Feldhoff et al., 2016,
p.11). The data provided by the self-evaluation thus guides and informs the decision-making
process. In this placement school, there are several ethnic languages that students use as their
first language. Despite the use of English within the school, at home, they switch to another
language. That makes the difference with those whose first language is English since they
show fluency and better understanding. The data provided is then analysed to establish the
internal strengths and challenges, opportunities and threats presented by the external
environment.
Data analysis entails review on the mission, vision and aims, the context factor, the
curriculum provided how the EAL is planned and the coordination in implementation. Yet,
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personal development and care of students and the welfare discipline displayed with the
learning environments are reviewed. Educators being more involved in the implantation plan,
their organization and deployment development determines the success of EAL learners. As
indicated earlier, parents' incorporation in the EAL development plan is equally important to
that of educators (Javed, 2017, P.44). Therefore, the school-home relation with parents'
community link needs to be established. Lastly, the overall management structure must be
able to accommodate and facilitate the needs arising from the pupils having English as an
additional language. The strength is guided by the equality of education for all the pupils. The
incorporation of the communities and parents opens the opportunity for development and
positive outcomes from the plan. However, the focus on EAL can lead to disputes as some
teachers may be seemed to ignore the student differences and diversity arising from ethnic
values. Therefore, strengths, weakness, opportunities and threat factors they must be taken
into account in the development of SDP.
Nevertheless, the review and evaluation of the current state of Learning and Teaching
in the school, may help in making an informed decision into the second phase which is
designing. The information obtained in the data analysis is changed into objectives (Feldhoff
et al., 2016, n.p). In this case, the gaps identified in the EAL learners and how it affects the
overall performance in school are turned into objectives. The objectives are communicated to
different stakeholders that include Trustees, Principal, teaching staff, Board of Management,
support staff, students, parents, and the local community. The participants review the
objectives and raise their concerns before approval. After all the concerns have been
incorporated into the objectives an action plan is designed with the help of the stakeholders.
The school aims to teach and learn English as an Additional Language by teaching language
and content lessons using English. The educators explore and use various teaching and
learning styles to improve performance, since students have various levels of understanding
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and suited to different types of learning styles. The Principal sets the standards to be attained
which is the improved spoken and written English among students. Further, the parents and
the wider communities will allow the use of English within and outside a school setting and
support the children in advancing their writing and speaking skills using the English
language. The Board and trustees approve what the parents, community, support staff and
students agree on improving the performance for the EAL learners.
To ascertain how well the plan can be attained, several methods can be used and help
in guiding a step-by-step implementation. In this case, Daggett System for Effective
Instruction model is appropriate in teaching and learning outcomes (Daggett, 2017, p.3). The
model provides the leadership with the focus across the entire education organization and
supports instructional effectiveness to improve achievements. The board of management has
the authority to give instructions on the implementation and how the plan will be achieved by
the students and the teacher. School Development Plan requires collaborative efforts of the
stakeholders but the principals, students, and the teaching staff mainly focus on
implementation while the rest support by providing funds and a conducive environment.
Lastly, the implementation phase begins after the approval by the Board of
management. The implementation is the actual carrying out of the action plans. In this stage
structure and procedures are set and communicated to respective teams (Scheerens &
Demeuse, 2005, p.14). The teachers and students are encouraged and advised to help them
take the task positively. The structure, organization, and coordination of staff can affect the
implementation in the right way and can fail the whole plan. Therefore, to improve and
encourage the EAL learners, the principal equips the teachers with the materials they need,
such as books and any other requirement that can aid in improving the teaching of English to
the learners are provided. In case, the school lacks relevant expertise in teaching English
language, the support teams are can make it easier for educators. Also, a positive attitude is
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important among students and their perception of the plan affects performance. As illustrated
in the Matthew Effects, that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer (Protopapas et al.,
2016, p.4), it is likely that when EAL learned to get the wrong attitude towards the plan, they
will read less and become disengaged from learning. Then train the content with relevant
skills and ensure that other schools in Wales having the same project are used for a
benchmark to help eliminate the problems in time.
Reflection and Evaluation
The focus on improving Teaching and Learning of the EAL is significant in the
school. With the emerging global changes, the use of English equips the pupils for the future
and helping them integrate into the global changes (Gardiner-Hyland & Burke, 2018, p.2).
The school's ability to focus on helping the EAL learners improves their performance is
important, even to the overall performance of other subjects. Furthermore, the placement
school is made up of students from different ethnic groups which results in a lot of
differences. Improvement of English learning unites the differences both in the school and
community level since the students with the help of the parents were able to embrace the
school plan and worked collaboratively with the educators (Brett et al., 2009, p.1). More
employment has been done in the implementation, since more English experts were
employed to help the existing workforce in accomplishing the action plan. Through the whole
process of the school development process, there was a collaboration from all the
stakeholders, particularly from the parents.
Stakeholders play an important role in the successful implementation and success of
any project. Similarly, in the education sector, all the stakeholders have a role to play in
ensuring that all is done in the right way. It was important For English learning for EAL
learners, it was an important move that the school focused on since it affects the whole
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teaching and learning process. When students are unable to read or write correct English that
affects the way they understand while learning and the way they perform in the overall unit.
A four-step process was used in the development of the plan which includes self-evaluation,
data analysis, designing an action plan and implementation (Hanover Research, 2014, p.3).
The review and evaluation of the current status helped identify the strengths of the school in
carrying out the action plan, threats, and weakness that can lead to failure of the whole
initiative. Through the SWOT analysis, the data was gathered on the preparedness and the
gaps that need to be filled for the successful implementation of the plan. As identified in the
analysis, the community plays an important role in settling the differences among pupils in
the school by encouraging the use and learning of English for all students.
The school development process was conducted in the right way and with the actual
implementation and monitoring, the school will experience the difference in the whole
education system. As the development focuses more on implementers that is the students,
educators, and principal, there is less emphasis on the support team particularly the parents.
Ainscow et al., (2012, p.199) suggested that parents play a role in the successful
implementation of the project. When the students get from school they will continue to use
their first language. When parents are involved, they can empower and support beyond the
school's use of English and mastering content. Through it is likely that the support will be
offered in the right way. Also, the school-home parent link needs to be strengthened to meet
the expectations. The current review on the teacher-student relationship was not given much
attention to the gathering of data. Teachers are expected to have a positive relationship so as
they can empower students while learning. This could be the major gap that the school is
facing despite lightly looking into the matter.
Conclusion
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The report outlines the different stages of school development planning which include
self-evaluation, data analysis, designing and implementation of a Welsh School. Successful
improvement of school requires involving all the stakeholders and ensuring that they take up
their roles in development. Focusing on the EAL learners, the trustees, board of management,
community, and parents work to support the teachers, students and leadership to implement
the action plan. In a school that has many students having English as their second language,
the improvement of teaching and learning techniques can help increase fluency. Specifically,
when the community and the parents are involved in the whole process of developing a plan,
they embrace the changes and support the student in acquiring more knowledge and using
English to speak. That is why it is important to incorporate that in the process. In the future,
the knowledge acquired in the development of a school plan will help me in making changes
in the education system in line with my profession. More importantly, I understand the
complexity of the process and the stakeholders to be involved. The development process will
be of much help in advancing my profession and assisting in policy development in the
education sector.
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