School Improvement Strategic Priorities 2022-2023

Inspiring to Achieve and Aspiring to Excel Through Autonomy In the very best interests of the pupils we serve, school leaders are trusted to take decisions in the knowledge that these will be supported with the acceptance of responsibility by everyone. With Integrity In the very best interests of the pupils we serve, we are honest and open in the acceptance of our strengths and our challenges, aspiring to excel by exploring opportunities, communicating with clarity and being solution focused In Partnership In the very best interests of the pupils we serve, we inspire each other, connecting and collaborating; respecting and challenging at all levels within and beyond the trust to achieve an integrated education system for all Suffolk children.

Strategic Priority 1- Through Autonomy To recognise, promote, support and challenge the distinct uniqueness of our schools in order to achieve a shared standard of excellence, removing barriers and promoting opportunities for all. Why is this important? Each of our schools is at the heart of its community and although united by their Christian foundations the contexts are unique to each setting. We acknowledge what works for one school may or may not transfer to another but elements may support improvements across the board. However it is critical that we all understand what excellence looks like and that we all share the ambitious to achieve this for the children we serve. It is crucial that we open children’s minds to what is possible, they can not be what they can not see and therefore we should expose them to experiences which inspire them to achieve and aspire them to excel and fell them with a sense of purpose and belonging.

How will we know if we have been successful? • Good or better Ofsted judgements • Good or better SIAMS judgements • Proven positive impact of the PPG spend • Health checks evidence impact of improvement work • Other external accreditations e.g. PSQM, Artsmark, RE Mark • Pupil outcomes above the national data set • Schools clearly articulate what they stand for and how Tilian supports this • All schools are categorised in the sustain region for outcomes, behaviour and attendance • Progress is good or better for all children

Aim 1 - To recognise, promote, support and challenge the distinct uniqueness of our schools in order to achieve a shared standard of excellence for everyone. Because…

We will…

Anticipated impact …

Not all schools have strong Christian vision rooted in theology Foundations

Ensure all schools have the resources they need to support them in developing – PK (Diocese link), facilitate a peer review where practice is strong Monitor the impact of Vision and values on positive outcomes Make SGC aware of the need for further development

Clear vision and values drive the schools improvement journey and aligns with that of The Tilian Partnership

Not all trustees recognise and understand each school’s uniqueness

Invite HTs to present to trustees Define opportunities for formal links between the Trust boards, SGCs and schools Consider attendance at SGC meetings by central team and SGC invited to observe Trust meetings

All levels are aware of the individual schools and how these align to Tilian and what makes Tilian unique.

Not all schools understand what it means to be a Tilian School as well as retain autonomy

Clarify how individual schools link with Tilian partnership and the statutory alignment criteria

A mutual alignment between school and Tilian both unique and yet both thriving.

All schools are promoting themselves through social media and other media forms

Ensure their uniqueness and their alignment to Tilian are promoted as positive acts for good. We will align the work of schools with the 3 ways of working in Tilian and the vision

Tilian is seen as a positive MAT which actively supports schools on their individual journey and is a support and challenge to achieve and excel

We know our own USP but not that of other schools

HT present their school to other HTs and Trustees uncovering their USPs Have these as a intro to our schools on the Tilian Website and have a feature school on Trust Meeting agenda

We can learn from and understand where we may pull strength from on given priorities eg effective subject leaders, particular subject specialities

Not all schools understand what is required from the Trust and what is optional

Stipulate key documentation and engagement with QA as non-negotiables and communicate why – in terms of strong school improvement

All schools work to the school improvement model ensuring the seven pillars are clearly understood and re-enacted in the Tilian Way.

Strategic Priority 2- With Integrity To attain robust and real-time intelligence using the evidence efficiently, effectively to improve performance and attainment. Why is this important? •

We need a consistent approach to measuring progress and outcomes and be open and honest in sharing our successes and challenges so together we can make a difference to all the children we serve. We should measure the The DfE recommends significant standardisation of reporting models across a trust’s schools and this is indeed an important element of improvement at scale. It states that this “enables the trust’s board to be given consistent information so that they can quickly see and make comparisons of the performance of each school, both as a whole and in particular areas (such as the impact of pupil premium funding). It is also easier to identify areas of strengths and weakness within individual schools and, therefore, where schools can support each other.” Indeed, standardised reporting allows school improvement leads, MAT SLT, trustees and headteachers to be able to compare and contrast key data across schools and to quickly identify where strengths and weaknesses lie – deploying support accordingly. Transparency, equitability, inclusive and fair use of data to ensure we have a collective responsibility to improving education for all children regardless of which Tilian school they attend. We believe talent is not enough and are looking for all our staff to reflect, diagnose and welcome critique, happy to learn from others and act to implement positive change.

How will we know we have been successful? • A trust data base in place eg FFT • Use of an agreed standardised assessments for internal data • Standardised paperwork for clarity eg SEF designed by HTs • Engagement with LA SEO with all school using the external verification • Engagement in school to school support increases between schools • Sharing of school categorisation and all it’s components • Transparency of all schools data, finances and central information

Aim 2 - To attain evidence using efficient, effective standardised systems to support clear identification of priorities to ensure the very best educational outcomes for all children. Because…

We will…

Anticipated impact …

Schools will be categorised by the Trust to support and challenge them

Clarify what evidence will be considered when making the judgement – including agreeing the criteria Consider how the SEF reflects these criteria Share the categorisation with SGC – as part of the termly overview from CIO to SGC CIO running record provide evidence linked to the criteria CIO overview to SGC focusses on these areas CIO to use staff, parent and pupil survey to support categories

Schools will focus on the key issues which make a difference to school improvement and being a successful school

We have not defined a clear school improvement model in terms of non-negotiable routines and expectation for data capture, from a wide range of sources

We collect and collate trust wide data from • Staff • Parents • Pupils This links to our annual schedule and is clear about what we are trying to measure Surveys to support future school improvement work Collate internal standardised data Have access to individual school data via perspective lite Framework for independence is tracked

Schools are measuring the things that are important and therefore there is great emphasis given to these during decision making and teaching and learning

Schools are asking about assessment tracking

Share how schools are tracking internal data- pros and cons to systems, how these support better outcomes

All leaders inc SGC are clear about how the schools are achieving and areas for improvement

Current MAT wide data is time consuming to draw together

Explore the potential of trust wide data collection systems eg FFT, Perspective Lite

A time efficient, consistent approach for MAT data

There is a lack of sharing for benchmarking, comparative purposes

Share a trust wide dashboard – contents to be agreed with the HTs School Improvement provision design from trust wide findings Schools to use peer reviews to support diagnosis and evidence collection to determine the priorities – supporting collaboration. Trust wide comparisons can be used as part of the Impact evaluation in key areas

Schools can see how they compare and reflect on further improvements and where support could be drawn from

All schools understand how to be a school judged as Sustain

Strategic Priority 3- In Partnership To build and value strong professional collaborations and a collective commitment which supports and challenges, enriches and nourishes so we can all achieve and excel.

Why is this important? Improving and building on the scope and scale of expertise is crucial in the drive for positive impact within school improvement, It should result in improved quality of teaching and curriculum for all our children. It is important to focus on succession planning for the trust to ensure that we are enriching and nourishing colleagues, securing talented, skilled and dedicated colleagues for the future. We are committed to the very best education not just for those children attending a Tilian Partnership School. We are therefore committed to outreach work and supporting the system to improve education in our region. We are fully committed to a achieving an integrated education system for all Suffolk children. Teacher collaboration is a powerful professional learning tool. Great teachers learn from observing other teachers. Building strong professional learning communities can improve the quality of teaching and learning • Teachers and school leaders need to draw on internal and external expertise to identify and implement best-practice models that centre first and foremost on students’ needs and improving learning outcomes. • All teachers should be willing to open their classrooms and participate in structured lesson observations that focus on how different teaching approaches impact on student learning. • School leaders need to create a strong culture in which collaborative planning, reflection and peer coaching are embedded in everyday school life, so that teachers are supported, and support one another, to continuously develop their skills and knowledge.

How will we know we have been successful? • 90% of schools take part in trust wide professional learning (inc SGC) • School leaders prioritise collaboration events for their staff • All schools are categorised as sustaining in the Staff Category • Trust is the employer of choice and staff retention is high • Engagement with external hubs • Increase capacity in school improvement team to support • Engagement of schools from beyond the Trust with our School Improvement Offer • All schools access external verification from LA SEO offer

Aim 3 -To build and value strong professional collaborations which support and challenge, enrich and nourish us so we can all achieve and excel. Because…

We will…

Anticipated impact …

Local governance is key to support and challenge as well as set it’s strategic direction

Have a designated member of the team who will support governance as apart of the Leadership and Management school improvement External support will be offered for free access to SGC including NGA membership and The Key for governors. Reports to SGC from School Improvement team termly linked to school categorisation

SGC are fully trained, engaged and impacting positively on the school.

Our capacity for improvement is currently restricted to in school and central team provision

Identify key personnel who can be deployed to support across the trust We will facilitate inter school visits to share different practice To develop subject leader forums – hosted by volunteer schools To fully utilise shared resource to become more efficient eg SEND

We will be stronger together and understand and draw from capacity across the Trust. All staff will have the opportunities to reflect and act to achieve and excel.

Schools are looking for time effective support for policies, frameworks, templates and database of best practice

Request a quote for trust wide access to The Key with each willing school contributing an equal share Facilitate bulk buying of resources for schools- optional buy in and the financial implications

HT time used to best effective, distractions to non-education jobs minimised

School currently working in isolation of one another

Develop a Hub set up Encourage connect sessions between staff within the hubs Hold three trust wide sessions a year – foci decided by HTs HT peer reviews focusing on school’s individual priorities

Not all schools are good

Peer reviews between strong schools and those not yet good , or those causing concern. Focus on the criteria which we believe create good or better school (the categorisation tool)

School’s categorised as sustained in Governance area

A collaborative response supports clear priority identification and impactful delivery of action and sustained implementation