Thank you to everyone that helps to make Ballaugh School such a wonderful place to learn.
External Validation 2019
Ballaugh Primary School Validation Report
Ballaugh Primary School recently received an external validation of its self review process, which involved confirming the judgments the school has made about itself across certain areas. For the purpose of this validation, three aspects were looked at in detail:
• Personal Development
• Teaching for Learning
• Partnerships with Parents / Carers
Personal Development
The validation team agreed with the school’s judgment that this area is very effective and found that pupils are able to talk about the 6Rs with the school recognising that improvements are required in how we monitor the acquisition of these skills.They also found that pupils respect and value each other, show empathy towards their peers and that they feel happy and safe at school.This means that the pupils at Ballaugh School grow up to have a strong sense of well-being, developing well socially and emotionally. The team noted that a large majority of pupils have high levels of literacy and enjoy reading a significantly wide range of literature.
Teaching for Learning
The validation team agreed with the school’s judgment that this area is effective and found that all teaching staff teach pupils about developing a growth mindset and that the school is continuing to develop its practice in this area. The teaching staff also take the needs of all learners into account, applying creative teaching strategies to improve the learning of pupils. The school’s approach to teaching for learning contributes to the large majority of pupils making progress at, or above, expected rates.
Partnerships with Parents / Carers
The validation team agreed with the school’s judgment that Partnerships with Parents/Carers are very effective.
They found that the school is held in high regard by parents, pupils, governors and staff. It has a good reputation, consults parents regularly to improve the school and is very well placed to build on its links with parents to create opportunities for them to become more involved with, and supportive of, the learning approaches that are used in school.
Other areas considered
As well as the three specific aspects of the SSRE on which it focused, the validation team also considered other judgments and statements set out in the SSRE. It concurred with many of these, including:
Achievement in the Foundation Stage is judged “Very Effective”
Achievement in Key Stages 1 and 2 is judged “Inspirational”
Teacher’s assessments are accurate
Assessment is used to track individual’s progress but there is not a consistent system used in all classes to inform future provision.
Children are led to make connections with their prior learning
The curriculum takes into account the context of the Isle of Man
The school sends delegates to the annual Fairtrade Conference which focuses on the global context of the Isle of Man.
The school advises pupils and families about the potential dangers of the online environment.
Pupils are prepared for future challenges posed by change.
Conclusion
The school knows itself well and is therefore in a position to plan for further improvement. The school’s SSRE document is a thorough and clearly presented document with clear judgments, supported by examples of evidence. The judgments are used to identify priorities articulated in the school improvement plan (SIP). The SIP refers to the impact on learning. This is good practice, which could be furthered by making such impact more specific in the success criteria.
G Cushnie
Headteacher
April 2019