Evaluating Impact

Developing leaders’ capacity to evaluate what works best

With relatively few exceptions, every approach we take in education will have some kind of positive impact. Therefore, it is important to develop leaders’ capacity to evaluate what works best bearing in mind the time, money and effort needed to implement it. At the HTSA we help schools evaluate the impact of their initiatives, by getting them to pause and ask three questions before a decision is taken to implement an initiative:

What is the problem we are trying to solve?
What are the intended benefits?
How will we measure the impact of our actions?

School leaders often say that their intention is to ensure evaluating impact is embedded in their school development processes. Our experience is that it is rarely that straightforward; even accomplished teachers and leaders don’t come ready-equipped with evaluation tools as standard. Most of us need help to learn these skills, and some teachers and leaders in HTSA member schools have taken the opportunity to do just that. We have published the research & development impact reports below to share our learning and to promote the development of enquiry-based cultures in partner schools.

In order to develop such an enquiry-based culture, teachers at Stormont House School are engaged in a long-term ‘Visible Learning’ programme based upon the work of John Hattie. If you would like to find out more about the impact of this approach, please clicked here.

Research & Development Impact Reports

Visible Learning

Innovation in the learning environment

This exciting programme, based on John Hattie’s internationally-renowned research, has been developed exclusively in the UK by Osiris Educational with Visible Learning+.

The Whole School Programme is an in-depth model of change. It is based on a professional development programme that explores how evidence can be used to create innovation in the learning environment. Hattie’s 20 years of research – a synthesis of more than 800 meta-analyses – is regarded as the most significant evidence-based research into what actually works best in schools to improve learning.

What are the benefits for my school?

Teachers know that the art of teaching requires constant interventions to ensure there is cognitive change in a pupil. The same applies to a whole school. The Visible Learning Whole School Programme will help you transform your organisation and accelerate the process of individual and whole-school change. It will build significantly the capacity of learners to learn, teachers to teach, leaders to lead and systems to improve.

Who should take part?

The Visible Learning Whole School Programme is appropriate for everyone within the school: from newly-qualified teachers right through to senior leaders. For any intervention to work effectively, it must be teacher by teacher and not as a top-down, one-size-fits-all model.

What would the Visible Learning team look for in my school?

The Visible Learning+ Whole School Programme would be looking at five strands. These five strands cover the key principles of Visible Learning:

• The visible learner;
• Know thy impact;
• Inspired and passionate teaching;
• Effective feedback; and
• Visible Learning school.

Who will deliver the training?

All our Visible Learning consultants have been approved by Professor John Hattie and Debra Masters and are accredited Visible Learning+ consultants for the UK.

For more information: http://www.visiblelearningplus.co.uk/what-is-intervention/

Cultural Education

Working in partnership to develop Cultural Education

The arts are the highest form of human achievement. Through art we not only make sense of ourselves and the world, we also make our lives enchanted. Art allows us to celebrate our common humanity and communicate across boundaries.

Artistic endeavour marks us out from the rest of nature as creators and celebrators of beauty. This is why no education can be complete, indeed no programme of education can even begin, without making the arts and creativity central to a young person's life.

Children in England can lay claim to one of the richest cultural heritages available to any generation, anywhere. The Department for Education's aim was to ensure that all our children have the opportunity to rejoice in it. Collectively we will encourage universal access to high-quality cultural education and demonstrate a stronger commitment to excellence in music, film and the arts. Cultural experiences and education should not just be for the privileged few. Creative expression is in our DNA and we want all children to grow up experiencing a rich cultural life, supported by high-quality and engaging opportunities available in their local area.

The Department for Education (DfE) and Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) commissioned Darren Henley, Managing Director of Classic FM, to review first music and then cultural education. The outcome of his first review was the ‘National Plan for Music Education' published in Autumn 2011. His review of cultural education followed and was published in February 2012, along with the government's response. Schools have an essential role to play in introducing cultural experiences to their students as part of a broad and rich curriculum. They are able to draw on not just local provision, but also an exceptional existing national offer for ideas and support. This national provision is wide-ranging, with cultural organisations, large and small, offering their own unique portfolios. Professional development is also important to ensure that teachers' knowledge is up to date, and that they improve their skills in making their teaching engaging and relevant to their pupils. Evidence was gathered from the world's best-performing school systems shows teachers learn best from other professionals, such as through observing teaching, being observed, and receiving feedback. Our approach to teachers' professional development focuses on improving the capacity for schools to take the lead in the training and development of teachers and creating more opportunities for peer-to-peer learning. The DfE is supporting a network of teaching schools which specialise in the cultural aspects of the curriculum to play a leading role in developing and disseminating professional development materials and resources for teachers.

Two groups of teaching alliances were selected nationally; each group were awarded funding to explore cultural learning across their school networks. The groups were also tasked with developing activity, materials and resources to support continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers, school leaders and creative professionals. The Schools' Partnership Trust Alliance (SPTA) was nominated as a lead for one of these groups, which included The Hackney Teaching Schools' Alliance. The SPTA group worked together with the HTSA to promote high quality teaching and leadership in arts, cultural and creative education. Bespoke creative programmes were developed, which were relevant to our own school networks and particular context.

This project has strengthened our commitment to Cultural Education as a tool for developing confidence and communication skills and has shown how creative our children and staff really are. The project has also given us the opportunity to capture the valuable partnerships we have with professional artists, cultural institutions and organisations.

The one highlight has been the opportunity to combine our School Direct programme with the delivery of Cultural Education through primary Creativity Week, the alliance Dance Show and the secondary Spoken Word programme.