James Elliman Primary School
Raising SATS scores by generating enthusiasm for learning
One of the things we found was that we were getting into this spiral where the pressure on maintaining SATS results was having a pressure on the staff which was having a pressure on the children, which meant we didnât achieve. The information from the surveys was something that would help us to break that. And it did.
Paul Dieppe, Headteacher
In September 2008, James Elliman started doing the PROGRESS Programme. In May 2009, there was an 23% increase in the number of KS2 students achieving Level 4 in SATS scores for English, Reading and Writing.
Headteacher Paul Dieppe attributes this improvement to the strategies that have been put in place over a number of years, culminating in the work with Antidote, to ensure staff and students work together in ways that build their confidence, creativity and performance.
What made the difference, he says, is:
- Addressing a lack of confidence in teachers and other staff so as to change the way they looked at their lives and the job they do
- Showing students that we cared about what they wanted by involving them in coming up with strategies for getting their standards up
- Ensuring staff were thinking about each other
- Really trying to understand what was happening for children
- Giving staff and students a voice, and ensuring they knew it was listened to
- Having survey data about where the school was at that provided a way of identifying why they were not reaching their goals
- Getting the whole school talking about the data, thinking things through and then coming up with ideas that led to strategies they could own
- Keeping that conversation going through a staff strategy group and school council
- Taking the power to worry less about the pressure outside and âdo it our wayâ
- A willingness to keep things changing