
3ELLINGTON INFANT SCHOOL |
BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE
Ensuring continual
development
We are determined to continue to
adapt our style to meet new challenges
and needs. This includes professional
development, trying many different
forms of CPD. We have used a “book
club” approach in which staff study
pedagogical practices and trial them
before giving feedback to the wider
team. We also hold joint evaluation
meetings in which subject leaders
discuss the profile of their subject,
what is working and what isn’t and we
collectively agree the steps we all need
to take to improve.
After we received our successful
Ofsted evaluation, we sought to
continue our improvement, so we
joined the Challenge Partners Network
of Excellence. This allows opportunities
for nationwide peer review and
support from different schools in
different contexts. It also offers quality
professional development. We try to
source CPD from as many different
avenues as possible, and we ensure
that our focus remains on collective
development and unity.
Adapting to curricular and
population changes
One of the main challenges we faced
was adapting to a curriculum without
levels. During the period in which
we were between inspections and
classified as “requires improvement”,
we were reluctant to take risks
with our assessment systems and
adopted Kent’s School Information
Management System template. We
quickly realised that it was not fit for
our purpose. We devised our own
system to replace it, which didn’t just
capture the data but was also a “live”
document, informing planning and
ensuring that the teaching focused on
the needs of every child. This started
as a very basic template but has
evolved and is owned by both staff
andgovernors.
Another challenge we face is the
fact that east Kent has a falling birth
rate, bucking the national trend. Pupil
numbers are dropping: a problem
exacerbated by the opening of a
new free school locally and others
expanding, and currently we are 97
children under capacity. This in turn
means decreased funding, which
makes it difficult to make decisions
without compromising the quality of
our curriculum. As we look to reduce
published admission numbers, we are
left with unused areas of the school.
We hope to develop an SEN provision
on site but are aware that funding is
currently difficult to access.
We are always striving to continue
the development we have begun and
are constantly looking to improve our
provision. We work to make sure that
diminishing budgets won’t impact the
quality of our curriculum and that we
will still be able to deliver a broad and
enriching education.
Subject
leaders discuss
the profile of
their subject,
what is
working and
what isn’t and
we collectively
agree the
steps we all
need to take
to improve
“
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Developing a love of
nature