The why?
Improving schools is a multifaceted challenge that involves addressing various aspects to enhance overall effectiveness and student outcomes. School improvement is an ongoing process that requires commitment, collaboration, and a focus on the holistic development of students. It’s essential to tailor strategies to the unique needs and challenges of each school community. The Coastal Academies Trust implements a rigorous, robust and transparent school improvement programme, using experts from within the Trust, as well as colleagues from other schools to review current provisions and provide support in order to improve and enhance the experiences of our students.
Subject development days allow leaders to immerse themselves in a specific area of the school, focusing on curriculum intent and implementation and impact. Alongside the subject lead, the team explores the quality of learning and teaching through learning walks, book looks and student and staff voice. Collaboratively, support is then put in place to drive standards forward.
Coastal Academies Trust places a strong emphasis on continuous professional development for its educators. Regular training sessions, workshops, and collaborative learning opportunities ensure that teachers stay informed about the latest research and best practices. The Trust is at the forefront of a changing educational landscape and is committed to and is proactive in sharing best practice and has lead sessions on the main stage at Pixl.
Term 2 Reading Review
Coastal Academies Trust, known for its commitment to academic excellence, has placed a strong emphasis on fostering a love for reading within its schools. This comprehensive review explores the various reading programs implemented across the trust and assesses their effectiveness in promoting literacy skills among students.
Coastal Academies Trust’s commitment to fostering a culture of reading is evident in the diverse and effective programs implemented across its schools. By embracing innovation, community engagement, and a student-centred approach, the trust has created an environment where students not only learn to read but also develop a lifelong love for literature. As the Trust continues to evolve, its dedication to literacy education serves as a model for educational institutions seeking to cultivate well-rounded and literate individuals.
The week’s review presented several key questions for the individual schools to discuss further:
- What does reading for pleasure look like?
- Do students hear good reading?
- What assessment data tool do you use? Why? What do you do with it?
- What does a student do when they come across a word that they don’t know a) how to pronounce / b) what it means?
- What does it look like to write like a …(e.g. scientist).
- What does it look like to speak like a ….(e.g. scientist)
The reading review week was a huge success with colleagues commenting on the opportunity to share, discuss, plan and be creative on how reading is developed in schools. Areas for development will be shared with appropriate workshops being delivered on our CAT CPD day on Friday 9th February.
Typical of the feedback received was this comment from an AHT at Newington Community primary school:
“Thank you for forwarding the contact details through. A huge thank you again for your time and feedback on our current reading provision at NCPS.
Both Gemma and I came away feeling the advice given was supportive and offered lots of developmental focus areas to broaden our reading curriculum further. We are eager to get started with the recommendations! Creating those professional connections was fantastic, and I’ve already emailed Julie and Helen to establish more!”