Reducing Barriers to Learning in the Hi-5 Schools

The Provider:
Hi-5, North Somerset
Hi-5 consists of 5 schools:

• Bournville Community Infant School, NOR 120 + nursery
• Bournville Junior School, NOR 180
• Oldmixon Primary School, NOR 201 + nursery
• Walliscote Primary School, NOR 361
• Windwhistle Primary School, NOR 360 + nursery
• These 5 schools are in the 2 most deprived wards in North Somerset. Government Neighbourhood statistics for Multiple Deprivation rank Bournville Estate at position 2,583 out of 32,482 in England where 1 is the most deprived. This places it in the lowest 7% nationally. In addition to this other measures are equally low: income deprivation (lowest 8%), employment (lowest 6%) and education (lowest 3%).
• This application has been led by Mrs Chris Rush, Excellence Cluster Manager who undertook the research on behalf of North Somerset LA and was headteacher at one of the Hi-5 schools until December 2006.

Summary:

• The Hi-5 group of schools was set up in 2005 by the 5 headteachers. The heads wanted to work collaboratively to support these school communities and to reduce the many and varied barriers to learning, enabling each child to achieve and attain.
• The schools have worked collaboratively to raise self-esteem for all pupils and to provide a wide range of strategies, support mechanisms and opportunities for the pupils and their families. As a result, standards have risen in each school and pupils and parents/carers are more able to take advantage of the high quality provision available.

The Aim:

• The group of the Hi-5 schools are very proud of the range of support provided for children and their families. This has been recognised by the Local Authority who commissioned research into how Hi-5 schools reduce barriers to learning. The findings confirmed the judgements of each school that their work in this field is outstanding. The Hi-5 schools led a Sharing Effective Practice Workshop for all other schools in the Authority in November 2007.
• This work has raised the confidence of learners, families and staff of the schools.

What do you see in the school?

• Regular meetings of Heads and Deputies
• Joint Inset day
• Strong communication between schools
• Action plans for the joint work
• Report to Local Authority
• Pre project developments
• Curriculum development and enrichment
• development of whole school policies
• terms of reference agreements between the schools
• contracts and job descriptions shared
• learning walks held in each school
• training for deputies
• inclusion of new heads in post
• communication with Governing Bodies
• opportunities for professional development with different staff
• new curriculum work planned together
• development of learning environment
• time-out rooms
• positive behaviour management systems
• learning mentors and inclusion workers
• forest schools
• school council activities
• Detailed monitoring systems in place for impacts on the curriculum and emotional literacy. This all takes place through the school self evaluation process. Al staff and children are involved and comment in relation to their responsibilities and impact
• action research is shared in the wider cluster and across county
• findings being shared across North Somerset
• sharing effective practice day as Inset
• HI 5 heads to mentor other schools to support the progress of the developments
• Lead teachers and advanced skills teachers used in other schools

What difference does it make?
Improvements in all the schools in the following areas:

• attendance
• relationships with parents
• value added for children's attainment
• transition between and to schools
• huge impact on parents in terms of confidence and qualifications
• school profile has improved

From where is evidence collected to prove the Leading Aspect?

• Action plans from each school
• all systems very clearly understood by parents and children
• all the policies relating to improvement in- attendance, parents as partners, emotional development, curriculum maps, behaviour management
• AST minutes
• Attendance policy & data
• Basic skills report
• Clear job descriptions for the roles of inclusion workers and learning mentors
• Community liaison action plan
• Curriculum maps
• Discussion with staff and parents in relation to training
• Excellence cluster leaflets
• GB minutes
• HI 5 agreement for working together
• IEPs
• impact statements from meetings/training
• inset minutes & feedback
• Investors in people
• LEA monitoring report
• Learning mentor records
• Learning mentors and inclusion workers support children accessing learning by dealing with emotional needs before and during class sessions
• Minutes from cluster meetings
• Minutes from meetings
• Monitoring file
• New curriculum guidelines
• Newsletters
• North Somerset Learning Community document
• Observations from learning walks
• Ofsted reports
• Research summary & document
• SAT results
• School council minutes
• Target sheets
• Testimonials and photographic evidence for the learning environment, also walk around the school
• Tracking sheets
• Training notes from deputies
• Very detailed report from beginnings to now
• Visitors book

The Verifiers Comment
The strength of this application lay in the genuine team developments and the sense of community created as a result. The ethos built is directly linked to commitment and passion for making a difference in difficult circumstances. The collaboration has been in place for four years and is a testament to the group that as new head teachers have been appointed the collaboration has continued. There is a genuine sharing of skills and ideas across the group. There has been a significant impact on the role of the support assistants as they are key to the types of services the schools provide in terms of Learning Mentors and Inclusion Workers. There is the perception that the schools act as "one stop shops" for parents. The systems in place allow the children to access learning as there is an emphasis on creating the right emotional conditions for learning. Both children and parents value this immensely, seeing it as something beneficial. Parents are taking much more responsibility for their children, are engaged with school and work hard to maintain the relationships. The new curriculum developments based on creativity cause much excitement. There is an overwhelming sense that everyone is involved and valued.