School Improvement Priorities

Following the Ofsted judgement in March 2023, the newly formed leadership team introduced a focused two-year School Improvement Plan (2023–2025). Through collective effort, high expectations and a commitment to excellence, the outcomes of our most recent Ofsted inspection show that this plan was successful (link to Ofsted here?). Building on that progress, we have identified key priorities as part of a new two-year plan (2025–2027) to continue driving improvement. This plan prioritises high-quality teaching, inclusive practice, and strong outcomes for all pupils. We remain committed to creating a safe, ambitious and nurturing environment where every child can thrive.

1) To ensure high quality, inclusive provision is available to meet the needs of all children (including those with SEND and those who are disadvantaged)

Rationale

Swallow Dell is a school in an area of relatively high deprivation with a higher-than-average proportion of disadvantaged children (33%) and a high than average proportion of children on the SEND register (around 30%). Since September 2023, significant improvement has taken place to improve provision for SEND children across the school – with a particular focus on the systems and expectations in place. As the school has moved forward, it has gained a reputation for high quality SEND provision and being inclusive for all children. The local authority has confirmed that it will be opening a specialist resource provision (SRP) which will provide bespoke support for 12 children with EHCPs. This will take the number of EHCPs at the school to close to 40 (around 10%).

The school vision aligns with that of Martyn Oliver (Ofsted Chief Inspector) that “when teachers and support staff use strategies and approaches which effectively meet the needs of pupils with SEND, they will also be meeting the individual needs of all pupils, each one of whom has a unique profile, thereby improving the quality of teaching and learning for everyone.”

The school is now in a position to ensure that high quality ongoing provision supports all children and in turn, leads to strong outcomes for all.

Success Criteria

The school successfully identifies, assesses, monitors and meets the needs of pupils, including those with additional needs.
There are high ambitions for all pupils
Parents, carers and as necessary, other professionals/specialist services are involved in deciding how best to support pupils (particularly those with additional needs).
All pupils are included in all aspects of school life
For high quality universal provision to be offered across the school (including during child free play).
Effective system of graduated response/APDR in place for SEND children
All children make strong progress from their relative starting points and achieve highly.
Staff are reflective and align with the school’s inclusive approach to supporting needs.

2) To continue to effectively implement a high-quality curriculum that caters for all learners – ensuring that significant gaps and barriers to educational success between groups of pupils (e.g. SEND and disadvantaged children) are addressed and gaps are diminished by end of primary school.

Rationale

Swallow Dell has high academic expectations for its pupils. At the heart of this vision is the belief that all children can be successful in their learning and that high-quality teaching & learning and a high-quality, well sequenced and planned curriculum are key to ensuring that happens. This aligns with the school vision; to be at the forefront of the highest quality education.

Since September 2023, the school has implemented a new curriculum for all children, and a number of new teaching staff and senior leaders joined the school. Previous school improvement priorities focused on curriculum intent (plans) and curriculum implementation (teaching and learning – delivery of the curriculum). The impact of this has been shown in improved outcomes for children – for example 98% of children passing the phonics screening check in 2025.

As the school moves forward, there is now a focus on maintaining and continuing to reflect on these approaches in order to address gaps in educational success that have previously been found – particularly in progress and attainment for children with SEND and those who are disadvantaged. This priority will be focused on ensuring that teaching and learning standards remain high and ongoing CPD for teachers is focused on this.

Success Criteria

Gaps between groups of children continue to be diminished over time so that by end of key stage two outcomes remain well above national for all groups of children.
CPD programme is in place to effectively support the development of teaching and learning standards for support staff and teachers. This includes a focus on lesson study style approaches and focus on meeting Swallow Dell teaching expectations.
Outcomes in statutory assessments remain above national
Teaching standards as shown in ongoing monitoring (internal and external) are of a high standard and worthy of sharing beyond Swallow Dell.
The curriculum continues to be reviewed and reflected upon to fine tune improvements in sequential learning.
Assessment systems are in place to ensure that children’s progress is closely monitored, and action taken for those children who need to catch up or keep up with peers.
The curriculum includes opportunities for personal development and enrichment for all children.

3) To continue to raise levels of attendance for all children.

Rationale

Improving pupil attendance is a critical priority for our school, particularly given the socioeconomic challenges faced by many of our families. Persistent absenteeism is closely linked to lower academic achievement, reduced engagement, and diminished life chances. In our context, where a significant proportion of pupils are eligible for Pupil Premium and face barriers such as housing instability, health issues, and limited access to enrichment opportunities, regular school attendance is not only a statutory requirement but a vital protective factor.

Current attendance data indicates that whilst it has improved over the past two years, our overall attendance rate is below the national average, with a number of pupils classified as persistently absent. This trend disproportionately affects our most vulnerable learners, including those with SEND and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, exacerbating existing inequalities. By prioritizing attendance, we aim to:

Raise attainment by ensuring pupils have consistent access to high-quality teaching and learning and gaps in learning do not develop.
Promote wellbeing through routine, structure, and access to additional support.
Strengthen community trust by working collaboratively with families to overcome barriers to attendance.
Foster a culture of belonging where every child feels valued and motivated to attend.

Success Criteria

Attendance continues on its upwards trajectory of improvement and is at least in line with national by the end of 2027.
Reduce the percentage of pupils classified as persistently absent (attendance below 90%) from current 15% to 8% by 2027.
All families have access to support that may be needed in order to support attendance.
Ensure all pupil attendance is closely monitored so those at risk of poor attendance over time have timely intervention and improvement plans put in place to support.