What are we aiming to improve in our school this year?

Every year, staff and governors identify aspects of our school that we want to develop, improve or instigate.

We select each year’s priorities by looking at:

• School data about pupil progress and attainment
• Keeping an eye on changes in education nationally
• Giving a critical eye to what we’re already doing
• Listening to the comments of pupils and parents
• Our strategic plan for the school

Based on all of this, these are our priorities for the 2025/2026 academic year:

Priority 1

Raising Standards and Attainment through writing. The school aims to raise and maintain high standards of writing across EYFS, KS1 and KS2 by strengthening teaching, consistency and parental engagement. In EYFS, this includes supporting parents through writing workshops, developing ambitious vocabulary through Drawing Club, delivering high-quality phonics and spelling via the RWI programme with regular assessment and intervention, and embedding daily letter formation practice. In KS1 and KS2, writing standards will be improved through parent workshops, structured spelling programmes, the introduction of an effective handwriting scheme, and targeted pupil progress meetings to ensure timely support. Teaching approaches will be refined through the use of the ‘I do, we do, you do’ model, alongside appropriate CPD to secure quality first teaching. The literacy curriculum will be reviewed to ensure clear progression and explicit teaching of composition, while pupils will be inspired through author visits, writing projects, competitions, purposeful writing opportunities, and engagement with The Hobbes Hub Writing Project.

Priority 2

Improving pedagogy through a coaching model. The school aims to ensure all teaching staff are engaged in effective coaching relationships and confident in delivering quality first teaching through a structured and well-embedded professional development model. This will be achieved by establishing an instructional coaching approach, using staff meeting time to plan in-lesson coaching opportunities, and building staff knowledge, skills and confidence through high-quality CPD. Coaching will be personalised to meet individual needs, with termly reflection and evaluation to ensure its effectiveness and exploration of the role governors can play within the model. Alongside this, teaching and learning will be strengthened through a continued focus on evidence-informed practice guided by EEF recommendations, robust monitoring processes such as lesson observations, pupil conferences and book looks, regular pupil progress meetings to track and support individual learners, and SIA visits to validate leadership judgements on the quality of education.

Priority 3

Raising the profile of well-being. The school is committed to ensuring all children feel safe, happy and ready to learn by prioritising weekly PSHE lessons, including the use of Zones of Regulation, and actively involving pupils in reviewing the Behaviour Policy and reward systems. Children’s voice will be used to identify and develop areas of the school so they feel safe and confident using them, while continued partnership with The Stay Safe Initiative will further strengthen safeguarding and well-being. The House Group Buddy System will be expanded to provide more opportunities for peer support, including through STEAM-themed days, alongside the continued development of OPAL play opportunities and targeted Forest School sessions for SEND and disadvantaged learners. In parallel, staff well-being will be prioritised through regular well-being surveys, relevant and well-planned CPD, careful monitoring of directed time, and safeguarding PPA wherever possible. Staff will be supported through a reviewed Behaviour Policy, dedicated well-being staff meetings each term, regular TA meetings and access to CPD, and robust performance management processes to ensure all staff feel valued, supported and able to thrive.

Priority 4

The Governing Body will be leading on exploring partnerships with other schools.