Located on the map below are the schools/academies across the UK that we have supported:
· The purpose
To support and challenge the standards in all our schools (17 schools) for the mutual benefit of the children.
‘We serve our communities working as one to enrich the learning experience of our young people, so that they may achieve their God-given potential.’
· The Strategic 3 Year Plan (2021-2024) long term - ‘To be the highest performing Catholic MAC in the country’.
The aspirations are an ambitious and rich curriculum; all schools achieve above average outcomes from validated data and all schools are graded ‘good’ or better in CSI and Ofsted.
· The Improvement Cycle
A 6 week cycle over the academic year (X6) encompassing of: identification of ‘vulnerable’ schools; consistent self-evaluation through a positional statement; weekly Magnificat HTs meetings; individual HT meetings with the Director; MSI interventions and reviews of all schools; case conferences with the MSI team and CSEL; deployment of external verification to test standards in schools including safeguarding; MSI team based in schools; deployment of the Careers lead to ensure Gatsby is universal and of a high standard; the effective use of Birch HR to build that culture of accountability key to providing the best for the children ,and culminating in the RTR (every ½ term) where schools are invited to discuss strengths and issues with the CSEL and MSI team. Actions are agreed from these meetings that inform the next stage of the cycle.
· The Strands of MSI
Our central role is supporting and challenging the standards in our schools. This involves a layered approach of utilising the wealth of talent in the Magnificat to the collective benefit of all. Apart from the Improvement Cycle, we focus on: Safeguarding where every school has an external annual review and subsequent action plan monitored by the MSI who lead on Safeguarding for the academy.; the Catholic Mission of all our schools; the ‘Most Disadvantaged’; Ofsted Preparation; ECT; NPQs and the Magnificat Leadership Development Programme and the collaboration of focus groups in the primary (14) and secondary (3) sectors to inform continual improvement.
· Data
The belief within the Magnificat is that it needs to be a data rich community that is transparent and supportive of each other. The Standards’ Lead generates, analyses, and evaluates school performance and holds HTs to account as part of the MSI Cycle. This involves providing leaders with up-to-date information on attendance, behaviour, and academic progress within and across the organisation through a central data bank (Power Bi) Standards Lead. From the MSI perspective, it highlights issues and concerns especially, in subgroups like SEND or Disadvantaged. This is used in the Improvement Cycle to take appropriate, swift, and effective action.
· Outreach
External support for other schools and Magnificat continues as the natural successor to the Teaching school. This takes the form of: NLE/ System Leader deployment in Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds. Stoke, Sandwell, and Coventry; DfE TSIO programme supporting vulnerable schools, DfE Behaviour Hub programme in 17 schools; Safeguarding in other Diocesan schools; external reviews in the areas of Sixth form, Pupil Premium, SEND, the Quality of Education, Ofsted Preparation, Deep Dives and Leadership and Management; offering NPQs; careers audits of schools, and supporting the Diocese with CSI inspectors.
· Accountability
We are accountable to the CSEL and the Magnificat Directors.
· The Team
Director of Education; Assistant Directors X 3 (2 Primary and 1 Secondary, also EHTs); School Improvement Lead; Standards’ Lead; Maths Lead; SEND Lead; the MAC Careers Lead and Executive Support.
Since its inception in 2021, we have supported 17 secondary schools outside of our Trust across the country. Saint Augustine’s was one of the original designated schools selected by the DfE after a rigorous application process. The purpose of the Behaviour Hub programme is to enable schools and multi-academy trusts (MATs) with exemplary behaviour cultures and practices to work with partner schools that want and need to improve behaviour culture in their schools. The aim of the programme is to improve cultures in schools by taking a whole school approach and embedding a clear, sustainable behaviour ethos throughout the school. How students behave in school is strongly linked to attainment and other outcomes. The programme is based on the principles and ideas outlined in Tom Bennett’s 2017 review of behaviour in schools: Creating a culture: how school leaders can optimise behaviour.
Impact:
· Ofsted gradings were increased or matched in many of the schools as a consequence of the contributions of the programme. Waverley, Ellowes Hall, KEVI Balham Wood, Whitecross, Trinity, and Tamworth TEC are notable achievements.
· The programme has been used to galvanise leaders in Magnificat schools and our partner school, Saint john Wall. Saint Benedict’s, Trinity and of course, Saint Augustine’s have been trained as behaviour advisers and allocated. Two former behaviour advisers have secured headships, while one is a current principal in the organisation.
· Cultures have been refocused and different approached adopted. This can be best exemplified in Trinity Ofsted Monitoring visit in December 2023 and the full inspection of Whitecross.
· Leadership in schools have been enhanced by working through the extensive resources in the programme and by the support of our behaviour advisers. Correspondingly, experiences and skills set have been developed resulting in leaders being prepared for future principal positions.
· Quantitative data beyond P8, is limited with regards to the impact on suspensions, cultures and PXs, but the STA Behaviour Hub Lead is working on am impact study to be published in Autumn 2024.
The Magnificat has been continually asked by the DfE Regions Group to deploy our NLEs/ System leaders (Tony Quinn/ Tom Leverage) and the School Improvement Team to support schools and leaders to identify short term improvement actions and priorities to ensure sustainable improvement in the long term. The focus on systems and processes ties in with the work in the Behaviour Hubs and previous Teaching School deployments.
Impact:
· Cardinal Wiseman Coventry and Trinity have benefitted from substantial support through the TSIO; for the former, Ofsted graded the school ‘good’ in all areas (2022), a journey from serious weaknesses in 2014 while the latter is at a different stage of its journey but has joined the Magnificat and enjoyed a positive monitoring inspection in December 2023.
· Woodfield and Batchley have benefited from the deployment of primary system leaders from the Magnificat School Improvement Team to establish clear outlines of expected standards to benefit the children of these school communities.
· DfE TSIO Co-op - part of universal review of behaviour in 9 Co-op academies in June - September 2023 - commissioned by the CEO of the Trust. The Trust deployed the two NLEs and also the School Improvement Lead to undertake full behaviour/culture reviews of 9 Co-op Academies in Leeds, Manchester, The Wirral and Stoke. There was considerable learning impacts from both Trusts. The Co-op received detailed feedback (9 individual reports and a collective summary) that informed on leadership, strategies for the development of staff and comprehensive advice on Behaviour for Outcomes which is the next stage in many the schools’ journeys. The Magnificat witnessed the impressive care and dedication to extremely vulnerable children that most of the schools serve and the consistency of the Co-op Values in all the schools. The experience was so beneficial to all involved.
This is a highly successful programme that still remains relevant as the precursor to the Magnificat School Improvement Team. The core purpose was the moral purpose of all children being entitled to a high standard of education, irrespective of their backgrounds or status.
The STA Teaching School Alliance supported and continues to support schools who request interventions from our school improvement toolkit. Specifically, the TSA focused on school-to-school support to allow expertise through system leadership in a range of circumstances. This model was magnified into the Magnificat School Improvement Team which thrives today. The core values remain consistent with our moral purpose.
Impact:
· Interventions across the West Midlands from inner city, shires, faith, single sex, academies and LA, secondary mainstream and AP and a range of Ofsted ratings.
· Post Ofsted support for Stuart Bathurst (Special Measures) led to stability in leadership, standards, and transition to joining an academy. Commissioned by Diocese/ DfE
· Saint John Wall (at risk of closure) – NLE leadership support, in addition to SLEs, that led to a federated partnership with STA and became a top performing school (top 5% nationally) P8 0.96 (2023) Commissioned by Diocese/DfE
· Cardinal Wiseman, Coventry - support through NLE leadership and SLEs that started the journey from serious weaknesses to a ‘good’ Ofsted grading in 2022. Commissioned by Diocese/DfE
· Turves Green Boys’ (Special Measures) – Post Ofsted Leadership NLE and SLE support provided to prepare for full academisation with Matrix. Commissioned by BEP
· The Edge AP Academy - NLE support at leadership including governance, curriculum, and safeguarding. Ofsted rated ‘good’ (2022) Commissioned by BEP