We believe we can always be better. As an organisation, we seek to continually improve what we do whilst sustaining that which is already excellent. We are driven in the pursuit of our ambitious vision and our school development planning plays an essential role in directing us on our journey.

Three-year Plan: 2022-25

Underpinned by our vision, our three-year development plan identifies four 'golden threads' that will guide our improvement work throughout the three years from September 2022.

A summary of our three-year plan, including the vision-led outcomes we seek to pursue and the key drivers of change we have identified, can be downloaded below. 

This is a working document and will be updated periodically by the Senior Leadership Team and Governing Board. The copy published to the website may not be the latest.

School Development 2023/24

During the second year of the school's new three-year development plan, key actions and drivers of change are outlined below. A more detailed implementation plan (informed by the EEF's evidence-led implementation guidance for schools) is used by school leaders and governors to pursue these areas of improvement. 

Preparing Children for the Future

• Continue to use worship to pursue the school’s Christian vision via the theme ‘Higher, Deeper, Wider’.
• Empower pupils to be skilled and knowledgeable in their use of technology, use it safely, effectively and have the tools at their disposal to be innovative, break down barriers in learning and enact positive change. [Part of Digital Strategy – Goal 1]
• Continue to grow and develop a nurturing wellbeing provision for all and begin to grow children’s ability to support the wellbeing of one another.
• Raise pupils’ aspirations for their future, making sure they are aware of the wealth of opportunities and avenues open to them as Kingdom Builders to enable them to find fulfilment and purpose in their future goals.
• Across the curriculum, be intentional in planning opportunities for children to speak, debate, persuade and present with confidence.
• Begin to develop financial literacy with Key Stage 2 children, including the implementation of the Natwest MoneySense scheme and the HSBC Financial Education Programme.

• Provide opportunities for the school community to develop meaningful relationships with people from other backgrounds.

Striving for Academic Excellence

• Build even deeper levels of subject-specific teacher knowledge and expertise. Areas of focus for Year B:
  • Art and Design
  • Design and Technology
  • Geography

• Develop teaching staff to ensure their expertise in areas relevant to their specific subject delivery.

• On going improvement and refinement of the established curriculum to further raise standards and improve outcomes for pupils. This is to include quality assurance of the standard of the curriculum by Subject Leads and SLT. Rigorous system of quality assurance by SLT established to assess standards of curriculum implementation, with involvement from subject leaders.

• Subject Leaders are proactive in evaluating, adjusting and implementing their development plans.

• Increase effectiveness, efficiency and equality of technology. Continue to evolve approaches and practices, responding to the ever-changing technology available. [Part of Digital Strategy – Goal 2]

• Create opportunities for teaching staff to revisit the theory underpinning knowledge of evidence-informed practice.

Developing Leaders of Change

• Maximise the leadership potential of all staff through the development of an intentional approach to ‘talent management’ that seeks to attract, identify, develop, engage, retain and/or 'send out’ the very best staff (whilst having clear succession planning in place).

• Continue to equip individuals (on the staff team) to take ownership of their own development journey. Signpost relevant professional development materials and resources.

• Continue to share the school’s staff talent and leadership expertise across the region, enhancing outcomes for pupils across other settings within the education sector. Headteacher to begin role as Associate Adviser for Diocese of Blackburn.

• Further develop meaningful partnerships with other schools to enhance the impact of the student advocacy projects and campaign work led by our Year 6 Young Leaders.  

Equity, Diversity and Justice

• Staff and governors further develop their knowledge and understanding of equity, diversity and justice.  

• Enhance curriculum plans and resources to reflect our commitment to equity, diversity and justice.

• Explicitly develop pupils’ knowledge, awareness and understanding of the importance of equity, diversity and justice.

• Continue to refine our policies and practices, demonstrating our commitment to our school ‘principles’ and to equity, diversity and justice.

Digital Strategy 2022-25

We want the children at our school to realise and use technology to its full potential; both in their learning and to make a wider, sustained impact in the world around them.

We educate our pupils on how to use technology positively, responsibly and safely. The use of technology is integrated throughout our curriculum to deliver accessible and innovative learning experiences; it is not an add on, but an integral part of our approach to high-quality teaching and learning. 

Our approach is informed by evidence and research. Educational technology must not be used for the sake of it; it must enhance the teaching and learning experiences our children receive. Finding the right balance with technology is key to an effective education and a healthy lifestyle. The way we implement our Digital Strategy not only helps children realise the need for this balance, but also prepares them for their next stage of education and beyond. The school will take into consideration a healthy balance of screen time and only use devices to enhance the teaching and learning provision.

A copy of our three-year Digital Strategy can be downloaded below.

School Development 2022/23

During the first year of the school's new three-year development plan, key actions and drivers of change are outlined below. A more detailed implementation plan (informed by the EEF's evidence-led implementation guidance for schools) is used by school leaders and governors to pursue these areas of improvement. 

Preparing Children for the Future

• Continue to use collective worship to pursue the school’s Christian vision and to enable children to grow in faith as followers of Jesus.
• Implement the first steps of the Digital Strategy (Phase 1)
• Equip children with the tools and strategies to support and develop their own mental health and wellbeing through a broad package of internal and external support.
• Appoint and develop a school-based Wellbeing Coach to empower children in response to their SEMH needs.
• Raise pupils’ aspirations for their future making sure they are aware of the wealth of opportunities and avenues open to them as Kingdom Builders of the future.
• Across the curriculum, introduce more frequent opportunities for pupils to speak in front of peers and others (poetry performance, reading own writing, etc.).
• Provide opportunities for the school community to develop meaningful relationships with people from other backgrounds.

Striving for Academic Excellence

• Build even deeper levels of subject-specific teacher knowledge and expertise. Areas of focus for Year A:
  • Spanish
  • Computing
  • Science

• Review curriculum overviews, planning materials and resources, making enhancements in line with feedback from teachers and ensure tracker can be utilised to improve outcomes for pupils.
• Subject Leaders are ambitious in driving the development of their subject areas.  
• Outcomes for pupils in writing and spelling are improved by curriculum enhancements.  
• Create opportunities for teaching staff to revisit the theory underpinning the knowledge of evidence-informed practice.  

Developing Leaders of Change

• Continue to foster a culture of leadership development at all levels, developing staff who make change happen.
• Nurture the existing culture of aspiration: leaders promote and signpost opportunities to all. Individuals take ownership of their own development journey and are proactive in pursuing opportunities.     
• Share the school’s leadership capacity and expertise more widely, enhancing outcomes for pupils across other settings within the education sector.
• Continue to embed Year 6 Young Leaders projects and initiatives, sustaining the exceptional impact seen since 2021 (#pdayoungleaders).
• Participate in the Church of England's National Young Leaders Network (after being selected to represent the almost 200 schools from Blackburn Diocese from September 2022).

Equity, Diversity and Justice

• Staff and governors develop their knowledge and understanding of equity, diversity and justice.
• Further develop knowledge of curriculum leaders (including subject leaders), creating the foundations for the development of a curriculum that reflects our commitment to equity, diversity and justice.
• Policies and procedures in relation to flexible working, extended leave, and the ‘return to work’ following periods of leave, are clear, fair, supportive and inclusive. They reflect our commitment to equity, diversity and justice.
• Invest in curriculum materials and resources to ensure that, where appropriate, our curriculum better reflects diversity.

School Development 2021/22

For the 2021/22 academic year, our school development priorities fell within three categories:

Curriculum: Review, Sustain and Develop

• To review the impact of our curriculum, celebrating successes and enabling teachers to learn from one another whilst pursuing further improvement.
• To sustain and refine the delivery of an exceptional curriculum, identifying and addressing arising priorities for development.
• To develop resources and establish systems that support continued excellence within all subjects whilst allowing other schools to benefit from our materials.

Shining Even Brighter [COVID-19 Recovery]: Respond and Relate

• To continue to support all pupils to thrive socially, emotionally and spiritually in 2021 and 2022, embracing and enjoying ‘life in all its fullness’.
• To remain responsive, continuing to adjust teaching approaches and to provide targeted academic support so that pupils continue to progress well in key areas identified. 
• To develop a long-term ‘Digital Strategy’ that builds on past successes and secures ambitious development in the use of technology to enhance learning and pupil progress.

Leadership Development: Inspire and Equip

• To encourage more staff members to aspire to school leadership, unlocking the extraordinary leadership potential within our team.  
• To develop and equip staff members as leaders of change, pursuing our shared and ambitious vision.
• To equip children as leaders of the future, planting seeds of passion and teaching skills that will enable them to transform society.

A summary of the 2021/22 school development plan, detailing the actions we intended to take can be accessed below, along with a summary of the impact seen: