Foxdale School: cross-phase working in order to improve standards

Developments at Foxdale School since the amalgamation of its primary and secondary phases. All-through 3-16 working is beginning to take shape, especially with the appointment of a cross-phase inclusion leader.

This case study covers the period up to July 2009.

Key learning and outcomes

A cross-phase strategy is now in place. This involves aligning activities such as faculty and team meetings, and student progress days. It also involves collaboration to develop teaching, learning and the curriculum, including joint training and coaching.
A cross-phase inclusion leader has been appointed. This role supports the development of a strategic ‘all through’ view of the school, encouraging the exchange of ideas between the primary and secondary phases.

Background

Foxdale School is a mixed, community 3-16 school in a disadvantaged suburb of a northern metropolitan city. It was established as an all-through school in 2002 when an improving secondary school was amalgamated with a nearby primary in special measures.

A previous case study traced the early days of the amalgamation, during which the established secondary leadership team supported the ‘fresh start’ primary team. By 2007 the primary team had overtaken the secondary in some areas of practice. This case study provides an update on leadership arrangements.

Key challenges and issues

Attainment in the primary phase has steadily improved since amalgamation and fresh start but now seems to have reached a plateau, perhaps reflecting an increasingly challenging catchment area and population mobility. The secondary phase is part of the National Challenge. Attainment is improving but staff feel under pressure to reach very challenging targets.
The two schools were amalgamated in response to a crisis, not as a deliberate strategy to co-ordinate primary and secondary provision. There was therefore no founding vision of all-through education for Foxdale.
The new headteacher noted that systems and practice were separate in ‘surprising ways’. For example, the secondary and primary phases had different start and end times and different meetings calendars. The school was missing important opportunities to capitalise on the all-through structure, for example by co-ordinating curriculum leadership across phases.
The relative autonomy of the phases was partly because leaders wanted to retain their independent capacity for innovation. The physical separation of the two sites is also a problem.
Cross-phase working is not yet fully embedded, except in the case of inclusion where, for example, SEN systems are now fully aligned.
Teaching in the secondary phase now needs to catch up with that in the primary. Joint development activities are not always appropriate and dedicated time is needed to address teaching and learning ‘basics’ with secondary teams.
The all-through model has challenged the idea of some staff that primary teachers have a lesser role. Continued cross-phase collaboration, and the appointment of primary as well as secondary staff to cross-phase leadership positions, will help.

Solution or approach

Cross-phase leadership

Foxdale’s inclusion leader acts as the main senior leadership link across phases. Her role is more managerial and strategic than her previous role as a single phase leader. Other staff in her team have therefore taken on some of the functions she previously fulfilled.

The headteacher spends around two mornings a week in the primary phase and other leaders have cross-phase contact to varying degrees.

Multi-agency working

School support for students is enhanced by services from other agencies, such as the teams for drugs issues, sexual exploitation, youth offending, educational psychology, nursing, and speech and language therapy. These are co-ordinated between the different phases as far as possible and are often delivered by practitioners working across the school.

Wider support for families is provided through local structures but is not always helpful for resolving immediate issues. However, practitioners working with the school can provide families with useful access points. For example, the school nurse has been able to link families with health care providers.

Every Child Matters

Foxdale interprets the Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda as a holistic approach to education that focuses on social and emotional aspects of development as well as academic achievement.

The inclusion leader is developing a co-ordinated approach to learning and other support, from the nursery stage through to the end of Key Stage 4. There are joint meetings and training, regular liaison over issues such as child protection, and cross-phase initiatives such as a transition programme.

Assessing needs for ECM

Foxdale is developing systems to assess needs within an ECM framework. The local authority provides ward-level demographic and ‘family of schools’ data. This helps with assessing the local context and planning support for students and families.

Class teachers in the primary phase, but not yet the secondary, use an ECM checklist. The inclusion leader regularly meets primary phase and secondary year group leaders to identify where support is needed. Her cross-phase role provides a more informed perspective on individual student needs and her detailed knowledge of the area and its families over generations is a usual source of information.

“I think there is some way to go in being data-smart – being able to pick out what data to use and move on.” (Senior leader)

Next steps

Foxdale hopes there will be further cross-phase appointments to promote the vision of ‘a learning journey 0 to 16+’.
Three-quarters of the Year 7 pupils come from other nearby schools. Foxdale leaders are exploring federation with the main feeder primaries to develop the model of all-through schooling.
There is a perceived deficit in social and parenting skills and a federation would be well-placed to offer responsive ‘front-line’ support for families. Extended provision, including a children’s centre, is envisaged.