Posted by Les Hutchinson, Head of Quality and Performance

Recently four members of the Directorate’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) attended the first of our Executive Showcases. We were warmly welcomed by a group of enthusiastic staff, who described a number of activities in Arbroath Academy grouped around the theme of “Together – with pride”. Each item highlighted collaborative working based on the school’s agreed values. The examples that were showcased covered the whole spectrum of school and community life: international, national, community, partners, cluster, and across the school.

It’s only possible to cover a few examples here, but you can see a bit more by flicking through the Powerpoint presentation.

The Pupil Council is inclusive – i.e. all pupils can apply to be a representative. Following application, pupils are trained in communication skills, public speaking and planning.

The values were developed by the Pupil Council and form the basis of Arbroath Academy’s ethos. They worked with their peers to develop the design that now features on a wall in the social area.

Pupil reps attend the Parent Council meeting; planned the school’s Funfest; met with the catering staff and provided feedback to Tayside Contracts; work with the Support Assistants to improve behaviour in the social area; and 30 Pupil Council reps attended a School Improvement Partnership Programme event in Edinburgh.

“The Pupil Council love to be involved and take responsibility.

Every second year the school organizes a trip to Rwanda. A group of pupils (8 to10) are selected through an application and interview process. All applicants are given feedback to help them clarify learning and potential career pathways. The local community is actively involved in these trips, with all costs being met through fund-raising, so there is no cost to the participating pupils. The trip is intended to support schools in Rwanda and involves practical work (see some of the photos!).

A key collaboration has been participating in the School Improvement Partnership Programme (SIPP). this involves collaboration with two secondary schools from other parts of Scotland to share good practice and jointly develop approaches to improving attainment. During the Easter holiday in 2015, staff gave up their time to participate in a conference at Stirling. A concentrated effort on improving attendance has led to improved attainment at Arbroath academy, with posters and leaflets produced to help everyone understand the importance of attendance. The school has also seen a big increase in the engagement at parents’ evening, with an increased attendance from 22% to 50%. learning from SIPP is reflected in the school’s improvement plan and work with the other schools is ongoing.

The final example to highlight here is the development of Teacher Learning Communities. These are cross-curricular groups who meet together to establish a professional peer learning culture. This provides a regular opportunity to discuss and trial ideas, reflect on issues and report back on progress. The TLCs have created an open community, leading to natural sharing and support. Benefits include getting to know each other better, developing new ideas and raising morale. It also helps teachers with their personal action plans and links to their General Teaching Council update requirements.

“Quality professional discussion is a regular part of the life of the school.

Overall the SLT members who attended the showcase were impressed with the enthusiasm and passion that the staff demonstrated, and it is clear to us that there is a real sense of working together with pride in Arbroath Academy.

There was also a lively #askSLT session after the Showcase, but more of that in another entry.