3. Key steps in our Continuing Professional Development

3.1 Sharing a foundation of development
All members of staff were encouraged to make use of the extensive Fife Framework for staff development, especially to participate in two courses, Making a Difference and Making More of a Difference, that celebrated existing teaching knowledge and skills and added substantially to them. This shared experience helped develop positive staff relationships to allow mutual support and to generate honest and constructive feedback on observed practice.

3.2 Trusted to be a pilot school
3.2.1 Since all the staff team had participated in these courses the school was then judged by the Authority and ICS Team to be one that could be trusted to pilot new initiatives and resources. While piloting produces some additional work, it also generates new learning and excitement in staff and pupils.

3.2.2 The whole staff agreed to take part in a Learning Game Company pilot course, Creating Harmony in the Primary, looking at current classroom methodologies. This was a four module course which offered Teaching Staff, SEN auxiliaries, Learning Support, Early Years Officers, Class Assistants and Stepping Stones Support staff (from Fife's early intervention project) the opportunity to look together at the wide ranging factors that promote a positive classroom environment, and to discuss, reflect on and research these factors. This course required two Saturdays (not easy for staff with home responsibilities) and two in-service days. It culminated in the presentation of individual innovative personal projects encompassing this current thinking. The creative innovations included the introduction of a weekly class selected pupil Personal Assistant for the teacher with status enhanced by a 'lit-up chair'! (See Picture B, below) Other ideas were a 'Thinking Skills' group for pupils with difficulties in learning, and the introduction of peer support through a 'Circle of Friends' approach. Thus, whole/cross staff collaboration took place allowing current good practice to be observed/shared in a non-threatening way and offering collegial support whilst ensuring that staff remained fresh.

3.2.3 A successful school bid to ICS three years ago allowed us to purchase ten laptops with Success Maker software to raise attainment in Maths and Language. A member of staff with mentoring responsibility for probationers - therefore with some non-class time - agreed to be co-ordinator of our pilot project. She rolled out the training she received to all staff. Now we have all pupils from P1 to P7 working independently and with increasing confidence at their individual pace on Success Maker (See Picture C). Significant improvements in attainment in maths, reading and writing have been recorded with targets set over the past two years being overtaken. Reports have been presented to Fife committees and, as a result, the system has now been rolled out to all Fife schools.

3.2.4 We also developed, along with parents and pupils, then piloted a multi-faceted Positive Behaviour Framework for playground and in school contexts that has now been adopted by other Fife schools. It engages pupils in establishing the ground-rules with teachers and in other measures such as being playground friends (see Picture D). Praise and rewards also feature (see Picture E).

3.3 Participating in CPD-related activities beyond our school
3.3.1 The staff team formed the membership of our 'in-house' school working parties, but they were also encouraged to join and chair Area Group working parties (secondary, primary and nursery) that led change within the local cluster group of schools, in partnership with the ICS Team. While this dual-level functioning had enormous benefits in the medium and longer term for our school and the other schools involved, it was daunting in the extreme for the staff concerned initially and says much for their professional commitment that they took up the challenge and saw it through.

3.3.2 We partnered another school invited to take part on the pilot course Creating Harmony in the Primary, described above. The ICS Team helped us link with and visit other schools as part of twilight sessions. They organised informal discussions, which were opened out to all schools in our area and beyond. Discussions with guest speakers included: Thinking Skills, Philosophical Enquiry, Writing, Creating Harmony Feedback and Direct Interactive Teaching. These sessions facilitated professional discussion but also recognised the need for informal support through talking to others who were finding new ways to solve old problems.

3.4 'Staff' means more than teachers
3.4.1 In terms of specialised staff development, another success story was the more creative deployment of our auxiliaries. Regular auxiliary meetings following the Creating Harmony course further developed the auxiliaries' increased confidence. This resulted in school approval for two auxiliaries organising a movement class to support pupils with fine and gross motor difficulties (see Picture F). Since there is approximately a twelve month waiting list for an Occupational Therapy assessment the auxiliaries decided to start this movement class, based on an OT approved programme twice weekly for selected pupils aged 4-12. They now have a small devolved budget and are self sufficient. The initiative has been approved and praised by our visiting OT specialists.

3.4.2 Staff and parents have already observed progress in movement capabilities, spatial awareness and self-esteem in our own pupils. We have now also included pupils from a special school and a nearby nursery. Staff from other schools visit to observe. The two auxiliaries have taken part in Basic Moves training (funded through ICS) and recently attended an advanced course intended mainly for OTs. They have also delivered in-service training to the staff team.

3.4.3 Auxiliary comments:

'As staff members we feel both valued and part of the team.'

'Another good thing is that we are part of the pupil review cycles where we give our views regarding a child's progress at the movement gym and progress in the class.'

3.5 Learning from and with other partners
3.5.1 We piloted Personal Learning Plans (PLPs) through the Integrated Community Schools plan approximately two years ago. All pupils from Nursery to P7 now possess a full PLP. Staff from the ICS Team were used in the initial stages and all school staff had PLPs as a priority in their own professional development during CPD discussions (see next section of the Case Study). PLP development has been well received by parents, pupils and staff.

3.5.2 Nursery parents' comments from recent returns to a questionnaire about PLPs include:

'Very structured', 'My child likes to be involved', 'Great record of primary school, wish I had one to keep!', 'A good read which is informative and funny, can't say that about many official accounts of learning', 'Provides a positive account of my child's learning experiences and provides us with both formal and informal accounts of his abilities and achievements', and 'Parent, pupil, teacher interviews were open and honest, a good idea'.

3.5.3 Pupils' views on PLPs include:
'It encourages you', 'It helps you know what you are facing each term', 'It can tell your teacher what you are like', 'I like taking it home to show my mum' and 'I like to get to write in it'.

3.5.4 Staff comment:
'PLPs have been a lot of hard work to get up and running but this is worth it to get the children more involved in setting targets for themselves. It is essential that our children see what they are aiming for'.

The on-going work on PLPs reminds all of us that all the partners in our school community - pupils, parents/carers and staff - can learn constantly from one another.

3.5.5 Using the appropriate skills from other agencies was another way to improve the skills of staff whilst again boosting self-esteem. We piloted a health pack Confidence to Teach Health Education with Fife Health Board - to be published soon under a different title. We have also tapped in to the professional skills of our Educational Psychologist in working with pupils with special educational needs and to focus on behaviour management strategies. As a result we are now using video techniques to review learning and teaching styles.

3.5.6 Effective use was made of seconded key staff from the ICS Team, one of whom was a DHT, to offer training and support (as in the introduction and fine-tuning of PLPs - see above). By operating in a flexible way an 'extended' Management Team was created from external staff to support our school.

3.6 Ensuring effectiveness in CPD
With so much at stake, especially in our concern for pupils' learning and development, it is essential to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the formal and informal CPD undertaken. The school CPD Review is a rigorous process that involves discussions between the Head Teacher and individual members of staff twice a year. With our Action Plan needs firmly in mind, such a process was invaluable as developmental needs/strengths could be matched to the School's and, ultimately, the Cluster's needs. In other words, this focus on professional improvement, although also drawing on existing staff strengths, is an element in the changes but it is also the engine that drives the overall change agenda in the school.