Here at St. Joseph’s, our school improvement plan is produced to help us pursue our aim of providing our students with a compass for life and our mission of being an outstanding Roman Catholic school for the 21st century.
Ambition Statement “Set your heart on the kingdom and his goodness, and all these things will come to you as a matter of course.” Matt 6:33
With God, we are unstoppable.
We are an unstoppable people. It’s just what we do around here. Because of God’s power, in His Kingdom things are different. Moses was born a Hebrew adopted by an Egyptian and became a powerful leader. He led the Israelites through the wilderness for forty years, received the Ten Commandments and guided God’s people to the edge of the Promised Land. David was a shepherd boy who defeated a giant and became King, Joseph was slave who became a leader of God’s people and Abraham was an old man who became the father of a nation. As a young lady, Ruth lost her husband made the decision to look after her mother-in-law Naomi, who was also a widow. God rewarded her for her loyalty and kindness, and she later married an Israelite and so began the unstoppable family tree that led to the birth of Jesus. These role models exemplify the power of divine intervention and human resilience. These lives exemplify what will happen when we have faith, courage, and unwavering commitment to God’s plan. That’s why things are different around here. We will be unstoppable in improving lives and achieving beyond our wildest imaginations…
God’s Kingdom is unshakeable. This year our community will see a vision of what is possible when ordinary people catch a glimpse of God’s radical call to follow the Lord Jesus.
“Our ambition is for St Joseph’s to offer an outstanding experience for our young people. It will be a place where, due to a strong sense of belonging young people achieve beyond their own imaginations. Our nurturing approach will gradually reverse the impact of trauma in the lives of young people. Progress outcomes for all students but especially for the most able, disadvantaged and those with SEND will be above national through the delivery of a curriculum which is ambitious, inclusive, diverse and enriching. Our inclusion practice will be so strong that we won’t need a SEND department…but rather a network of professionals meeting a child’s needs. The RAISE network will support all students to access an inclusive and enriching curriculum through adaptive teaching and inclusive practice. There will be stability in staffing as staff members enjoy good job satisfaction and gain from the school’s commitment to career development for all. St Joseph’s will be a desirable place to work and learn as Learning and Teaching will be characterized by practitioners who are hungry to grow, learning from each other developing practice to have more profound impact on the lives of young people. The school environment will be increasingly inspiring and will be the school of choice as parents see the life changing opportunities available to every young person through the curriculum, the bucket list and extracurricular activities such as trips and other experiences. St Joseph’s will promote academic excellence and will be an experience that enables the young person to grow into an adult who can have a positive impact on the world. Our mission will be lived not laminated as faith and spiritual experiences change lives. We are found for our purpose; Our mission is to live the values of the Upside Down Kingdom of God and because of this we are unstoppable. The whole school will be a mission team as we look to live out the God ordained purposes in our lives. Being part of our community will be a life changing adventure.”
We are unstoppable. We will create people of faith. This faith will be palpable by their smiles. They will be a people who will change the world for the better.
You will see in our Improvement Plan overview (below) the key priorities we have identified for the 2024-25 year. This plan is designed to provide a strategic overview of the direction for school improvement. Behind this sits a more detailed plan with the detail of ‘the how, the when and the who.’
In areas where there is more rapid action needed there will be a working document used to focus staff on the specific actions in response to ongoing assessment to bring about change to improve the progress of learners and monitor and drive the improvements needed using the next steps.
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Section 1: Mission and Ethos |
Our mission is to live the values of the Upside Down Kingdom of God and because of this we are unstoppable. This will be seen through increasing student agency and ownership, staff leadership of Mission in and out of the curriculum, Life transforming Sacred Space and Missionary outreach outside of school gates.
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Inclusion We are all created in the image and likeness of God and our school will be so inclusive that differences will not be a barrier but embraced as part of the richness of our diversity. |
Mission and Ethos |
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Section 2: The Quality of Education |
Ambitious - offer an outstanding experience that enables students to live life to the fullest.
Our curriculum is ambitious, bespoke, broad and balanced and is responsive to the needs of all learners.
Teachers are reflective practitioners who are able to create the best conditions for learning via considered deliberate practice and collegiate peer support as well as via the application of up to date research and the ability to astutely analyse a wide range of data.
Resources and pedagogical practices support learners to know and remember more and are underpinned by strong literacy and numeracy.
Parents take an active part in their child's learning journey.
High expectations and aspiration are evident for all learners.
Evidenced through improved outcomes for all students / an ambitious curriculum offer that is open to all learners and resources support all learners to access the necessary content.
AMc / HH
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Enriching – offer a wider curriculum that supports students to fully benefit from and contribute to society.
Our Character Curriculum and bucket list offer support to students to develop skills and knowledge well beyond the KS4 curriculum incl. ‘choose your own adventure CV’.
All students are engaged in enrichment activities across school and can articulate its value. Character curriculum is embedded, and students can articulate its impact.
Curriculum areas support the wider character curriculum and explicitly develop students’ cultural capital.
Evidenced through student “adventure CV” and student panels/student voice. through engagement in leadership activities by statistics for bucket list
Evidenced through attitude/behaviour from students in Character values. through department curriculum intent and implementation and that all students have same life changing opportunities no matter what their needs are.
HH
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Diverse – offer an education that meets students where they are at, whether they are part of a majority or a minority group, and in line with, and relevant to, their own personal starting points
The curriculum is reviewed regularly to ensure it meets the diverse needs of the students as our learners’ circumstances inevitably evolve. Pedagogical resources will ensure that all students feel seen and that their circumstances are of equal value and importance.
Literacy and reading open new worlds to all students. Strong literacy skills ensure that students are able to access a wide range of areas of interest regardless of the complexity of the subject matter, and that they are able to communicate appropriately with people of any background and context. Where there are literacy gaps these are closed swiftly.
Students have a love of learning and a broad range of opportunities to read.
The curriculum offers a broad range of diverse experiences for all, interleaved throughout the curriculum offer.
Evidenced through student voice/ data/ external validation / extra-curricular activities / LW / curriculum reviews. AMC/HH |
Inclusion - ‘where the forgotten are noticed, the silenced are given back their voice’.
Personalised provision – in line with the Think Me! strategy allows every child to show their talent.
Adaptive teaching, “Treat as if” classroom strategies and student voice ensure that all students have a voice in their learning and all make good progress.
Staff training ensures that all staff directly involved in pupil progress are able to understand the learning needs of those in their care and adapt teaching to support them to maximise their progress.
Heads of Year are able to analyse progress data and signpost intervention in a timely and bespoke manner.
Student needs are clearly and concisely communicated and acted on by all staff.
Evidenced through learning walks, QA, CPDF, improved outcomes for students, student voice. HH |
Wider strategies - ‘Every lesson nurtures unstoppable faith’ SMSC – every lesson is used as an opportunity for faith formation. All lessons develop their faith through the curriculum and Learning and Teaching. Students can articulate their formation and its impact on their personal development.
Evidenced through student voice / LW |
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Section 3: Behaviour and Attitudes |
Everyone a triage Nurse for PANEL |
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Section 3: Behaviour and attitudes |
Attendance Students’ conduct, punctuality and attendance is improved to 94% with a focus on all vulnerable groups including EBSA pupils and reducing PA. High expectations are underpinned by a systematic approach to pastoral monitoring, as a result concerns and trends are identified early, information is shared well, and this enables early interventions / actions via panel meetings.
Evidenced via student voice, attendance figures, pastoral minutes and SEQA activities MSi
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Behaviour Expectations: ‘This is what we do here’ Clarity of expectations/Corridors/Yard through simplified non-negotiable, self-regulating (through student leaders) accepted behaviour norms.
Clarity of expectations in the classroom with levels of engagement, ownership of own progress, interaction with peers, use of resources.
Evidenced by reduced suspensions, reduced incidents of low-level disruption and SEQA minutes. NYR (AMc) And LW / homework completion / pupil voice/ book looks
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To embed a trauma informed and restorative approach across school. ‘Nothing’s gonna stop us now.’
Evidenced by fewer Exclusions/suspensions LW and LOs / Pupil / staff and parent voice |
Staff triage all behaviour as an expression of need. Clear systems and structures are in place for staff to make referrals to PANEL and additional needs department. All Early intervention to avoid repeated behaviours inhibiting success. Evidenced by fewer repeat offences. Evidenced by application of “Treat as if” policy to support inclusion
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The whole school will be a mission team Well-being, anti-bullying, mental health, vapes and incidents of sexual violence and sexual harassment (child on child) – further develop an ‘it could happen here’ culture. PSHE curriculum is responsive to emerging needs via internal school monitoring systems.
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Section 4: Personal development |
Preparing students for Life CEIAG
Evidenced through CEIAG audits, increased opportunities for ICT (ICT opp for all Y9) to be woven into the curriculum and enhancing our cross-curricular mapping of transferrable skills and content. Students articulate their learning and areas where skills for life are taught and developed. MSi/NYR
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Resilience and Character Curriculum Students build their character values and personal skills through an explicit and embedded character curriculum. Students can articulate the impact of the character curriculum on their personal development. Students demonstrate resilience and have high expectations of themselves.
Evidenced in student behaviour and attitudes around school (external validation). Student, parent/carer and staff voice. HH
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Well-being To allow students experiences which allow them to recognise when risks may affect their own well-being e.g. knives, drugs, social media and vapes. Ensuring that all students are recognised as unique individuals by providing equality of opportunity.
Evidenced in student voice programme allowing early identification of emerging issues. MSi/NYR
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Agency, Belonging, leadership
All stakeholders feel the shared value of belonging and can articulate their place and impact on our community. Students take leadership positions in school across a range of opportunities. All stakeholders have agency to bring about change within the community. Aspiration for diversity of leadership to reflect the community they lead.
Stakeholder voice |
God’s Body, God’s world - Eco responsibility, stewardship, Mental health, vapes and RSHE further develop an ‘it could happen here’ culture. PSHE / SRE curriculum is responsive to emerging needs via internal school monitoring systems.
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Section 5: Leadership and management |
Holding to account…it is what we do around here.
Ensure all SEQA activities impact positively on whole school outcomes. Weekly SEQA reminders at SLT to include COPs to increase consistency.
Further develop whole staff ownership of QA processes so that all staff are reflective, active participants in the QA process.
Ensure that COPS are understood and upheld by all members of the community.
Evidenced through improving reports from External Self Evaluation advisors / improved internal QA reports/ ability of all staff to QA themselves and others collegiately / clear links between QA activities and their tangible impact.
TMcC/AMcD
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Consistency and clarity of vision implementation
All stakeholders able to articulate the vision in our language.
Evidenced in link governor reports/HT reports/committee minutes showing how challenging questions lead to improved practice.
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Recruit well – Succession planning
Teach first ECT Apprentices NPQs NASENCO NiOT Internal Leadership opportunities
Continue to offer ITT training to a range of providers (St James’ / MMU and others?)
Continue to deploy SLEs and staff from St Joseph’s so that colleagues are aware of the school’s professional standing. Continue to support our own pupils to understand and value the teaching profession.
Evidenced in the number of external applicants and internal candidates ready to take up further opportunities. AMcD/TMcC |
Train well - CPDF Train staff in whole school consistent practices that improve TiP, AFL, literacy, numeracy, approaches to SEND, whole school ethos, and H&S and well-being.
Adopt outside support (SSAT / Ladywood/ National College/ BLA) to ensure high quality training.
Continue to apply ‘bespoke consistency’ to CPDF so that training is suitably adapted for varying contexts.
Ensure that the CPDF programme is of the same high quality for all teams across school including Wellbeing (TAs / Site / Admin/ Network managers)
Evidenced by consistency of staff practice. Feedback forms / Impact measures AMcD |
Communicate well and reach out
Share outstanding practice with others – STOC.
Engage our parental community as co-educators and as active members of our community.
Improve student / staff / parent voice so that we continue to be openly responsive to the needs of our community.
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Section 6: Premises and ICT |
Unstoppable ICT infrastructure and training
Ensure that the ICT network supports high quality Learning and Teaching, efficient and effective administrative systems, and that it is cyber secure.
Implement Virtue action list to make our use of ICT an unstoppable force for changing lives.
Meet DFE standards Ensure cyber security Ensure hardware and software is updated on a rolling programme.
Prepare the school for online exams.
Ensure that staff are future ready and able to work with the changes AI presents.
CR/AMcD |
Financial Probity
Budget holders to plan spending linked to KPI with a bid pot available.
Spend plan for 2025-26 to be used to bid for future spending.
Review Subscriptions, contracts and SLAs Evidenced in the 3 year school spend plan budgets for sustained staffing costs with succession planning for expected vacancies. CR |
Refresh and rebuild: Continue bid for new school building alongside current rolling refurbishment plan of redecoration focusing on Heating in Science and Humanities Lift New Sports Hall Dome end of life care MUGA St Anthony’s multi agency use/funding/end of life care ATC visioning Dining facilities Optimum use of office space and storage Adult welfare/toilet facilities Science lab refurbishments, Creating spaces to celebrate student talents – e.g. art work / photos.
Evidenced in building walk snag lists. CR |
Eco friendly school Student ownership of eco diversity – in curriculum/bucket list Develop Eco / Outdoor Learning Garden spaces. Recycling and reduce waste. Reduce energy usage. Reduce carbon footprint.
Evidenced in reduced carbon footprint – CR/CR |
Outreach: Fit for purpose facilities for afterhours community use. Develop Upside down Kingdom shop Building to demonstrate the school’s mission.
Evidenced in more participation and engagement in community use of resources. CR |