School Improvement

"Our strong commitment to CPD and professional learning is empowering teachers, support staff, and school leaders to achieve the very best possible outcomes."

 Dan Steel, Headteacher, The King John School

School improvement is led by the CEO, who has worked both as a National Leader of Education and previously as an Advanced Skills Teacher for MFL. Our work is supported by a dedicated team of Zenith staff, working alongside Headteachers, Teaching and Learning leads, Middle Leaders, and teaching/support staff.  Our highly experienced Trust Board and Local Governing Bodies also play a key part in ensuring this work is as effective as possible.

 

All our school improvement work is informed by our bespoke arrangement with the Education Endowment Foundation, as part of a three-year programme, working with experts such as Marc Rowland, Gary Aubin, Andy Samways, and Ruth Everett.

Our Team

As part of our increasing investment in CPD across our schools, we have a specialist team of Trust Deputy Headteachers and Trust Lead Practitioners, who provide both expertise and additional capacity as required.  The team operates within agreed protocols to ensure high levels of buy-in and engagement from staff, and they work closely with our Headteachers to ensure their work is both strategic and effective.  They are all based in a school, but have dedicated out-reach time across the Trust linked to a key priority area.

 Networks

 

One of Zenith's core values is Collaboration, and by harnessing the power of our Trust, we now have over 20 Communities of Practice (Networks) which meet twice per half-term to share best practice, problem solve, and innovate.  

Our Priorities

 

Our three year Trust CPD priorities have been co-constructed to support and complement our schools’ individual key priorities.  For 2024-2027 our key aims are:

 

1. Students are kept safe, and apply their knowledge to keep themselves and others safe, because policies and practice are compliant, and responsive to contextual need, supporting leaders to create a strong culture of safeguarding in which all staff take responsibility and believe ‘it could happen here’. Students have confidence in their provision and in reporting concerns – child on child abuse is never tolerated.
2. Students’ well-being is high, and behaviour and attendance are excellent, because unmet needs are identified quickly, MHW support is high quality, and students’ voices are heard. Schools provide students with the knowledge to make informed decisions about well-being through high quality, well-taught PSHE / RSE curricula.
3. Students’ progress is increasingly excellent across all schools, with progress scores above national average, because the Trust ensures all schools deliver well-conceived, ambitious curricula. These will be implemented through exceptional ‘quality first, adaptive teaching’ and supported by excellent pastoral care.
4. Students who are MA, PP, or have SEND achieve well, including SEND/PPG intersection students, because leadership, CPD, and interventions are evidence-based, and focused on outcomes and removing barriers. Additional Trust resources are strategically deployed to deliver impact, and there is a clear emphasis on ‘quality first teaching’.
5. Students achieve well throughout their education, because leadership and staffing are key Zenith strengths. As a result of a high quality CPD / well-being offer, a robust staffing policy, and innovative approaches to leadership development (EEF) / succession planning, Zenith schools recruit, retain, and develop high quality staff. Staff turnover / absence are well below average, there are no unfilled vacancies, and continuity is secured. Staff can envisage their whole career within Zenith, and Zenith is the local employer of choice.
6. Students’ outcomes are excellent, because governance is strong and all stakeholders buy into the Trust’s vision and values, working collaboratively together to enhance students’ life chances. As a result of the Trust’s strong reputation in the local and educational communities, and its strong central team capacity, other schools want join Zenith.

Our Ways of Working

All our schools are different, and as such have different school improvement priorities and possible ways of working.  However, to ensure we genuinely harness the power of our network of schools, and to ensure sustainable improvements, we have adopted some common practices/systems:

• All Headteachers have access to a dedicated leadership coach, who has led an outstanding school and/or been a National Leader of Education or senior Ofsted lead.  This provides both thinking space, challenge and ideas, but also extra capacity to be deployed as required; for example, working with senior leaders on a key priority.
• All our schools follow a common, robust, evidenced-based format for self-evaluation and school improvement planning based on intended outcomes.
• All our schools, both as contributors and recipients, take part in collaborative reviews to improve provision. 
• Staff are deployed across the Trust to provide specialist support and capacity as required, and also as part of their own CPD/career development.  However, we are always mindful of not draining capacity from the donor school.  All our schools both give and receive support.
• All staff are actively encouraged to pursue professional learning/qualifications, for example National Professional Qualifications.  The Trust uses its apprenticeship levy to access funding for courses such as MAs.
• Communities of Practice (Network) meetings and Trust twilight INSETs provide additional opportunities for staff to reflect and share best practice; for example, moderation activities or subject planning meetings.
• Outside experts are commissioned to provide extra support and ensure the Trust remains outward-facing.  They conduct external reviews as requested, providing both external critique and challenge, as well as new ideas.