This document summarizes findings from Ofsted about what has the most impact on growing great schools. According to Ofsted, strong leadership and culture have the greatest impact. Effective school leaders establish a culture of high aspirations where staff and students' voices shape development. Leaders also provide bespoke and continuous professional development to teachers to improve teaching, understand teachers' needs, and target areas needing improvement. Developing future leaders through mentoring, coaching, and leadership programs also builds the capacity needed to sustain school growth. Partnerships between schools and other organizations further support staff development and teacher training.

1. Growing great schools.
What has the most impact?
Joanna Hall HMI
Deputy Director Schools
26 January 2017 Whole Education Conference Slide 1

2. Ofsted findings: key messages
Slide 226 January 2017 Whole Education Conference

3. Leadership and culture
Establishing and sustaining a culture of high aspirations, everyone having the
chance to realise their aspirations.
A culture where:
voice of staff and pupils shapes development
staff are actively involved in developing the school, valued
communication and collaboration is strong, sustainable and not reactive
leaders value professional expertise of staff - teachers owning their practice
without being asked to do ‘things for Ofsted’
leaders are confident to challenge each other if myths emerge
leaders are united in common purpose and understand fully their roles and
responsibilities.
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4. Leadership of teaching
Annual Report 2014/15:
‘It is good leadership, and particularity good leadership of teaching and learning,
that makes the biggest difference to school and college standards.’
Determined focus on leading high quality teaching with secure, not erratic,
leadership
Leaders have an accurate understanding of standards across the school and
target action where it is needed the most
Helping teachers with curriculum planning has positive impact on teaching –
developing subject knowledge
Taking difficult decisions where teaching is weak and developing competence
and confidence of middle leaders to lead teaching
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5. Leadership of staff development
 Professional development for all - bespoke, timely
 Leaders have strong evaluative skills to target professional development to
short-term issues as well as planning longer-term development opportunities
 Autonomy and accountability are equally important.
Annual Report 2015/16: Secondary school improvement
In the schools that were found to have improved, there was a very clear pattern
of improved teaching because leaders had focused on continuous bespoke
professional development.
Investment in highly personalised training, feedback and assessment of the
quality of teaching was beneficial. Senior leaders understood clearly what staff
needed to improve their teaching.
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6. Leadership and building capacity
 Recognising and nurturing talent - if a teacher has an interest in moving to
middle leadership, what opportunities exist for them to learn more about the
step up to middle leadership?
 Staff development as a priority to develop the next generation of leaders
 A commitment to mentoring new leaders – not assuming they know how to do
the job well
 Good induction processes – from NQT to a new role in leadership
 Sharing good leadership practice within and beyond the school
 In the system – succession planning at school, local and regional level
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7. Leadership and building capacity
7 strong MATs:
 Strategy for identifying and growing leaders
 A strategy for retention and development
 Identifying potential leaders early on in their careers
 Rapid response to giving opportunities for developing leadership skills
Structured coaching and mentoring from experienced headteachers,
shadowing opportunity and secondments.
 Bespoke leadership and executive leadership programmes
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8. Leadership: working in partnerships
 Tackling challenges in teacher recruitment – doing things differently – how?
 Recognising the importance of working with other schools, notably to access
opportunities for staff development and access teacher training provision
 Positive impact of external sources of support, including multi-academy trusts,
teaching school alliances, local authorities and informal partnerships with local
schools - and what about beyond schools?
 Working with employers, colleges, HEIs, UTCs, special schools
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