School Improvement

School Improvement Priorities 2021-22

The School Improvement Plan is the document which drives ongoing improvements and developments in school. The Governing Body is responsible for evaluating the progress made against the plan and has an approved process in place for regular and effective monitoring. At Pinewood we never ever sit tight, we are always striving for improvement and excellence in all that we do.

Priority 1:  To establish a formal collaboration with Westdale so that the outcomes and life chances for all the children who attend our schools are as good as they can be.

As many of you know, Pinewood Infant School and Westdale Infant School are looking to form a collaborative partnership. We are similar size schools, both two form entry with nursery. The overarching aim of this partnership is to work together as critical friends providing quality assurance and challenge, to act as professional partners and to develop staff and governors strategically. In time, the children of both schools may also be able to develop links too!

How parents and carers can help

• This is a tricky one to be able to help us with but if you can think of a good name for our collaboration then that would be fabulous as we are struggling!
• Also, some of you work in education and if you have any experience of collaboration as this is new to us, please pass on any of your experiences or good ideas.

Priority 2:   To ensure the well-being of all staff in difficult times

Like many of you, staff have had a very difficult few years with the pandemic, and have reported lower levels of well-being than usual. There have been considerable additional pressures on education and school staff have adapted so well, but this has caused additional workload in places. Our staff (along with your children) are at the heart of our school and the wellbeing of both children and staff is central and more important than anything else.

How parents and carers can help

• Please ensure all administrative queries are through the school office not teachers to help teacher workload.
• Please be mindful of the time of the day you message teachers on SeeSaw.
• Please talk respectfully and kindly to ALL staff at ALL times. There is not one person in this school who does not want the best for your child.
• Please come and see us if you have any problems however small – we will always help.
• Please be respectful about our school on social media –In fact, better still, promote us as much as you can as we need our numbers to go up so we can employ more staff. More support in classrooms would definitely help wellbeing in school!
• Don’ be afraid to tell us when we are doing things well. Remember kind comments to teachers and school staff go a very long way and help staff feel valued and appreciated which in turn helps wellbeing.
• Work with your child at home on reading – this helps our well-being immensely as we really are passionate about your children leaving us as excellent readers.
• Please read communications from us as this really helps the workload of staff in the office.
• Try not to miss parent meetings as this will help the management of teacher workload time.
• Bring your children to school on time – you should see what those teachers have to pack in during 1 day!
• If you have any good ideas – email  head@pinewood.notts.sch.uk

Priority 3: To continue to adapt our provision to meet the needs of the children post Covid

Bless our children – the pandemic has not been easy and we are determined to help limit the effect on them as much as possible. We will endeavor to continue to support their emotional health and wellbeing, help them catch up on lost learning and provide them with the real life experiences and cultural capital that was affected by the way we have had to work over the past few years at times. We want to make sure our excellent whole school practices are all back on track.

How parents and carers can help

• Let us know if you child is struggling emotionally or even if you are and need some support– we are always here to help.
• Agree to ELSA support for your child if we believe your child would benefit from it.
• Endeavour to help us get your child to the right level by reading more often with your child at home –speak up if you need any help with this. Help your child move around reading track.
• Volunteer to hear readers in school if you have any spare time whatsoever – this would be amazing. We need your help now more than ever.
• Support trips and visitors into school with a voluntary contribution to payment so we can make sure we are providing the best experiences for your children.
• If you have anything to offer to support the experiences the children have during their time here – please speak up! You might have something good to come and talk to us about or be able to run a club for us!  
• Help us with fundraising – we need pennies!
• Support whole school events as much as possible – we are so looking forward to having you more involved in school again.
• Children’s handwriting has been severely affected by the disruption to schooling. Please make sure when working with them that they form the letters in the right way. We can help you if unsure. Any work you can do to support this would be much appreciated.

Priority 4: To ensure a smooth transition of the new EYFS framework

Changes to the Statutory Framework for the early years are mandatory from September 2021 and we want to ensure a smooth transition of our curriculum to meet the changes. We have always been proud of the education we provide for our children and we work hard to ensure we meet the EYFS Framework statement that “Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential”.

How parents and carers can help

• Get involved in your child’s learning as much as possible through seesaw
• Reading at home lots and lots
• Help your child write his/her name in the mornings forming their letters correctly
• Talk to us and send in achievements from home