Self Review Framework



Self-review Framework

Guidance February 2013

Introduction

The Self-review Framework is based on a maturity model which uses four levels to describe the progress your school might make in ICT development over a range of different aspects. These aspect descriptors are necessarily written concisely, and this guidance has been written to help clarify further the scope and meaning of each aspect and to enable you to come to valid judgements.

The Self-review Framework is designed to support all schools, and it is important that your review sets it in the context of your own school. While all of the Elements are as relevant to infant schools, special schools and early years settings as to mainstream primary, secondary schools and academies you will need to apply and interpret the aspect descriptors in the context of your own setting. For example, an infant school might need to consider what a relevant ‘curriculum experience’ is for a five-year-old while a special school would need to think about what ‘independent learning’ looks like for their pupils.

This guidance contains a brief introduction to each strand which describes it in more detail, highlights good practice and draws attention to specific issues which will be relevant to the review. For each aspect, a set of questions is then provided for further clarification and these will help you make a reliable judgement. The guidance also includes some advice about the evidence that you might use to support your judgements.

As you follow the development of each aspect from level 4 to level 1 you should remember that the key attributes of lower levels also apply to all higher levels. In other words, in order to achieve level 2, for example, you must be sure that you have met all of the relevant criteria from levels 3 and 4.

|Element 1 Leadership and management |

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|1a – ICT and the school vision |

|Overview of this strand |

|This strand reflects the importance of identifying the contribution ICT is making to all aspects of your school’s work – learning, teaching, |

|management and administration. This could be an integral part of your overall vision or a discrete related document. Schools that make effective|

|use of ICT ensure that its place in the overall vision is understood and embraced by staff, pupils and other stakeholders including governors, |

|parents/carers, community groups and other partners. Vision documents are not static and need to be reviewed and updated in the light of |

|developments in technology, practice and national policy. |

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|1a-1 The vision |

|Has your school clearly identified and expressed the potential for ICT to enhance its work? |

|Is this part of your school’s overall vision? |

|Is this focused on pupils’ experiences in learning and teaching, or on the technology and resources? |

|Does your vision include the contribution that ICT makes to your school’s organisational effectiveness and efficiency? |

|Does the vision include the engagement of stakeholders in the school’s work? |

|How have your staff, pupils, parents/carers and other stakeholders been involved? |

|How widely is the vision understood and embraced? |

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|1a-2 Reviewing the vision |

|How is the vision kept under review? |

|How is it informed by an understanding of emerging technologies, educational practices, research and national developments? |

|How do the outcomes of the school’s own evaluation contribute to the review? |

|How does the vision encourage the exploration of new and innovative practices? |

|How does your school take account of the views of pupils, staff, parents/carers and other stakeholders, for example through the use of surveys? |

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|1b – A strategy to achieve the vision |

|Overview of this strand |

|This strand looks at the most effective practice for creating a strategy that sets out your school’s priorities for achieving its ambitions for |

|ICT within the whole-school vision. It stresses the importance of careful financial planning that takes account of all ICT-related costs, the |

|wider issues of sustainability and consideration of the environmental impact of your decisions. The strand includes your school’s safeguarding |

|strategy that addresses both the need for a comprehensive e-safety policy and a rigorous implementation of that policy. Schools that are |

|successful in managing their ICT strategy will have strong strategic leadership which involves the senior leadership of the school and ensures |

|that all of these key aspects are routinely monitored and evaluated, and the outcomes used to inform future planning. |

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|1b-1 Strategic leadership of ICT across the whole school |

|Where does the responsibility for strategic leadership lie and how was this decided? |

|To what extent are the headteacher and senior leadership of your school actively engaged in leading the strategy for ICT? |

|How is the leadership for your school’s e-learning strategy organised? |

|How are your governors involved in the strategy for ICT? |

|How effectively is the leadership for ICT distributed across the whole school? |

|What impact does the strategy have on learning, teaching and outcomes for pupils? |

|What impact does it have on the organisational effectiveness and efficiency of the school? |

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|1b-2 The quality of the strategy |

|How does your strategy help you to achieve your vision for the school? |

|Is there a clearly defined strategy for ICT in your school? |

|How well is this integrated into your school’s improvement planning as a whole? |

|How effectively does your strategy take account of all of the inter-dependent elements that directly impinge on its success – curriculum |

|planning, staffing, staff development, management and administration – rather than just resources? |

|How does it set out clear priorities and targets for action which drive the more detailed planning? |

|How effective is your strategy in identifying roles, responsibilities and accountability for actions? |

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|1b-3 Budgetary effectiveness for ICT |

|Does your school have a budget for ICT which is clearly defined and well planned? |

|How does this budget cater for the sustainability of resources in the longer term? |

|How do you address the need for continuity and financial sustainability, for example, to maintain and develop resource levels, staff expertise |

|and curriculum provision in the longer term? |

|Is there a broader view of sustainability, for example when there are changes of personnel including leadership? |

|Does your school have an understanding of the total cost of ownership for ICT, including for example, digital educational content, technical |

|support and maintenance, staff development and replacement costs? |

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|1b-4 Environmental impact |

|To what extent have you considered the environmental impact of your use of ICT? |

|How do you consider environmental impact when you procure new ICT equipment? |

|What steps (shared printing, power saving settings, air conditioning, lighting, for example) have you taken to reduce the environmental impact |

|of your use of ICT? |

|How do you use technology (eg video conferencing to reduce travel, metering systems, Web 2.0 or email instead of paper correspondence) to reduce|

|your environmental impact? |

|How does your school dispose of redundant ICT resources in an environmentally friendly way? |

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|1b-5 Safeguarding |

|How well does your school understand their responsibilities related to safeguarding? See for example: |

|Childnet – |

|CEOP – |

|Are all staff and governors aware of their responsibilities relating to e-safety? |

|What policies does your school have relating to the safeguarding of staff and pupils? |

|How regularly are these policies and strategies reviewed and updated? |

|What measures do you have in place to deal with e-safety issues that arise from the use of your ICT systems, online resources and the internet |

|more generally? For example: |

|Passwords – setting, fixing, change process policy |

|Permissions – levels of access, internal and external mail |

|Staff – incorporated into terms and conditions of employment |

|Pupils – age-appropriate Acceptable use Policies in conjunction with parents/carers |

|What strategies do you have to help pupils become safe and responsible ICT users? |

|How effectively do you monitor and ensure that safeguarding policies are implemented? |

|To what extent do you work with parents/carers to promote e-safety of pupils beyond the school? |

|What guidance have you given to parents/carers to promote e-safety? |

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|1b-6 Evaluating the effectiveness of the strategy |

|What monitoring has your school undertaken to identify the effectiveness of its ICT strategy? |

|Does this monitoring take place regularly to inform planning, or as an end in itself'? |

|How do you ensure that monitoring is objective and evidence based? |

|How do you link expenditure on ICT to outcomes for pupils? |

|How do you link expenditure on ICT to organisational effectiveness? |

|How does your school use the outcomes of monitoring to prioritise its future planning for ICT? |

|How are the outcomes of your monitoring used to demonstrate accountability to your stakeholders and other partners? |

|1c – Managing information |

|Overview of this strand |

|This strand examines the way that your school uses information management systems to support assessment and performance data and to improve |

|communications. It also examines the legal requirements related to the use of electronic data, copyright protection and Freedom of Information. |

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|Schools that have an effective information management strategy will have a clear vision for the way that ICT supports the strategy. This |

|strategy will be owned and understood by all staff and by stakeholders including governors, learners, parents/carers, community groups and other|

|partners. It will continually evolve to support and enhance the school’s aims, and take into account developments in national policy, technology|

|and practice. |

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|1c-1 Information management strategy |

|Does your school have a clearly expressed information management strategy? |

|Who was involved in the writing of the strategy? |

|How widely has this been shared within the school? |

|Does this include pupils as well as staff and governors? |

|To what extent has it been shared beyond the school with parents/carers and other partners, for example, in relation to electronic |

|communications or online reporting? |

|When was the last time the strategy was evaluated and reviewed? How often does this take place? |

|What changed as a result of this review and why did it change? |

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|1c-2 The use of ICT to support assessment, recording and reporting |

|How effectively is ICT used for the recording and analysis of pupil performance? |

|How does your school use ICT to report pupils’ performance? |

|Do your ICT systems support the tracking of pupils’ progress and the setting of individual and whole-school targets? |

|How effectively are they used by your staff to track progress and set targets? |

|Is there a coherent and integrated approach to the way that ICT is used to do this? |

|Is relevant data securely available to staff, governors, parents/carers and pupils? |

|Is the school making effective use of online reporting systems where appropriate? |

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|1c-3 Communication strategy |

|What electronic systems does the school use for internal communication? |

|How does the school use the electronic and online systems (including the learning platform, electronic notice boards, online communities etc.) |

|to improve its communication with different groups, such as pupils, parents/carers, governors, the community and other agencies? |

|How does the school ensure that these systems meet the needs of the different users? |

|How well does your school understand the advantages of these electronic systems over more traditional means of communication? |

|To what extent do these systems integrate with other electronic management systems used in the school? |

|To what extent does your school understand the actual, or potential, environmental benefits of these systems? |

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|1c-4 Legislative requirements related to ICT |

|To what extent are staff and governors aware of their responsibilities relating to data protection, copyright protection and Freedom of |

|Information with reference to ICT? |

|What policies does the school have to meet these requirements? |

|What practical guidelines do you issue to staff relating to these issues? |

|What staff development and training has taken place to ensure these issues are addressed? |

|What practical guidelines do you give pupils relating to these issues? |

|How consistently, or rigorously, do staff and pupils apply the school's guidelines in these areas? |

|How are these requirements monitored by the school? |

|How do you make parents/carers aware of guidelines which affect them or their children? |

|To find out more: |

|Copyright protection *new link required |

|Freedom of information *new link required |

|Data protection *new link required |

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|Element 2 Curriculum Planning |

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|2a – Whole-school planning for ICT |

|Overview of this strand |

|This strand is concerned with the way that your school plans for both the development of pupils’ ICT capability and for the use of ICT to |

|support learning and teaching across the curriculum. ICT capability may be taught as a discrete subject, within the context of other subjects, |

|or a mixture of both, and this framework does not recommend a particular approach. Schools need to decide whether an appropriate ICT curriculum |

|is delivered to meet the National Curriculum statutory requirements and to provide pupils with sufficient expertise to enable them to make |

|effective use of ICT in other areas of the curriculum. |

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|Successful planning for ICT will show how pupils’ learning in other subjects is supported by the use of ICT either by their teachers or the |

|pupils themselves and how this use is matched to pupils’ ICT capability. It will ensure that there is effective planning and consistent practice|

|within and across schools that enable pupils to demonstrate in a progressive way what they can do with ICT within a wide range of learning |

|experiences. Effective planning for ICT also promotes inclusion for all pupils, and shows how the school plans for learning with ICT beyond the |

|school and how it ensures the development of e-safety for all of its pupils. |

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|2a-1 Planning for the development of pupils’ ICT capability |

|How effectively is your ICT curriculum planned? |

|How well does it meet statutory requirements? |

|To what extent does it go beyond skills teaching to include knowledge and understanding? |

|To what extent do opportunities for your pupils to use ICT in other curriculum areas contribute to the development and consolidation of their |

|ICT capability? |

|Is there evidence of curriculum planning for ICT which distinguishes between pupils of varying abilities, experiences and interest in ICT? |

|Does your ICT curriculum provide a wide range of challenging and relevant experiences for pupils? |

|Are there sufficient opportunities for your pupils to be creative with ICT? |

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|2a-2 Planning for the use of ICT to support learning and teaching |

|To what extent does planning in all subjects identify where ICT can support learning and teaching? |

|How consistently is this embedded in your curriculum schemes of work? |

|What proportion of your staff are confident and able to plan for the effective use of ICT in their teaching and pupils’ learning? |

|To what extent does this planning improve the learning experiences of pupils? |

|Do your pupils expect to use ICT to support their learning in all subjects or just in those where the teacher happens to be interested in ICT? |

|To what extent does your curriculum allow for innovative use of ICT? |

|How does this planning extend to your pupils’ learning beyond the school? |

|In what ways does your planning recognise how use of your school’s online learning environment can enhance learning? |

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|2a-3 Matching capability to opportunities |

|Do all teachers have a good awareness of the ICT capability needed by pupils to make effective use of ICT to support learning in their subject? |

|How well matched are subject expectations of ICT capability to the ICT capability that pupils actually bring to lessons? |

|To what extent is there an ongoing dialogue between subject teachers and those responsible for the development of pupils’ ICT capability? |

|What evidence is there to show that the planning for ICT capability takes account of how ICT is used in other subjects? |

|To what extent does this help pupils to consolidate their developing ICT capability and make good progress? |

|Is there a wide range of ICT experiences available, or is the use of ICT limited to just a few basic applications? |

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|2a-4 Planning for continuity within and between classes, phases and schools |

|How effectively does your school ensure information about ICT experiences and capability is readily available to teachers as pupils move between|

|classes, phases and institutions? |

|What use is made of this information to ensure continuity and progression? |

|Do your transfer or transition policies include references to pupils’ ICT learning? |

|How does your school promote the continuity of ICT experiences and learning for your pupils as they transfer or move between institutions? |

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|2a-5 Planning for learning beyond the school |

|How does your school find out about pupils’ or families’ access to ICT beyond the school? |

|What information do you have on pupils’ and families’ use of ICT beyond the school? |

|How is this information kept up to date? |

|How do your teachers use this information when planning learning beyond the school? |

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|2a-6 Planning for ICT as a means of promoting inclusion |

|To what extent do your staff understand how ICT can support the learning of different groups of pupils? |

|How, in practice, is ICT used to support the learning needs of different pupils? |

|To what extent does your school’s inclusion policy identify the role of ICT to support the learning of different groups of pupils? |

|Do you have agreed strategies for how to use ICT to support the learning of different groups of pupils? |

|What proportion of your staff plan effectively for the use of ICT to support the specific learning needs of pupils? |

|Does this extend to pupils of all abilities and needs? |

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|2a-7 Planning for e-safety |

|What strategies does your school have to ensure that ICT planning addresses the development of e-safety across the school? |

|How does the planning address the development of the skills and knowledge needed for pupils to be safe and responsible users of ICT? |

|To what extent do all your staff address this issue in their planning? |

|How would you know if this is happening? |

|How often are these plans reviewed and updated in the light of changing technologies and practices? |

|2b – Curriculum leadership |

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|Overview of this strand |

|This strand explores the way in which your curriculum is led, developed and reviewed. The curriculum is rarely static and, in the context of ICT|

|in particular, it must adapt and respond to increased resourcing, new technologies and applications as they are developed. Professional practice|

|is constantly changing too, as teachers understand more about how ICT can support learning and teaching. |

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|Schools with effective curriculum leadership for ICT will ensure that pupils’ ICT capability is developed in a continuous and progressive way |

|across all subject or curriculum areas. It will promote, encourage and support the development of new practices amongst staff, evaluate these |

|and embed successful new practices within the wider curriculum. |

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|2b-1 Leadership for the development of ICT capability |

|Who is responsible for the operational leadership of ICT capability in your school? |

|To what extent is this supported by your school’s senior leadership? |

|How does this leadership ensure a comprehensive, whole-school approach to the development of ICT capability? |

|Does this ensure that your pupils develop their ICT capability in a progressive way? |

|How does this leadership link the development of ICT capability to the curriculum needs and use of ICT? |

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|2b-2 Leadership of learning and teaching with ICT |

|Who at senior level in the school is promoting the use of ICT for learning and teaching? |

|How effectively does your school’s senior leadership team support this? Are there, for example, agreed whole-school approaches to the use of ICT|

|in learning and teaching? |

|How does leadership promote the development of new approaches in the use of ICT in learning and teaching? |

|How effective is the ICT leadership in individual subject/curriculum areas or departments? |

|To what extent are subject/curriculum leaders aware of their responsibilities to promote and evaluate effective use of ICT? |

|How does this extend to the learning that pupils undertake with ICT beyond the school? |

|How is the ICT curriculum kept up to date as changes in technology are identified, or as new applications of ICT emerge? |

|How are staff kept up to date with changes in technology and the new opportunities these bring in their subject area? |

|How creative and innovative are your subject/curriculum leaders in their responses to technological change? |

|How well is this work coordinated across the school? |

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|2b-3 Evaluating learning and teaching with ICT |

|How does your school monitor and evaluate the quality of learning and teaching with ICT? |

|What evidence does your school use to assess the impact of ICT on learning and teaching? |

|What impact has this had on wider teaching and learning practices within your school? |

|How does your school critically evaluate new practices? |

|How is your ICT curriculum reviewed and kept up to date both in ICT as a taught subject, where appropriate, and across the curriculum? |

|In what ways do these reviews influence future curriculum planning and design? |

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|2b-4 Review of the curriculum : |

|How does your school review and develop the way that the curriculum develops pupils’ ICT capability? |

|How do you review and keep up to date how ICT is used to support learning and teaching? |

|How are these reviews planned and undertaken? |

|How are your pupils’ experiences with ICT kept under review and checked against what the technology will allow them to achieve? |

|In what ways does curriculum review influence your curriculum planning and design? |

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|Element 3 Teaching and Learning |

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|3a Teaching and the learning process |

|Overview of this strand |

|This strand looks at the extent to which the teaching in your school facilitates pupils’ learning with and about ICT and how much this actually |

|improves their learning. It focuses not only on how the school deals with the skills, knowledge and understanding that comprise ICT capability |

|but also on the extent and quality of the learning opportunities provided when pupils use ICT. In schools making effective use of ICT, this will|

|significantly improve teaching in identifiable ways, leading to improvements in pupils’ learning both in school and at home. Staff will approach|

|their use of ICT critically, considering its impact on learning. |

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|3a-1 Breadth of development for ICT capability |

|Do teachers ensure that pupils develop their ICT capability in a range of contexts and does this include work both in subjects across the |

|curriculum and, where appropriate, in discrete ICT lessons? |

|Is work across subjects well matched to pupils’ current ICT capability? |

|Does teaching take account of the way pupils use ICT beyond school? |

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|3a-2 Extent of ICT use for learning and teaching |

|How widespread across your staff is there regular use of ICT as a teaching tool? |

|To what extent is there regular use of ICT to support pupils’ learning across subjects and the age range? |

|To what extent do your staff understand how ICT can support the learning of different groups of pupils? |

|To what extent do they enable learners with different learning needs to access learning more effectively through the use of ICT? |

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|3a-3 Quality of use of ICT for learning and teaching |

|Does the bulk of ICT use in your school support mainly traditional methodology with new resources, or does it enable new approaches not |

|available without ICT? |

|Does the use of ICT in your school go beyond engaging and motivating pupils by helping them to become more effective learners? |

|Specifically, is ICT used to develop your pupils’ creativity, their independence and their capacity to learn? |

|What impact does ICT have on pupils’ learning and how do staff identify this? |

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|3a-4 Learning with ICT beyond the school |

|To what extent do your staff promote pupils’ use of ICT for learning beyond school? |

|In what ways do staff encourage and provide opportunities for pupils to continue and extend their work using ICT beyond the school? |

|What examples do you have of where this is effective? |

|Is the work undertaken by pupils beyond the school valued and celebrated by staff? |

|To what extent does this aspect of pupils’ work extend their learning and help them to achieve better? |

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|3a-5 Ongoing critical evaluation |

|To what extent do your staff make critical evaluations of their use of ICT in their teaching in terms of its impact on their teaching, on |

|pupils’ learning and on their progress? |

|To what extent do your staff critically evaluate pupils’ use of ICT, both at school and at home, in terms of improved quality of learning and |

|learning outcomes? |

|Where in your school is such practice taking place? |

|Are there any agreed criteria for evaluating how ICT extends or enhances learning and teaching? |

|Are there planned opportunities for staff to share their evaluations with others, within and beyond the school, and learn from this process? |

|How do such evaluations affect practice or wider school developments? |

|To what extent is ongoing critical evaluation an important feature of school development? |

|3b Pupils’ learning experiences |

|Overview of this strand |

|This strand is at the heart of the SRF, examining the part that ICT plays in your pupils’ learning both in and out of school. It focuses on the |

|way they actually learn as opposed to what learning is planned or what is taught. It examines the extent to which ICT helps improve pupils’ |

|learning skills, confidence and independence, and whether it makes a difference to their achievements. Where pupils are working effectively with|

|ICT, they will make good progress against nationally defined levels of ICT capability and improve their learning across subjects and in a wide |

|range of contexts. Their use of ICT will improve their capacity as independent learners. They will work safely and understand, appropriate to |

|their age, the risks associated with ICT use. |

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|3b-1 Pupils’ progress in ICT capability |

|How much progress do your pupils make in developing their ICT capability as set against National Curriculum expectations and levels? |

|Does this progress apply to all areas of ICT capability? |

|Are there any significant patterns in this progress as pupils move through each key stage? |

|Are there any groups of pupils making exceptionally good or poor progress? |

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|3b-2 Pupils’ progress more widely |

|To what extent is your pupils’ progress across subjects influenced by their use of ICT? |

|Do your pupils use a wide range of ICT tools and applications in their learning? |

|How broad is the range of contexts that pupils experience when using ICT? |

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|3b-3 Pupils’ understanding about their learning with ICT |

|To what extent do your pupils have opportunities to reflect on their learning and the part that ICT plays in this? |

|How readily can they identify, with examples, how ICT supports their learning, both in school and at home? |

|How does your school use, or act upon, pupils’ responses about ICT and their learning? |

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|3b-4 Pupils’ confidence and independence |

|To what extent are your pupils confident when they use ICT in new situations? |

|Is this the same for all groups and ages of learners? |

|How effectively can they transfer their skills, knowledge and understanding from one context or subject to another? |

|Do they work independently with ICT and make their own decisions about what ICT tools to use in particular situations? |

|How is such confidence and independence evident in the work they do using ICT outside lessons? |

|To what extent do they expect to use ICT as a natural part of their learning across the curriculum? |

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|3b-5 Effective and safe use of digital resources |

|To what extent do your pupils know and understand, at a level appropriate to their age and attainment, the dangers and risks of using ICT, for |

|example in sending text messages, using social networking sites or in providing personal details online? |

|Do they understand the measures the school takes to minimise such risks? |

|Do they know, understand and comply with any school policy for acceptable use? |

|To what extent are your pupils responsible users of the technology at a level appropriate to their age and attainment? |

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|3b-6 Learning skills |

|What proportion of your pupils regularly draft and refine their work when using a range of ICT applications? |

|What proportion regularly reflect critically on their own and others’ work involving the use of ICT? |

|How effectively are they developing their ability to seek out, evaluate and rework information? |

|Do they use ICT to help develop their creativity? |

|Do they use ICT to develop their thinking skills appropriate to their age and attainment, for example: problem solving, identifying patterns and|

|structures; classifying, organising and making links; envisaging abstract ideas? |

|Do they collaborate with others when using ICT? |

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|3b-7 Attitudes to learning |

|For what proportion of pupils does the use of ICT in your school play a part in raising their self-esteem as learners? |

|What proportion of pupils are motivated to use ICT to make improvements in their work? |

|To what extent does ICT improve your pupils’ attitudes to learning? |

|To what extent does ICT help them to become independent learners? |

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|3b-8 Behaviour |

|To what extent do pupils engage with their learning when using ICT? |

|When using ICT in small groups, how well do your pupils collaborate? |

|To what extent does the use of ICT help them to sustain attention? |

|To what extent do pupils improve their perseverance with problems when using ICT? |

|Element 4 Assessment of ICT capability |

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|4a Assessment of ICT capability |

|Overview of this strand |

|There may well be two sources of pupils’ work for this assessment: one from their study of ICT as a discrete subject and the other from their |

|use of ICT to support their learning across subjects. This strand refers, in both cases, to the assessment of ICT capability and should not be |

|confused with the assessment of learning in other subjects even though ICT may have been a factor in this. The interplay between pupils’ use of |

|ICT in discrete ICT lessons, in other subject lessons and in their work outside school is critical. All are likely to contribute to ICT |

|capability and are important elements in making rounded assessments. |

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|The concept of ICT capability is much broader than technical competencies in using software applications. There may be statutory obligations on |

|schools regarding the assessment and reporting of ICT capability (links required). |

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|The concept of ICT capability is much broader than technical competencies in using software applications. Although these are clearly important, |

|ICT capability is more fundamentally concerned with pupils’ ability to make the appropriate selection of ICT tools, their effective and |

|responsible use of these, and their critical evaluation of outcomes. Pupils need to develop: a critical awareness of the clarity, relevance and |

|origin of information sources; the ability to give and receive evaluations of their own and their peers’ work; and a good understanding of the |

|risks associated with using online applications and communication, including devices such as mobile phones. |

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|In schools where assessment of ICT is effective, teachers will have a good understanding of their pupils’ current individual strengths and |

|weaknesses and the standards for which they should be aiming. Assessment procedures will be reliable and consistent. Dialogue between staff and |

|pupils will be influential in improving standards. |

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|4a-1 Assessment, recording and reporting of ICT capability |

|Does your school have coherent and consistent systems in place to enable assessments of pupils’ ICT capability? |

|How reliable do you think these assessments are in practice? |

|Do your staff undertake any internal moderation of assessment processes and outcomes? |

|Do they attempt to moderate standards externally, for example via the Local Authority or directly with other schools, in order to test their own|

|standards and practices? |

|Does your school meet statutory requirements for reporting to parents/carers? |

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|4a-2 Dialogue |

|What is the quality of feedback from your pupils about their ICT work? |

|To what extent do your staff engage pupils in constructive discussions about the effectiveness of their use of ICT and the quality of the work |

|they have produced? |

|Is there sufficient expertise across your staff for there to be consistently effective and well-informed dialogue with pupils about their ICT |

|capability? |

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|4a-3 Self and peer assessment |

|To what extent are your pupils involved in self-assessment of their ICT capability? |

|Is this limited to basic skills or are they encouraged and enabled to make judgements about the overall quality of the work they do using ICT, |

|the standards they have achieved and what they need to do to improve further? |

|Can they define their own criteria for success? |

|Do they assess each other’s work in a constructive and well-informed manner? |

|Can they discuss the quality and standards of their own and others’ work in order to improve? |

|To what extent do they self-assess their use of ICT in work done beyond the school? |

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|4a-4 Whole-school targets for improving ICT capability |

|Does your school set whole-school targets for the attainment of ICT capability? |

|Are these targets challenging? |

|How well are they understood by all staff? |

|How are they shared with pupils and with parents/carers? |

|How effectively are they used to drive improvement for pupils? |

|How are numerical targets translated into specific actions for cohorts, classes and individual pupils? |

|How effectively does the tracking of pupils’ progress inform whole-school targets? |

|Element 5 Professional development |

| |

|5a Planning for professional development |

|Overview of this strand |

|This strand is concerned with the processes used by your school to identify both individual and whole-school development needs together with the|

|planning processes necessary to meet those needs. |

| |

|In effective schools there will be regular and systematic review of the ICT skills of staff and their ability to use these to support learning |

|and teaching in the classroom and in their other professional roles, such as lesson preparation, assessment and management. Where practice is |

|good, the planning for professional development in ICT will not only reflect individual development needs but will also provide effective |

|support for the school's strategic developments in ICT. |

| |

| |

| |

|5a-1 Identifying individual staff skills and needs |

|How does your school know which staff require professional development in ICT, and in which areas they need it? |

|Does it make effective use of the TDA Professional Standards and Continuing Professional Development materials for teachers in identifying ICT |

|training needs? (new links required) |

|How is the identification of staff ICT development needs linked to your school’s performance management processes? |

|Does your school use the TDA career development framework for support staff in accessing ICT training needs? (update required) |

|How regular are the audits of staff needs in relation to ICT? |

|How well do these cover staff ICT skills, their use of ICT for learning and teaching, as well as other professional roles? |

|How well do these cover the safe and secure use of ICT by staff? |

|To what extent are staff expected to identify their own ICT development needs? |

|To what extent does your school promote a reflective culture in which new developments, technologies and educational practices are effectively |

|encouraged and supported by ongoing professional development? |

|To what extent is the identification of professional development needs focused on developing effective learning in the school? |

| |

|5a-2 Identifying whole-school ICT development needs |

|How are development needs for ICT linked to whole-school planning? |

|To what extent are professional development needs for ICT matched to the school’s overall vision, ICT priorities, and your school’s learning and|

|teaching priorities? |

|To what extent does professional development address the issue of organisational effectiveness and efficiency? |

|To what extent does your school's strategic plan drive the identification of ICT development needs? |

|5b Implementation |

| |

|Overview of this strand |

|This strand explores the range and quality of the provision that your school makes for staff ICT development and how it supports individuals and|

|shares effective practice. |

| |

|Where these practices are well developed, schools use a wide range of development opportunities tailored to individual as well as whole-school |

|needs. Such activities cater for individual learning styles, take place within and/or beyond the school as appropriate, are closely linked to |

|the school's own ICT resources and reflect the confidence levels of the individuals involved. |

| |

|In effective schools, coaching and mentoring systems are often a key part of planned professional development, as are systems for sharing |

|effective practice with other colleagues and, on a reciprocal basis, with other schools. |

| |

|Schools should note that all staff are entitled to appropriate ICT professional development including the wide range of support and technical |

|staff who contribute to the impact that ICT has on learning, teaching and school management. |

| |

|5b-1 Meeting school and individual ICT needs |

|To what extent are plans for ICT professional development linked to the regular review and analysis of staff and school needs? |

|How do individual staff or subject plans for professional development in ICT link to whole-school planning, and/or to the school's ICT strategic|

|plan? |

|How does planning for professional development in ICT link to the school’s performance management processes? |

|To what extent do all staff receive their entitlement to appropriate ICT professional development (including teachers, headteacher, senior |

|managers and leaders, classroom assistants, and technical and other support staff)? |

|Has your school identified a role for pupils with particular expertise who can contribute to the professional development of staff? |

|How are staff encouraged to gain ICT accreditation or qualifications when appropriate? |

|In what ways does your school make use of a wide range of approaches to professional development both within and outside the school? |

| |

|5b-2 Coaching, mentoring and individual support |

|What coaching or mentoring for ICT support takes place within your school? |

|Is this an integral part of a planned professional development programme? |

|What proportion of staff have been involved in coaching and mentoring processes? |

|To what extent do pairs and small groups of staff work together informally to address professional development issues? |

|Does your school make use of external support for coaching and mentoring? |

|Is effective use made of learning platforms or other environments which facilitate ‘anytime, anywhere’ learning for staff, such as online access|

|to materials, learning, collaboration and feedback? |

|Does your school support staff in other schools through coaching or mentoring? |

| |

|5b-3 Developing and sharing ICT practices |

|What approaches does your school use for sharing effective practice with ICT? |

|How consistently are these used across the whole school? |

|How regular are the opportunities to share effective practice? |

|How does your school monitor the impact of this? |

|To what extent does your school encourage action research and planned and evaluated innovation? |

|What opportunities exist to enable staff to share practice with other schools? |

|How is the technology itself used by your school to share and learn from best practice both internally and externally? |

|How effectively are the outcomes of this process embedded into wider practice? |

|5c Review |

| |

|Overview of this strand |

|This strand is concerned with the overall evaluation of staff development for ICT, and how the outcomes of this are used for future planning. |

| |

|Where practices are well developed, there will be regular and systematic monitoring and evaluation of the quality of the professional |

|development for ICT, and the impact it has on the outcomes for learning and teaching, and staff professional roles. Planning for future |

|professional development activities will take account of these evaluations and will be reviewed in relation to value for money and the impact on|

|pupil outcomes. |

| |

|5c-1 Monitoring and evaluation |

|What systems does your school use for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of ICT professional development? |

|How does your school ensure that ICT development activities address the needs and confidence levels of individual staff? |

|How does your school ensure that these activities enable staff to make effective use of the ICT resources available in the school? |

|How has your school linked ICT professional development activities to improvements in organisational efficiency? |

|Do monitoring and evaluation seek to identify what changes in ICT practice or pupils’ outcomes your school can attribute to ICT professional |

|development activities? |

|What reciprocal links with other schools does your school have when evaluating professional development in ICT? |

|How does your school feed evaluations into its planning for future professional development activities? |

| |

|5c-2 Impact of professional development activities |

|What is the impact of professional development on individual staff? |

|How significant is the impact on learning and teaching? |

|What is the impact on pupil outcomes? |

|What is the impact on the school’s organisational effectiveness and efficiency? |

|Element 6 Resources |

| |

|6a Provision |

|Overview of this strand |

|This strand is concerned with the provision, management and support of ICT resources used within your school. By resources we mean both |

|hardware, including network servers and background equipment/infrastructure, as well as software, including management information systems and |

|applications used by pupils and teachers. |

| |

|The strand considers the physical environment in which ICT is used, and how the use of space, layout, furniture, seating, lighting and |

|ventilation affects learning and teaching. It is, of course, recognised that, in the absence of a re-modelling or re-building programme, many |

|schools have limited scope for radical alteration of premises to accommodate ICT and often the best has to be made of existing space. When |

|reviewing this strand, you should take a pragmatic view of what has been possible given local circumstances. For example, in some classrooms, |

|only minor modifications or re-arrangement of furniture may have been possible but even this may have made the use of ICT more effective. |

| |

|The strand also considers the quality, suitability, sufficiency and availability of ICT resources, including digital learning resources, |

|environments for online learning and management information systems. It is important to understand that there is no absolute measure on |

|sufficiency – you will need to determine what you want to do with ICT, taking account of your vision for the school and the role of ICT within |

|it, and then ensure you have appropriate resources to achieve this. Access and availability in this context applies to both curriculum and |

|management resources and, when reviewing the school’s position, account will need to be taken of the way in which both pupils and staff are able|

|to access ICT. There is no point in having plenty of resources if access to them is limited or restricted due to physical or organisational |

|constraints. Arrangements for access from a variety of locations within and outside the school will need to be considered. |

| |

|Overall, the key emphases in this strand are not the environment and resources themselves. Instead, you should give most attention to the impact|

|of resources on the quality and range of learning and teaching opportunities and the organisational and management needs of the school. This |

|element recognises that effective schools develop learning and management cultures which are enhanced by the availability of reliable, coherent |

|and sustainable ICT resources. |

| |

|6a-1 Physical environments |

|What impact does the physical environment have on the quality of learning when your pupils are using ICT? |

|To what extent have your spaces been designed, adapted or reorganised, to enable ICT to have a significant impact on learning and teaching? |

|How have your staff been supported in their attempts to create effective spaces in which to use ICT? |

|How effectively do these spaces support a range of learning styles when using ICT? |

|How flexible are they? |

|Has a whole-school approach been evident in the way in which space has been created or adapted for ICT use? |

| |

|6a-2 Sufficiency, suitability and availability of hardware |

|Are there sufficient ICT resources to meet your school’s vision for learning, teaching and management with ICT? |

|Are they of suitable quality to meet your school’s overall vision and the expectations of pupils and staff? |

|Does the range of resources meet the needs of each phase and curriculum area as well as school management? |

|What impact does the availability of and access to ICT have on learning, teaching, and school organisation and management? |

|What is the overall impact of ICT resources on learning both in individual classrooms and across the school? |

|What is your school doing to ensure that pupils without access to ICT at home are not disadvantaged? |

|To what extent has the use of ICT changed the learning, teaching and management culture? |

| |

|6a-3 Internal and online connectivity |

|What is the extent of internal and online connectivity in your school? |

|How effectively is access provided to curriculum and management resources? |

|Is such access available from a variety of locations within the school? |

|How easy is it for teachers and pupils to access the resources they need in appropriate locations? |

|How well is connectivity planned and does it meet the needs of users in the school? |

|How secure and reliable is it? |

|What is the impact on learning, teaching and management of having secure and reliable connectivity? |

|How is appropriate access to online services secured and provided to meet the demands made by your school? |

|How are developing needs reviewed and is your school responsive to changing needs? |

| |

|6a-4 Digital learning resources |

|Is there an appropriate range of good quality and suitable digital learning resources to support the teaching of ICT and the use of ICT to |

|support learning in other subjects? |

|In what way do these resources make a significant contribution to learning and teaching? |

|How well planned is your school’s acquisition of digital learning resources? |

|To what extent has the availability and use of digital learning resources changed the learning culture within your school? |

| |

|6a-5 Environments for online learning |

|How far has your school progressed in providing an effective environment or platform for online learning which goes beyond access to the |

|internet and online file storage? |

|How does this environment improve the way that pupils gain access to and use resources which support their learning whenever or wherever they |

|need them? |

|In what ways does this environment provide staff with appropriate tools to support and interact productively with pupils’ learning? |

|How do pupils use this environment to showcase their achievement? |

|Is there a wide range of tools, facilities and resources to support learning, including communication and collaboration tools? |

|To what extent is access available to other stakeholders, including parents and carers? |

|How effectively does your school review and develop its environment for learning to take advantage of new technologies and practices? |

| |

|6a-6 Management information systems |

|How does your school use ICT systems to support management tasks? |

|What areas of your school’s management processes are significantly influenced by or dependent upon ICT systems? |

|How well is data managed without undue duplication? |

|How effectively do ICT systems integrate with each other and with remaining manual processes? |

|How effective is access to management information systems? Can appropriate staff gain access when and where they need to? |

|How does your school keep management information systems under review and how are they developed and improved when necessary? |

| |

|6b Management of ICT resources |

|Overview of this strand |

|This strand is concerned with the way in which your school acquires its ICT resources through effective analysis of curriculum and |

|administration needs, planning for the future, including both financial and environmental sustainability, and using best practice procurement |

|practices. A good school will have a clear view of how effective its current ICT resources are in meeting learning and teaching needs and will |

|have arrangements in place to identify priorities for future developments with ICT. It will have a clear strategy for developing learning and |

|teaching using ICT which will enable it to identify the key resources it will need to acquire. |

| |

|Effective schools will have a good understanding of the total cost of ownership of products and services and will be able to identify good value|

|for money in terms of expenditure and consequential improvements to learning and teaching. They will have a clear policy on procurement and make|

|use of best practice procurement agreements. Local Authorities and other agencies may also have their own guidance on procurement, particularly |

|where these relate to high levels of expenditure and your school should be aware of these and comply with them. The strand emphasises that |

|procurement must be well planned and closely related to the school’s overall vision, ICT strategy, and curriculum, subject or departmental |

|needs. |

| |

|When referring to sustainability, this strand is concerned with the school’s longer term sustainability of resource provision. Good schools make|

|purchases which can be used effectively not only in the short term, but also over a longer period of time. Some purchases will require |

|additional expenditure over time to ensure their effective use and your school needs to understand the longer term financial and support |

|implications. The strand also refers to environmental impact of school expenditure on ICT and this should not be confused with the |

|sustainability issue. |

| |

|This strand also deals with technical support. Measuring adequacy of technical support is always difficult but the best schools will be striving|

|for minimal disruption to learning caused by technical problems. You cannot guarantee that your school’s ICT systems will be fully operational |

|100 per cent of the time, however desirable that might be. What matters is that your school minimises the effects of system failure by being |

|proactive in technical support and maintenance and that teachers are sufficiently resourceful to be able to cope when planned learning is |

|affected by minor technical problems. This strand does not suggest that every school needs a full-time technician and, for many small schools, |

|that would be inappropriate. However, every school needs access to some form of technical support and the measure of its effectiveness should |

|not be on how this is organised, but on how the arrangements minimise disruption to learning and teaching. Schools with a managed service need |

|to consider these issues within the context of their situation and service. |

| |

| |

|6b-1 Procurement |

|How are your school’s ICT needs identified and solutions determined? |

|How does your school procure its ICT resources? |

|What are the planning processes involved from both curriculum and financial perspectives? |

|What criteria, including technical ones, based on evidence of effective use and/or clear curriculum need, are used for acquiring new resources? |

|How is procurement carried out in line with the school’s strategy for ICT and in line with best practice advice? |

|How does your school ensure that full account is taken of the total cost of ownership of ICT resources? |

|How does your school attempt to secure ongoing value for money and how does it relate spending to improvements in learning and teaching? |

|What procedures are in place to ensure that provision is kept up to date and continues to meet the demands made on it by the school? |

|What account is taken of the environmental impact of ICT resource acquisition and disposal? |

| |

|6b-2 Technical support |

|What arrangements has your school made for timely and effective technical support? |

|Is there appropriate and timely access to specialist staff when technical problems arise? |

|What steps have been taken to provide proactive system maintenance to reduce the chance of system failure? |

|Does your school make use of automated systems which monitor use and pre-warn of possible failures? |

|Are appropriate back-up systems in place in case of major failure? |

|How well does the school minimise disruption to learning, teaching and administration caused by technical problems? |

|How effectively is technical support monitored and managed? |

| |

|6b-3 Data security and safeguarding |

|How does your school ensure pupils are safe when they are using online resources (internet, email, communication tools etc.)? |

|How does your school ensure that systems are protected from viruses and the system is technically robust and reliable? |

|How does your school ensure security of data both on and, where appropriate, off the school site, for example on laptops, USB memory sticks, |

|CD-ROMS? |

|What arrangements are in place to ensure that pupils’ and teachers’ work are not lost or overwritten? |

|What arrangements are in place for appropriate back-up of data and for disaster recovery? |

|How does the school ensure the privacy of appropriate data? |

|How do your arrangements for data security ensure that opportunities for learning and effective school management are not unnecessarily |

|compromised? |

| |

|6b-4 Evaluation |

|What arrangements are in place for the monitoring and evaluation of the use of your school’s ICT resources? |

|How does evaluation go beyond counting equipment and noting access arrangements so that it considers impact on learning and teaching? |

|How effective are your school’s evaluation processes and how do they influence ICT strategy and future procurement? |

|How do the outcomes of evaluation influence improvements in learning and teaching? |

Using evidence to make SRF judgements

A question often asked by schools when beginning Self-review Framework (SRF) is How much evidence do I need to collect? They may sometimes be thinking about other national awards where they have collected weighty portfolios of evidence, or inspections where written evidence is required to validate the school’s own self-evaluation. This is not the case when using the SRF.

So where are you likely to find evidence for your SRF judgements? To help you think about the sources of evidence, this guidance divides the potential sources of evidence into five categories:

1. Written evidence

2. Oral evidence

3. Observational or practice evidence from the school’s work

4. Outcome evidence

5. Electronic evidence

As many of the Aspects use the same sources of evidence you may find it useful to print this guidance and keep it by you when working through the SRF. The guidance that accompanies each of the Strands will also list any additional or specific evidence that is relevant to that particular Strand.

So, the key message is that you do not need to collect a weighty portfolio of evidence but you do need to know how you came to your judgements, what evidence you used to support them and what that evidence told you about your practice. If you decide to put your school forward for an ICT Mark award you will need to be clear about these issues in discussion with the assessor who visits you to validate your own self-evaluation.

Possible sources of evidence

Please remember that this is simply a list of some possible sources of evidence. You should not expect to use them all! Equally you may have other sources of evidence, not listed here, that you feel are relevant to your school.

Written evidence

Leadership

• The school’s vision statement and expressed aims

• Any separately expressed vision for ICT

• Governors’ reports and other meeting minutes

• Staffing and leadership structures

• Job descriptions for all staff

ICT strategy

• The school’s ICT strategy and other development/improvement plans

• Documented priorities for ICT development within whole-school planning

• ICT budget plans and processes

• Minutes of ICT working groups

• Minutes of staff, subject or phase meetings

• Resourcing and financial sustainability strategy

• Environmental sustainability strategy

• The school’s assessment policy

The school’s ICT policies and guidance including:

• ICT policy

• E-safety, safeguarding and Acceptable use

• Data Protection and Freedom of Information

• Data security and disaster recovery

• Copyright

• Procurement/acquisition of resources

• Sustainability – financial and resources

• Environmental impact of ICT procurement, use and disposal

• Out of school access

• Use of ICT to support school management and organisation

• Technical support

Curriculum documentation including:

• Learning and teaching policy

• Schemes of work

• Individual subject or departmental schemes of work using ICT or digital resources

• Teachers’ day-to-day planning and lesson planning

• Learning programmes for pupils with special needs

Monitoring and Evaluation

• The school’s policy for curriculum review

• Plans that show how monitoring and evaluation for ICT takes place

• Monitoring and evaluation policies and guidelines

• Minutes from meetings that identify any processes or outcomes for evaluation of ICT impact

• Pupils’ learning logs or diaries

• Technical, usage and resource logs

Professional Development

• Audits of staff skills

• Professional development policy

• Professional development planning; whole school and individual

• Professional development records for ICT

• School policy for performance management

• Performance management targets

• Written evaluations of training and/or staff development opportunities

• ICT awards/qualifications obtained by staff

Transition and transfer records and transition policy

1. Oral evidence:

Discussions with a range of staff carrying out different roles

• Leaders at different levels

• Teachers

• Curriculum leaders

• Support staff

• Technicians

Discussions with parents/carers

Discussions with governors

Discussions with other stakeholders

Formal and informal discussions with pupils, on:

• their ICT experiences

• their use of ICT at school

• their use of ICT beyond school

• expectations for the use of ICT

• their learning gains when using ICT

• their ICT capability

• access, sufficiency and reliability of ICT resource systems

• their self and peer-assessment practices

3. Practice evidence

Scrutiny of teachers’ planning, assessment records and databases, and school reports

Monitoring of learning and teaching

Observation of professional development activities

Observation of support and mentoring systems

4. Outcome evidence

Data on the quality of pupils’ work using ICT and of their ICT capability

Data on the quality of learning, including the impact on engagement, motivation and learning skills development of pupils

Outcomes from lesson observations including discussions with pupils that demonstrate what they know, understand and can do involving the application of ICT to their learning

Pupils’ attainment at individual, group and school level

Pupils’ portfolios of work showing application of ICT in a variety of contexts

Pupil questionnaires or surveys

Parental surveys and questionnaires

5. Electronic evidence

Electronically held performance data

Evidence of the analysis of performance data

Examples and availability of online reporting for parents/carers

Scrutiny of different forms of electronic communications such as email, website, online communities between home and school and the wider community

Data and any results of data analysis linking ICT and pupil outcomes

Information derived from the content and use of your online learning environment

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