The Future Proof - Essential Audit is organised in the following way:

• Domains
• Characteristics of effective performance
• Auditing
• The Audit Tools
• Evaluation
• Reporting
• Future Proof Outcomes

If you would like to discuss Future Proof further please contact jacqui@cocentra.com

Alternatively, please call 0845 009 4010 and ask to talk to Jacqui or order a Cocentra brochure.

Domains

The Future Proof - Essential Audit is focused on evaluating the school’s performance in a number of key areas. In Cocentra’s “One School™” approach these areas are called Domains. There are five ‘Key Domains’ and seven ‘Supporting Domains’ as follows:

Key Domains

1. Leadership by the Headteacher
2. Organisational Culture
3. Quality of Teaching and Learning
4. Curriculum and Assessment
5. Pupil Attainment

Supporting Domains

6. School Self-Review, Evaluation and Development Planning
7. Performance Management and Professional Development
8. Behaviour Management
9. Leadership of Promoted Staff
10. Pupil Welfare
11. Partnerships
12. Financial Management

Characteristics of effective performance

For the five Key Domains there is a comprehensive statement of the quality standards for the domain, called the ‘Characteristics of Effective Performance’. These are made up of a number of ‘Performance Statements’, which effectively define, ‘what good looks like’. As there are many performance statements in each domain they are grouped to ‘Performance Areas’. The overall structure is as follows:

In the Essential Audit, the seven Supporting Domains have a more limited number of ‘Performance Statements’, which represent the key performance criteria within these domains.

Each of the performance statements has been matched against whether they relate to ‘efficiency and effectiveness’ (E&E) or the schools ‘capacity to respond to and sustain change’ (RSC), or both. Against each of the performance statements there is also an indication of the evidence that will be collected to evaluate performance in this area.

All the performance statements have been developed using the most recent research into school effectiveness.

Auditing

Judgements about the school’s performance are made by considering a range of evidence collected using a set of standard ‘audit tools’.

For the Key Domains the evidence collection is very comprehensive, enabling detailed judgements to be made about the school’s performance in these areas. For the Supporting Domains the evidence collection is less broad but is such that it enables the identification of areas where further audit may be necessary.

The audit tools for each of the domains are as follows:

Under Future Proof we recommend that the audit process be carried out as a single activity with all the evidence collected over a relatively short period. To support this we have produced survey questionnaires and management checklist that integrate the evidence collection across the twelve domains.

The Audit Tools

In Future Proof a variety of audit tools are used to collect data. These include attitudinal surveys for staff, pupils and governors, self-review questionnaires for the headteacher and teachers and a management audit for the leadership team.

A high emphasis is placed on the use of attitudinal surveys. We believe that collecting evidence in this way gives it both strength and validity. This approach also strongly supports the development of learning organisations through demonstrating a commitment to taking account of the views of all members of the school community. Attitudinal surveys are provided for staff, pupils and governors and cover.

In addition to attitudinal surveys Future Proof makes extensive use of self-evaluation. Questionnaires and audits are used, for example, by the school leadership team to judge the school’s performance across a number of areas and by individual teachers to evaluate their performance as teachers.

Evaluation

The evidence collected during the audit process is used to make judgements about the school’s performance, against each of the performance statements, across each of the twelve domains.

The auditing process has been set up so that there are a variety of sources of evidence in each performance area. Judgements on the school’s performance in a particular area are made by comparing and contrasting the different sets of evidence for that area. For example to consider Leadership by the Headteacher, the evidence from the Headteacher Self-Evaluation is compared with those parts of the staff and governor attitudinal surveys that relate to Leadership by the Headteacher.

To carry out this evaluation activity, Future Proof uses the available evidence to decide on the level of performance against each of the performance statements. Performance is graded on a four-point scale as follows:

• Level 1 – Excellent/very good (major strength)
  Level 2 – Good (strengths outweigh weaknesses)
  Level 3 – Satisfactory (some strengths but important weaknesses)
  Level 4 – Unsatisfactory (major weaknesses)
  X – insufficient or no information to make judgement.

Reporting

When the evidence has been collected, collated and analysed the school receives two reports, a written report and a statistical report.

The statistical report includes all the data collected in the audit, organised and presented as both tables and charts. It includes a numerical summary of the findings for the whole school presented in tables and a graph.

The written report is produced by the consultant adviser working with the school and reviews the evidence collected in each of the twelve domains. Judgements are given about the school’s relative strengths and weaknesses in each area and suggestions are made on those areas the school might consider for further development.

A separate review and judgements are made of those elements of each domain that are critically linked to the school’s capacity to respond to and sustain change. The report is completed with a summary overview of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and potential areas for development. A number of options are given on what the school might do to respond to those areas identified as needing further development.

Future Proof Outcomes

It is our recommendation that schools annually carry out the auditing of their performance, using the Future Proof. In addition to ensuring the rigorous self-evaluation that is essential for the operation of all effective schools, such an annual process will provide a standardised system through which performance can be compared year-to-year.

Where a school shows consistent effectiveness, high levels of efficiency and good capacity for change, the model can be fine tuned with additional areas of activity being incorporated into the self-review process.