Schools that are ‘getting on to the improvement pathway’ lack the capacity to improve. They need a high level of external support and direction in order to get the basics in place and to establish the pre-conditions for success. This is achieved through the appointment of:

• Residency Adviser - with turnaround and capacity building skills who works intensively with the leadership and school improvement teams for a period of two terms for two or three days a week.
• School Adviser - following the initial period of intensive intervention the school adviser is then able to work directly with the school improvement team.
• Curriculum Adviser - in literacy, numeracy, behaviour and data management: these are usually the deficit areas in such schools.
• Bright Tribe Principal – who provides immediate support for those schools without leadership capacity until a substantive Principal can be appointed.

Our aim is to produce a confident and competent leadership and school improvement team able to make significant and rapid improvement. The on-going analysis of pupil data for these schools will show evidence of progress in all year groups and across the distribution. The school will then be in a position to join the Bright Tribe improvement pathway.

Schools that are ‘on the journey to good’ need to refine their developmental priorities and focus on specific teaching and learning issues and build capacity within the school to support this work. This will be achieved through:

• School Advisers – work with the school leadership and improvement teams in accelerating progress through more precision in teaching and monitoring. They also broker specific support from a Bright Tribe Support School (see below) in terms of appropriate curriculum and pedagogic coaching, assist in enhancing performance managament and continue to provide support for Oftsed.
• Curriculum Adviser – may need to be involved on a more limited basis, but there may also be the need for continuing literacy support.
• Bright Tribe Support Schools – are identified from among Bright Tribe Trust’s and ALAT’s ‘outstanding’ schools for curriculum and teaching support and mentoring.

This approach aims to produce a confident and competent leadership and school improvement team that is able to deliver precise teaching at a ‘good’ standard and above on a reliable basis. Quantitative school, class and pupil data would show good progress.

‘Getting to outstanding’ schools need specific strategies in this phase of their journey that ensure the school remains a ‘moving’ school, continues to enhance pupil performance and engages in networking with Bright Tribe schools and others. This is about sustainability, succession planning and moving to system teaching and system leadership so developing staff at all levels. This is achieved through:

• School Adviser – working with the school leadership and improvement teams in deepening the enquiry focus throughout the school, increasing confidence in use of data and supporting forms of professional development to ensure that all teachers are working towards being ’outstanding’.
• Bright Tribe Network Adviser – would facilitate half-termly twilight sessions to share the best of practice in teaching, learning and monitoring across the Bright Tribe Family.

Such an approach will result in schools that are well on the way to being ‘outstanding’, with large numbers of staff on Masters programmes and that are working towards Adventure Learning School accreditation. Pupil tracking data will show more than expected progress.

‘Outstanding’ schools and schools that sustain excellence become ALAT Support Schools. Their signal characteristic is the way in which they search for excellence internally and support other schools in their own journeys of improvement externally. This is achieved through:

• School Adviser – working with these schools’ leadership and improvement teams, guiding them in the development of their skills in the Bright Tribe Coaching Model, leading Instructional Rounds and supporting the implementation of the school improvement strategy.

This will result in schools that are sustaining and deepening their outstanding status and providing support across the Bright Tribe Family. Pupil tracking data will show sustained and excellent progress.