The aim of this work is to establish a common set of concepts, language and framework that will allow trusts to explore, capture and compare their models of school improvement so that we can build more knowledge and a stronger evidence base about what is more likely to work when improving schools at scale.
The conceptual model is structured as a triple helix consisting of three strands:
- Curate clear goals
- Build capability & capacity
- Implement improvement initiatives
It is important to understand the model does not seek to specify what a trust might seek to improve within its schools, but rather it outlines the key aspects of how a school improvement process, strategy or model is enacted within the trust.
Accordingly, it does not assert that particular aspects of school practice, such as curriculum, pedagogy and behaviour should be improved (though a trust might determine they should be). This allows the model to ‘speak to’ improvement models and strategies that span the potentially infinite range of things a school or trust could seek to improve. If a trust thinks the curriculum, for example, is central to school improvement, then this would be reflected in various components within the model, including how the trust defines it’s conception of quality and improvement goals. It could also flow into other aspects of the model. For example, there might be considerations linked to school culture that are pertinent to curriculum improvement, or the development of expertise. Essentially, the model is intended to help trusts trace a pathway from what their improvement model/strategy intends to address to a holistic consideration of how they do this.
