1. .
Wistaston Church Lane Primary School
Assessment
Report
Commercial in Confidence
Assessor: Heather Beattie
Date: 18th October 2011
Investors in People delivered by idg official
partner for the North of England.
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2. Contents Page
Introduction 3
Objectives 4
Outcome 4
Executive Summary 5
Continuous improvement opportunities 6
Findings Against the objectives 8
Investors in People Topic Map 15
Continuous Improvement/Action Plan 16
Conclusion 17
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3. Introduction
The school opened in September 2007 following the amalgamation of two highly successful
schools, Wistaston Westfield Infant School and Wistaston Junior School. In addition, the
campus is shared with a privately run pre-school called ‘La Maternelle’. Approximately 420
children attend between the ages of 4-11 years.
Located in Cheshire between Crewe and Nantwich, the school enjoys a large green campus
that includes a huge playing field, extensive outdoor play apparatus, a wildlife coppice, areas for
quiet reflection and access to adjacent cricket pitches and tennis courts. The grounds are
continually being developed and an outdoor classroom has recently been added to the facilities
in use.
Both schools were recognised prior to the amalgamation. This is the first review of the school in
its present form and to reflect the drive and ambition of the team it was agreed to deliver a
greater depth of feedback and to recognise achievements that this review would be against the
full framework.
A sample of 16 staff were invited for interview, which represented 38% against an IIP UK
suggested sample of 28- 50%
Key School Aims and Values
Extracted from Web site
To value each individual child and encourage him/ her to reach their fullest academic,
High expectations aesthetic, physical, social and spiritual potential.
To provide a broad, balanced relevant and differentiated curriculum which provides for
Rich, broad, varied the needs and talents of each pupil, regardless of gender, racial background, religion or
curriculum special educational needs.
To develop the child's physical fitness, health and well-being, to encourage teamwork,
and to enable pupils to develop the ability to make healthy choices and develop healthy
Healthy lifestyles
lifestyles.
To build up relationships of trust, respect and support between staff, governors,
Parents, community and parents, advisory colleagues, private nursery and friends in the local community for the
all other stakeholders good of the children within our school.
To create a stimulating, dynamic environment, which encourages enthusiasm for
Stimulating school
learning and promotes an expectation of high standards.
environment
Produce understanding citizens of the twenty-first century who recognise the need to
Responsible citizens participate in a caring and responsible way for the sustainability of our world.
• We strive to help our children to be happy and eager to learn, feeling supported, confident and secure.
• We promote positive attitudes of self-respect, valuing the needs and opinions of others in all aspects of
school life.
• All members of the school community are recognised as individuals through being respected and afforded
appropriate challenges to achieve.
• Teamwork is placed at the heart of the school's development.
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4. Objectives for the Assessment
• To establish whether Wistaston Church Lane Primary School meets all of the evidence
requirements for the Investors in People Standard.
• Quality learning experiences
To review the people practices in place to recruit, develop, and involve all staff so the
pupils receive a unique, enjoyable and effective learning experience.
• Maximise efficiency
Offer suggestions on how the school can creatively and innovatively utilise the resources
more efficiently.
• To establish where the organisations sits against the full framework with the ambition of
achieving Gold status.
This is the first review of the school in its present status, having worked with IIP since 2004.
Outcome
Having carried out the assessment process in accordance with the guidelines provided for
assessors by Investors In People UK, the Assessor was satisfied beyond any doubt that
Wistaston Church Lane Primary School continues to meet the requirements of the Investors in
People Standard. On behalf of Investors in People North of England the Assessor would like to
congratulate Wistaston Church Lane Primary School on this achievement.
The assessor also confirms that Wistaston Church Lane Primary School has met 131 evidence
requirements above the 39 in the Investors in People Standard and this equates to a Gold,
award requiring at least 165 evidence requirements. The Assessor recommends to the
Moderation Board that Wistaston Church Lane Primary School is confirmed as having achieved
this award. On behalf of Investors in People North of England the assessor would like to
congratulate Wistaston Church Lane Primary School on this additional achievement.
The next review will be due by October 2014.
Options for next Assessor intervention
Wistaston Church Lane Primary School has several options for their next assessor intervention:
• Contact the Assessor to discuss the report in detail.
• Consider an interim review after 18 months in order for this intervention to act as a
barometer to measure the impact of any on-going changes within the organisation
• Consider being assessed against the Investors in People ‘Health & Wellbeing’ Standard
once a strategy (To build on the good work in respect of supporting Work-life balance) in
this area had been fully developed
• Contact the Assessment Centre in respect of supporting workshops, consultancy or
advice
• Undertake a three year review (maximum 3 years) by October 2014 in order to return to
the three year anniversary date.
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5. Executive Summary
Overview and what makes Wistaston Church Lane Primary School special and
worthy of Gold level accreditation.
It was obvious from the outset that the strategies in place go beyond the Investors in People
Standard. The organisation was able to demonstrate how it has applied Investors in People
practices to the creation of one unified team with a shared vision since the amalgamation and
more importantly to the achievement of their key priorities.
This was the first formal visit from the assessor since the amalgamation and it was evident how
the organisation had used the standard as a framework for continuous improvement and had
evolved themselves from two separate and independent schools to being an organisation which
is leading the way in effectively, creatively and innovatively educating children to deliver the
shared vision.
There were many strengths including
• A culture based on openness and trust
• Total understanding of the need to improve the outcomes for the pupils by taking a
holistic approach.
• The increasingly consultative approach to planning and decision making
• An atmosphere of involvement and empowerment
• Effective and visible leadership
• Strong support and communication in place for all levels of staff
• The strong desire to both keep up the high standards already achieved ‘maintaining
momentum’ and to continuously improve.
People development has led directly to the performance improvements resulting in their strong
relationships within the community, high attendance figures and high levels of support from
parents and other stakeholders. Other quantifiable examples included the Inclusion mark, active
mark, eco schools status, international schools award as well as being oversubscribed, having
low staff turnover and low sickness absence.
There was evident pride that everyone had in the School, its standards, environment, friendly
and helpful people, and in its achievements. Everyone interviewed was clearly committed to the
pupils and their experience at Wistaston Church Lane Primary School.
There was a generous learning and development offer to each and every employee. All
employees were encouraged to undertake Continuous Professional Development.
All interviewees felt supported through development, information and involvement, and this
matched the strategy and expectations of the organisation.
People development was evident throughout, undertaken in a variety of ways from courses
(including bespoke) to shadowing and sharing good practice sessions. Examples of outcomes
included the achievement of qualifications, job enrichment and in many cases career
advancement, improved confidence, skills and knowledge, all linking to a clear impact on the
performance of the school.
The results of the positive people strategies in place were the greater levels of employee
involvement and the opportunity for creativity and innovation to take place. There were a
number of examples given to the assessor where staff had contributed to and created significant
impact at team and school level. The change team is an excellent example of how people were
consulted, involved, empowered to make more creative changes for the benefit of all.
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6. Continuous Improvement Opportunities - What could be developed further?
Quality learning experiences
1. The vision and values are in place and embedded, although when asked some staff
were not clear on how to articulate this. The values are reviewed as part of the
annual monitoring process and it is clear their relevance continues. It may be worth
refreshing the values to sharpen the clarity and understanding of all stakeholders
involved. This along with involving the staff in the development of the strategy and
plan will impact on much greater levels of commitment and motivation from the staff,
strengthening the collective vision.
2. The performance management process could be enhanced through enabling
managers to gain feedback about their leadership and management effectiveness.
Good practice suggests that managers be developed to ask for feedback at the
appraisal meeting, and to develop the tools and techniques for consciously reviewing
their own people performance on a day to day level. This would offer the school a
tool for collecting views of how people feel about how they are managed and
developed, to ultimately identify improvements in how managers improve and staff
can identify improvements as a result of their feedback.
3. Return on investment in people strategies are monitored and reported to Governors,
the school may wish to consider how it could extend this reporting back to
stakeholders to include pupils and parents so everyone in the school community can
relate to the benefits received from development activities and people strategies.
Maximise efficiency
1. Review the management capabilities identified for managers and ensure there is a
clearly defined and transparent view of what a Wistaston Church Lane Primary
School manager looks like and how they are expected to manage. This will involve
having clearly defined levels of skill and competency with activities in place to
support potential candidates to developing these. The current leadership team offers
a good role model for this. However, it was not apparent to all that there were a
common set of capabilities required of managers which linked the leadership
strategy to the School strategy. This will enable the school to have greater focus on
development of middle managers and support succession planning for the future.
2. Having got the capabilities above clearly defined and understood by all, consider
those capabilities in terms of the future needs. The change team could be an
excellent forum for defining the future capabilities and what this means to how the
school will be lead and managed in the future, especially with changes to Ofsted,
Governance and political aspects on the horizon.
3. The school has a strong approach to mentoring with a high number of staff involved
in official mentoring programmes of new teachers, student teachers and student
teaching assistants. In interviews most people described examples of coaching,
although they described it as either support from a team member or guidance from a
manager. The school should explore the differences in coaching and mentoring to
heighted the awareness of them as tools to support others and to identify when each
of them is the most appropriate tool to use. This will ensure that quality time is given
to each intervention and that it become further embedded within the culture.
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7. Summary of key findings in conjunction with the alignment model
In reference to moving the organisation forward, there was some excellent evidence of lateral
alignments being observed at Wistaston Church Lane Primary School and these have been
noted against this model. In line with continuous improvement, suggestions have been
discussed at the feedback meeting and noted on this model to support the school in realising
the greater potential from the workforce.
All staff were clear on the aim of “Our school
is a vibrant learning community which
promotes excellence and enjoyment,
enabling all children to fulfil their potential
and lead useful, productive happy lives."
Mission
Staff and stakeholder Values harmonious
involvement in developing with staff focus in line
strategy was clear. with strategy
Strategies
Values
Leadership
Influence Through performance
Clear understanding of
Inspirational management and
the priorities within the
Leadership constructive feedback
school and the level of
Objectives evident Behaviours Behaviours clearly reflected
contribution to their
achievement values
These behaviours could be
defined at a leadership level
and used to support their
move towards developing
Outcomes greater leadership skills
required for the future
Employee engagement.
Staff involved and committed to Extremely highly motivated and
improving things for the future. focussed staff group who can
Consider the differences between Self-managed teams provide strong evidence of good
coaching and mentoring to ensure Staff are focused, work as a impact on their target areas.
the most effective tool is used. team, have autonomy to make To maximise benefit gained from
decisions and demonstrate learning consider using
competency in their role. development activities more
Consider ways to gather views closed aligned to individuals
of how people are managed learning style
and developed with a view to
further improvements
Continuously reflecting on how the organisation’s operation fits with the alignment model would
not only ensure that Wistaston Church Lane Primary School moves forward with its people in
order to meet its objectives but will also ensure that maximum alignment was achieved in order
to continuously deliver its standard of teaching and learning to its children and local community.
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8. Findings against the Standard using your objectives.
Quality learning experiences
To review the people practices in place to recruit, develop, and involve all staff so
the pupils receive a unique, enjoyable and effective learning experience.
Vision, purpose and strategy.
"Our school is a vibrant learning community which promotes excellence and enjoyment,
enabling all children to fulfil their potential and lead useful, productive happy lives."
It was clear throughout that the school vision was shared by all and embedded with the
structure and practices of the school. This was demonstrated through the way staff, pupils,
governors and parents are involved. This could be further enhanced by extending this
involvement further to parents and partner organisations.
For all those interviewed the need to deliver a high quality learning experience was the essential
element of enabling the pupils to learn effectively and it was clear that this was the focus of all of
their energies and in achieving this, the pupil relationship remains strong.
The vision and values are continuously reinforced through the communication activities and
these were clearly understood by all staff. Meetings are held on a number of different levels and
tasks have been effectively delegated to ensure all staff are focused on meeting the agreed
standards and targets set down within their communication and monitoring schedules.
Objectives and targets are clear
Clear target setting at every level and excellent communication means that all staff are aware of
School priorities and how this links to their own individual objectives. People were clearly
involved in the implementation and development of new systems and procedures through Inset
days, and staff and team meetings. Many related to the implementation of ideas, which would
contribute to improved learning experiences and outcomes.
Training and development clearly linked to meeting Schools needs
The School invests a significant amount of resources (including people’s time, expertise and
finances) into learning and development activities, which are focused on improving people’s
skills and knowledge that in turn will enable them to perform to the best of their abilities. There
was evidence of these at all levels and through a variety of approaches both internally and
externally. The management team has been very resourceful and has forged numerous
relationships with cluster schools, external agency teams (such as speech and language team)
to the mutual benefit so the School has gained significant learning and development
opportunities and resources. As a result people felt that their learning and development needs
are being effectively met and they were able to describe to the Assessor how their learning was
being used to positive effect to raise their own level of performance and how this impacted on
the children. This targeted investment and on-going identification of learning and development
needs at all levels will be a key factor in the ensuring the School continues to improve and
achieve high standards going forward.
People are involved in making decisions which impact on their work.
People were clearly involved in the decision making, planning, implementation and development
of new systems and procedures through inset, staff and team meetings, special projects and
focus groups. Many related to the implementation of ideas, which would contribute to improved
efficiencies for the team or enhancement of support for children in the school. The revision to
the school timetable through the change management team is a good example of this.
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9. “The managers are very down to earth, they tell us exactly what they want from us, and are
open to what we say if we think it could be done better”
People and stakeholders are involved in planning
The annual survey has given pupil and parent views a greater profile and there is strong
evidence of how the information has been scrutinised. This has been shared with staff and
governors, who then add to and work with the information to create the new school development
plan each year.
The school has a comprehensive plan in place and should be complimented on its clarity. It lists
15 priorities within 3 areas. Behind each priority sit action plans which clearly highlight what the
success measures are, who is responsible and how it will be monitored. These plans are clearly
cascaded to individual objectives and responsibilities.
Governors have clear areas of input at the top level and have a strong programme of monitoring
the effectiveness and impact throughout the school year.
Ownership, consultation empowerment.
Communication was high profile with several methods of consultation and involvement. People
were involved through their appraisals, all staff reported they were able to put forward ideas and
how their input is increasingly being asked for and valued by the management team.
All staff could clearly link the consultation process as leading to effect improvements in how they
are managed and development and opportunities for the children. Staff were clear that action is
taken as a result of their contribution and their views are strongly valued. This has empowered
staff to make more creative and innovative decisions within their roles in order to effect greater
impact for the children.
Impact evaluated, self review
In terms of evaluating the impact there was clear evidence to show that the senior managers
had an understanding of the costs and benefits of learning and development. For example, they
were aware of costs in time and resources and could point to dividends in terms of capability,
flexible workforce, improving capacity for the future and improved performance as reflected in
the performance of the children and improved writing across the school. This could be further
enhanced through being able to quantify the benefits of specific development activities of the
team.
Monitoring of performance informs future activities.
Performance is well managed in how the school’s aims and objectives are cascaded through
the communication process and each month the management team will review progress against
each objective as well as support needed to get there. Interviewees described their performance
management discussion and this is seen as a tool to focus on qualitative achievements and
early identification of further support or intervention if appropriate.
The use of internal expertise to improve the performance of others is embedded and is an
increasingly effective approach for the school to drive up performance. It was also clear that
these approaches had additional benefits. For example, people feeling that their
experience/expertise was valued as well as improved teamwork across the different areas of the
Trust. There was also clear evidence of the school regularly monitoring and evaluating its
approach to achieving results and this then informing future strategy. It was encouraging to see
that despite the levels of improved performance and success which the School has achieved
over recent years, this has not stopped the leadership team from regularly revisiting their
strategy and looking at what else they can do to continuously improve their approach in
achieving the very best for their children and the future of the School.
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10. People are committed to success
It is worthy of mention how the leadership team have created a proactive, positive and happy
culture. This underpins the way people felt empowered, valued and proud to be working for the
organisation. The strands of the culture relate to:-
a) Work life balance. Senior managers described how work life balance measures were
key to the success and efficient working of the organisation. It helped in recruitment,
retention, employee health and well-being and reduced turnover and absence levels.
Examples included; cover time for special projects, and flexibility for family needs. As
with recognition and reward the school could benefit from having a school specific
strategy which clearly links between the purpose, value and benefit of work life balance
as a strategy to having an impact on the schools development plan.
b) Recruitment and selection. People are recruited with a clear emphasis on making
sure they have the right attitude to the learners and have through their previous
experiences the ability to act as role models of the schools values. Managers are trained
in recruitment and people at appropriate levels are involved to aid the decision making
process. Those recruited could confirm how fair the process was and that a relevant and
comprehensive induction was given.
Maximise efficiency
Offer suggestions on how the school can creatively and innovatively utilise the
resources more efficiently.
Learning and development strategy builds capacity.
Managers were able to describe an effective, strategic approach to the identification, planning
and prioritisation of learning and development needs. They could demonstrate how people
development included areas such as team working, understanding of behavioural issues
affecting children, and succession planning.
Through developing people from within and identifying individuals talents and working to their
strengths, there were examples shared with the assessor where people have progressed during
their time there. They all spoke of having had opportunities to do different roles which has
contributed to improved flexibility and improving their skill base and confidence.
Teachers have been paired up for working on curriculum areas to offer support, share good
practice, and promote greater synergy between Early years, key stage 1 and key stage 2.
Personal objectives set within performance management have been challenging yet reflect an
individual’s interest to enhance their skill base for the benefit of the school. There were
examples shared with the assessor from teachers, teaching assistants, admin, and the
leadership team where greater knowledge, skills and confidence had led to extending the
schools offer.
Management effectiveness,
People frequently described how the Management were very “open” in their approach and how
there had been opportunities for coaching on an informal level. Many staff spoke of their
manager being brilliant at listening, supporting and developing them as well as providing
constructive feedback and challenge. Managers were all clear on their roles and to support this
the School calendar identified tasks to be done at the various levels on a weekly, monthly,
termly basis. For example – performance management, subject curriculum reviews, pupil
progress reviews. Staff also saw their managers as great role models and this was reciprocated
in how staff acted as role models for the children.
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11. Examples were provided of what staff believed constituted effective management including
providing guidance, motivating, delegating responsibilities, clear on responsibilities, identifying
learning needs and on the job development, all of which they could relate to their manager.
“My manager is very good. Any problems we work around and find a way through it. She is very
supportive.”
Leadership – role models, coaching,
Strong leadership was evident in the approach of the leadership team. People frequently
referred to the “drive, passion and energy” that the members of the senior team displayed. This
meant that positive role models were in place and were able to motivate, engage and support
staff in achieving the best for the School.
Managers described how they tried to ‘practice what they preached’ when it came to leading
and managing people. They explained how they sought to set an example by seeking
continuous improvement and valuing the contribution of team members. Managers described
how they conducted performance management, identified training and supported the staff
through informal support and mentoring.
Staff were complimentary about all managers. Effective, approachable, coaching and supportive
were the usual comments. Managers were visible and often hands on when required and were
seen by some as inspiring and role models for the “school values”. Senior managers recognised
the need to “stay connected” with day to day activities to help inform decision making and staff
recognised the benefits of this.
Mentoring was a strong part of the support strategy and well received by staff. The senior
managers have all been involved in mentoring programmes and this has been cascaded down.
Coaching was less well demonstrated as part of the approach to supporting staff. The school
may wish to clarify the differences between coaching and mentoring to tailor time and needs to
the individual members of the team.
“The management team are very passionate about what they want for the school and the
children.”
Talent management
Talent management. The Head Teacher with the senior managers, has been excellent at seeing
potential, nurturing and developing the talents and playing to individuals’ strengths. This has
been to the mutual benefit of the individuals and the School community. Interviewees all
described how the current team were the best at working together and how they had been given
the opportunities to excel at something they had a passion for.
Knowledge sharing.
Through a very proactive communication strategy the organisation is able to encourage all
levels of staff to put forward ideas and suggestions especially around continuous improvement.
This has resulted in improved outcomes for the children, improvements to the learning
environment, additional activities to enhance and reinforce the development of the children such
as experiencing a night raid (WW2 ) and residential activities to improve confidence and self
esteem. Pupil feedback and achievement has significantly increased without impacting on costs,
creating greater job security, job satisfaction, and enrichment for all involved.
11

12. Ownership and responsibility
Clear levels of responsibility and accountability have been defined ensuring effective delegation
and contributions to a culture in which staff clearly feel trusted and empowered to take decisions
and make suggestions for improvement for the benefit of the children, many examples of which
were described to the Assessor. Once again continuing with this approach will ensure that
people’s motivation to strive for excellence is maintained.
The approach used here has clearly taken into account the key principles of what constitutes
effective change management within an organisation
People believe they make a difference
Valuing contributions and celebrating success. People felt valued at all levels. It was evident
that this was a strong feature resulting in staff themselves operating to a high standard, making
suggestions, and people were increasingly being empowered to take decisions and
implementing initiatives.
“Once you have worked at here you don’t want to go anywhere else.”
Reward and recognition, diversity
While the school has adopted the policies and legal strategies from the local authority they go
above and beyond in how they acknowledge and value the contributions of the staff. There were
a number of ways in which people’s efforts were acknowledged, including development
opportunities, additional responsibility, leading on projects, representing the school, being given
autonomy within an area, opportunity to showcase work to colleagues, governors and other
schools, amongst others.
While lots of activities are in place there is not a school specific strategy where all staff can be
involved in its development and evaluation. This could enhance the school’s people strategies
and mirror a strategy currently in place for recognising pupil achievement.
“They are very good at saying thanks and showing that they appreciate us especially when we
have hectic days.
“We have great celebrations when we achieve things and everyone is invited and rewarded
regardless of hours or job.”
Benchmarking, continuous learning.
Bench marking is carried out at a number of levels. The school compares themselves through
Ofsted and local authority tables on key performance indicators against other schools. As this
only gives part of the picture the school uses other quality standards including Investors in
People to help them benchmark and to identify good practice which can further identify
improvements.
On a more local level the school works within a cluster group and can demonstrate that through
identifying good practice and exploring opportunities the school has been asked to showcase or
to lead on projects. This in itself shows the school to be ahead of the game in continuous
learning and speaks volumes in terms of the reputation of the school and its staff for getting
results.
The school (SAR) self-assessment review process is currently under question as it is no longer
a requirement of Ofsted. However, the School values the process and will replace it with an
alternative to ensure that through reflection of actions and achievements the School has
constructive information to plan for further improvements.
12

13. Innovation is encouraged and supported
People described an open environment, which encouraged employees to make improvement
suggestions at any time. For example, the change team and open discussions in staff meeting
and inset days allowed all to put forward ideas.
A strong teamwork ethos was evident throughout the organisation. People confirmed that
knowledge sharing within teams was well embedded
“It’s the staff doing the job who have the best ideas on how things can be improved”
“Seeing what happens in other areas really helps me to see the bigger picture and how we all fit
together to deliver for all the children...”
“We are always asked for staff suggestions”
Sustainability and social responsibility are incorporated into the plans and activities.
Being a socially responsible organisation, it uses the educational opportunities to take a fully
holistic approach to improving the outcomes for the children, meaning that a number of
additional activities and opportunities are provided for the children. The eco club have raised
awareness of activities around the environment and how everyone can play a part and the
school is proactive in working with community projects and raising awareness and funds for
other charities.
13

14. Evidence Requirements assessed were as follows: Traffic lighted (Red, Amber and Green)
(The Standard)
The Standard – Evidence Requirements
ER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
2 √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
3 √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
4 √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
5 √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
6 √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ X
7 √ √ √ √ √ X √ √ √ X
8 √ √ X √ √ X √ √ x √
9 √ √ √ X D X √ √ D X
10 √ D √ X √ √ √ √ X √
11 D √ √ X √ √ √ √ √ D
12 √ √ X √ D X √ √ √ D
13 √ √ X √ D √ √ √ √ √
14 √ √ √ √ X √ √ √ √
15 √ D D √ √ √ √ √
16 √ √ D √ √ √ √
17 √ √ √ √ √ √ √
18 √ √ √ X √ √
19 D √ √ √ √ √
20 √ √ √ √
21 √ X √
22 √ √ √
23 √ √ √
24 √ √ √
25 √ √ √
26 √
27 √
28 √
29 √
Key:
Evidence Met with Development
Requirement Met D Opportunity
Further Evidence Evidence Requirement
X Required Not Assessed
14

15. Investors in People Topic Map
Business Learning & People Leadership & Management Recognition Involvement Learning & Performance Continuous
Strategy Development Management Management Effectiveness & Reward & Development Measurement Improvement
Strategy Strategy Strategy Empower
The Standard - Top Managers should make sure (and their people should confirm) that:
Organisation has Learning priorities People are Managers are Managers are People believe Ownership and People’s learning Investment in Evaluation
vision/purpose are clear and encouraged to clear about the effective and they make responsibility and development learning can results
strategy and plan linked to the plan contribute ideas capabilities can describe a difference are encouraged needs are met be quantified in improvements
they need to lead, how they lead, to people
People involved in Resources for There is equality manage and manage and People believe People are Impact can be strategies and
the planning learning and of opportunity for develop people develop their their contribution Involved in demonstrated management
development are development people is valued decision-making
Rep.groups made available and support People know what
(where app.) are effective
consulted when The impact will managers
developing plans be evaluated should be doing
Your Choice - Top Managers should make sure (and their people should confirm) that:
Clear core values The learning and The recruitment Leadership and Managers are Reward and Effective Learning and The contribution of Self review
relate to vision development process is fair, management role models recognition consultation and development people strategies and information
and strategy strategy builds efficient and capabilities for of leadership, strategies link to involvement is resources are is measured and from external
capability effective now and the future teamwork and business part of culture used effectively evaluated review are used
Key performance are defined knowledge strategy
indicators are Plans take A diverse, sharing and are People are Learning is an Impact on key Effective
used to improve account of talented Managers are externally supported and everyday activity performance feedback
performance learning styles workforce is helped to acquire Coaching is part benchmarked trusted to make indicators can methods are
created these capabilities of the culture decisions Innovative and be described used to
Social People help make Representative flexible understand
responsibility decisions about A work-life Leadership and People are groups are Knowledge and approaches Performance people's views
is taken into their own learning balance strategy management helped to consulted (where information are to learning and improves as on how they
account in the meets the needs strategy link to develop their appropriate) shared development a result are managed
strategy Learning and of its people business strategy, careers are used
development is taking account What motivates People committed Career prospects Internal and
People and innovative and Constructive of external There is a people is to success People are given Improve external
stakeholders flexible feedback is good practice culture of understood the opportunity benchmarking
are involved valued openness and There is culture of to achieve their Flexible and are used
in strategy There is a culture Everyone is trust Success is continuous full potential effective
development of continuous The structure encouraged to Celebrated improvement approaches to People’s views
learning makes the most develop All learning is measuring return on how they are
of people’s leadership Benefits strategy People can valued/celebrated on investment managed
talents capabilities goes beyond challenge the and is an everyday are used improves
legal way things work activity
requirements ROI in people is People believe
There is a sense Mentoring is used reported to it’s a great place
Colleagues’ of ownership and stakeholders to work
achievements pride in working Personal
are recognised for the development
organisation is supported
Traffic lighted (Red, not met.Amber met with development point Green met no development points
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16. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PLAN CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PLAN
Business issue Suggested Action Suggested Assessor Potential benefits / impact of taking no action
Signpost timescale or
Consultant
support (why)
(What) (How) (When) (Who)
Mapping learning styles ‘Map’ individual learning styles Dec 2011 Consultant Embracing continuous development and learning
across organisation Assists with planning & evaluation of learning events
Coaching v’s mentoring Review the difference between Spring term Consultant Continuous development
coaching and mentoring to identify 2012 Consistent & broader approach
most appropriate method for Effective management approach
intervention
Define the capabilities of the Define generic behaviours for future Spring terms Consultant Continuous improvement
leadership team for the leaders 2012 Building greater leadership capability and capacity
future
Quality Committed to making life enjoyable
Health & Well-being Award Consider building on the good work Consideration centre Build on WLB approach
in terms of WLB and use to workshop A tool for recruitment / development, talent
complement management and succession planning.
t
Review of people’s Put into place measures to monitor Next Identify ways for further improvement to leadership
perception of how they are and understand peoples views of performance style and maximising the contributions of the wider
managed how they are managed management team.
Develop and strengthen Develop through consultation with Summer term Ensure consistency throughout all strategies and clear
strategies for staff strategies which link current linkages between what appears -nice to do and what
reward and recognition & practices and activities to the whole makes an impact on the delivery of quality educations
Work life balance school strategy. experiences for the children.
Consultancy support In order to support your continuous development arising from this report we have a number of flexible options including one to
one support with your action plan, consultancy that would help in terms of further advice plus workshops, training or on line
tools and tutorials. Please let me know if you want me to arrange any of these to support you on your journey in achieving and
maintaining a high performing workplace
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17. Conclusion
I would like to congratulate Wistaston Church Lane Primary School on its outstanding
achievement with Investors in People.
The assessor would like to thank Graham Prince and the team for all the preparations
and thanks to all the team for being very welcoming and honest in their
discussions with me and for making it an interesting and enlightening experience
especially given that Ofsted were on site at the same time.
I look forward to working with you in the future to maximise the potential.
Name: Heather Beattie
Investors in People Assessor:
Date: 18th October 2011
Contact Details:
2, Swanley Cottages,
Swanley by Burland
Nantwich
Cheshire
CW5 8QD
Telephone 01270 524144
Mobile 07762 218182
Email heatherbeattie@btinternet.com
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