School improvement- McKinsey

1. How the world’s most
improved school systems
keep getting better

3. The 3 Dimensions to crafting and implementing and improvement
journey
1. Assess current performance level
• Measure pupil outcomes – decide if current level is
poor, fair, good, great or excellent
2. Select interventions:
• Decide what the system needs to do in order to
raise student outcomes – guided by its
performance level and specific challenges
3. Adapt to context:
• Tailor leadership style and tactics to the history,
culture, politics, structure of the school system

4. Sustaining the system’s improvement
journey over the long term
3 ways have been identified:
• By establishing collaborative practices
• By developing the mediating layer between
the schools and the centre
• By architecting tomorrow’s leadership
Each aspect is interconnected and an integral
part of the system pedagogy

7. Journeys of school improvement: it’s a
system thing not a single thing
Getting to fair: improving literacy and numeracy
Fair to good improvement journeys emphasise
getting the system foundations in place
Good to great improvement journeys emphasise
shaping the professional
Great to excellent improvement journeys
emphasise learning through peers and innovation
[McKinsey and
Company]

11. Broad phases of leadership success: the
journey of one Primary School [Ten Strong Claims, NCSL]
System
foundations
Ownership and
responsibility
Vision and values
Non-negotiables
Defining teaching and
learning: leading by
example
Infrastructure
improvement/re-
configuration
Data and accountability
Relentless focus on
monitoring and evaluation
Distributing leadership
Persisting with teaching and
learning Developing
creativity
Everyone a leader
Shaping the professional
Raising the calibre of
existing teachers/leaders
Involving the community
Peer-led learning
Self-evaluation
Self-challenge
Internal collaboration
Ofsted 2007
SM
Ofsted 2011
Outstanding
Ofsted 2008
Good

15. Governors Headteacher
Senior
leadership
Middle
leadership
Getting a handle on the accountability
chain

17. Poor to Fair Fair to Good Good to Great Great to Unstoppable
Directional/Central control Inclusion Creativity Innovation
Top led and well-controlled Top led, middle implement Middle led, top quality assures Internally driven and quality assured
Detailed calendar of monitoring
activities focused on teaching and
learning – aligned to an instructional
vision
Detailed calendar of monitoring
activities focused on teaching and
learning – now embedded
Detailed calendar of monitoring
activities focused on teaching and
learning – embedded and customised
Detailed calendar of monitoring
activities focused on teaching and
learning – more engagement with other
schools or external partners
Audit and identify position: teaching
and learning profile, outcomes, book
looks, planning, environments
Evidence base broadens to include
Pupil voice/school council
Parent surveys
Staff surveys
Evidence base broadens to include
Pupil voice/school council
Parent surveys
Staff surveys
Pupils are part of evaluating their
learning
Establish and impose a monitoring
framework which reflects the core
requirements of acceptable
performance for teaching and
learning, planning, books, pupil
progress meetings
 Literacy
 Numeracy
Regular and sharp monitoring of all
aspects of teaching and learning
Strengths and areas for development
identified and then used to promote
improvement in other subjects …..
Wide range of monitoring activities
which are differentiated, carried out by
middle leaders and quality assured by
senior managers, within the school’s
agreed framework
Strengths and areas for development
identified and then used to promote
improvement in other subjects …..
Teachers accurately evaluate their own
performance, quality assured by senior
line managers
Learning communities
Use of other models ….
All individuals demonstrate
responsibility for improving teaching –
led at all levels
Intervention led/recovery based
teaching
Most children are making progress with
QFT
QFT widespread and established: more
focused/targeted individual work
New teaching approaches; new
pedagogies; new curricular
Impact: there is compliance in
practice across the school and from
this consistency is grown
Impact: standards rise, progress rates
improve,
Impact: gaps narrow, progress rates
improve, personalised learning
experiences are developing
Impact: gaps narrow, progress rates
improve, personalised learning
experiences for all; staff have
ownership
Monitoring – McKinsey journeys