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What is the Intensifying Support Programme?

Date of issue:

Jun. 2004

The ISP is a school improvement programme designed to raise standards and improve teaching and learning in the context of the school as a professional learning community. The programme was set up to work in partnership with the LEA advisers/inspectors and the school. It is based on the cycle of audit and setting targets, action and review.

Four key themes run through the programme. These are:

• raising standards and accelerating progress;
• improving the quality of teaching and learning;
• improving the conditions for learning;
• developing the school as a professional learning community.

Aims and outcomes of the ISP
The aims of the programme are to:

• raise standards and improve the quality of teaching and learning in English and mathematics;
• narrow the attainment range at the end of Key Stage 2 across all schools in the participating LEAs;
• improve the leadership and management of English and mathematics;
• develop the role of the ISP consultant to work across both literacy and mathematics in primary schools;
• increase the involvement of school improvement services and LAIs in supporting the Primary National Strategy to raise standards in English and mathematics;
• model alternative ways of working with schools and LEAs that can be disseminated to other authorities.

The programme concurs with the statement in Excellence and Enjoyment: A strategy for Primary Schools:
‘Primary education is a vital stage in children’s development, laying the foundations for life. But it should be a hugely positive, rich experience in itself.

We want schools to continuously improve the teaching they offer, so that the added value they give to children rises. And we challenge every primary school to be systematic and rigorous in using evidence to improve teaching and to set appropriate targets for individual children and to monitor their progress.’

In line with this statement, the expected outcomes for the schools in the programme were:

• improved performance in English and mathematics in the end-of-key-stage assessments and National Curriculum tests in 2003 and 2004;
• that a similar proportion of pupils achieve at expected levels in National Curriculum tests as in other schools from similar statistical groups;
• that expectations of performance in English and mathematics increase and the quality of teaching improves;
• that headteachers and coordinators are able to lead more effectively and to sustainimprovement in standards, teaching and learning, monitoring and prioritising;
• increased and effective use of additional adults in supporting the literacy hour and the daily mathematics lesson.

How does the ISP work?
Key to the programme is the establishment of systems in the schools, which will provide a coherent approach to raising standards and which will support the schools in becoming selfsustaining professional learning communities.

Key elements of the ISP

• The tight partnership at LEA level between the link LAI and the ISP consultant in each school that ensures that they work together to challenge and support the school.
• The four key themes that run through every aspect of the programme: raising standards and accelerating progress; improving the quality of teaching and learning; improving the conditions for learning; developing the school as a professional learning community.
• The recurring structure of the programme in the school. This starts with the link LAI and ISP consultant working with the school to audit provision against some essential non-negotiables. There is a strong focus here on ensuring that target-setting and pupiltracking mechanisms are in place.
• The raising attainment plan (RAP),which is drafted from the activities described above as part of the programme’s recurring structure. The RAP is the short-term action plan addressing the four key themes that drive the school’s development. This is reviewed termly with the school by the link LAI and ISP consultant.
• A programme of regular whole-staff professional development and accountability against the key themes. In order to support the four key themes and the RAP targets, the ISP consultant works with the school to deliver half-termly staff meetings. These professional development meetings (PDMs) introduce the half-termly curricular targets for literacy and numeracy and the focused teaching strategy. They also provide an important opportunity for teachers to reflect on progress so far, and to identify key actions for themselves and the children in their class. These are recorded on their individual development plan (IDP) or a similar document. These actions are then reviewed at the start of the next PDM.
• Regular planned support, monitoring and evaluation against the targets. The school plans the programme of monitoring and support with the link LAI, the ISP consultant and the literacy and mathematics consultants. All staff contribute to the monitoring through their IDPs and the school monitoring procedures. The termly RAP review evaluates progress and sets new targets for action in the RAP for the following term.

The next steps
The ISP has been seen as a successful model to raise standards in schools and will be extended to 855 schools as part of the Standards Funding for 2004–05. The toolkit and video will form the core materials for the implementation of the programme.