Raising Achievement

The starting point for raising achievement is the acceptance that;

1. pupil achievement can always be improved.
2. the school and its teachers are able to do something about it
3. the most important function of the school is to maximize achievement.

Some people believe schools should not have such a policy as it infers that previous performance has been inadequate.

At FIS we do not accept this view. We believe that, whatever the current levels of pupil attainment, they can always be improved. Changing teaching methods, courses, learning resources and systems of internal organization can all have an impact on attainment. We are always striving to find and use the best teaching methods and organization systems available. If potential improvements are identified, we must also ensure that all our pupils can benefit from them and not just those lucky enough to have a good teacher.

It can be claimed that pupil achievement is based mainly on ability, parental attitudes and aspirations, or even what the previous key stage achieved.

We believe that these views devalue the work and expertise of teachers and the contribution made by schools. We believe that we can change the level of pupil achievement and raise it above what pupils would have achieved without our help. We aim to add value to our pupils’ education, helping them achieve beyond the level they would otherwise have been expected to achieve.

At FIS we believe this to be the most important function of the school and this is reflected in everything we do. This is why parents send their children to this school. This means equipping pupils with as many academic, study and personal skills as possible and explicitly teaching pupils how to acquire them.

We make raising pupil achievement our highest priority and will do it by;

• defining the standards of achievement which we expect from most of our pupils.
• narrowing the range of variations in achievement between year groups and between classes in the same year group.
• ensuring that curriculum plans provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to achieve at the expected levels.
• monitoring pupil achievement and progress closely in all year groups.
• holding teachers accountable, within professional limits, for the delivery of the school’s curriculum and the achievement of their pupils.
• setting challenging targets for pupil achievement and monitoring our progress towards them.
• ensuring that our internal organization arrangements reflect the priority which we give to raising achievement.