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Mathilda Marks – Kennedy School is a voluntary aided primary school with 218 pupils aged between 3 and 11. The school achieved recognition in 2003 and had their recognition confirmed in 2005.

When the school first came forward for assessment they felt the organisation was already close to the Standard however they needed to formalise their existing good practice.

Initially the Investors in People Standard was something the school wanted to achieve because of its recognition by the Local Government Authority, Governors, parents and staff. The school soon realised that not only does Investors in People make the school attractive to those on the outside but also to those working within the school “Continuing to work and evaluate with the Standard ensures that our high standards of staff development, staff fulfilment and team spirit are maintained.”

The school considers staff development and communication the key to success. To ensure that each member of staff is given an equal opportunity to do this, a number of procedures were put in place.

• Every member of staff has a Performance Management interview in September and a mid–year review in March by a member of the SMT.

• The school has a staff meeting every Monday evening. Within these meetings there is always a time for staff to feedback on courses they have attended.

• There is a termly timetable of staff meetings and INSET days during each term. There is at least one INSET day designated to each of literacy, numeracy, basic skills and a discussion of the SIP. The diary of these events is distributed at the beginning term to all members of staff.

• In September all staff complete a CPD feedback form which informs the SMT as to any further staff training requests.

• A record is kept of any school initiative/development stemming from a course a member of staff has attended.

• The school has a detailed teaching and learning policy which is referenced in all subject policies. It details different teaching styles and identifies good practice in teaching and learning.

• There is a planned timetable for the monitoring of lessons by the Headteacher, governors and subject co–ordinators.

• Planning is monitored weekly by the Headteacher.

The finished product is a school in which 97.9% of parents strongly agree, or agree that their children are making good progress. 93.7% of parents strongly agree, or agree that the school is led and managed well. (Parent’s Audit)

It has become a school which is flooded with staff employment applications, as applicants wish to work for an organisation with such high credentials. 

Every staff member acknowledges that the training has given him confidence and raised their standards of performance within their role. Others have chosen to progress in their careers and have always been provided with the opportunity to do so.

The continual drive to improve the organisation has permeated a culture of self improvement for all. All accomplishments are recognised and celebrated and this in turn motivates staff to push forward.  “Training is undertaken to improve ourselves and the school. We share ideas and develop other teachers with the skills we have learned”.

During both of the assessments that Mathilda Marks – Kennedy School has undergone the assessor has been quoted as saying that they could not find any areas for improvement. This has allowed the school to go on and achieve awards such as the Basic Skills Agency’s Quality Mark and the Promethean Head Teacher award.