10 simple steps to successfully implementing self-evaluation, by September 2024.
- Commit to change
Early February is time to commit to online self-evaluation.
- Live SEF and SIP: changes take minutes, not weeks!
- DSLs can quality assure safeguarding provision.
- SENDCO can review SEND provision.
- Subject leaders can easily identify strengths and areas for development.
- Prepare your staff for deep dives.
- Data dashboard showing self-evaluation scores across the school/Trust.
- Drive improvement and so much more!
- Invest in online self-evaluation software
If you book a demo with Evaluate-Ed, James will show you how to use the software, answer any questions and create a bespoke package for your school or Trust. He will set you up with a log in and password and you can start on your school improvement journey!
Book a demo or start a free trial today
3. Plan for change: software training
Between now and September consider the steps you need to take to successfully roll out the self-evaluation software. We have a few ideas to help!
Come March a wonderful way to retain great staff is to give them more responsibility and opportunity. We can deliver in-person or online training to staff, so they become software champions! Your staff will know how to maximise the use of Evaluate-Ed in your school. This means you will have inhouse experts who can share the benefits of the software and run internal training sessions.
- Communicate the change
Driving the change process can be exciting, but challenging! Clear communication with your staff can help to eliminate the reluctance to take on new ideas. Start with the ‘why’ and explain the process!
At the start of April, explain you want to celebrate success, learn from best practice and work on areas for development.
State you are investing in training, a pilot scheme and will listen to feedback and address concerns before rolling it out at whole-school level.
Let your champions highlight the benefits to encourage buy-in: quick and easy, reduces workload, drives improvement, empowers excellence!
- Pilot scheme
With your champions trained, it is time to run pilot self-evaluations. These could start at the beginning of May. Treat these pilot schemes as training opportunities, a chance to get familiar navigating the software and a chance to explore how our wide range of reviews could work within your school.
You may want to plan out how and when your team would complete the reviews. You may want to select small team of staff to pilot a small selection of reviews and gather feedback, so that you can second-guess the questions that staff might ask about the new system. You may want to pilot whole-school training activities.
6. Whole-school training
Between May to July it is time for your software champions to take the lead! We would recommend completing part of a review as part of the training process. Not only will staff learn how to use the product, but they can walk away with ideas and actions to drive improvement.
Training opportunities could include:
- Senior leaders could complete the quality of education part of the SEF.
- Line managers and subject leaders to complete part of the helpful questions review.
- DSL could collaborate with a small team to complete part of the safeguarding review.
- Line managers, subject leaders and teachers could complete part of the subject leadership review.
- Pastoral leaders could collaborate with a team to complete part of the behaviour 360 review
7. Feedback
Towards the end of July give your team the opportunity to give you feedback. Celebrate the positives! Work collaboratively to address any concerns and supply support to your team.
We actively listen to our customers, so if you and your team have a suggestion send it our way! Rachel our product manager is always responding to feedback to help us develop a product that works for you.
8. Whole-school roll out
When the new school year starts, it’s time motivate and inspire your team as you officially launch online self-evaluation in your school.
Successful schools have used Evaluate-Ed as a collaborative tool, where self-evaluation is done with colleagues, as opposed to done to. The reviews are conversation driven, people feel heard and valued, which leads to ideas and actions that drive positive change.
You may want to share how self-evaluation will celebrate success, identify areas of development and drive school improvement. You may want to say when self-evaluation will take place. You may want to reassure your team it is a learning journey. You know your school, so you will know what to say.
9. Monitor your school
Our data dashboards make it easy to highlight areas of strengths and areas of development, across your school. You monitor actions taken using our improvement planner and evidence locker. Our termly data will show your success over time.
Use the data to inform strategic decisions:
- School improvement priorities
- Budgets and spending
- Coaching opportunities
- CPD opportunities
- Evaluate
At Evaluate-Ed, we constantly evaluate ourselves, our product, our marketing, our sales and so we want you to evaluate us too! If you would like to give us a testimonial, be one of our case studies or help us enhancing the product, we welcome you! We want you to have a positive experience, which is not only meaningful but impactful!
