Sar writing

1. Improvement Adviser Service
Presentation title – LSIS / IAS Support
Presented by – Mike Ashley (BAhons,,MAed)
Date –

2. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Rationale
• Self-assessment is about reflecting on performance,
taking responsibility for the judgements made about that
performance and making a decision to do something
about them.
• Self-critical
• Accurate
• Consistent
• Reliable
• The result is an action plan that delivers improvement.

3. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Objectives
• Strengths and weaknesses: How to identify them?
• Using the right words
• Assessing your self-assessment report

4. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Strengths & Norms
Definitions
Strength: a feature of the provision which is above the
‘norm’; something which has a positive impact on a
number of learners, or other stakeholders.
Weakness: a feature, or absence of something, which has
a negative impact on learners or other stakeholders
Norm: a feature which is expected and which adds to the
quality of provision, but which does not raise quality
above general expectations

5. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Strengths & Norms
• ‘All learners have access to ILT’
• ‘All learners have good access to ILT, and use it
frequently’
• ‘All learners have good access to ILT, and use it
frequently to enhance their learning;
• All learners have good access to ILT, and use it
frequently to enhance their learning; learner outcomes
have improved by 6% and satisfaction surveys indicate
that this is because of access to ILT’

6. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Strengths & Norms
Try these ....
• Good work experience in the College Business Bureau.
• Good initial/on-course assessment and review system

7. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Strengths & Norms
• If the opposite of whatever is claimed is a weakness…
THEN… what is claimed cannot be a strength but a
norm
• Improving something from “bad” to “not so bad” but still
not above the expected is not a strength in its own
right…BUT…..could be considered a strength under
leadership and management.

8. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Strengths & Norms
Proposed strength:
There are good relationships between tutors and learners
• Question: If there were not good relationships would this
be a weakness?
• Answer: Yes
• This then is a norm and not a key strength

9. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Strengths & Norms
Proposed strength:
Every learner has an induction and learning plan
• Question: If every learner did not have an induction and
learning plan would this be a weakness?
• Answer: Yes
• This then is a norm and not a key strength

10. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Strengths & Norms
• When proposing an activity as a strength or weakness
ask yourself ‘So what?’
• Also ask yourself ‘What impact does this have on the
quality of learning and learner support?’
• Use of management information to identify strengths and
weaknesses

11. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Strengths & Norms
• Don't be frightened of data
• Try to understand what the data is telling you
• Aim to draw a few conclusions from any data you collect
• If the data points to a weakness, add an action to the
action or development plan to deal with it
• Set targets based on the data
• Continue to collect the data to check whether any new
actions you take are effective
• Only collect data you need and will use - don't confuse
the picture with too much data
Source: OFSTED, Building Better Practice website

12. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Use the right words
Statement: The SAR process has identified that
management information is not used very well by staff
• What management information? Be clear about the
information you are referring to.
• ‘not very well’ - This is vague and non-committal. Is
management information not used at all? Is it is used
infrequently?
• Staff? - This does not outline which staff are involved

13. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Use the right words
• Dept managers do not use data effectively to manage or
improve learning programmes. There is insufficient
target-setting or monitoring of retention and achievement
rates or enrolments by ethnicity, gender, age and
disability
Impact ....
• Actions have not been planned to widen participation.
The learner population within the Dept does not reflect
the local population

14. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Use the right words
The revised weakness above outlines:
• Who is involved
• What data is involved
• What impact it has on learners and Dept activities.

15. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Use the right words
Statement: The College has frequent contact with many
local groups.
• So what?
• What local groups are involved?
• What impact is this having on learners and learning?
• Why is this a strength?
• Is this what should be happening anyway? It is a norm
or is it a strength?

16. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Use the right words
• Very productive partnerships with local community
groups have been developed to widen participation
throughout the college
Impact ....
• Action is taken to attract learners with specific additional
needs and appropriate support is available. The
percentage of learners with physical disabilities is 20%
higher than the national average

17. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Use the right words
• S&W should state how they impact on the learner and
their learning experience (ask yourself ‘so what?)
• Be careful that your strengths are not norms and ensure
you are clear why they are strengths
• You must have evidence and management information
to support your judgements
• Evidence should be valid, quantifiable, sufficient, current
and accurate
• It is important that statements within your SAR
(particularly in the ‘detailed findings’ section?) are
evaluative - rather than just descriptive.

18. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Judgements
• Judgement rich
• Use evaluative words (make a list! then group)
• Outcome NOT process based
• A good system for collecting learner feedback
• Good use of leaner feedback to improve provision

19. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Judgements
Areas for Development
• Areas for development need to be specific. If it’s not
specific it is difficult to do anything to improve it. Ensure
that any evidence used to back up your judgement is
 Valid: directly supporting the identified strength or weakness
 Sufficient: partial evidence can give a false picture
 Current: recent enough for the time of writing
 Accurate: verifiable at the time of writing

20. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Summary
• Check to make sure the strengths and weaknesses state
how they impact on the learner and their learning
experience (ask yourself ‘so what?)
• Be careful that the strengths are not norms and ensure
they are clear why they are strengths
• Ensure you have evidence and management information
to support your judgements
• Ensure that all evidence is valid, quantifiable, sufficient,
current and accurate

21. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Summary
• Ensure that statements within your SAR are evaluative -
rather than just descriptive.
• Are self-assessment grades consistent with the balance
of strengths and weaknesses and the impact on the
learner
• Who has been involved in the self assessment?
• Do staff have a sense of ownership of the report?

22. Improvement Adviser Service
Learner Centred Approach
What evidence
do we have?
Can we make
a judgement?
How can we
improve the
evidence we
collect?
How can we
improve
quality?
How do we set
targets?
What targets
do we set?
Who owns the
targets?
How do we
communicate
the targets?
How do we
monitor the
targets?

23. Improvement Adviser Service
Task 2 - Strategic
Management for Quality
Improvement
What evidence
do we have?
Can we make
a judgement?
How can we
improve
quality?
Can we
improve the
evidence we
collect?
What
Decisions
have we taken
about the
management
of this area?
Do we have a
clear strategy
& Policies and
plans to
achieve our
objectives?
Do we monitor
them
effectively?

24. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Matrix
High
Low
Short Long
Impact on the learner
Matrix approach to help you plan for improvement

25. Improvement Adviser Service
Evidence Base

26. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
SAR Tasks
1. Use checklist to self evaluate area SAR
2. Use prompts to evaluate judgments
 Tick each statement that talks about outcomes
 Cross each statement that focuses on process
 Highlight each judgment word (eg, excellent, poor, effective etc)
 Have you got a judgement word in almost every sentence?
 Does it impact on the learner?
1. Re- write identified judgments

27. Improvement Adviser Service
*******
*******

28. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Evidence Trails (1)
 Trends over 3 years in retention, achievement and
 progression – measured against benchmarks
 Attendance and punctuality
 Partial achievement data
 Students’ work
 Key skills development and attainment
 Course Review and Evaluation documents
 Value-added data
 Tutorial records
 Employer reports
 EV reports

29. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Evidence Trails (1)
 Work experience
 Enrichment activities
 Assignment Briefs, Course Planning
 Registers, Progress Records
 End Destination Data
 Portfolios, work books, Study Skills

30. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Evidence Trails (2)
• Observation data and forms – benchmarked.
• Course Team Meeting Minutes.
• Marked student work and Feedback
• Questionnaires and Surveys.
• Schemes of work and Lesson Plans.
• Achievement data measured against local and national
benchmarks.
• Teacher development and involvement in CPD.
• Assessment Policy
• Assessment Records and Feedback
• Diagnostic testing and screening.

31. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Evidence Trails (2)
• Targets for ICT in teaching.
• Tutorial Records
• IV and EV reports.
• Individual Learning Plans.
• Key skills attainment.
• Teaching materials.
• Student Support Records.
• Work placement reports and Employer Records

32. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Evidence Trails (3)
 Students’ individualised learning and training plans.
 Retention data.
 Progression/employment data.
 Student feedback.
 Achievement data.
 Course Review and Evaluation.
 Curriculum Development.
 Changes to syllabi etc.
 Value-added data.
 Work experience.
 Employer responsiveness.

33. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Evidence Trails (3)
 Surveys of employer and community needs.
 Relationship to outreach site.
 Qualifications on entry.
 Widening Participation data.
 Student Charter/Handbook
 Enrichment activities
 Marketing/Advertising

34. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Evidence Trails (4)
 Tutorial records.
 Individual Learning and Training Plans.
 Counselling support records.
 Learning Support records.
 Key Skills Integration.
 Progress Concern procedures.
 Course tutor records.
 Student Handbook.
 Information leaflets.
 Information Centre staff.
 Careers.

35. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Evidence Trails (4)
 Guidance Standards.
 Learner Support.
 Procedures for managing punctuality, discipline,
 Attendance, poor performance - evidence of action.
 Induction programme.
 Equal Opportunities.
 School, careers and employers links.
 Charter.
 Diagnostic testing and screening.
 Open Day attendance.
 Marketing information.

36. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Evidence Trails (5)
 Mission Statement & Vision.
 Quality Policy and Quality Handbook.
 Staff Development Strategy and action plans.
 Self Assessment process.
 Strategic and Operations Plans.
 Self-Assessment Reports
 Performance indicators & Target Setting.
 Views of employers/students/staff/EV’s
 Governors.
 College Charter and Policy Documents
 Course Reviews & Evaluation.

37. Improvement Adviser Service
Self Assessment
Evidence Trails (5)
 Complaints & Appeals Procedure.
 IIP Status.
 Use of MIS.
 E&D – Safeguarding Policy.
 Committee Minutes.
 Staff Appraisal and CPD Records
 Staff Induction & Staff Handbook.
 Staff Qualifications / Staff Job Descriptions
 Accommodation Survey
 Resource Audit
 Department/Faulty Development Plans