How we make an Impact in Wales

We are Curriculum for Wales specialists. We’re also expert in using the science of learning to make a difference. As an organisation based in Wales, we understand the particular issues that Welsh schools face. There aren’t many education consultants who can say all those things, but we can.

Our company name is what we do.

And this is how we do it.

We use a six-step approach when we are working with schools. We’ve honed these six steps over the last decade, improving them, and refining them as we go. They are partly based on what research tells us about what works for teacher professional learning, part based on understanding how schools and teachers work in Wales, and fully focused on what we have found has a lasting impact on pupils’ learning.

Here we’ll set out each of the six steps and why each one is included. Sometimes we have to be flexible and adapt some of the steps to fit in with the particular circumstances of the school, but we always try and include an element of each step in all the work we do, because we know it works.

Step One - Strategic team session – we work directly with the senior leadership team in order to understand what they feel needs to change, the current context and ensure that they have the knowledge they will need to drive change. This might be a remote TEAMs session or a half-day in person session. Whichever it is, the focus is listening to senior leaders to identify the root of the support need. Providing professional learning for a school without knowing why that support is being booked fails to recognise a key principle of improvement. All learning, whether it is professional learning or learning in the classroom is an interaction. A conversation between provider and learner. Making sure your professional learning hits the mark and has a long-lasting impact, means understanding what the problem is in the first place.

Step Two - Pre-questionnaire – this is a survey for staff to assess where their current understanding and practice is in the context of what the senior leaders feel is the problem. It gives us a chance to for some formative assessment that helps us shape our next session. It’s our chance to deepen our understanding of the need for professional learning and broaden our listening to staff as well as senior leaders. There’s always a range of responses. No school community is ever homogenous in their understanding or practice. Knowing what the range of expertise is before we meet the staff helps us to tailor our professional learning to their exact needs.

Step Three - Staff sessions – we may complete several staff interactive sessions, usually face to face but also remote, where we share knowledge and begin deliberate practice tasks in a safe, supportive environment. This gives staff a chance to ask questions, to share concerns and to experiment with approaches where there is an opportunity not only to discuss their approach with their colleagues but also to receive feedback from us. These sessions always include links to the original research that underpins the professional learning and a digital workbook that takes staff step-by-step through their bespoke professional learning programme. The idea is that these sessions should feel more like professional learning than a passive presentation. Staff are involved, working hard and making sense of the new content for their own context.

Step Four - Practice tasks & experimentation – during the staff sessions we will provide staff with practice tasks that they can complete with our guidance and peer support. This gives them the opportunity to build a new habit. It helps them to understand their own progress and to take ownership of their professional learning. Professional learning shouldn’t be something that teachers experience just in their INSET day, it should be an ongoing process of change and improvement. We scaffold tasks for staff to help them engage in professional learning as a continuous process that’s part of their everyday teaching, not something extra they need to find time for.

Step Five - Checking progress – after each staff session we expect teachers to continue to experiment with these practice tasks, some of which we will ask them to upload to an online platform that we provide. This enables us and senior leaders the opportunity to check on teacher progress to support them by making suggestions as to next steps and to provide additional research links and resources to help them keep improving even when we aren’t there in person.

Step Six - Use learning data to see the change – before we start, we identify a key measure of change, something that will help the school measure the impact of the support. This might be pupil outcomes, pupil surveys or staff confidence. This data can then be used to support the strategic team to take ownership of the process in a sustainable way and make sure the improvement journey continues long after we have gone.

If you would like to know more about the professional learning that we provide, contact us by clicking on the button below, or by calling 029 2167 9140.

Read what schools say about our training below or listen to our podcasts where we talk to teachers who we have supported with school improvement on the button below:

"Every time Fin or Jane speak, they have a superpower of cutting through the white noise and getting to the heart of the matter. I needed that for my team. Having CPD planned over months meant we could also put Rosenshine’s principles into action and implement the science of learning while learning to use it. The training led to improvements in pedagogical understanding and informed future planning. Superb and invaluable."

Ceri Richmond, Deputy Headteacher, Morriston Comprehensive School

"Jane and Finola’s invaluable support and wealth of knowledge was absolutely integral in helping us to create a strategic plan to drive forward the Skills agenda. Working as ‘critical friends’ to both myself and colleagues in the school, we were able to act upon their advice, think more logically and in a very short space of time see the ‘green shoots’ of progress emerge both with literacy and numeracy. I can safely say, the school would not be where it is now in terms of skills if we hadn’t had the support of Impact."

Anthony Ager, Assistant Headteacher, Abersychan School

"Jane and Fin have enabled us to successfully begin all processes leading to the new curriculum in 2022. Organised, insightful, professional and empathetic, all of the materials and support have been first rate. Following their input we are now in a much stronger position to be

fully ready for the implementation. The professional learning section has enabled staff to undertake appropriate, up to date and supported action research projects that will only enhance the offer we provide for our children. Thoroughly recommend!"

Jamie Tennant, Headteacher, Hawarden Village Church School

"Fin and Jane at Impact Wales really understand what schools need to know regarding learning and the work they have produced on the New Wales Curriculum is excellent. They explain it in a way that is easy to understand and follow, extracting the main points for focus and simplifying a very large document into very manageable sections for schools and teachers to focus on. Their sketchnotes are visually stunning and attention-grabbing. I highly recommend Impact Wales."

Julian Littler, Headteacher, Stebonheath Primary School

"Jane and Finola have engaged our staff with high quality professional learning. We have explored strategies to engage EAL learners through distance learning as well as increasing our awareness and knowledge of key elements of the Curriculum for Wales and how it is developing in schools and specifically LLC for EAL learners. The sessions have been interactive and engaging and supplemented with digital workbooks for staff to record learning. We would not hesitate to book support from Impact Wales in the future."

Esther Lewis, Senior Achievement Team Leader

Gwent Education Minority Ethnic Service (GEMS)

Who are we? - We are Finola & Jane, Literacy & Numeracy specialists, with 45+ years of teaching, training & leadership experience between us.

What's our experience? - We have both worked for Welsh Government supporting schools & senior leaders across Wales. We have held senior leadership posts, delivered support to strategic education advisers, both hold school governor posts and have published curriculum support guidance with Oxford University Press...but if you need to know more visit our website for testimonials from schools we've worked with.

Why should you book our support? - Put simply, because we believe in impact. We do exactly what our name suggests. Our workshop keeps things simple and ensures school actions really work. Our focus is always on delivering measurable impact for pupils

Email: enquiries@impact.wales
Website: www.impact.wales
Phone: 02921 679140
Facebook: facebook.com/impactwales123
Twitter: @ImpactWales