Research School Network: A Tiered Approach to School Planning for 2020 – 21 – The JT Way. Examples of how John Taylor High School used the EEF’s Tiered Approach to remain focussed on high-quality Teaching & Learning

As a follow-up to the ​‘Covid-19 Support Guide for Schools’, The EEF Guide to Supporting School Planning – A Tiered Approach (2020−21) was produced to support school leaders with their practical planning for, and during the coming academic year. It aims to foreground the importance of high-quality teaching, given the evidence on it being crucial to support pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, and it draws heavily from existing evidence and guidance reports.

At John Taylor High School, the home of the Staffordshire Research School, the tiered approach to planning has been utilised to: 

• Identify key priorities within teaching & learning, targeted support and whole school strategies that are fit for their context 
  
• Ensure they remain fully focussed on high-quality teaching and learning first and foremost, reflecting upon useful evidence and research to refine their approaches for the challenging year ahead 
• Concisely communicate these priorities and strategies to establish a clear and consistent understanding amongst leadership teams and teaching staff
• Provide a firm foundation from which to effectively apply the principles of effective implementation and sustain processes, practices and programmes
• Act as a ​‘quick-view’ document with handy prompts to ensure the focussed efforts of continual school improvement remain prominent, particularly at a time when school leaders face significant additional demands on their time

The two case study examples have been drawn up and generously shared by the leadership team at John Taylor High School. These map out the over-arching actions and intentions for their approaches to both CPD and T&L and supporting the Disadvantaged throughout 2020 – 21. Copies of these approaches can be downloaded below. If you would like to discuss any aspects of these in more detail or explore how the Staffordshire Research School at John Taylor can support with evidence-informed strategic leadership, implementation planning or staff development then please contact us using the ​‘contact us’ tab on the website.