Accredited Assessment….for Silver level.
Schools generally value external assessments to validate the security of their evidence. Successful assessment leads to accreditation of a level of the Learning Quality Standard that schools use to recognise and celebrate their achievements. External reviewers ‘bring a fresh pair of eyes’ to the evaluation of practice and evidence, and their experienced insightful questioning provides objective feedback which schools can use to inform the next stage of their journey. Unlike Bronze level, a site visit by a LQF Reviewer is an essential aspect of Silver accreditation.
How to activate the Accredited Assessment process
1. Level Review Chart
In order to get your accreditation process underway you need to ensure that your electronic Level Review Chart Tool is up-to-date and populated with the most recent evidence that is available. This may include adding evidence on people’s perception and practice. The Level Review Chart focuses solely on the level at which you wish to be accredited. This will be the first substantive document that the reviewer will use to ‘build the picture’ of your school.
2. Review Request
Complete the Review Request Form (see below). This form asks you to state the level you wish to be accredited for together with details of personnel associated with the LQF in school. If you are a federated school then you will need to ensure that your Review Request Form makes the number, types and sizes of school sites to be involved very clear.
3. Pre-verification check
Email both your completed Review Request Form and Level Review Chart to TLO for initial scrutiny. This pre-verification checking service ensures that you comply with the level requirements and helps to remove the chance of an invalid assessment.
4. Confirmation of continuation
Once checks have been made and your proposed Level Review Chart has been passed for consideration of accreditation you will receive email confirmation of this. If the LRC appears to fall short of the accreditation level the school will be informed and along with brief advice.
5. Reviewer allocation.
An approved reviewer will be allocated by TLO and she/he will get in touch to discuss the accreditation process, answer any questions you might have, and ask for more evidence if necessary. All approved reviewers have: had school senior leadership experience expertise in the substantive issues of the LQF, long experience of supporting school improvement, and experience of reviewing quality marks.
6. The Accreditation Plan
The Reviewer will send the school a tailored ‘Accreditation Plan’ indicating which documents will be required, and also provide detailed guidance in relation to the online communication requirements.
The rules about evidence
The level accreditation draws upon three principal types of evidence to substantiate that the indicators for the Silver level have been met:
a) Evidence from interviews: the in-school LQF lead, the SLT, and a cross-section of staff and students, will be interviewed. It is expected that the majority of interviewees will support a given indicator, but it is not expected that every single person will have experience or opinion which perfectly matches the indicators. Reviewers will take account of the weight and balance of evidence from such interviews.
b) Documentary evidence: where documentary evidence is required to support the accreditation process, the school will, if possible, send such documents electronically to the TLO reviewer for scrutiny. They will also be made available during the site visit.
c) Evidence from classroom observations of practice in classrooms and the wider school environment: the Reviewer and the in-school LQF lead will undertake lesson observations and learning walks together to seek evidence to support the award of the standard.
Feedback.
This takes the form of verbal feedback provided by the Reviewer at the conclusion of the accreditation process. It gives a judgement, indicating whether:
a) the evidence provided by the school shows that the award level has been fully met, or;
b) there is currently insufficient evidence in place to achieve the selected award level and the accreditation is ‘staged’.
A staged accreditation gives the school an opportunity to return to the process at a later date when it has responded to shortfalls identified. This will not usually require a full re-assessment unless substantial and significant changes have occurred within the school; the Reviewer will provide guidance on this.
Confidentiality
Schools are assured that all matters relating to progress review or level verification are confidential and both parties are expected to be compliant with this as part of the Terms and Conditions of assessment.
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