Who is this template for?
This template is designed for Art & Design Subject Leaders and teachers in schools across England. It provides a clear, structured framework to support and inform those leading the thinking on art and design education, helping to translate national research into practical school improvement.
Why use this template?
- Align with Ofsted Expectations: Directly addresses the factors identified in the Ofsted Research Review for Art & Design, ensuring your department’s self-evaluation is aligned with the latest evidence-based standards for a high-quality education.
- Promote an Evidence-Based Culture: Encourages a shift from anecdotal judgement to a culture where decisions are backed by reliable data, observations, and insights, creating a robust and credible evaluation.
- Strengthen Strategic Planning: The logical iAbacus process moves you seamlessly from evaluation to action. By identifying helping and hindering factors, you can create a targeted and effective improvement plan for your department.
- Enhance Professional Dialogue: Provides a common language and clear structure for departmental discussions, helping your team to build a shared understanding of strengths, weaknesses, and priorities.
- Clarify Whole-School Contribution: Articulates how the Art & Design department’s policies and culture connect with and support wider school systems, strengthening its position within the whole-school improvement strategy.
- Support for Leaders: Offers a supportive and guided process that builds the capacity of subject leaders, sharpening their strategic thinking and empowering them to lead improvement with confidence.
How does it work?
This template follows the intuitive, research-backed iAbacus process: make a judgement, verify it with criteria, provide evidence, analyse helping and hindering factors, and create a targeted action plan. The evaluation is structured around the four key areas identified in the Ofsted Research Review:
- Curriculum
- Pedagogy
- Assessment
- Systems, culture and policies
Gaining Strategic Insight
For a Headteacher, gaining a rapid, strategic overview of curriculum quality across the school is essential. By asking all Subject Leaders to complete their respective departmental review abacuses, a Headteacher can use the iAbacus 'Overlay' feature to combine them. This provides an instant visual 'heat map' of curriculum strengths and weaknesses across the school, helping to identify common CPD needs, highlight subjects requiring targeted support, or spot pockets of excellence to be shared as best practice.
Clear, Professional Reporting
Once your evaluation and planning are complete, iAbacus generates a polished, visually compelling PDF report with a single click. This is perfect for distribution to the subject team at a departmental meeting. The report ensures every member is clear on the agreed-upon priorities, individual responsibilities, and the success criteria outlined in the action plan, fostering collective ownership and accountability.
References / Source Material
How to Get Started
New to iAbacus? Discover how this template can support your improvement strategy. Book a personalised demo or start a free trial to explore the full platform.
Visit www.iAbacus.com to learn more. Already a subscriber? You can find this template in the template library within your iAbacus account. Simply log in, create a new abacus, and select it from the list to get started.
