Paulet High School: A Journey of Improvement and Alignment with SchooliP
In April 2024, Paulet High School received a ‘Good’ rating across all areas from Ofsted, a significant achievement following a previous ‘requires improvement’ judgement. The school’s transformation didn’t happen by chance. Behind the improved teaching quality, behaviour, and leadership lies a renewed clarity of purpose, one supported by a strategic use of SchooliP.
At the heart of Paulet High School’s improvement strategy was a simple goal: to ensure that the excellent work taking place could be tracked, aligned with the school’s priorities, and evidenced with confidence.
SchooliP helped bring this vision to life by connecting individual teacher actions with whole-school development goals. Staff could see exactly how their CPD, lesson improvements, and interventions contributed to larger strategic priorities. This gave every member of staff ownership over the school’s direction, a feature highlighted in the Ofsted report, which praised the “carefully sequenced curriculum” and “effective support” across the board.
In the lead-up to inspection, leaders used SchooliP to gather and structure evidence under Ofsted’s key judgement areas. Whether it was demonstrating how they support SEND learners, how behaviour incidents are analysed, or how sixth-form interventions were implemented following 2023 results, leaders had access to a robust, centralised record of progress.
This evidence was directly linked to their School Development Plan, making it easy to show impact over time and react to evolving needs. Crucially, it also allowed them to highlight areas still in progress, demonstrating strategic oversight, an area Ofsted noted had previously been inconsistent.
The school didn’t attempt to ‘game’ the framework. Instead, SchooliP helped them work within Ofsted’s expectations, mapping key areas such as leadership, curriculum, personal development, and behaviour directly into their improvement planning and review cycle.
For example, when inspectors noted that “leaders do not have clear oversight of all aspects of their work,” the school could now show how they were using SchooliP to identify those blind spots and monitor improvement in real time. Staff surveys, action plans, CPD reflections, and line management notes were no longer in silos, they lived in one place, visible and connected.
Ian McArthur, Headteacher of Paulet High School, and his team have embedded a culture of strategic, joined-up improvement. Staff feel proud, leaders are confident, and the school community is thriving. SchooliP hasn’t just been a tool, it’s been a platform for uniting everyone around shared goals and tracking their collective progress.
Paulet High School’s success story is a powerful reminder that sustainable improvement comes from clarity, consistency, and collaboration. SchooliP empowered them to:
Collate robust, up-to-date evidence for inspection and internal use
Track progress across Ofsted areas with confidence
Align actions to the School Development Plan for measurable impact
Embed a culture of reflection, support, and accountability
For any school on a similar journey, Paulet’s experience shows that the right system can do more than track performance, it can shape improvement.
