Our journey: ‘notice to improve’ to ‘outstanding’ · 2015. 10. 13. · Redden Court School...

Our journey: ‘notice to improve’ to ‘outstanding’

Leah McGee Head of English and Anna Roberts Second in English

Redden Court School, Havering

Redden Court School• Academy in 2011• Students with statements are double national average and increasing.• Looked-after children higher than national average.• Pupil premium is in line with national average.

The English Department• 2008: whole school Ofsted judgement was ‘unsatisfactory with a notice to

improve in English’.• 2008: English Language results were 32% A*-C.• 2011: whole school Ofsted judgement was ‘good with outstanding

features’.• May 2014: Ofsted English Subject Inspection was ‘outstanding in all

areas’.• 2013, 2014 and January 2015 : English Language results have

consistently been 90-92% A*-C


Minimum effort with maximum results


Personalised learning

Any curriculum must be embedded in a system that supports it:

• a consistently robust, supportive, student and data driven framework;

• a system that is innovative in its approaches to tracking and intervention;

• a system that is continuously adapting and refining its practice to suit the needs of the

students it serves.


How does your school support personalised learning

in your department?

• How do you group your students?• How does tracking take place?• How does the school intervene with students who

are underperforming?• How do you review/refine the effectiveness of your

system? • How do you share resources?

Covering the breadth of the National Curriculum

Students who ‘do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are

effectively disenfranchised.’Key Stage 3 National Curriculum

Therefore, make sure all your students can! The end.


We are not ‘doing Dickens!’

• Use ‘Personalised Learning Checklists’ or ‘Progress Flight Paths’.


•Teach skills.•Teach, assess, develop, assess.•Praise the learning process.

www.sparkyteaching.com

How does your school foster a ‘growth mindset’?

• Are students encouraged to ask questions?• Are they aware of their weaknesses and how to

make progress?• Do they appreciate that part of the learning process

is getting something ‘wrong’?

What’s your favourite subject?

ENGLISH!• Enjoyment is key to

progress.• Are you projecting

your ‘data stress’? • Learning is fun!• How to learn –face challenges

together.



Approaches:

• Monitor and develop reading skills.

•Track and intervene.

• Develop a culture of reading.

• Make reading relevant.

Fostering Enjoyment:

• Get students involved;

• Engage them in every way possible;

• Foster competition;

• Reward and award.


Choice for all:

• Ownership for the teacher and their students;

• Provide choice;

• Promote thinking;

• Trust.


How does your department foster enjoyment in English?

• How do you develop a culture of reading?• Do you use ‘Student Voice’?• What events and visits do you run?• Do you promote autonomy for both staff and

students in the classroom?

Embedding Key Skills for Exam Success• Have a thematic

approach. • Teaching skills.

• Prepare students to read, write and speak

confidently in any given situation – including

exams.


Differentiation is Key:• Each year group is

different.• Try skill-based

grouping.• Schemes of Work

must reflect the needs and interests

of the students.


Assessment for learning

Assessment is Vital:

• Marking, feedback and dialogue;

• Success criteria; • Continual assessment; • Fluidity.



‘If we are serious about raising standards and catching up with the best in the world, we

need to know how pupils are doing at 7, 11,

14 and 16.’(Michael Wilshaw, 2013)

‘Tests are becoming less and less relevant.’ (Ed Balls, 2008)


Formal Testing

• The problem with SATs.

• Checkpoints.

• Teach students to fail for success.

• Valuable, summative feedback.

Student Ownership:

• Student voice;

• Student facilitators;

• The learning environment;


How does your department assess progress?

• How often do you examine students?• How confident are you that they are making

progress?• How do you ensure consistency across your team?• What is your marking policy and does it cater for the

needs of the students?

What have we implemented to make such significant progress with our students?

• Stick to core values.• A range of texts and stimuli.

• Differentiation.• Choice.

• Wider research.• Challenge.• Relevance.

• Success criteria. • Assessment.



Things to avoid:

• Half term SOWs;

• A one size fits all approach;

•A lesson by lesson guide;

•One stimulus;

•One form of task and learning.

The importance of Speaking and Listening:

• Cultural entitlement. • Imperative in a technological age.

• Learning the art of questioning.

• Providing valid assessment.

• A whole school approach through a designated staff

member.


• Adopt a collegiate approach to leadership.

• Foster department and student responsibility.

• Monitor progress and intervene.


Team work

Uncertain future?Curriculum principles

Little difference between specifications

PlanningThematic terms

Integrated curriculumAvoid exam weariness


In summary…practical points

• A consistent and supportive system.

• The needs of the individual at its core.

• A ‘growth mindset’ needs to be embedded in students.

• Progressive skills checklists.


In summary…practical points

• Develop a culture of student ownership.

• Make learning fun.

• Use a range of assessment opportunities.

• Develop outstanding speaking and listening skills.


No matter how creative our ideas, it doesn’t

matter. Without defining a vision of what we

are trying to do – something that will matter

to people – we are just going through life the

way we always have. We are not moving in

any new direction.

Leah McGee – [email protected]

Anna Roberts – [email protected]

Our journey: ‘notice to improve’ to ‘outstanding’ · 2015. 10. 13. · Redden Court School...

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