At Thursday’s SSC meeting we discussed Year 11 and 13 interventions: identifying the right pupils, designing effective assessments and implementing strategic interventions. Here is a brief overview of the meeting content. At the bottom is a list of questions, which should act as a checklist for HODs in making sure they are working strategically. Continue Reading
Leaders for the Future
Last year we embarked on a new venture: a leadership programme run in-house for our staff. We are really proud of what our Leaders for the Future have achieved. Read the outcomes here.
I’ve got my Knowledge Organisers – now what?
Practical suggestions for using Knowledge Organisers in the classroom.
This blog is made up of two parts. The first is a little overview of KOs and why they can be so helpful in your medium term planning. I’ll structure this part as an FAQ based on the last year of working with departments. The second is a list of 20 practical lesson planning ideas for using KOs with pupils in which I’ll seek to answer the question at the top of this blog. Continue Reading
Need a Hub?
In September our professional development programme is changing: here is why I’m excited by that change.
‘Teaching KS3 pupils GCSE skills is useless and dangerous.’ To what extent to do you agree with this statement?
By Jon Palmer, Teacher of English & Head of H&SC
***remember to write witty, engaging and relatable intro to grab reader’s attention*** so the question was: how could I possibly teach a high level GCSE skill such as evaluation to my KS3 classes? Continue Reading
Model Answers: A Recipe for Success
By Nicola Stevens, Head of Spanish.
Remember the last mouth-watering meal you enjoyed in a Michelin star restaurant? You devoured the entire mouth-watering plate, but could you recreate it at home? Would you know the ingredients? The measurements? Would you be able to guess the recipe? Do you have the culinary skills to produce the dish yourself? Probably not. Hold that thought…. Continue Reading
3 Steps to High Impact Marking
With marking listed as one of the three areas in the government’s workload challenge, none of us can afford to spend time assessing pupils’ work without the certainty that this effort will lead to further progress. These are our three steps to ensuring that assessment always leads to progress. Continue Reading
