6 minute read
Life in the margins Adam Anstey, Head of School, Broomfield House School
Life in the margins
The pursuit of marginal gains can result in excellent performance in elite sport, so why not in our schools, says Adam Anstey, Head of School at Broomfield House School
The world of high-performance sport is well known for focusing on the specific areas where marginal gains can result in exceptional performance. The general premise is that instead of pursuing big, unmanageable goals and expecting immediate results, improving incrementally, by just one per cent, in a host of smaller areas yields significant benefits. It is this approach which allows athletes to reach the top of the performance curve, the moment where all the preparation and training comes together at exactly the right time to give them the best chance of success.
I have noticed an immediate correlation to this approach within education. More recently I have been reflecting on what it is that we actually do in schools which impacts not only academic performance, but on a child's development, well-being, and sense of belonging, in an entirely holistic way.
It is ever more evident within the competitive London senior school market, that schools are looking for more than just
pure academics. Interviews now carry greater weight, references need greater breadth and a less conformist approach is being sought. Our success comes from recognising and respecting each child as an individual. Learning is personalised, each child is profiled, and we make time to adopt a ‘black-box thinking’ approach. We ask ourselves, what is happening? What can we learn from it? How can we do better? Any forward-thinking prep school should be focusing on creating opportunities for pupils not only to thrive academically, but also to access a well-rounded mix of character building and leadership opportunities.
With the impact of Covid, senior schools are moving towards a less uniform assessment calendar. This not only adds further pressure to an already stressful process, but simultaneously erases preparation time. Therefore, the search for marginal gains is essential in finding solutions to equipping children with the skills needed to perform well at 11-plus, without it detracting from them receiving a first-class education.
Baseline cognitive ability tests, when used effectively in comparison to previous benchmarks and cohort performance, allow school leaders to share with parents a trajectory for pupils. No child has a ceiling in terms of potential, but the kind and transparent use of key data allows parents to make informed choices earlier about where to apply and why. This avoids families going through the unnecessary rigour of applying for unsuitable schools. We use data to inform and focus our decisions on where we can make the most impact for our pupils. This enables us to carefully track and benchmark ourselves on a national level as well as within the London prep school world.
The quote, ‘the future belongs to those who prepare today’, is something I have heard throughout my time working in schools. The question of what skills will be needed in the future should be explored before meaningful planning and preparation can begin for our children. The school curriculum is more than just lessons and subjects taught, it is the entire circle of learning opportunities, enrichment experiences and values which form this core philosophy. Many marginal gains can be made by putting in place a forward-thinking curriculum which brings with it a focus not only on subject specific content but also on algorithmic thinking, advanced problem solving, leadership and responsible social influence, resilience, critical thinking and analysis, active listening and innovation; all skills highlighted by the World Economic Forum as the top 10 skills for 2025 (see page 51).
What does that look like in a successful school? To focus on technology use as a fundamental skill, Broomfield recently opened a new IT lab. This space, which uses open-source software as a concept, allows all children to continue working at home with the same software without additional costs and pressures on families to buy expensive licences. It demonstrates our school's investment in skills of the future and across the entire school community. This new lab is the start of an innovative approach to computer science, where marginal gains come from bringing the curriculum down from senior-school level to much younger pupils. Coding begins earlier, graphic literacy is given space, digital literacy and the safe use of complex cloud-based networks linked to social responsibility, allows our children to learn the skills that will futureproof them for learning and life.
Marginal gains come from not accepting the norm and not standing still. The children deserve the very best education and access to the highest level of teaching. It is teachers who make the biggest difference. A successful school must therefore invest in, and retain, an excellent staff body. We do everything we can at Broomfield to encourage and empower our deserving staff from providing them with the latest high-spec equipment to adjusting the catering menu to be more inclusive of vegetarians.
Embedding a learning culture at the school helps achieve those marginal gains, too. A learning review which combines high standards, supportive peer-on-peer lesson observations, book reviews, pupils' feedback and data snapshots, all help to shine a light on exactly what gains can be made and where.
I think the opportunity for marginal gains is all around us. I could fill this entire publication with small examples where we are seeing differences being made. In the end though, it
ʻMarginal gains come from not accepting the norm and not standing still. They can be made by putting in place a forward-thinking curriculum.ʼ
The Power of Tiny Gains
1.01365 0.99365
The Power of Tiny Gains
1.01365 0.99365
The Power of Tiny Gains
1.01365 0.99365
The Power of Tiny Gains
The Power of Tiny Gains = 37.78 = 0.03
Improvement or decline
1 ImprovementImprovement
or decline or decline
1
11 year 1% better every day 1% worse every day 1.01365 0.99365 = 37.78 = 0.03
Improvement or decline
1
1 year
1 year
1 year 1 year
comes down to details, to spending time on simple decisions instead of rushing past them and to engage in healthy debate to stimulate new thinking. Some recent examples include, choosing paint colours for a classroom, adjusting timings of the school day, playing classical music over rap in the dining room, the length of lessons and choosing to make homemade (instead of shop bought) biscuits and vegan flapjacks to the children at break time. I do not believe I have ever read an education book which analyses the impact of every small gain which we as leaders make in schools. If it was possible, I believe we would all be surprised by the results and the positive impact on academic performance, well-being and the general feeling of happiness. n
ʻThe new IT lab at Broomfield House is the start of an innovative approach to computer science, where marginal gains come from bringing the curriculum down from senior school level to much younger pupils.ʼ
Adam Anstey is Head of School at Broomfield House, a thriving, independent, co-ed prep school for students aged 3-11 years in south-west London
