Woodrush Acorn - Summer 2016 by Woodrush High

Woodrush Acorn Summer 2016

Woodrush Teaching School Alliance

Foreword by the Headteacher This is an exciting time to be working with the Woodrush Teaching School Alliance. We have been designated as a teaching school for nearly two years and we are looking to continue to grow and develop our alliance, to support education in the Midlands. After the successes of our CPD events last year, we have developed a calendar of high quality training, including accredited programmes such as the Improving Teacher Programme for recently qualified teachers, our third cohort of NPQML and NPQSL programmes, as well as bespoke in house Evolve days and Primary Science support through the Ogden Trust. Please do have a look at the Continuing Professional Development pages to find out more. Our designated Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs) have been active in supporting a range of schools in the West Midlands. We would be delighted to work with exceptional middle and senior leaders in this capacity, and so, if being designated as an SLE is something you might find of interest, you can find out more information from us. We have been successful in securing School Direct places for primary and secondary subjects through our long standing partnership with The University of Birmingham. We are very much looking forward to beginning to work with The University of Worcester in this capacity too as our alliance grows in South Worcestershire. We will be recruiting for the 2017-2018 training places shortly after October half term in Primary and Secondary subjects. We would be delighted to work with more schools who can host trainees in the future, so please do get in touch to discuss this further so we can organise placements in the subjects that would meet your school’s need. Next year, our Primary training programme is being codelivered by three of our alliance partners and we look forward to welcoming our primary trainees with our secondary trainees in September. As always, through our work, our core aim is to improve the education our students and those in the local area receive. We would like to thank all of the schools who continue to work with us and would like to invite other schools to join our alliance. Woodrush Teaching School Alliance is able to offer: bespoke CPD, ITT places, training opportunities, leadership development and research opportunities to name but a few. Please do contact the teaching school if you would like to arrange a meeting or telephone discussion regarding joining our alliance, in whatever capacity will benefit your school and students the most.

Natasha Rancins Headteacher

Contents • Page 3-5 : Initial Teacher Training • Page 6-7 : Continuing Professional

Development

• Page 8-21 : Research + Development • Page 22 : Specialist Leaders of

Education

• Page 23 : Leadership Development

Woodrush Teaching School Alliance Woodrush High School Shawhurst Lane, Wythall, Worcestershire, B47 5JW T: 01564 823777 F: 01564 820092 www.woodrushtsa.co.uk teachingschool@woodrushhigh.worcs.sch.uk @woodrushtsa

Initial Teacher Training School Direct

This year the Alliance has co-ordinated School Direct training for Primary and Secondary places. You can read about our trainees’ experiences here.

Becci - Secondary “Woodrush’s Schools Direct Programme has given me the best start to teaching I could have hoped for. The structure of the course is designed to put trainees in the classroom from day one but not without very strong support from their regular class teacher. I took on my classes at a rate that I was comfortable with, taking on parts of lessons and gradually building up. The whole process was personally tailored to what I was ready for unlike other programmes that might be more didactic in their set up. When I have struggled I have had extra support; when I haven’t felt challenged, I have been given more responsibility or targets to work towards. The support I’ve had from the whole department has been incredible. Each teacher whose class I have taught has spent time working through the curriculum, lesson plans and lesson reflections with me. They have always been on hand to answer any questions and give support when needed as well as stepping back in lessons to give me the opportunity to develop my independence as a teacher. The teachers I work with and my subject mentor provide me with constructive feedback for each lesson and give practical advice on how to make the suggested improvements.

To anyone looking to begin their teaching training, I would recommend Woodrush Teaching School Alliance without any hesitation.”

Charlotte - Primary “I have really enjoyed taking part in the School Direct course with Woodrush Teaching School as I feel it has prepared me for my career a lot more than a University based PGCE. I have spent a lot more time in school and feel like I am a member of the staff rather than a student teacher. Due to this, the children respond to me a lot better and I feel more comfortable in the teaching environment. I have received a large amount of support from my

school especially during stressful times which has kept me on track and helped my progression as a teacher. One of the benefits of Woodrush Teaching School is that I have been able to gain advice from a wide range of teachers with varied experiences which has really helped my teaching.”

Having training each week rather than in one block provides the opportunity to learn about a particular topic and put it into practice over the week. Being in school, the training is very practical and applied. The sessions are varied to suit different learning styles and different topics. I have enjoyed the range of talks, presentations, discussions, tasks, observations and interviews. I particularly enjoyed a session on literacy in school in which I had the opportunity to work with a non-English specialist to advise her on how to bring literacy into her classroom. This gave us the opportunity to put into practice the theory we had learnt in the morning and I got the chance to actually experience the role of a literacy co-ordinator.

We will be recruiting trainees for 2017-2018 in both Primary and Secondary programmes with The University of Worcester and The University of Birmingham. We are always looking for more schools to work in partnership with us to host trainees for their placements. Please do contact the Teaching School for further information about this.

English in the Outdoors Teaching English to students who struggle with literacy can be an uphill struggle. Whilst teaching a group of lower ability year 7s, I felt challenged to make the lessons really active and purposeful; for students who find the subject difficult and boring I decided they have to actually see the point of it. We teach students to write for different purposes all the time. Imagine you’re this person, at this time, writing for these people. This can be great; students are free to imagine all kinds of weird and wonderful things and often really enjoy it. But for students who frequently ask ‘what’s the point?’, or those who haven’t read many books or those who haven’t had many life experiences, what do they write about? I wanted to give this group of students a new experience, new skills and a tangible, immediate reason to create the best piece of writing they could. So we went camping. Well, we pitched school’s old DofE tents on the field, but it was closer than most of them had ever come to camping. When I first put the lesson’s title on the board, the students groaned. ‘Writing Instructions’ wouldn’t be my idea of a good time either. But when we got out the tent and looked at the diagrams, there was no more groaning. Students were engaged and enthusiastic about working out which part of the tent was which and for students who usually shy away from having to work things out, especially when they’re wrong the first time, this was impressive. The students then used their diagrams to write their instructions. I encouraged them to include as much detail as possible as this is all they would have when they put up their tents. Some took the advice and some didn’t, but unlike other lessons in which I would have to keep sending students back to their work to add more detail to their work, I didn’t have to. They would soon realise that instructions need to be clear and detailed. And they did. They worked it out without me nagging or covering their work in red pen. They worked it out when they used the wrong pole or put their tent up inside out or it came crashing down on them. And not only did they produce some of their best work the following lesson, they were stretched in other ways. They had to work as a group. They had to accept their failures and try again. They had to see others succeed before them. And they had to admit that they had fun in an English lesson. Four lessons felt like a long time to spend on producing one set of instructions, but I think it was worth it. It helped students realise the value and importance of English, develop resilience in the face of failure and I’m pretty sure they won’t forget how to write instructions any time soon. “The camping lesson was brilliant. It was my first time putting up a tent. I really enjoyed it.” Heleema 7B4 Becci Raine School’s Direct Trainee

NQT News In May, Woodrush High School was awarded the prestigious NQT quality mark for our induction programme. Congratulations to Sam Bullivant, the NQT Induction Tutor and ITT Lead for all of her fantastic work devising and supporting this programme. We also operate as an appropriate body for Newly Qualified Teachers and so if this is something you would like more information on, please contact the Teaching School.

Spotlight on St. Andrews First School St. Andrew’s First School are one of the Primary partners in our Teaching School Alliance and have been working with us since March 2015. They are key partners in our Primary School Direct programme along with Hollywood and Meadow Green. Using the Sport Premium Funding At St. Andrew’s First School, children take part in a wide range of activities including dance, gymnastics, team games and swimming through the effective delivery of the Nation Curriculum. Physical activity is also promoted with the participation in Wake ‘n’ Shake which takes place every morning. The children contribute their own ideas towards the simple but energetic dance routine that aims to get minds and bodies warmed up ready for the school day. With the Sport Premium aiming to encourage sports participation, St Andrew’s has prioritised broadening the experience of a range of sports and activities offered to all pupils and increasing participation in competitive sport. Our school is working to inspire all pupils to lead healthier lifestyles and to increase their engagement in regular physical activity. This year, our Sport Premium funding has been used to train a group of Year 4 children, known as Play Leaders, to lead fun, engaging and purposeful activities during lunchtimes for the rest of the school. We have also had an outdoor climbing wall installed in our playground for lunchtime and playtime use. This new equipment has been very popular with our children and its different coloured climbing holds that form paths across the wall offer appropriate challenge for all of our enthusiastic climbers! The children have benefitted from specialist coaches taking Mini Squash, Cricket and Golf sessions, as well as Dance sessions culminating in a performance at a local Dance Festival. The children have really enjoyed these activities and have been introduced to new, exciting sports whilst forming links with local clubs in the community. Through these initiatives, our children have had the opportunity to improve their skills, increase their awareness of different sports and enjoy being active. These are sentiments we continue to promote through our all-inclusive committed approach to sports education at St Andrew’s First School.

CPD Improving Teacher Programme by Olevi ‘The Learning and Teaching programme

was a fantastic opportunity to further explore and embed some of the key areas of teacher training in a practical school environment. The observations and group discussions within the course were well structured to aid in the process of reviewing these various areas of teaching pedagogy.’ (B. Taylor P.E Teacher) Here at Woodrush, we were proud to host our first Improving Teacher Programme during the Autumn Term. The Improving Teacher Programme aims to introduce teachers, in any stage of their career, to strategic, impactful pedagogical approaches to apply within the classroom. The programme enables colleagues to explore their own teaching practices and consider ways of adapting and developing in order to ensure that students are being challenged and engaged throughout their learning. It also allows for teachers to share and observe good practice through the series of observations that take place on a weekly basis. The observations and learning walks are planned to ensure delegates witness learning and teaching that links directly to the aims of the programme. As co facilitators, Andy and I enjoyed building a rapport with the delegates and were impressed by their enthusiastic and committed approach. It was especially valuable to hear feedback from across the week, where teachers had tried out new approaches or resources in the classroom and had brought along evidence for the learning wall, which exemplified the impact it yielded and the difference it had made to students they taught. The delegates’ hard work across the six week programme culminated in a paired teaching activity where they planned and delivered PSHE Starter/Introductory activities for 6th formers. The impact of the programme was clearly evident as sessions were lively, challenging, in depth and having a clear impact on student progress. The feedback was very positive: ‘As an RQT going into this course, I was hoping to cement the positive aspects of my teaching practice, as well as gaining some fresh ideas and approaches. The combination of observing fellow practitioners and having productive, seminar-like discussions with colleagues was conducive to achieving this: it was rejuvenating to be able to sit and share ideas with other people in the same position as me in their career, and every week I found myself coming away

with new ideas – whether in my teaching style or for lesson activities – that I was eager to implement. From questioning strategies to D.R I.C.E, the course has underpinned much of my planning since and has encouraged me to be collaborative wherever possible.’ (J. Cook English/Media Studies Teacher) ‘The ITP course allowed us as RQTs to share best practice and we were able to observe outstanding teaching from a variety of different departments. This has personally enabled me to use a broader variety of creative approaches towards my teaching in both theory and practical lessons. The course has encouraged all RQTs to continue to deliver good/ outstanding lessons and it has encouraged me to feel more confident within all aspects of my teaching. I’m now able to take more time to reflect on my teaching practice and the learning of my students. ‘ (K. Ford P.E Teacher) Since then, all delegates are using the ideas from the ITP in their everyday practice and all are building a reputation within the school as ‘Outstanding’ practitioners. Two colleagues have even contributed and led on whole staff training on Learning and Teaching. It proves that those who attend and complete Olevi courses not only improve their own teaching practices but also develop the capacity to have an extensive impact across entire departments and schools. We are now excited about facilitating the programme next year, especially as we have a new build, The Hub, where all CPD will take place. Any teachers that want to embed good and outstanding practice whilst having the opportunity to observe outstanding teachers on a weekly basis should apply to our Teaching School to enrol on the programme.

We will be facilitating another ITP after October half term. This is ideal for recently qualified teachers and any teacher looking to secure good and outstanding practice. Contact the Teaching School for more information. Janine Metcalfe-Taylor - Woodrush Teaching School CPD Co ordinator

Power of Coaching (Olevi)

The Power of Coaching is an extremely effective programme that offers all staff an opportunity to focus on their ability to empower and develop others through successful listening and coaching strategies. The programme is currently being offered in house and a number of sessions have already taken place. Colleagues are enabled to reassess their personal interpretation of the term ‘coaching’ and consider how to become an effective coach in a school environment. Strategies are devised and different models and approaches are considered in order for all delegates to evaluate and deepen their understanding of the way coaching can be used across school and in a variety of ways to impact on staff development and student progress. So far staff members have demonstrated a keen and willing approach and discussions have been insightful and developmental. We are looking forward to completing the programme and seeing effective and empowering coaching becoming established practice within the Woodrush community.

On 30th September 2015, I had the pleasure of attending the SSAT’s pilot group meeting for the proposed ‘Framework for Exceptional Education; Journey to World Class’. Knowing very little about this new SSAT project, I joined about 15 other SLT representatives from Secondary schools all over the UK. The SSAT Director of Education and their new Senior Education Lead introduced us to their plans for their new ‘World Class Schools Framework’ which was due to be fully launched at the National Conference in December. The framework has been in development for over a year already and the SSAT ideally want every school to be able to use this framework as an improvement tool to support their journey to world class. However, only Leading Edge schools (of which there are currently about 2000), can officially participate in the SSAT’s scheme therefore ensuring a benchmark quality starting point. The framework is designed to be a formative and developmental, professional journey for schools. It shouldn’t be viewed as an ‘add on’ to the daily work of good schools; it should underpin everything we already do. It shouldn’t either be viewed as some kind of OFSTED framework or criteria. This is something to be done ‘by schools, for schools’. It was music to our ears to hear that this framework has been designed to genuinely support schools’ development and recognise success at the highest level. As we worked throughout the day to unpick the content of the framework, colleagues shared thoughts on how this could work in practice, and gave feedback on what evidence and progress through the framework might look like at various stages. There was a great deal of discussion around the idea of accreditation. At the start of the process, the plan was to provide a framework for school improvement that any schools could engage with and accreditation would be gained at the end of the process, on achieving the top end of the criteria in most categories, therefore being labelled a ‘Leading Edge : World Class School’. There was much debate around the ‘process and the journey’ as opposed to ‘winning the badge at the end’. Is there a danger that when there’s a ‘badge/ title / shiny world class trophy’ on offer, that principled, honest self reflection goes out the window? After much quality debate, we decided that if accreditation came at the start, so that schools are recognised for participating in and engaging with the Framework, they would be more likely to use it as a real development tool, and get more from the journey as opposed to just the end goal. Participating schools could get a Leading Edge

visit to have a professional dialogue and facilitate self assessment against framework. Schools would also be allocated a peer mentor, who would be trained by the SSAT. Not wanting to lose the drive to be ‘the best of the best’, it was also decided that schools working at the ‘Transforming’ level one or more categories could be awarded a ‘gold star’ accreditation for their exemplary practice in that area(s). What was truly great about our day at the SSAT was that it felt like genuine co-construction. The group were able to offer thoughts and feedback on all aspects of the project : the name, the framework itself, the process and accreditation. Upon returning to school, I shared the framework and plans with my SLT colleagues and we discussed using the framework and criteria to initially selfaudit as a Leadership Team. It provides great food for thought and could help structure reflection and drive improvement for teams at all levels. We see it as a valuable tool to be used to evaluate successes and areas for further development with a range of stakeholders including, in our case, governors. In December I attended my first SSAT conference; what an amazing 2 days packed full of thoughtprovoking workshops, examples of great practice, and hugely inspiring keynote speakers. I was delighted to join 2 fellow representatives from the pilot group to speak with Kike, Senior Education Lead, at the launch of the Framework. The next stage for the pilot group is to work with SSAT on the finer details of the accreditation process. I am intrigued to see how ‘Framework for Exceptional Education; Journey to World Class’ develops and excited to be part of the pilot group helping to shape this pioneering project. Claire Sheppard Assistant Headteacher, Learning and Teaching We were also invited by the SSAT to be a host school for the Teaching and Learning element of their ‘Leading an Outstanding School’ programme. This took place at the end of May and we welcomed 24 senior leaders from across the country to participate in a series of seminars and networking opportunities on leading an outstanding school. The day was a real success with positive comments from the delegates on sharing the school’s vision and the journey we are on to continually improve. “Thank-you for your open and honest approach to your day” “Your staff were really helpful, open and honest” “The learning walk was really useful to see ideas in practice”

Research and Development Ogden Trust As a designated teaching school we already work with the Ogden Trust, a charitable trust that exists to promote the teaching and learning of physics. Our teaching school is a hub for a Primary Ogden Partnership and we have already secured funding to open a ‘Phiz lab’ in a local primary school. We are advocates for sustainable CPD for staff to bring engaging science lower down into a child’s school career. Our current aim in Research and Development is to replicate The Ogden Trust’s model of providing resources, practical materials and CPD for primary teachers, which uses a cascading model in which we as a teaching school, train one staff member from a school and they feedback to other members of staff. We are currently trying to secure funds to develop a trial for a maximum of ten local primary schools initially, to replicate that model in biology and chemistry for some of the “big ideas” in each area of the primary curriculum. The aim is to carry out some robust action research to evaluate the impact of this CPD and then to expand on a greater scale.

Working with us as a STEM Partner or sponsor We are currently looking for sponsors to help us fund this initial research project. We can offer advertising space on any promotional materials and on our teaching school website in return. We are also seeking a STEM partner to support us in giving students a real life context of their STEM work, which we would envisage would involve a few visits per year and being involved in the delivery of some sessions to students. We would greatly welcome your support with one or both of these areas. If this is something you feel that you would like to be involved in please contact myself at Woodrush High School on 01564 823777 or by email lhollingworth@woodrushhigh.worcs.sch.uk

Our work with the Ogden Trust In October 2015, the TSA hosted our first Ogden Training session, “Phizzi Forces”. We invited colleagues from our primary partners to join us for the day, developing subject knowledge and practical skills. The Ogden Trust funded the event and participants left with a box of equipment worth £250. They impact of this CPD has been really positive so far and we look forward to welcoming colleagues back in July for “Phizzi Light and Sound”. “Brilliant day learning new investigations and ways to deliver” “A great and very useful day, which will be of great value when used back in school.” “A really useful CPD showing how simple it can be implementing the resources back in school” “Thank you, it is excellent and gives science a higher profile in the school with the support to do it”

Phiz Lab Grand Opening On 26th April, the “Phiz lab” was opened at The Coppice Primary School. This is a dedicated space in the primary school for Science teaching and learning. The CEO, Tim Simmons, officially opened the lab with representatives from The Governing Body and staff from the Woodrush Teaching School Alliance, who lead the Ogden partnership. Congratulations to Jo Tomkinson, Science Co-ordinator at The Coppice for all of her hard work in setting up the lab.

Bread & Butter Teaching “Sharing successful strategies!” After ploughing through many educational websites and resource packs, it became apparent to me that there are not many places where you can find the ‘nuts and bolts’ of educational resources. Most ideas and resources are too subject specific or just passing phases which would take far too long to implement before they went out of fashion. So I set upon the task of creating a ‘one stop shop’ for teachers where they can get good advice, tips and resources from without all of the fancy trimmings and jargon that seem to fly around education. Hence, breadandbutterteaching.com the website that gives teachers the tools to develop and enhance good practice, with a hint of humour thrown in for good measure. In my previous school, I had the responsibility of overseeing Learning and Teaching across the whole body of staff. This included working with a range of staff, from the ‘high flyers’ to those who needed a refresher to develop their own teaching standards. Therefore, on the website you will see a range of ideas and resources to suit a range of teachers. Admittedly, since my new appointment, I have struggled to update the ‘blog’ section as often as I would like now that I have a different set of responsibilities away from Learning and Teaching. However, this sums up the strength of my website as it is not all about me and my ideas. You will see that many resources have been created by other professional colleagues as the site allows you to post your own resource or idea and if it is deemed suitable it will get put onto the website permanently. Last but not least…it is completely FREE! There is no signing up, registration or download fee. You can take it or leave it…but please ‘like’ and ‘share’ it. Andy Reece Head of Humanities – Woodrush High School

Research and Innovation Groups (RIGs) This year, the majority of our teaching staff have participated in Research Innovation Groups. This model is based on action research principles, using the class teacher and their daily practice as the vehicle for personalised research and development. The groups have focused on ‘Most able students’, ‘Assessment’, ‘Cross Phase Learning and Teaching’, and ‘Character across the curriculum’, all key areas of our School Improvement Plan. Staff have chosen to work independently, in pairs or triads to carry out their work. Training sessions have been scheduled each term as part of our Wednesday morning ‘Genie-us’ training programme to facilitate blocks of time for the projects. During the ‘starter phase’, staff were introduced to key research principles to underpin their projects and began to identify a focus area or question for research. In the recent ‘development phase’, staff have returned to the RIG’s to reflect on progress, share findings thus far and support each other through any issues or barriers. During the ‘plenary phase’ in July, staff will collate their research and innovation and present to colleagues in a ‘marketplace’.

Assessment RIG The Purpose of the Assessment Research Innovation Group • To provide clear policy and procedure on the school’s approach to assessment. • To ensure every child knows how they are doing, and understand what they need to do to improve and how to get there. They get the support they need to be motivated, independent learners on an ambitious trajectory of improvement. • To ensure that every teacher is equipped to make well-founded judgements about students’ attainment, understands the concepts and principles of progression, and knows how to use their assessment judgements to forward-plan, particularly for students who are not fulfilling their potential. • To ensure that the school has in place structured and systematic assessments for making regular, useful, manageable and accurate assessments of students, and for tracking their progress. • To ensure that every parent and carer knows how their child is doing, what they need to do to improve and how they can support their child and her/his teachers.

In Order to Achieve this; All teachers focused on a question based on one of the above themes, in order to look for improvement in our everyday practice and support elements of a new Assessment and Feedback Policy. These themes were; improving feedback and student response, using new GCSE grades 1-9, improving the quality of summative assessments and using new tracking and monitoring tools.

Research Examples Research Title – Making use of RAG coloured trays in order to aid the quality of feedback and support the planning of following lessons. I have found that the trays are very effective tool in the classroom especially when under pressure to complete a range of different things at the same time. They can be used in a range of ways other than simply asking the students to rate their understanding of the lesson and put their book in the respective tray. This meant that the following lesson, I could target certain students and speak to them individually if they were in the red tray and group the amber and green students together in order to give them tailored individual tasks. I have also been able to challenge the green students further in subsequent lessons. I was also able to, in some lessons, work with the students that were amber as those students that are in the middle can often feel neglected and the green students were able to work with students that were red. The trays are also very effective at managing marking and feedback. I was able to prioritise those students that were in the red and this also allowed me to use those few books in amber and red to help plan the next lesson or change the starter or one of the tasks accordingly. The only negative with the trays is that I used them mainly for KS4 for which my groups are relatively small in comparison to some other subjects, however with larger groups of 30 at KS3 although the same things can be done using the trays, I found that the impact was not as great as using them with KS4.

Research Title –’How useful is verbal feedback for long term progress, and how can practical subjects use the standardisation/moderation technique, to help assessment of and for learning of individual students?’ In practical subjects we are constantly marking and giving verbal feedback, which is valuable and is used to correct learning skills there and then. We felt that valuable lesson time is wasted having to require students to evidence this feedback and wanted to explore how effective verbal feedback is to students as opposed to written in practical lessons. We also felt that students need to be clearer about whether they are underachieving, on track or working beyond expectations in our subjects. We wanted to explore how the use of our GCSE moderation and standardisation techniques could be used at KS3 in order to demonstrate required expectations visually rather than in written format that is irrelevant to our subjects (a picture paints a thousand words etc.) We created a questionnaire for a pilot group of students from PE and Art, which helped us to see how much the students knew about how well they were doing, and what they must do to improve based on the current written feedback method? Then we gave them the same questionnaire after we have produced grade exemplar boards in classrooms/corridors. We are still waiting for the results of these questionnaires to study the impact on the exemplar boards.

Research Title – Analysing the impact of effective feedback and use of PLCs on year 12 pupils. The aim of our research title was to see if the new way of administering feedback is having any positive impact on the attainment of KS5 (year 12) learners. Things that we have looked at specifically are if pupils use of the marking grids on the front of assessment papers are useful. Following a test and teacher marking, pupils are instructed to spend time reviewing the test paper, and completing the grid on the front. On the grid they identify which strand of the specification each question was on and then record how many marks they achieved on this strand. Finally they then self assess this strand as a strength or a weakness and use this information to update their PLC. In addition to this, after the trial period, we have been using very focussed DIRT feedback policies, whereby pupils complete a specific task, receive teacher feedback on this and are set a specific improvement task aimed at correcting their learning. We then compared the pupils attainments from Progress 1 (before the feedback activities were fully implemented) and progress 3 to see the impact, which was positive.

Research Title –Do PLCs support student outcomes at KS3? Instead of having a PLC as an ‘additional extra’, simply a tick list at the end of a scheme of work, I wanted the PLC to form a more integral part of every lesson: informing students of the necessary skills to cover, and as a tool to show progress. Focusing on a scheme of work on newspaper reports for a top set year 8 English group, I used a PLC with eight key skills and three columns to RAG under the titles: baseline, mid-term assessment, end or term assessment. Each of the key skills was taken from the WALTs for one or more lessons. At the start of the scheme of work, students used the first column to RAG their confidence with the key skills. After each lesson (which focused on one of the key skills on the PLC), students placed books in RAG coloured trays for me to identify who needed more focused intervention regarding a particular key skill before moving on. After the mid-term assessment, testing the key skills listed on the PLC, students used the second column to RAG their confidence. I then spent an entire DIRT-time lesson helping students to improve key skills, which they had identified as ‘red’ or ‘amber’. Organising the class into groups of four, I allocated one of each of the skills listed on the PLC to a group comprising of three students who needed support regarding the particular skill and one leader, who excelled at the skill. After giving the leader time to revise the skill with the group, the remaining three practised the skill in a different context, allowing the leaders to work together on an extension task. Using PLCs during DIRT time helped to support students to make progress. Thereafter, the following lessons gave students opportunities to work at improving the skills identified by the PLC. By the time students completed their final assessment and came to RAG the final column of their PLC, most indicated that they were confident to use all of the key skills to write a newspaper report. Intervention was provided to a couple of students, who needed support in one or two skills. Overall, I found that using a PLC for every lesson and as an integral part of a scheme of work, particularly in the assessment process, helps to focus students on what they know/can do and what they need to work at improving. In addition, it clearly demonstrates student progress from the beginning to the end of a scheme of work.

Research Title â&#x20AC;&#x201C; How can the use of Personal Learning Checklists (PLCs) raise the achievement of students in Key Stage 3? What I have done so far: For each of the topics in KS3 I have developed an assessment grid which can also be used as a PLC. It clearly identifies the new banding, the old NC banding and the old GCSE banding equivalent. The benefits of this grid are that it contains the key terminology and includes a section for student self-assessment and teacher assessment. My findings so far: Students have been able to identify the relevant criteria for each banding and identify where they have demonstrated that skill. The use of computing specific language has become more evident. With Computing being a skills-based subject, using a PLC in this way (please see images provided) means that students can evidence what they have done and I can see it straight away rather than having to search through a pile of printed work / or going through their user area on the computer.

Image 1: Students can self-assess and use this grid every lesson. Key terminology is included. It could be improved by making the keywords stand out by making them bold.

Image 2: Students provide evidence for each criterion.

Image 3: Students provide a screenshot to evidence where they have demonstrated the skills in the assessment grid. This could be better improved by highlighting which banding specifically they have shown.

The data is yet to be compared in detail to students who studied Scratch in Year 7 last year, however, based on the progress results for students it is overall higher than students in Year 7 last year.

Do you want to train to be a teacher? www.woodrushtsa.co.uk

Dialogic Marking trials in Art The improvement of marking and feedback has consistently been a priority within our department, looking for new ways to save time as teachers, as well as allowing the students to take a more proactive role in their own learning. Historically, Art studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; main source of feedback due to the very individual nature of their work, has been tackled mainly through 1 to 1 discussions in class, allowing students to move forward and make progress. Unfortunately, this has always been very hard to evidence, and several methods of recording these discussions have been trialled, but none have been overly successful. We are currently trialling assessment stickers within GCSE Art & Photography, which we attach to the back of the students work. The stickers have 4 symbols on them that relate to the 4 main areas of improvement within Art & Photography. The students are given a detailed key (figure 1) to the symbols, which they stick in their jotters and then when we mark a piece of work, we tick the relevant box relating to the symbol(s) that require attention (figure 2) in order to improve. Students then give feedback on these areas, stating what they need to do to move forward and then are given DIRT time (outside of lessons) to complete them. Work is then handed back in and signed off when it is clear that time has been spent improving the work. This has been successful on a couple of levels. Firstly, due to the time this has saved in marking, allowing more frequent feedback to take place and secondly we have seen an improvement in the quality of the work completed in the first instance. Students are now more likely to spend time meeting the high expectations we set before they hand in work, as they know that work will only be returned to them to improve!

Figure 2

Figure 1

Ideas going forward would be to possibly include an area on the feedback sticker for peer assessment, which is currently only done in jotters. We intend to monitor its use within Art & Photography to ensure that we are keeping in our sights the two reasons for its creation in the first place: to make marking quicker and more informative as well as allowing our students to be fully involved in their own learning.

Character Education Our group have been focused on Character Education and in particular how to apply character education in subject specific lessons. This has come off the back of a course attended at the Jubilee Centre for Character Education where I took part in a trial to see the impact of exploring Character Education in normal lesson time. Students, during this project, were able to explore character virtues whilst still having a practical lesson in Music. Those who took part in the trial were able to openly talk about character virtues and how being aware of these help them in their daily lives. Teaching staff who have been involved in these sessions have now started to embed the teaching of Character Virtues in their own lessons and in the final term will start to assess the impact of these lessons by evaluating progress data and student welfare. PE have been exploring perseverance and already have video evidence of gymnastics lessons which show clear progress after exploring this virtue with students. Maths have focused on resilience and have created new assessment sheets to show how resilience in Maths can have an impact on results. ICT have been focused on neighbourliness and English have looked at resilience also. We look forward to presenting our finding and results in the summer term and sharing our best practice with other teaching staff and faculties.

Numeracy across the Curriculum This year the numeracy group has focused on reviewing and developing the numeracy policy implemented in 2015. As a group, we have concluded that the best practice comes when teachers skillfully make use of the numeracy already inherent in their lessons. By doing this they are highlighting numeracy skills within their curriculum areas in a natural way without it feeling forced. The group has also been active in the planning and implementation of number week during February. The week was a huge success, with all faculty areas getting involved. Finally, we have worked collectively as a group to produce a set of cross curricular numeracy resources for tutors. These are now available for everyone to use in on the shared area.

Literacy Across the Curriculum All teachers are aware of the increasing demand to promote high levels of literacy across all areas of curriculum. With the increasing focus on spelling, grammar and punctuation in external examinations, it is becoming even more crucial that students are able to express themselves coherently. Not only that, but the increased weighting of end of course examination in a number of subjects also increases the demand for students to independently comprehend sophisticated subject content and confidently understand what is being asked of them in exam questions. However, how do we fit literacy in to our already jam-packed lessons and schemes of work? And how do we encourage students to understand that literacy isn’t just ‘something we have to do in English’? These are the questions that teachers from a range of subjects have been meeting in order to explore. The first approach to promoting literacy across the curriculum which we looked at was through marking. First of all, we discussed how Think Pink can be embedded across all subjects so that students are seeing a consistency in how their literacy errors are flagged, and, importantly, that it is not only English teachers who care about spelling, punctuation and grammar. Following this, we looked at how this can be incorporated into DIRT. In Art lessons for example, teachers used Think Pink in the marking of a draft completed for homework so that the work could be accurately rewritten as part of their art project. In Humanities lessons, students have used DIRT to correct their errors in an exam-style response. Secondly, teachers brought examples of good practice from their departments. In the Design and Technology department, a set of literacy mats has been developed and there is evidence of this having a really positive impact on the quality of students’ writing, especially in evaluation work. Similarly, Humanities have a great set of task specific mats, including exam sentence starters and accessible keywords. In just a few short months, there is already evidence of an increased focus on literacy across subjects, and hopefully we can continue to build and maintain this consistent approach to excellent literacy.

Cross phase learning and teaching group The aim of our Research Innovation Group is “To develop cross-phase ( KS2-3) learning and teaching principles and strategies to aid transition and reduce the progress drop”. We used the following quote to begin our discussions : Action Research “ … is about turning intuitive and spontaneous judgments into more systematic investigations, and it starts with the everyday questions that teachers ask themselves…” (Handscomb and MacBeath) Technology

Humanities

The focus for my research is ‘To understand how DT skills are embedded and taught in a range of feeder schools’ and ‘To know how DT is understood as a career option at primary school. How is it seen by students, non specialists and parents?’ From my findings, I intend to develop a new Baseline Test in line with new curriculum requirements that feeds off what has been learnt at primary school. Success criteria for my project will be :

Pupils traditionally fail to have an understanding of basic key skills in History and Geography when they enter KS3. This is exemplified in yr 7 baseline tests. If my findings back this up, then I intend to create a resource pack which will allow KS2 teachers to confidently teach such key skills in Yr 5 as part of their humanities/topic lessons. Success criteria will be :

• Baseline measure increases in comparison to 2015 results

• Baselines tests from this current year will be compared to next year’s baselines to measure the impact of sessions delivered to Yr 6 at the end of the summer term by Humanities staff.

• Students demonstrate understanding of key skills e.g measuring, technology literacy and ICT skills early on in year 7. • I will also consider having a baseline assessment online. • All SOW focus on keys skills in year 7 and accelerating their understanding. End of unit assessments show progression and understanding by all groups- from a range of feeder schools. In the first term I investigated where the students struggled in the Year 7 baseline test. I researched into other baseline testing systems- proven to be successful. I summarised the findings and discussed with the faculty and would now like to see if staff are finding the same in Humanities. I am also interested to consider SOW in maths in terms of measuring. In the spring / summer I will visit primary feeder schools to watch maths and DT lessons, to see what is being taught, how skills are embedded and what we are missing? I also need to find out the teacher subject knowledge on the new curriculum and how they are embedding it in school.

We considered • What do you think are the specific issues for your students? • What do you currently know about this issue? • Why do you think this is happening? • What would you like to change / improve …? • What don’t you have an answer for (yet!)? • What interests or intrigues you about this issue? • Is there something that’s going well and you want to exploit even further for greater impact?

• Ultimately, the resource packs will be taught by KS2 staff in yr 5 and revised by Woodrush staff for yr 6 at the end of the summer term each academic year. (Woodrush staff delivering sessions to 4 main primary feeders) • Resource pack will be ready for Yr 5 to use in the academic year 2016-17. • Woodrush staff to deliver sessions to yr 6 annually, beginning this current academic year.

Maths

MFL

Learners in year 7 seem to arrive with a dislike of maths. This means as a department we are on the back foot to begin with. We need to learn why this dislike happens; is it related to the teaching in primary school or attitudes at home, and what we can do as teachers and as a department in order to engage learners and reinspire them with regard to maths? This should then have the “knock on” effect of improving levels across the year group (I will concentrate on year 7 for now).

MFL is currently looking at the languages we make students study in Year 7. Currently all students are placed into a language group without consideration of any prior knowledge / learning. My project aims to investigate what students tend to study at primary schools and whether changing a language has an impact on learning, progress and motivation.

My initial planning included : Initial questionnaires completed by current year 7 students as to what makes maths fun, what makes it tricky, what makes it boring? Are they the same thing? Which topics in particular are fun and which are dull? The same questionnaire to be given to year 6 students when I visit a primary school. I will analyse the results and implement ideas into my teaching. Is there a way some topics are taught that make them more engaging? Are there any topics that we teach that we find dull and so unknowingly pass this mind-set onto our students?

Students questionnaires will be taken, questioning students in French and Spanish classes about their language learning experience both in Year 6 and 7. Progress and A2L data will then be analysed for students who have changed languages between year 6 and 7 to see if changes in languages has an impact on progress and motivation. This data can then inform discussions about the languages learned in Year 7, or lead to greater monitoring and intervention for those students who change languages, should it be discovered that there is a greater progress and motivation drop for those who change languages.

A baseline test could be completed to gauge levels now and then again in the summer. This would also need a “control” group that has no alternative input to ascertain how much is due to changes in teaching and how much is natural progression. The same questionnaire will then be used again in the summer to assess any changes in thinking within the year group. PE

English

We are focusing on ‘Developing an understanding of KS1 and 2 basic PE skills taught, in order to improve KS3 PE Schemes of Work’. This arises out of a possible issue that our current KS3 SoW may not set enough challenge for all Year 7 learners. We aim to ensure the appropriate level of challenge is provided for all ability levels in all activities in Year 7 PE lessons. Success criteria will be :

My research focuses on ‘Exploring reading strategies in primary schools’ with my aims being: • To explore strategies for motivating students to read. • To explore processes for monitoring students.

• A more rigorous baseline testing system ( having worked with main feeder primaries to prepare pupils ) • Improved expectations for PE at Woodrush High School

In December, I analysed Accelerated Reader data for average daily reading time, to use this as baseline data to measure impact against. Success criteria will be for the average daily reading time to improve from this baseline. Having explored the reading practices currently in place in primaries, I will arrange visits to share reading practices.

Most Able RIGs Action Research Project – I. Cooper Focus – Year 7 and 8 Humanities ‘most able’ The initial start point of this Action Research Project was to identify the students we would target as our Humanities ‘most able’. This was discussed in a Faculty meeting where it was decided that students in Year 7 with a 3+ target grade for Humanities subjects and those in Year 8 with a 4+/5- target grade would be the cohort. Names were circulated to each Faculty member who then had the opportunity to raise concerns about the names listed or to suggest additions. No changes were made and so the cohort was established – 11 students in Year 7, 16 in Year 8, 27 in total. All 27 students were then invited to take part in the programme which was largely due to take place during period 6 on Monday afternoons, but only 12 chose to do so. A programme of skills based intervention and extra-curricular opportunities was then devised, the intention being that through these the students developed and improved in a range of Humanities skills that directly link to their assessments. At the end of the of the intervention period it is intended that the assessment results for students at assessment points 4 and 5 are analysed to see whether progress in Humanities subjects has been at a greater amount than would have been the case without such intervention. The assessment scores of the students will be matched against the results of students who chose not to take part in the intervention, to see whether the results show a heightened level of achievement and progress compared to the ‘most able’ students who chose not to take part. The intervention/extra-curricular programme is as follows: Session 1 – Introductory/generic Humanities skills Session 2 – IT based (research methods) Session 3 – Visit to Wythall Park (to utilise research skills) Session 4 – Follow-up and write-up Session 5 – Introduction to King John R.I.P. event (led by Head of Faculty) Session 6 – King John R.I.P. day at Worcester Cathedral Session 7 – Follow-up and synthesis of Humanities skills learnt/developed Most able RIG group: The Impact of Content-based Revision vs Higher Order Thinking Revision on Yr 10 ‘Most Able’ Pupils in Sets 2 and 5. Background: We set out to measure the impact of different revision styles on a range of Year 10 pupils in English before their Christmas mock exams. We selected what we considered the ‘most able’ students from two groups: set 1 (higher ability) and set 5 (lowermixed ability). These students were studying two plays: ‘The History Boys’ and ‘Blood Brothers’ and were split into two revision groups for a one hour session on the day of the mock. The first group revised in a more ‘traditional’ way, with activities and questions focused solely on the content of the plays and exam technique. The second group revised by considering, discussing and making notes on a variety of more abstract ‘higher order’ questions, which were not necessarily explicitly focused on the plays. Predictions/Intentions: We predicted that students from set 1 would benefit more from the higher order thinking session, whereas the students from set 5 would benefit more from the traditional content-based revision session. We conducted this research with the intention of developing and adjusting the department’s preparation of future revision sessions based on our findings, if they were significant.

What we found during the sessions: Students approached the sessions in a generally positive manner and behaviour issues did not

factor. It was interesting, however, that students seemed to more readily accept the content-based revision session as it is what they have been used to in English and other subjects: they completed the tasks and answered the questions about the plays without fuss, but did not stretch themselves beyond the material provided for them. On the other hand, the students in the ‘higher order’ session questioned the rationale behind it, asking how the questions and tasks related to their specific plays and the mock exams. In spite of this, all students engaged with the session well and offered insightful opinions on the topics discussed. They were able to create their own links with the plays and although they were not focusing on the practicalities of the mock and the components of a good response, they were considering the wider issues around the plays, their themes, and literature in general. Impact and Future Implications: Upon examining the data gathered before the sessions (current attainment/examples of classwork and assessments) and after the sessions (mock exam results and scripts), we did not find any pattern of achievement in the performances of participating students. This was difficult to measure, though, as we cannot be sure whether students would have performed any better or worse than they did, had they not participated in the sessions. That said, I have used some of the higher order questions and techniques in future lessons with the Year 10 group and other groups – this has been successful insomuch as students appear to be thinking about the wider issues sitting behind texts, rather than treating them superficially; in this case, I have found

that my ‘higher ability’ students in set 5 have adapted to it better than the other students in the class. In the future, it would be useful to measure this impact over a more prolonged period of time and to employ these techniques more regularly than isolated revision sessions. Consequently, despite the lack of tangible evidence of any significant impact, the department will be looking into ways of incorporating these higher order skills into future lessons, revision sessions and intervention sessions. Examples of higher order questions: • • • • • •

Is a parent the most important influence in a child’s life? Is a play likely to be more memorable than a novel? Is an academic education more beneficial than a practical education? How do you decide who to be friends with? To what extent does an audience participate in a play? Is Literature a powerful tool for social change?

Research and Innovation Group Summary in Maths I looked at Higher Ability Year 9 students and low attitude to learning scores. From this I selected students who had a low ATL and considered what we could do with them to motivate them. At the same time I also looked at those students who were way below their target grade in mathematics and pupil premium students (as the gap in mathematics has been large over recent years). Those students who had an attitude to learning score of 3 or below will be included in a motivational report. They are the students whom we can hopefully help to improve if we are able to increase their motivation and engagement. This report is something new which has been used in Woodrush more recently with Year 11 boys. The students kept it for three weeks. They gave it to their teacher at the start of each lesson. The teacher was asked to give them a +, = or a -, based on their motivation from the previous lesson, so it is a comparison. This allows students to start fresh each lesson and strive to do better and better. They also get instant feedback that they understand. After three weeks, I met with them as their team leader and discussed their results and their targets. This is the point we are at now. They have again gone on a second round of motivational reports for another 3 weeks and I will then compare their progress 4 and 5 attitude to learning grades with their progress 3 grade. Please see a copy of the motivational report below. These students will be rewarded if they are able to get their progress 5 score improved. This will most likely be a monetary voucher. There has always been links between motivation and performance so we are hoping that if these students are able to improve their effort then their progress will improve also. Those students who I will focus on with regard to progress and extra educational support are those who are 3 or more fine grades below their target grade. Which includes all of the students above. These students will be given several worksheets over two weeks to complete, which will link directly to MathsWatch to enable them to get extra support at home from it. This will be collected by their class teacher and passed to me. The cycle will then repeat. Those who complete all work set in from May-July will also get a reward of a monetary voucher. Hopefully this will motivate them and the extra work outside of school will improve their basic mathematics. A copy of two of the sheets given as homework has been provided on the next few pages. Looking at the impact is important and this will be tied up in July. I have collected images of student work and the improvement we have recently seen which is exampled to the right.

What is SOLO taxonomy and how am I proposing to use it in Design and Technology? I am currently working on a study of the use of SOLO Taxonomy in Design and Technology. SOLO is the abbreviated term for Structured Overview of Learning Outcomes and uses is a model that describes levels of increasing complexity in student’s understanding of subjects. It was proposed by John B. Biggs and K. Collis in 1982 and has since gained popularity. The starting point of my study is an interest in promoting independent study for boys and girls and observe the difference between the independence of boy and girl students when it comes to GCSE performance and uptake in Design and Technology at KS4 and KS5 as a subject. A key figure in using the SOLO taxonomy approach to teaching, Pam Hook, an experienced consultant in learning and teaching with her own website (HookEd) states “In this approach SOLO becomes a powerful mental model for students – and is capable of changing the way they think about their own learning outcomes” [1]. With SOLO it is stated that students understand declarative and functioning learning outcomes are the result of effort and the use of effective strategies rather than luck or fixed abilities. Pupils are taught the techniques to research independently and apply them to design scenarios. They are able and motivated to monitor their own progress in a learning task and to make the decisions informing them of their next steps, HookED states “…Schools using SOLO, report improvements in student learning outcomes; a raise in student confidence and increases in student engagement in learning…” [1] Learning to learn requires the learner to think about the strengths and weaknesses of their own thinking when they are learning and to make thoughtful decisions on what to do next. Students of all ages can use SOLO levels, rubrics and frameworks to answer the following questions: • What am I learning? • How is it going? • What do I do next? Figure 1.0 shows the stages schematically of the SOLO process.

What am I expecting to find from my study into the use of SOLO Taxonomy in Design and Technology….? By completing this study I aim to identify the key parameters to aid the independent learning of students in my classes throughout their academic career and making a lasting impression to help the next generation to solve problems posed, demonstrating real ingenuity and creativity as a Product Designers. Of particular interest will be to evaluate the effectiveness of the theory. For me the big questions posed are - Does the use of the language of SOLO taxonomy help 1. Promote a ‘Thirst for learning’ with pupils seeking out information for themselves? 2. Help to develop the application of subject related vocabulary and promote ORACY (the ability to express one-self fluently and grammatically in speech) in Design and Technology – I am a firm believer that ORACY is important in all subjects! 3. To see if students’ make progress from just knowing facts to seeing connections very visible in class. As others have commented [6] my aim is that the project will develop into an approach to give teachers a way of looking at the complexity of answers that pupils might provide. In Design and Technology asking pupils to design but not make a product for the future is now a common task within Design & Technology classes at KS3. In most cases the pupils are asked to justify their design ideas from four perspectives: technical feasibility, meeting people’s needs and wants (meeting the requirements of the Design Specification), acceptability in society and marketability. Barlex.D [6] says “…Users of the SOLO categories gives the teacher a way of looking at and interpreting pupil responses and it is this interpretation that then informs the AfL conversation that the teacher has with the pupil”. This Barlex says “…can feature in the conversation, which would include discussing with the pupil their knowledge base and perhaps that might reveal that he or she needed to know more in which case there was extra knowledge to acquire or that in fact he or she knew more than it appeared from the design justification in which case the lesson would be about making better use of what you know…” I am really looking forward to using SOLO Taxonomy as a vehicle for teaching over the coming term in the Design and Technology department. Andrew Griffiths - Product Design Teacher Woodrush High School. References; 1.HookED Wiki: The advantages of SOLO Taxonomy over Bloom’s Taxonomy. 2.Biggs, J. (1999). Teaching for quality learning at university. Buckingham: Buckingham Open University Press. 3.Biggs, J.B., & Collis, K.F. (1982). Evaluating the quality of learning: The SOLO taxonomy. New York: Academic Press. 4.Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2007). Teaching for quality learning at university. What the student does (3rd Ed.). Berkshire: Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press. 5.Benton Park School Learning Development Team .(2012).Leeds: www.//uk.pinterest.com/learnatbp/. 6. Barlex.D. (2014). The Learning Spy. http://www.learningspy.co.uk/learning/changed-mind-solo-taxonomy/.

Woodrush TSA SLEs Name: Natasha Rancins Position: Headteacher SLE Specialism: Leadership of Curriculum and Narrowing the Gap

Name: Steve Baker Position: Deputy Headteacher SLE Specialism: Leadership of Behaviour and Attendance

Responsibilities: • Whole school standards KS3, 4 and 5 • Curriculum and Timetable • Pupil Premium • Intervention and Tracking • Whole school quality assurance

Responsibilities: • Whole school behaviour and inclusion • Safeguarding • Attendance

Name: Position: SLE Specialism:

Andrew Raistrick Assistant Headteacher Science

Dave Monk Assistant Headteacher Leadership of Assessment

Responsibilities: • Director of Teaching School + Head of Science • Leading A/A* intervention and support • In my role as an SLE I have supported Science departments with curriculum, learning and teaching, and leadership.

Responsibilities: • KS3 Standards and Achievement • Transition & Year 7 Catch Up Premium • Leading Whole School Development of ‘Assessment Beyond Levels’ • Pupil Premium Funding and Intervention • Whole School Literacy and Numeracy

Name: Position: SLE Specialism:

Janine Metcalfe Taylor Head of English Faculty English

Elizabeth Lawson Assistant Headteacher English

Responsibilities: • Assessment/dialogue/feedback • Using data effectively within English • Intervention strategies for all key stages • Literacy whole school initiatives • Leading CPD within the Woodrush Teaching Alliance

Responsibilities: • Whole school Learning and Teaching • Whole school continuing professional development • Appraisal • Previous English HOD

Name: Melissa Holtom-Brown Position: Head of PE Faculty SLE Specialism: PE

Name: Faye Parker Position: Director of Youth & Community Provision SLE Specialism: School Business Management

Responsibilities: • Head of Physical Education • Previous whole School PSHE Coordinator • Previous transition Coordinator • Previous Healthy Schools Coordinator

Responsibilities: • Securing bids and funding for the school and local community projects • Has completed the Diploma in School Business Management • Leads the Woodrush Community Hub

Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs) are ‘outstanding’ middle and senior leaders who have the skills to support individuals or teams in similar positions in other schools. To become an SLE, you will need to provide evidence that you understand what outstanding leadership practice in your area of expertise looks like and you know how to support other leaders to do the same in their own context. As an SLE, you will be deployed into schools to develop the leadership capacity of individuals and teams using coaching and/or facilitation that draws on the knowledge and expertise in your specialist area. Your work will contribute to improving outcomes for students in other school settings.

Leadership Development At Woodrush Teaching School Alliance we strive to provide high quality leadership development opportunities for our own staff and alliance colleagues. Securing the flow of high quality leaders in our schools is crucial for the success of education in our area, therefore Woodrush TSA invests a lot of time in crafting opportunities to nurture leadership potential at all levels. This year we were proud to launch our first cohorts of the NPQSL and NPQML, and are looking forward to supporting our participants through the development of their leadership competencies. We work in partnership with Leadership Live to facilitate both these programmes. Our second cohort of NPQSL and NPQML will begin in June 2016. Please contact the teaching school to reserve a place. We are also a licensed school for the National Award for Middle Leaders in partnership with the SSAT. There are 10 modules which can be completed during this programme for Middle Leaders which Woodrush will run as twilight sessions throughout the year. 1.

Vision and values

Developing your leadership approach

Building a high-performing team

Leading your team day-to-day

What makes the most effective teaching

and learning?

Observation for improvement

Using data for impact

Fostering positive behaviour for learning

Leading and managing innovation and

change 10.

Supporting your team

As part of our commitment to developing leaders locally, we are recruiting for specialist leaders in education (SLEs) in the following priority areas during November: Primary Literacy + Numeracy, Secondary Maths, MFL and Humanities. Please see the SLE page of this document for more information about the work of SLEs and those currently designated within the Woodrush TSA.

Janine Metcalfe-Taylor – Professional Development Lead; Laura Hollingworth – Research and Development Lead Andrew Raistrick – Director of Teaching School; Natasha Rancins – Headteacher Sam Bullivant – Initial Teacher Training Lead; Abi Cotterill – Teaching School Administrator

www.woodrushtsa.co.uk teachingschool@woodrushhigh.worcs.sch.uk 01564 823777

Andrew Raistrick: Director of Teaching School araistrick@woodrushhigh.worcs.sch.uk Ext 7525