INSET: Carefully Crafted Lessons

Now we have 'done away' with groups we need to get even better at crafting lessons and task design to ensure stretch for high attainers and scaffolding for others. Teachers should be thinking precisely about every example we use and every question set for pupils. This ensures slow but steady progression, by varying just one component of the questions at a time. Pupil work time should be regularly punctuated by teacher-led discussion and examples, so frequently ‘reels the kite back in’ after letting children run with it in their own work. We used an example from Wroxham School in Potters Bar: https://vimeo.com/69709930

In the example lessons, students are given the input as a whole class 

Children then self-select the task they feel best suits their confidence with the content. 

If they feel the challenge they picked was too hard or too easy, they are free to go back and pick another one. 

Children were taught to challenge themselves but also not feel ashamed of picking the easier challenge if they want to. 

They can work through all 3 challenges during the lesson if they wish so can build confidence during a lesson.

INSET: No Child Left Behind!

One of big themes this year is about progress and leaving no child behind. Our INSET was focussed on classroom strategies that allow equal and equitable opportunties for all children to learn. The cartoon below illustrates the message well.

To highlight this principle in our school, one of the actions we felt necessary was a big change to the way we group children in lessons. Talking to our children, there is a perception of the 'red' table that we feel is not justified or serving any purpose in a truly equal and equitable education system. This can have implications for children's self-esteem and can lead to a focus on the group rather than the individual. Here are some of our comments:

Flexible seating allows pupils to work with different children in the class which encourages them to work independently and cooperatively with a variety of personalities.

Having a concept explained by a peer is extremely powerful and equally; articulating methods to others embed concepts more thoroughly.

Flexible seating allows the teacher to accurately target the pupils who need it in response to on-going assessment.

Coloured grouping cultivates an ethos of fixed mind-sets.  The children know where they stand in the class – there is very little movement or opportunities for them to go beyond these groupings.  Their tasks and activities are set for their table; however, there is no real personalised challenge.  This puts a ceiling on children's learning.

Grouping children by presumed ability rests on the assumption that teachers know exactly what each child will achieve in a lesson. In reality this is rare, as completing tasks does not always equate with achievement.

Children may be sat next to the same child/ren year after year or may be kept on a table to make up the numbers.

Parent Feedback: Clubs and After School Provision

In the final bit of feedback from earlier in the term, we asked parents about after school clubs and provision in general for before and after school. Admittedly, it wasn't a greatly worded question as some have taken this to mean the variety of clubs and others the aspect of child care as is clear below. This is a tricky one - we don't have space or funding to offer a great deal more than we already do. I'd hope in the future that we were able to provide some sort of facility for before and after school care for working parents but there would be a cost involved.

In comparison to other schools clubs are fairly poor

All sport related. How about more creative clubs such as cooking or art?

Don’t need

More variety to encourage different sports

Always something for everyone

Not needed by me

Would be interested in before and after school clubs

After school clubs – fantastic

We would really like a breakfast and after school club

After school club would be useful for me

We would welcome and after school club

Greater variety for sports – more drumming or even arts and crafts

Poor choice in comparison to some other schools

Would like greater variety ie a science or art based club

We wouldn’t use these if available

No need at the moment

My child does not participate

These would not be something we would use

I would like to see more clubs aimed at girls

I’d love one to exist for wrap around care

There is no breakfast club which is a bit annoying

Parent Feedback: Information Sharing

We asked parents about the quantity and quality of the information we share. The responses were generally positive but there are always a few things that we don't seem to be able to get right for some people!

I really appreciate a sentence or two at pick up about how the day has gone. The feedback at parent’s evening seemed to make more sense at the last one with explanations of levels

Pretty good but consistency with behaviour monitoring isn’t great

Fine

Poor

I miss old fashioned letters home rather than emails. Maybe more regular updates on individual progress

I find the level and quality very good and I am confident I would be updated if I needed to know

I am happy

Great

Much more interested in the qualitative information we get

More on Facebook – great to see regular updates on activities

Good

All good

Have found a few things out by default rather than officially

Quality and quantity is very good

We feel able to ask the teacher if we need more information

Happy – we know we can always ask if we need more

The school is very informative

All good though the new lack of levels is unhelpful

Would like more about reading and levels

All good

Would like to receive more information

This improved last year so hopefully will continue

Parent Feedback: Spelling

Here is a collection of comments made by parents about spelling. Some really interesting and perceptive comments that we'll take on board. I totally agree that spellings learnt for a test that aren't applied is not the best way of teaching and learning spelling!

I believe the spellings are only learnt for the test

Happy with this

Spelling is improving

Improvement in basic words rather than just learning words for a test and forgetting them

Tests cause anxiety. A week isn’t enough to consolidate a pattern

It’s annoying when they practise a word and are not tested

Very good

All good

Difficult initially but we’ve got into a good routine now

Learning 6 spellings a week is adequate for now

Good but not always a happy activity

More relevant spelling in context rather than a random mix of words

Like having a separate sheet

Grateful for the little sheet

Hard to encourage our child to practice

Seems to enjoy the act of writing rather than the accuracy

Always happy to do it

I like the way they are grouped into certain sounds

Really pleased with the spellings but I’m unsure how well my child is doing

Some of the words aren’t written clear enough to understand or copy

Feedback on test scores would be appreciated

I never know when my child has spellings

Could children have a notebook to practise their spellings instead of sheets that get lost?

Feedback: Homework

Collated below are the reponses from the parental survey carried out in September. These are the comments recieved regarding homework. There was a sense of negativity about the home learning projects rather than homework in itself as you can see. While the projects are entirely optional, there is clearly an element of expectation and pressure to complete that is causing undo stress for parents and pupils. We will try and consider how we move forward bearing this in mind. 

Disappointed when it isn’t marked and not valued

We don’t do projects anymore as no feedback is given

We don’t like holiday homework as it’s a struggle to complete

Homework is too long and children lose concentration

I support homework and reward at home but my child thrives off the school rewards a lot more

I think it is suitable for the age

I find the level of weekly homework good but the projects are difficult to complete in the holidays

We didn’t complete the holiday homework

I have mixed feelings – the opportunity to practise skills learnt in the lesson is good but the holiday homework is too long.

I think homework in the holidays is unfair

I think homework should be minimal to allow time for extra curricular activities

Sometimes feel the home learning projects are too much as they need a break

It would be better if the children were allowed to have a break at half term

We understand the need for homework but don’t always get time to do it

I am happy with the amount of homework given at the moment

At present it feels like a lot of homework – I want my child to enjoy it rather than being a chore

I would prefer something a bit more challenging – the reading books are outdated

Maybe a little more time would be very helpful

Largely disagree with homework in primary school as it takes away from family time and other activities

After 6 hours at school, I am a believer in children having down time

The projects are good but too much at half term and the kids just need a break

Weekly homework is great but the projects are a struggle

I do have real issues with projects as the children need to have a break

Sometimes feel projects are too much for holidays

Governor Vacancy

We are looking to appoint a parent governor.  We want to strengthen our skill-base and are particularly interested to recruit somebody with experience in financial awareness e.g. budget responsibility and / or data interpretation.   

What is the workload?

The governors meet seven times a year, made up of a short planning meeting in September followed by a meeting once every half term.  Governors are expected to prepare for the meetings by reading the papers before the meeting.  Meetings are currently 6:30 – 8:30 on a Wednesday at school.

Governors are encouraged to make school visits, but it is recognised that some governors cannot make visits during the school day.

What does a governor do?  (Source: School Governor One Stop Shop)

Governors do not manage a school day-to-day, but are required to oversee its long-term development.

Ultimately, all governor responsibilities come back to this task and can be split into three core roles:

Is there support?

There is a school-based induction programme and the school buys into further training, free to the individual governor.

Further Information:  Please contact Mr Adams (Headteacher) or Su Brakewell (Chair of Governors – via the office).  

Stop School Cuts!

The local authority is acknowledging the fact that an increasing number of schools are having to take drastic action due to a lack of resources including setting defecit budgets, staffing restructures, reducing curriculum provision and cutting extra-curricular activities.

At Bitterne Manor, we are already having to reduce our budget for professional development, reduce the amount of non-contact time for our staff, make huge savings to resources and increasingly rely on donations to fund the things we'd like to do for our children.
All schools are facing a severe funding crisis due to Government cuts which may mean cuts to teachers, support staff and an increase in class sizes. For the last year warnings about cuts have dominated discussion around education. The Government has cut funding by £2.8 billion and it wants to cut more.There is an ongoing campaign calling on the council and the government to address these issues and provide education with the necessary funding to do our jobs effectively. It will require the concerted effort by staff and parents to exercise their voice and ensure we continue to be able to provide a quality education for all.
For more details head to:

www.fairfundingforallschools.org

www.schoolcuts.org.uk

or the FB page Southampton Fair Funding for All Schools.

Reviewing Our Learning Behaviours...

Teachers (in years 1 to 6) will be sharing at parent evenings their reviews of children's learning behaviours in class. This is something we started last year as a means of discussing our children's strengths and areas that we need to work on in lessons. We will be working on these throughout the year and our aim is always to help children to learn to be the best they can! While this isn't an exhaustive list and neither does it equate to high or low attainment - it is something that we do believe has a strong link to the good or better progress pupils are able to sustain in school.

Red Cross: Free education workshops for young people

"Our education helps young people understand, cope with, and take action in a crisis."

Thought we'd share something that we're doing tomorrow with our Year 6! The BRitish Red Cross offer fully funded workshops in schools and youth work settings in areas where young people are at higher risk of experiencing a crisis related to drug/alcohol use, incidents involving knives (or other sharp objects) and stigmatising behaviour.

What do the workshops cover?
The free workshops, delivered by Red Cross educators, aim to help 10–19 year olds learn first aid and/or explore the impact of stigmatising behaviour towards refugees, migrants and asylum seekers.

First aid workshops
Learn essential first aid skills, including how to help someone who is:

• unresponsive (breathing/not breathing)
• bleeding heavily
• burnt.

Assess and manage risks to make informed choices when helping others.
Build the confidence and willingness to help in a first aid emergency.

How can I find out more?

Call 0344 412 2734
Email youtheducation@redcross.org.uk
Visit: www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/Teaching-resources/Education-workshops

Train to Teach Event: Southampton 9th November

The free Train to Teach Roadshows will provide you with a wealth of information on how to get into teaching and how to apply for training in your region.

Don’t miss your opportunity to find out more. Drop in at any time during the event, allowing at least two hours to:

• first attend a presentation on the different teacher training options – these will take place at 5:30pm and 6:30pm
• speak to teaching experts to receive advice on your training options – please check your eligibility for teacher training before coming along to this event
• receive personalised advice on your UCAS application – don’t forget to bring a copy of your personal statement with you
• talk to practising teachers about life in the classroom
• meet representatives from schools and universities that deliver teacher training in your region to find out about their courses and entry requirements

You’ll need to create a profile on this site to book a place at this Train to Teach event. Once registered, you can log in at any time to book places at other events near you or take part in our online events.

Headline outcomes for children and young people in the City....

Key Stage 2

• Southampton’s 2017 KS2 achievement for the percentage of pupils achieving the Expected Standard in Reading, Writing and Maths was 61%. This is in line with the National performance of 61% and sustains Southampton’s performance of being in line or above National for the main attainment headline indicator since 2013 (previously Level 4+ in Reading, Writing and Maths). Southampton’s 2017 KS2 cohort achieved a joint rank position of 66th with 13 other Local Authorities out of a total of 150 Local Authorities.
• The proportion of Southampton pupils achieving the Higher Standard in Reading, Writing and Maths is 8%, 1% below the National average for this indicator (9%).
• 73% of Southampton’s KS2 pupils achieved the Expected Standard in Reading, 2% greater than the National average of 71%. In 2016, Southampton (66%) equalled the National average (66%) for pupils achieving the Expected Standard in Reading, therefore Southampton has had a 2% improvement relative to National from 2016 to 2017. Subsequently, Southampton’s rank has improved from 78th in 2016 to 53rd out of 150 Local Authorities in 2017.
• 77% of Southampton’s KS2 pupils achieved the Expected Standard in Writing, 1% above the National average of 76% and ranking Southampton 49th with 17 other Local Authorities out of a total of 150 Local Authorities. Southampton made no improvement to the 2016 percentage achieving the Expected Standard in Writing of 77%, whilst the National average increased from 74% in 2016 to 76% in 2017. This indicates that Southampton have regressed, relative to National, by 2%.
• 74% of Southampton’s KS2 pupils achieved the Expected Standard in Maths, 1% below the National average of 75%. In 2016, Southampton (71%) was 1% above the National average (70%) for pupils achieving the Expected Standard in Maths, resulting in Southampton’s ranking dropping from 65th in 2016 to 82nd out of a total of 150 Local Authorities in 2017.

Key Stage 4 (provisional and therefore subject to change)

• In 2017, 51% of Southampton pupils achieved a 9-5 (Strong Pass) in English GCSE. 68% of Southampton pupils achieved 9-4 (Standard Pass) in English GCSE while in 2016, 69% of Southampton pupils achieved A*-C in English GCSE. The 2016 National average for percentage of pupils achieving A*-C in English GCSE was 75%.
• In 2017, 40% of Southampton pupils achieved a 9-5 (Strong Pass) in Maths GCSE. 64% of Southampton pupils achieved 9-4 (Standard Pass) in Maths GCSE while in 2016, 62% of Southampton pupils achieved A*-C in Maths GCSE. The 2016 National average for percentage of pupils achieving A*-C in Maths GCSE was 69%.
• In 2017, 34% of Southampton pupils achieved a 9-5 (Strong Pass) in English and Maths GCSE. 57% of Southampton pupils achieved 9-4 (Standard Pass) in English and Maths GCSE which was the same outcome for percentage of Southampton pupils achieving A*-C in English and Maths GCSE in 2016 (57%). The 2016 National average for percentage of pupils achieving A*-C in English and Maths GCSE was 63%.
• In 2017, 18% of Southampton pupils achieved a 9-5 (Strong Pass) EBacc. In 2016, 21% of Southampton pupils achieved A*-C EBacc while the 2016 National average was 25%.
• In 2017, Southampton pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 44.1 where in 2016, the Southampton Attainment 8 score was 47.5. The 2016 National average for Attainment 8 was 50.0.

Key Stage 5 (provisional and therefore subject to change)

• In 2017, 96.6% of Southampton A Level entries achieved an A*-E grade at College or Sixth Form. This is 1.3% below National performance that saw 97.9% of A level results achieve an A*-E grade.
• 67.8% of A Level entries within Southampton’s Colleges or Sixth Forms achieved a grade C or above. The National performance for A*-C was 77.4%, a gap of 9.6% when compared with Southampton LA (67.8%).
• Out of over 1900 A-level entries within Southampton, 39.4% achieved an A*-B grade. Nationally a pass rate of 53.1% was achieved resulting in a gap of 13.7% with Southampton (39.4%).
• 15.7% of Southampton entries achieved an A-Level A* or A grade in 2017. A challenge still remains to meet National performance as A-Level A*-A grades was 26.3%, a gap of 10.6% between Southampton and National.

STA Assessment Update...

We were extremely pleased that the DfE has released some encouraging moves toward adopting a more flexible approach when it comes to assessing pupil's writing. Two particular statements were very positive to read:

A more flexible approach - teachers can now use their discretion to ensure that, on occasion, a particular weakness does not prevent an accurate judgement of a pupil's attainment overall being made. The overall standard of attainment, as set by the 'pupil can' statements, is the same.

'Pupil can' statements - these have a slightly greater emphasis on composition, while statements relating to the more 'technical' aspects of writing (grammar, punctuation and spelling) have been made less prescriptive. All changes have been made in line with the attainment targets of the relevant programmes of study.

We look forward to a system that places the emphasis on what the children can do rather than what they can't!

Being Brilliant...!

Another element of our INSET day was to review the things we do well as a school. We hold our reputation as a school very dearly and I liken this to the BBC... not that we have the same values but that we have a set of core values and principles by which we are well known for. To be an outstanding school is a privilege but it comes with great expectations and responsibilities! We need to continue to be brilliant at the basics and remember our core purpose - teaching and learning. We need to "let the systems take the strain" meaning we're so good at doing things they become second nature. Next and very importantly, we need to care about what we're doing and take pride in the work we do. Let's also be good about communicating this to each other! In other words: learning to be the best we can... now, where have I heard that before?

Updates on Behaviour...

Part of our Inset on the first day was to review and update our behaviour policy. We've recognised that we needed to both simplify our existing policy and link it to our learning value. We've come with a three line statement which we hope will embed  quickly with staff and children.

We spent a lot of time discussing how to ensure our expectations are shared with pupils. We believe building positive relationships in the classroom is key!

• Focus on specific things - what do they mean? Model good behaviours.
• Use circle times that are planned or in response to something that come up or an incident.
• Use class assemblies for the children to share things that matter to them or what's going on in the news.
• Give the children time to learn more about each other through team building activities. 
• Remember and respond – e.g. if you know 'Jimmy' is going to dad’s on Saturday – ask him about it on Monday morning.

'Relentelss routines' are a vital part of the sense of order and community. Keeping our language simple and not asking children 'why' things happened in the first instance but rather 'what' happened. when it all goes wrong...?

A few simple tips like these can make a difference.

• Use a gentle approach which is personal and non-threatening.
• Stay at eye level or lower.
• Use the pupil’s name, 
• State behaviours observed and which rule it contravenes.
• Inform the student what will happen if s/he continues. 
• Refer to previous good behaviour / learning as a model for desired behaviour.
• Use language of choice.
• Walk away – allow take up time.
• Look around the room with a view to catch somebody following the rules.

I guess we won't all get it right all of the time but we will all try to do our best.

Summer Safety Resources

This week's Safeguarding briefing has compiled an resource list under the theme 'Summer Time Safeguarding'. Includes this link to a great website put together by Manchester Fire Brigade. Whilst some of the site is dedicated to local information and things to do in the holidays, there is lots of good advice for all of us on:
Barbecue Safety
Countryside Safety
Water Safety
Fire Safety
Two videos: Setting deliberate fires, and Water Safety
Website: www.safe4summer.com

Summer Time Safeguarding

Summer time, and particularly the summer holidays, can be full of hazards and risks to manage. Here's a roundup of some resources to help you help children and parents.

Water Safety

RNLI
RoSPA
CanalRiverTrust

Beach Safety

Shore Thing (RNLI)

Sun Safety

Teenage Cancer Trust
Cancer Research
Skcin (including their school accreditation scheme)

Railway Safety

Network Rail - Primary school resources
Network Rail - Secondary school resources

Keeping safe away from home (NSPCC)
Keeping safe away from home (NSPCC)

Protection from sexual abuse

Whilst its an uncomfortable thought, parents need to ask questions of any childcare provider, play scheme or holiday centre children's services, about how they prevent their workers harming a child. The NSPCC has a useful video about the prevention of sexual abuse in particular and what adults can do to ask organisations about how they keep children safe. You can watch the video here: Preventing Child Sexual Abuse (NSPCC)

'CPA' Examples... Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract Teaching and Learning in Maths

Some examples that we worked through on our Maths Inset of using concrete, pictorial and abstract methods when teaching Maths. We're hoping to ensure that 'CPA' methods will be used to support children's learning and secure concepts in the future. I think it's also going to be 'fun' - if that's a word we're allowed to use when talking about Maths!

Maths: Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract...?

Our recent Maths INSET was a focus on the use of 'manipulatives' which means practical resources in lessons. Ofsted’s 2012 report ‘Made to Measure’ suggests that although manipulatives are used in some primary schools to support teaching and learning they are not used as effectively or as widely as they might be. Research suggests the use of manipulatives give children a deep understanding of maths. We discussed the use of concrete, pictorial and abstract ways of learning which need to be considered with equal importance when learning new concepts. Concrete resources give time for pupils to investigate a concept first - and then make connections when formal methods are introduced.  The pictorial stage allows pupils to demonstrate and sustain their understanding of mathematical concepts and processes. Most importantly, the abstract stage should run alongside the concrete - pictorial stage to enable pupils to read mathematical statements and show their understanding using concrete resources or pictorial representations.

Supporting children through tragic events...

Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and the community in Manchester after the horrific and tragic events earlier in the week. We are aware that some children may be upset and quite frightened by it. Therefore, we have attached some resources and guidance (published by different agencies) that may support parents, if your child raises it and you need support:

Advice if you’re upset by the news (Newsround)

Supporting children worried about terrorism (NSPCC)

Responding to children and young people affected by the media coverage of the incident in Manchester (Winston’s Wish)

Supporting children after a frightening event (Leaflet from David Trickey, Consultant Clinical Child Psychologist

How to explain the horror of terrorism to your children (Telegraph)

E-Safety Advice for Parents

We have recently updated our website to include some e-safety resources for parents. You can find a great deal of advice and support from the internet to support you in keeping your children safe. Some sound advice from Internet Matters follows:

Agree boundaries
Be clear what your child can and can’t do online – where they can use the internet, how much time they can spend online, the sites they can visit and the type of information they can share. Agree with your child when they can have a mobile phone or tablet.

Explore together
The best way to find out what your child is doing online is to ask them to tell you about what they do and what sites they like to visit. If they’re happy to, ask them to show you. Talk to them about being a good friend online.

Put yourself in control
Install parental controls on your home broadband and any internet-enabled devices. Set up a user account for your child on the main device they use and make sure other accounts in the household are password-protected so that younger children can’t access them by accident.

Use airplane mode
Use airplane mode on your devices when your child is using them so they can’t make any unapproved purchases or interact with anyone online without your knowledge.

Stay involved
Encourage them to use their tech devices in a communal area like the lounge or kitchen so you can keep an eye on how they’re using the internet and also share in their enjoyment.

Talk to siblingsIt’s also a good idea to talk to any older children about what they’re doing online and what they show to younger children. Encourage them to be responsible and help keep their younger siblings safe.

Search safely
Use safe search engines such as Swiggle or Kids-search. You can save time by adding these to your ‘Favourites’. Safe search settings can also be activated on Google and other search engines, as well as YouTube.

Check if it’s suitable
The age ratings that come with games, apps, films and social networks are a good guide to whether they’re suitable for your child. For example, the minimum age limit is 13 for several social networking sites, including Facebook and Instagram. Although sites aimed at under-10s like Moshi Monsters and Club Penguin also have social networking elements.

Assessment Without Levels Report (NASUWT)

In the midst of a wide consultation over primary assessment, this report sets out the findings of research undertaken by the NASUWT on the impact of the removal of levels from the National Curriculum in England. It also contains a summary of implications of Assessment Without Levels (AWL) for the practice of teachers and school leaders.

Background:

A revised National Curriculum for pupils aged 5-16 in England was introduced in September 2014. The revised National Curriculum is substantially different from previous versions. Most notably, while the use of programmes of study, describing what pupils should be taught, was retained in the new framework, the use of progressive level descriptions to assess pupils’ attainment was discontinued. Under the revised National Curriculum, schools are required to establish an assessment system that enables them to check what pupils have learned, whether they are on track to meet expectations at the end of the Key Stage and to report regularly to parents. Schools have considerable discretion over how they meet this requirement in practice, although they can no longer make use of levels set out in previous versions of the National Curriculum. The removal of National Curriculum levels also had significant implications for statutory end of Key Stage assessment. Previously, levels were used to assess and report pupils’ attainment in external tests and statutory teacher assessment. However, from 2015/16, the results of tests have been assessed using a system of ‘scaled scores’, while teacher assessments are made with reference to a series of ‘interim’ performance frameworks in English, mathematics and science.

Follow this link to the full report.

How are our Schools Financed...?

We recently attended a briefing on school finance by the local authority. While all the information presented is widely available, you have to know where to look and have the inclination to do so! So it was good to have it presented to us in a clear and concise way, particularly in a period of great financial challenge to both schools and local authorities. Funding is allocated and published to each school by a “budget share” which is calculated based on allowable factors set by the DfE. Allowable factors are things like deprivation and English as an additional language. The values and factors used are locally determined and agreed within a 'Schools Forum'. Minutes of recent meetings of this body can be found here: Schools Forum. The case for reform is clear as the current funding system is out of date and based on historic allocations from 2005 - clearly much has changed in the last 10 years. Factor in 150 local authorities making independent decisions and the system is in need of change. For your interest, here are a few of the many acronyms we have to 'master':

ABG – Area Based Grant
AP – Alternative Provision
AWPU – Age Weighted Pupil Unit
DFC – Devolved Formula Capital
DfE – Department for Education
DSG – Dedicated Schools Grant
EAL – English as an Additional Language
EFA – Education Funding Agency
ESG – Education Services Grant
EYSFF – Early Years Single Funding Formula
FSM – Free School Meals
SCC – Southampton City Council
IDACI – Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index
INMSS – Independent & Non-Maintained Special Schools
ISB - Individual Schools Budget
LA – Local Authority
LAC – Looked After Children
LSA – Learning Support Assistant
MFG – Minimum Funding Guarantee
NOR – Number on Roll
PRU – Pupil Referral Unit
SEN – Special Educational Needs
SBUF – School Block Unit Funding

Learning Times Tables...

A very interesting article from the Primary & Early Years Magazine shared by the NCETM has looked at how children learn times tables. Children need to learn their tables facts to a required level of automaticity which can be challenging - committing a large number of facts to their long term memory which they can then recall to apply in different contexts and solve problems. One of the key messages here is that remembering stuff matters! How do we learn them? We might remember how we did it ourselves - perhaps by 'rote' or repetition? While this is really effective method, the article makes a key point that we need to develop understanding and 'reasoning' alongside the fluency. It's not just about remembering 7 x 8 = 56 but that I've got 7 people and 56 sweets for my party - how am I going to share them? Or what number between 50 and 60 has the factors of 7 and 8?
Here's another suggestion from the article:

ALL, SOME, NONE

Write three or four random numbers on the board. Pupils talk with a partner, using a whiteboard and pen if that helps, to construct three sentences about those numbers, using the words ‘all, some, none?’

E.g. 2, 7, 11

“All of the numbers are prime”

“Some of the numbers are odd”

“None of the numbers are factors of 15”

All these statements lead into some good dialogue about number.

The Marshmallow Test...

Could you take the

Marshmallow test?

Success in the 'Marshmallow Test' is a significant predictor in how well children will do in school and later life. Often referred to as delayed gratification, it is a key behaviour for learning. Why? Put simply, if you can learn to be patient and wait for something, you’ll often get something better at the end.  For example, if you spend all your pocket money every week, what can you buy?  On the other hand, if you save for a week or even a year, what will you be able to afford?  Children need to learn to work at things before they succeed – they might not be brilliant at first but if they persevere and have patience they are more likely to achieve something better.

'The Golden Years of Learning'

We were attending a presentation by Alistair Smith (www.alistairsmithlearning.com) recently during which he shared some key ideas which will impact on our thinking about learning in schools. This idea of building on the skills that children already know is integral to our thinking. We are fortunate in primary schools to work with children in their 'Golden Years of Learning' - in fact 3-5 year olds demonstrate a rapid growth in certain key skills that indicate good learners. 

• good working memory

• inhibitory control and delay of gratification

• cognitive flexibility

“If I had to reduce all of educational

psychology to just one principle, the most

important single factor influencing learning

is what the learner already knows...”

David Ausubel, 1968

School Cuts and the Funding Formula

Following our previous post, the website (www.schoolcuts.org.uk) has been supported by teaching unions to provide a further commentary on the proposals for education funding - the National Funding Formula. All figures are based on the DfE's own statistics. You can go to the site and enter your postcode to find out the implications for your local schools. It is worth pointing out that the new funding formula in itself is broadly supported by teaching unions but the main issue is the real terms reduction in the overall budget available for schools.

Fair Funding for Schools

Please read the following flyer below sent by colleagues regarding the implications of the new funding formula for schools which you may be aware of.

Consultation Launched - Primary Assessment in England

The Department for Education has launched a public consultation exercise about the future of the primary assessment system in England. Details are included in a statement made to Parliament today by Secretary of State for Education, Justine Greening.

The consultation sets out wide-ranging proposals for improving the primary assessment system. These include consideration of the best starting point from which to measure pupils' progress, how to ensure the assessment system is proportionate, and how to improve end of key stage assessments.

A parallel consultation, also launched today, is asking for views on the recommendations of the independent Rochford Review. The recommendations focus on the future of statutory assessment arrangements for pupils working below the standard of national curriculum tests at the end of key stages 1 and 2.

The STA have produced a short video which introduces the main consultation themes.

All those with an interest in primary education are encouraged to engage with these consultation exercises and to share their opinions and insights. The consultation is open until 22 June 2017.

Problem of the day for KS1 and 2!

The White Rose Maths Hub is providing teachers and parents with a free 'problem of the day' in March for KS1 and 2 pupils. An ideal addition to our daily routine as we approach SATs!
The link to the resource which will be complete by the end of the month is here: Problem of the day!