A small space with big ideas

Joining two classrooms together was an interesting challenge for Cambridge based architects Chadwick Dryer Clarke as Murray Hudson found out.

The Stephen Perse Foundation Junior School in the centre of Cambridge, UK is an urban school with a strongly creative approach to learning. Built right in the centre of the historic city every millimetre of space has value and none can be wasted.

Create an account to read this article

£5.83+ VAT

One-off purchase

Purchase and Download today

Register for free

No Credit Card required

Register for free
Access to 3 free articles
Free TeachingTimes Report every month

array(8) {
  ["distinct_key"]=>
  string(10) "post#43240"
  ["title"]=>
  string(36) "Small space, small budget, big ideas"
  ["categories"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(15) "Learning Spaces"
  }
  ["url"]=>
  string(65) "https://www.teachingtimes.com/small-space-small-budget-big-ideas/"
  ["post_date_timestamp"]=>
  int(1470675477)
  ["objectID"]=>
  string(12) "post-43240-1"
  ["_snippetResult"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["excerpt"]=>
    array(2) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(259) "Few school projects have unlimited budgets and extravagant briefs. Northpoint Architects looked to the pupils of Tyneview Primary School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne for inspiration to transform a dark corner of the school library into an inspiring ‘Reading Pod’."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "none"
    }
    ["content"]=>
    array(2) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(320) "... with from start to finish. We enjoyed the challenge of leading the class brainstorming session and were pleasantly surprised with the children’s enthusiasm and ideas. TCL were the ideal contractor, buying into the design ethos and delivering a superb product on time and on budget with the benefits of ..."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
    }
  }
  ["_highlightResult"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["title"]=>
    array(4) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(81) "Small space, small budget, big ideas"
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "full"
      ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(4) {
        [0]=>
        string(5) "small"
        [1]=>
        string(5) "space"
        [2]=>
        string(3) "big"
        [3]=>
        string(5) "ideas"
      }
    }
    ["excerpt"]=>
    array(3) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(259) "Few school projects have unlimited budgets and extravagant briefs. Northpoint Architects looked to the pupils of Tyneview Primary School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne for inspiration to transform a dark corner of the school library into an inspiring ‘Reading Pod’."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "none"
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(0) {
      }
    }
    ["content"]=>
    array(4) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(2962) "bags and carpet”  – Year 1 Pupil“It gives me time to think and I just enjoy being in there” – Year 3 Pupil                  “I like it because it`s different” – Year 6 Pupil        The school’s Assistant Head and Literacy Leader, Lidia Rea, added:“It means we can give a genuine environment to reading and creative writing and really celebrate children’s work – the children love going in, and they think it`s special.  It is truly a great addition to the school”.Joe Moore, Director of Northpoint Architects summed up the project: “This project was a pleasure to be involved with from start to finish. We enjoyed the challenge of leading the class brainstorming session and were pleasantly surprised with the children’s enthusiasm and ideas. TCL were the ideal contractor, buying into the design ethos and delivering a superb product on time and on budget with the benefits of off-site construction and their shop-fitting expertise.We are involved in projects ranging in size from this single room up to multi-million pound offices and workshops. No matter the size it is great to see creative design ideas come to life and be enjoyed, we look forward to hopefully working with the school again in the near future.”The FutureThe recent budget in March 2016 outlinedthe Government’s plans for all schools to become academies within the next decade. This will open up opportunities for schools to have more control over their budgets and construction project procurement. Joe Moore hopes this will increase project opportunities and allow more flexibility for schools and academy trusts when it comes to refurbishment and new build projects:“We are currently assisting the Areté Learning Trust (Stokesley School) in North Yorkshire with a £1.5 million recladding and refurbishment project which will rejuvenate and improve the look and performance of two of their poorest quality buildings. We are delighted that funding for the project has just been secured following an application to the Education Funding Agency’s ‘Condition Improvement Fund’. Works are due to start on site in June 2016 and we are already starting talks with the school regarding the next project.”As existing school building stock begins to age and fail to meet performance standards, there are opportunities to enhance learning experiences and uplift the school’s built environment. Careful design, engagement with staff and pupils, and considered procurement options can enable architects to fulfil, or exceed, project aspirations, regardless of the project scale or budget.Project DetailsClient: Tyneview Primary SchoolArchitect: Northpoint ArchitectsContractor:Thompson Contracts LtdCompletion Date: October 2015Cost of Works: £13,000 +VATNorthpoint Architects is an RIBA Chartered Practice which forms part of the Robertson Simpson Group."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
      ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(1) {
        [0]=>
        string(5) "ideas"
      }
    }
    ["categories"]=>
    array(1) {
      [0]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(15) "Learning Spaces"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Learning Spaces

Small space, small budget, big ideas

8 Aug 2016

array(8) {
  ["distinct_key"]=>
  string(10) "post#55588"
  ["title"]=>
  string(50) "If Your Students  Find Maths Difficult, Read This!"
  ["categories"]=>
  array(4) {
    [0]=>
    string(32) "Creative Teaching & Learning"
    [1]=>
    string(10) "Leadership"
    [2]=>
    string(11) "Mathematics"
    [3]=>
    string(5) "STEAM"
  }
  ["url"]=>
  string(78) "https://www.teachingtimes.com/if-your-students-find-maths-difficult-read-this/"
  ["post_date_timestamp"]=>
  int(1557758360)
  ["objectID"]=>
  string(12) "post-55588-1"
  ["_snippetResult"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["excerpt"]=>
    array(2) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(144) "Alexandra Riley reports on some new research, highlighting five key ways for school leaders to make maths work for both children and teachers.  "
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "none"
    }
    ["content"]=>
    array(2) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(405) "... classroom practice. However, it has the potential to improve the quality of teaching and learning, and therefore the improvement in outcomes could be significant.The big ideas of mastery, like learning in coherent and connected small steps, fluency, variation, uncovering mathematical structures through representations and understanding concepts deeply through reasoned ..."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
    }
  }
  ["_highlightResult"]=>
  array(6) {
    ["title"]=>
    array(3) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(50) "If Your Students  Find Maths Difficult, Read This!"
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "none"
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(0) {
      }
    }
    ["author"]=>
    array(1) {
      [0]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(15) "Alexandra Riley"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
    }
    ["excerpt"]=>
    array(3) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(144) "Alexandra Riley reports on some new research, highlighting five key ways for school leaders to make maths work for both children and teachers.  "
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "none"
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(0) {
      }
    }
    ["content"]=>
    array(4) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(5644) "towards the subject, as well as overcoming challenges that are specific to your setting, for instance: a culture of labelling pupils as ‘more able’ or ‘less able’ in maths; under confidence among many teachers of maths, especially non-specialists in primary and secondary; and the high-stakes exam culture in the UK. It is also important to build mathematical confidence among parents. At a primary level, teachers can give parents simple suggestions for engaging their child in learning maths at home, whether it is working on a puzzle book at bedtime, creating a maths picture story book or talking about shape while they play together. You can run workshops to communicate this or draw on Pearson’s Handy Parent Factsheet, which explains the importance of a growth mindset and how parents can encourage their children to be confident mathematicians.It’s not just about parents, though. Are your teachers confident in maths? Providing your teachers with high-quality professional development that spans subject knowledge and best pedagogical practice will build their confidence and empower them to model a positive, resilient attitude towards maths. Transform your culture of teacher developmentWe’ve seen how important teachers’ own confidence is in building a positive perception of maths among young people. In fact, teachers are one of the biggest influencers on our young people.But, many maths teachers are not subject specialists (particularly at primary) and feel under-confident in teaching the subject. A 2018 Education Policy Institute report, The teacher labour market in England: shortages, subject expertise and incentives, highlighted that primary school teachers tend not to be subject specialists, while at secondary level, maths has the lowest proportion of highly-qualified teachers (with as little as 50% holding a degree in the subject).Investing in training for teachers of maths is an antidote. With training, all teachers can build their conceptual understanding of maths and develop excellent teaching practices for the subject. High-quality resources, such as textbooks and teacher guides, can help teachers to consistently implement what they have learned in the classroom. And yet, a 2018 International Summit on Textbooks report revealed that just 8% of teachers surveyed expect to be using textbooks—one of the best workload reduction tools available—in most or all of their lessons by 2020.We understand that budgets for in-school professional development and resources are shrinking and this is a real challenge for schools. However, changing the culture around your current CPD offering could help leverage the expertise that already exists in your school.For instance, a more collaborative and reflective approach to professional development has the potential to enhance pedagogical practice and confidence by capitalising on the knowledge and experience of your teachers. You can encourage teachers to observe, or even film, lessons and reflect on them with a colleague or as a team. This gives an opportunity to reflect on best practice, build subject knowledge and share new ideas. Although it may seem daunting at first, encouraging a more open culture around learning within the profession will develop teachers’ own confidence as well as encouraging pupils to think about their own learning. Be brave. InnovateCan we expect children and young people to demonstrate bravery in maths if our schools’ leaders don’t do the same?There is plenty of space to experiment with innovative teaching strategies in your school.Have you considered teaching for mastery? The DfE’s Teaching for Mastery Programme has moved mastery to the forefront of conversations about maths teaching. Mastery is a commitment, involving a change in mindset, training and classroom practice. However, it has the potential to improve the quality of teaching and learning, and therefore the improvement in outcomes could be significant.The big ideas of mastery, like learning in coherent and connected small steps, fluency, variation, uncovering mathematical structures through representations and understanding concepts deeply through reasoned mathematical thinking, can be applied across primary and secondary. These principles underpin good teaching and it is worthwhile considering how they can be applied in your school.Next up: Mathematical story picture books!Research shows that by engaging with a mathematical story picture book, children develop an ability to visualise mathematical concepts, represent concepts in a number of different ways and make connections between those representations. This supports them in becoming more confident problem solvers.Why not encourage your teachers to try teaching a new mathematical concept or a complex maths problem using a story picture book like Matthew McElligott’s Bean Thirteen? Or go one step further and make children the authors of their own mathematical stories.Exploring maths through stories with younger children is a fun, engaging approach that ties into children’s emerging literacy skills. There could also be a place for this approach at Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 as problems become more complex and contain a strong narrative. Irrespective of your phase, MathsThroughStories.org is the perfect starting point.Whatever you choose to do to inspire your pupils with maths, remember that the subject cannot be separated from the people who teach, learn and use it.At its heart, The Power of Maths Roundtable, and the report it informed, is about celebrating people in mathematics: how people"
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "full"
      ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(4) {
        [0]=>
        string(5) "small"
        [1]=>
        string(5) "space"
        [2]=>
        string(3) "big"
        [3]=>
        string(5) "ideas"
      }
    }
    ["categories"]=>
    array(4) {
      [0]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(32) "Creative Teaching & Learning"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
      [1]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(10) "Leadership"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
      [2]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(11) "Mathematics"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
      [3]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(5) "STEAM"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
    }
    ["tags"]=>
    array(3) {
      [0]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(22) "Collaborative Learning"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
      [1]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(11) "Mathematics"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
      [2]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(5) "Maths"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Creative Teaching & Learning

If Your Students Find Maths Difficult, Read This!

13 May 2019

array(8) {
  ["distinct_key"]=>
  string(10) "post#41522"
  ["title"]=>
  string(16) "Food for thought"
  ["categories"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(32) "Creative Teaching & Learning"
  }
  ["url"]=>
  string(47) "https://www.teachingtimes.com/food-for-thought/"
  ["post_date_timestamp"]=>
  int(1400667287)
  ["objectID"]=>
  string(12) "post-41522-2"
  ["_snippetResult"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["excerpt"]=>
    array(2) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(196) "All teachers want their students to lead healthy, happy lives. Ginger O’Donnell introduces an exciting project that uses a simple and universally accessible tool to meet this challenge – food."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "none"
    }
    ["content"]=>
    array(2) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(311) "... in the city of Chicago and discuss why healthyfood access constitutes a civil right. The unit was part of a year-long inquiry intohow urban space is utilised to foster healthy communities.The lesson was guided by these big ideas:Why is access to healthy food a civil right?How ..."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
    }
  }
  ["_highlightResult"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["title"]=>
    array(3) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(16) "Food for thought"
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "none"
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(0) {
      }
    }
    ["excerpt"]=>
    array(3) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(196) "All teachers want their students to lead healthy, happy lives. Ginger O’Donnell introduces an exciting project that uses a simple and universally accessible tool to meet this challenge – food."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "none"
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(0) {
      }
    }
    ["content"]=>
    array(4) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(5614) "chefs,Jason Hammel and Ryan Poli, this hour-long lesson had students analyse thedistribution of fresh, healthy foods in the city of Chicago and discuss why healthyfood access constitutes a civil right. The unit was part of a year-long inquiry intohow urban space is utilised to foster healthy communities.The lesson was guided by these big ideas:Why is access to healthy food a civil right?How can we understand ways to make the world better today?What is a food desert?What solutions are there to fixing the problems of food access for all?The following vocabulary words were introduced, defined and used throughoutdiscussion:nnnnFoodforthoughtCreativeApproaches46Volume4.4nCreativeTeaching&Learningfood deserts (urban areas where fresh, nutritious foods are largelyunavailable)disparityhealthy foodfood insecurity (a situation of uncertainty surrounding one’s access to food)obesity.nnnnnGeneral lesson structure1. The teacher places four signs in separate corners of the classroom — strongly agree, agree, disagree,strongly disagree — and reads the following statements to students:It’s easy to eat healthy food.Limited access to a supermarket can be linked to obesity.Supermarket chains should be forced to build in urban and rural areas, not just suburban areas.2. Students walk to the sign that represents their beliefs or feelings about each statement. Students discusstheir position with others who chose to stand by the same sign. Each group shares their position withthe class.3. The chefs (or teachers) leading the lesson connect what students have said to the idea of healthy urbanspace, and the necessary elements of a healthy community. Students work in table groups to make alist of five things a healthy community must have.4. Continuing in their table groups, students use Google maps on iPads to look up different kinds of foodaccess points in a designated area of Chicago:seasonal restaurantsfarmers’ marketsconvenience storesgrocery storesneighbourhood gardens.5. Chefs (or teachers) facilitate small group discussion about what students noticed on the map, using thefollowing questions:What does this exercise tell us about the city and food access?Who has the most access to food?Who has the most access to healthy food?Who has the least access?Where in the map has the least?nnnnnnnnnnnnnThis lesson enabled students to meet a range of target outcomes by the endof the unit:Recognise and communicate the value of making healthy decisions regardingfood, on immediate and long term health. (Pilot Light Standard)Use goal-setting and decision-making skills to make long-term decisions abouttheir diet. (Pilot Light Standard)Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations andcollaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressingtheir own clearly and persuasively. (Common Core Standard, Speaking andListening)nnn47Volume4.4nCreativeTeaching&LearningCreativeApproachesReport on a topic or text, tell a story or recount an experience. (Common CoreStandard, Speaking and Listening)Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in orderto provide requested detail or clarification. (Common Core Standard, Speakingand Listening)Distinguish their own point of view from that of others. (Common CoreStandard, Reading)Language and literacyAnother lesson for fifth graders (ten to 11-year-olds) connected the processof designing menus and recipes to the process of writing poetry in terms ofbrainstorming an overall mood and theme and highlighting certain words oringredients.Created by teachers, Amy Peterson and J. Zapata, as part of a unit called‘Writing Poetry with Food’, the students explore the importance of brainstormingand word choice by comparing these aspects of writing poetry to the creativeprocess of crafting a menu.The lesson was guided by these big ideas:Word choice in a poem is like ingredient choice in a menu.How does word choice change the tone and mood of your poetry?Chefs brainstorm a menu or a recipe by thinking about themes and choiceingredients.How does a poem get started and organised? How is this brainstormingprocess similar to crafting a menu?nnnnnnnGeneral lesson structureAt the beginning of the lesson, chefs present their process for creating a menu – for example, how theydecide on a feeling or mood and support that feeling or mood with specific ingredients. Chefs showexamples of their brainstorming sheets, menus they have created and pictures of food they have created.The lesson continues in small groups, with several options:Students compare ‘flavourful’ recipes and poems with ‘bland’ recipes and poems, analysing what makespoems and recipes interesting, or full of flavour.Students try different foods that evoke different emotions and translate their reactions into descriptivewords.Students turn their descriptive words into a poem or write a journal entry based on what they havelearned.nnnThis lesson enabled students to meet these target outcomes by the end ofthe unit:Use concrete words, phrases and sensory details to convey experiences andevents precisely. (Common Core Standards, Literacy)Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organisationare appropriate to task, purpose and audience. (Common Core Standards,Literacy)Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what isconveyed by the words in a story. (Common Core Standard, Reading)Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text. (CommonCore Standard,"
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "full"
      ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(4) {
        [0]=>
        string(5) "small"
        [1]=>
        string(5) "space"
        [2]=>
        string(3) "big"
        [3]=>
        string(5) "ideas"
      }
    }
    ["categories"]=>
    array(1) {
      [0]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(32) "Creative Teaching & Learning"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Creative Teaching & Learning

Food for thought

21 May 2014

array(8) {
  ["distinct_key"]=>
  string(10) "post#41078"
  ["title"]=>
  string(65) "Maintaining Curiosity: A Survey Into Science Education In Schools"
  ["categories"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "Leadership"
  }
  ["url"]=>
  string(55) "https://www.teachingtimes.com/science-education_161213/"
  ["post_date_timestamp"]=>
  int(1386783359)
  ["objectID"]=>
  string(12) "post-41078-0"
  ["_snippetResult"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["excerpt"]=>
    array(2) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(274) "This Ofsted report sets out the findings of a new survey of science in 91 primary and 89 secondary schools, which was carried out between 2010 and 2013. The report is intended to support schools in implementing the new National Curriculum.
Leadership Briefing Issue 8.05(89)"
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "none"
    }
    ["content"]=>
    array(2) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(371) "... flourish in a technological world and to contribute to economic development.Key Findings: ■ In the best schools visited, teachers ensured that pupils understood the ‘big ideas’ of science.2They made sure that pupils mastered the investigative and practical skills that underpin thedevelopment of scientific knowledge and could discover for ..."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
    }
  }
  ["_highlightResult"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["title"]=>
    array(3) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(65) "Maintaining Curiosity: A Survey Into Science Education In Schools"
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "none"
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(0) {
      }
    }
    ["excerpt"]=>
    array(3) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(274) "This Ofsted report sets out the findings of a new survey of science in 91 primary and 89 secondary schools, which was carried out between 2010 and 2013. The report is intended to support schools in implementing the new National Curriculum.
Leadership Briefing Issue 8.05(89)"
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "none"
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(0) {
      }
    }
    ["content"]=>
    array(4) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(5644) "Leadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.MAINTAINING CURIOSITY: A SURVEY INTOSCIENCE EDUCATION IN SCHOOLSKeywordsNationalCurriculum,science,education,schools,teachers, pupils,achievement,progress,subjectsSummaryThis Ofsted report sets out the findings of a new survey of science in 91 primary and 89secondary schools, which was carried out between 2010 and 2013. The report is intended tosupport schools in implementing the new National Curriculum.This report highlights the importance of teaching science for understanding. For pupils to achieve wellin science, they must not only acquire the necessary knowledge, but also understand its value, enjoythe experience of working scientifically, and sustain their interest in learning it.The report reflects and explores the concerns often voiced by employers, higher education, andthe scientific community’s professional bodies, that too many school leavers are not well-enoughequipped scientifically with practical, investigative and analytical skills. These are vital if young peopleare to flourish in a technological world and to contribute to economic development.Key Findings: ■ In the best schools visited, teachers ensured that pupils understood the ‘big ideas’ of science.2They made sure that pupils mastered the investigative and practical skills that underpin thedevelopment of scientific knowledge and could discover for themselves the relevance andusefulness of those ideas. ■ Attainment in science up to 2012 has risen year by year at all key stages, and girls attained betterthan boys at all key stages. Despite this, too many girls do not continue to study physics or relatedsubjects at 16. ■ Leaders in the schools visited were not monitoring and evaluating the reasons why their pupils,both boys and girls, pursued routes other than science at 16. ■ Science achievement in the schools visited was highest when individual pupils were involved infully planning, carrying out and evaluating investigations that they had, in some part, suggestedthemselves. ■ Although the quality of teaching was at least good in the majority of the schools visited, lessonsin both primary and secondary schools often lacked sufficient differentiation to allow pupils,especially the more able, to build on their prior learning and make good progress. ■ The quality of feedback to pupils on how they might improve their science understanding was acommon area for improvement in the primary and secondary schools visited, regardless of theschool’s overall effectiveness in science. ■ Teachers who coupled good literacy teaching with interesting and imaginative science contextshelped pupils make good progress in both subjects.Week Commencing 16th December 2013http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/surveys-and-good-practice/m/Maintaining%20curiosity%20a%20survey%20into%20science%20education%20in%20schools.pdfhttp://www.ofsted.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/surveys-and-good-practice/m/Maintaining%20curiosity%20a%20survey%20into%20science%20education%20in%20schools.pdfhttp://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/PMSZ01/PMSZ01.pdfLeadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents. ■ A significant minority of leaders in the primary schools visited were failing to ensure full coverageof the science National Curriculum. They did not track pupils’ progress in science effectively andwere not setting challenging targets for improvement in science. For these leaders, science wasno longer a priority. ■ The effectiveness of science in both the primary and secondary schools visited was much morelikely to be outstanding when teachers and subject leaders had received science-specific training.However, most of the primary teachers had not received such training, and most of the scienceleaders in both phases had not received leadership training that was specific to science. ■ Timetables in a significant minority of the primary and secondary schools visited did not allowenough time for teaching science through regular, enquiry-based learning. This limited pupils’opportunities to develop the practical skills necessary for future work in science, technology orengineering. This included restricting science to irregular ‘science days’ in primary schools, andlimiting the teaching time for the three separate science GCSEs to the same amount as for adouble science award in secondary schools. ■ In most of the schools visited, pupils from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 4 had limited opportunitiesto work independently, particularly to develop their individual manipulative skills in practical work,because teachers only required them to work in pairs or small groups.Recommendations:The Department for Education (DfE) and The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation(Ofqual) should: ■ ensure that qualifications include assessment of the skills needed for scientific enquiry.School leaders, including governing bodies, should: ■ provide sufficient weekly curriculum time and, in secondary schools, laboratory space so thatindividual pupils develop good scientific enquiry skills as well as the knowledge they need to passexaminations ■ provide subject-specific continuing professional development for"
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "full"
      ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(4) {
        [0]=>
        string(5) "small"
        [1]=>
        string(5) "space"
        [2]=>
        string(3) "big"
        [3]=>
        string(5) "ideas"
      }
    }
    ["categories"]=>
    array(1) {
      [0]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(10) "Leadership"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Leadership

Maintaining Curiosity: A Survey Into Science Education In Schools

11 Dec 2013