Socially Distanced Tents Go Up at London Primary

Previously we reported how a London-based architect had proposed using marquee tents to support social distancing in schools. The first trial went up this week.

Above: Pop-up tent concept trialled at Manorfield Primary School, London© Curl la Tourelle Head

British architecture firm Curl la Tourelle Head has trialled its first pop-up school proposal at Manorfield Primary School in Tower Hamlets, London to optimise social distancing among pupils and staff.

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      string(5643) "increasingly being required to learn things for which they are not ready, and this leads toshallow learning for the test, rather than in depth understanding which could form a sound basisfor future learning. ■ The amount of time spent on creative teaching, investigation, play, practical work etc. has reducedconsiderably, and lessons more often have a standard format. This results from pressure toprepare pupils for tests and to cover the curriculum; teachers’ perceptions of what Ofsted want tosee (both in lessons, and in terms of written evidence in pupils’ books); and teachers’ excessivework levels. Both primary and secondary pupils said that they learned more effectively in activeand creative lessons, because they were memorable. ■ The use of Key Stage 2 test scores to determine target grades at GCSE is deeply problematic,both because, in secondary teachers’ experience, the test results do not give a realistic picture ofchildren’s levels of knowledge and understanding; and because they are based on test scores inEnglish and maths, which do not represent potential in subjects such as foreign languages, art ormusic. ■ Accountability measures have a substantial impact on teachers. In all types of school, theirworkload is excessive and many suffer considerable stress as a result of the accountability 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.strategies used in their schools. Some teachers are under unreasonable pressure to meettargets related to pupil attainment. The impact of accountability measures on teachers isnot the main focus of this research, but is included because it inevitably impacts on pupils. ■ The current emphasis in inspections on pupils’ books and written feedback to pupils isadding considerably to teachers’ workloads and stress, and is not providing proportionatebenefits for pupils. ■ Some teachers reported that the combination of pressure to improve test/exam outcomes,and their own increased workload and stress, had reduced the quality of their relationshipswith their pupils. ■ Children and young people are suffering from increasingly high levels of school-relatedanxiety and stress, disaffection and mental health problems. This is caused by increasedpressure from tests/exams; greater awareness at younger ages of their own ‘failure’; andthe increased rigour and academic demands of the curriculum. The increase in diagnosisof ADHD has been shown to be linked to the increase in high stakes testing. Thus itappears that some children are being diagnosed and medicated because the schoolenvironment has become less suitable for them, allowing less movement and practicalwork, and requiring them to sit still for long periods. ■ Increasingly, children and young people see the main purpose of schooling as gainingqualifications, because this is what schools focus on. This trend has been widely deplored,including by universities and employers, who have argued that the current exam systemdoes not prepare children for life beyond school. They have highlighted a range of otherdesirable outcomes of schooling, such as independent, creative and divergent thinking;ability to collaborate; and so on. ■ While accountability measures have a negative impact on all pupils, many of themdisproportionately affect disadvantaged and SEND pupils. One reason for this is thatmany of them struggle to reach age-related expectations, and therefore often spend moretime being taught maths and English (and consequently miss out on some other subjects).Some special school teachers argued that their pupils need to develop life skills ratherthan focus on literacy and numeracy. ■ A second reason for the disproportionate impact on disadvantaged pupils is that Ofstedgrades are strongly related to the proportion of disadvantaged pupils in a school (schoolswith high proportions of disadvantaged children are more likely to have poor Ofstedgrades). This research has shown that schools with low Ofsted grades are more likely touse strategies such as scrutiny of teachers’ work, which increases pressure on teachers,and which is often passed on to pupils. ■ Current accountability measures also militate against inclusion. Findings reflected previousresearch in showing that Ofsted’s approach is making some schools reluctant to take 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.on pupils who are likely to lower the school attainment figures. The effective work thatsome schools do in relation to inclusion (particularly work to support pupils socially andemotionally) is also disregarded by Ofsted if it has not resulted in satisfactory attainmentfigures.Recommendations ■ It is crucial that it is recognised that the current system of measuring pupils’ attainmentand using this to judge schools and teachers is deeply damaging to children and youngpeople, and does not foster the skills and talents that are needed in higher education orin employment, or the attributes that will be valued in future citizens. 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Leadership

Exam Factories? The Impact Of Accountability Measures On Children And Young People

8 Jul 2015

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Leadership

SLT 6.3 Report Update

13 Nov 2014

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      string(5708) "With the new primary accountability system counting reading and writing as two separate subjects, the need for engaging all pupils in developing and improving their writing skills is greater than ever before. But what to do when students are unenthusiastic about writing?Many teachers are launching class blogs as a way of giving more reluctant writers the space to share their work with parents and peers, and an incentive to improve. They can also be used to stretch talented and enthusiastic writers, as well as develop the school’s online profile and presence. ‘Work blogs’ allow teachers to establish learning dialogues with the pupils, and also give then another way to document their learning, other than in paper books.The extent to which pupils are involved in organising the blog and posting their contributions differs. Sometimes pupils write their blog posts only in school time, sometimes they blog and post from home – which raises issues about access to computers and the internet. The extent of teachers’ contributions and the control they choose to exercise over blog content also differ.At the moment, very little is known about whether there are differences between pupils’ digital writing and their regular school writing on paper. There is some evidence to suggest that blogging sparks pupils’ interest and enthusiasm for writing but little attention has been paid to its effects on the quality of writing in general.It was in light of this that CfBT Education Trust’s London Connected Learning Centre (London CLC) undertook a piece of research to investigate the differences in pupils’ writing on blogs compared to their other writing.The project also aimed to explore the potential for using blogging to develop pupils’ writing skills, and to identify good practice in blogging. The majority of the four primary teachers in this project had been blogging for more than a year and had taken different routes into blogging. The story of Harvey, below, provides one account of how a teacher became involved in blogging and what he saw as the potential benefits for his Year 6 class in this new approach to writing.Starting up a blogFor Harvey, it was the London CLC’s conferences and professional development opportunities for ICT leaders, alongside the contacts he made with other schools involved in blogging work, that suggested to him that blogging could have real potential for improving children’s writing. He also followed other blogs, particularly that of Ferry Lane Primary School, whose Year 6 teacher had posted some very helpful videos and guidance about blogging. Harvey set up a WordPress blog for his own Year 6 class, with the help of London CLC staff, in January 2012, and chose ‘Primary Blogger’ as the platform for the blog in September 2012.He says: ‘I felt the blog would be a good way of showing what we’d been doing in literacy. Writing was no longer in the SATs – teacher assessment was now the only way  of assessing. This freed up the teaching of writing. Our literacy coordinator suggested that we should use class reading texts as the basis for all of our writing work and I chose some texts (The London Eye Mystery, Trash, Holes, The Man Who Walked Between The Towers) which seemed to have potential for generating interesting writing.’Harvey did not use an ICT suite, but had six computers in his classroom. For blogging, he instituted a system where the class was divided into five groups, each of which had a blogging session once a week during guided reading sessions. At the beginning of most weeks, he put up a blog post for the class to respond to, often – but not always – linked to their class reading. He also sought out short films on particular themes for the class to view and respond to. In their blogging sessions, the groups had to post their responses to these ‘invitations’.In the course of the project, these short films included animations (The Lonely Robot, Galileo Galilei), and short films about social and environmental issues (a trailer for An Inconvenient Truth, a film about children who live on dumpsites in Manila related to the reading of Trash). Children were also invited to create their own radio adverts and record them for the blog. They frequently posted their own suggestions for blog posts. In addition, they kept up with the blogs of their QuadBlogging partner schools.Improving writingEven though their blogging time was relatively restricted, Harvey noticed some differences between the writing that children did in their literacy books and what they did on the blog. One student, Krzysztof, who had English as an additional language, was ‘very careful’ when writing in his book. His sentences were ‘truncated’ – he would keep it really simple, preferring to get it exactly right. But now he writes on the blog, ‘his writing is … much freer and it’s much better writing.’Harvey was very clear that one key role of the blog was as a way to improve writing. ‘Writing is the main thing for me,’ he says. ‘It’s my focus in the school to improve writing through blogging. Children in my class were way below expected levels when they started in September. Writing on the blog being part of everyday learning will have a real impact and will improve attainment.’Interestingly, among the schools and classes that took part in this study, only Harvey’s class had permanent computers in the classroom. This enabled him to incorporate blogging into his guided reading sessions or other class-based activities. Harvey saw this as a real advantage,"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Using class blogs to motivate reluctant writers

20 Jun 2017

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      string(5689) "68Vol 6.3School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comPrimaryFileLeadershipResourcesHow class blogs canimprove writingCould blogging be the answer to engaging all children in developingtheir writing skills – even the most reluctant? Myra Barrs and SarahHorrocks describe the surprising benefits of a more spontaneous, laid-back approach to writing.With the new primary accountability system now counting writing as aseparate subject, the need for engaging all pupils in developing andimproving their writing skills is greater than ever before. But what to dowhen students are unenthusiastic about writing?Many teachers are launching class blogs as a way of giving reluctant writers thespace to share their work with parents and peers, and an incentive to improve. On theflip side of the coin, we have the students who already enjoy writing and developingtheir skills. Blogs are useful for them too, as the online platform gives them chance toshare their talent with the whole world! The students in between all benefit as well, asschool ‘work blogs’ (blogs set up for educational purposes, as opposed to ‘play blogs’)allow teachers to establish learning dialogues with the pupils and give them anotherway to document and share their learning, other than creating classroom displays andwriting it all down in their books.The extent to which pupils are involved in organising a school blog and postingtheir contributions generally differs. In some schools, pupils write their blog posts only© CfBT Education Trust.69Vol 6.3School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comPrimaryFileLeadershipResourcesin school time, while in others, they blog and post from home – which does raise issuesabout access to computers and the internet. The extent of teachers’ contributions, aswell as the control they choose to exercise over blog content, also varies.Before now, no research projects have considered whether there are differencesbetween pupils’ digital writing and their regular school writing on paper. There is someevidence to suggest that blogging sparks pupils’ interest and enthusiasm for writing1,but little attention has been paid to its effects on the quality of writing in general. Itwas in light of this that CfBT Education Trust’s London Connected Learning Centre(London CLC) undertook a piece of research to investigate the differences in pupils’writing on blogs compared to their other writing.The project also aimed to explore the potential for using blogging to developpupils’ writing skills, and to identify good practice in blogging. All but one of the fourprimary teachers in this project had been blogging for more than a year and had takendifferent routes into blogging.The story of Harvey, told in this article, provides one account of how a teacherbecame involved in blogging and what he saw as the potential benefits for his Year 6class in this new approach to writing.Starting up a blogFor Harvey, it was the London CLC’s conferences and professional developmentopportunities for ICT leaders, alongside the contacts he made with other schoolsinvolved in blogging work, that suggested to him that blogging could have realpotential for improving children’s writing. He also followed other blogs, particularlythat of Ferry Lane Primary School, whose Year 6 teacher had posted some very helpfulvideos and guidance about blogging. Harvey set up a WordPress blog for his ownYear 6 class, with the help of London CLC staff, in January 2012, and chose PrimaryBlogger as the platform for the blog in September 2012.He says: ‘I felt the blog would be a good way ofshowing what we’d been doing in literacy. Writing was nolonger in the SATs – teacher assessment was now the onlyway of assessing. This freed up the teaching of writing. Ourliteracy coordinator suggested that we should use classreading texts as the basis for all of our writing work and Ichose some texts (The London Eye Mystery, Trash, Holes, TheMan Who Walked Between The Towers) which seemed tohave potential for generating interesting writing.’Harvey did not use an ICT suite, but had six computersin his classroom. For blogging, he instituted a systemwhere the class was divided into five groups, each ofwhich had a blogging session once a week during guidedreading sessions. At the beginning of most weeks, he putup a blog post for the class to respond to, often – but notalways – linked to their class reading. He also sought outshort films on particular themes for the class to view andrespond to. In their blogging sessions, the groups had topost their responses to these ‘invitations’.In the course of the project, these short films includedanimations (The Lonely Robot, Galileo Galilei), and shortfilms about social and environmental issues (a trailer for An Inconvenient Truth, afilm about children who live on dumpsites in Manila related to the reading of Trash).Children were also invited to create their own radio adverts and record them for theblog. They frequently posted their own suggestions for blog posts. In addition, theykept up with the blogs of their QuadBlogging partner schools.Improving writingEven though their blogging time was relatively restricted, Harvey noticed somedifferences between the writing that children did in their literacy books and what theydid on the blog. One student, Krzysztof, who had English as an additional language,was ‘very careful’ when writing in his book. His sentences were ‘truncated’ – he wouldkeep it really simple, preferring to get it exactly right. But now he writes on the blog, ‘hiswriting is … much freer"
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Leadership

How class blogs can improve writing

13 Nov 2014

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      string(5669) "Heritage is fine – indeed, it’s a wonderful thing to celebrate a past as rich as ours. However, the mission statement of the Primary Shakespeare Company  of “raising achievement and attainment by engaging with Shakespeare” is there because of what is alive in his plays. I can only describe it as a sort of living challenge that he throws down, a gauntlet that his work dares you to pick up. There are some who say that his plays are difficult, his characters complex and – above all – that his language is demanding. Indeed, I am one of those people. Although some might argue that these are valid reasons for not introducing Shakespeare to children still in primary school, I would say that these are precisely the reasons why we should. What faith do we express in students we work with if the challenges we set them are easy? To present them with something that tests even professional, adult actors – that’s setting the bar high. However, there is no getting away from it – if we set tough goals for our children, then we will also have to take risks ourselves. Will our teaching be up to it? And here, all too often, when it comes to drama, and especially Shakespeare, many gifted teachers find that their nerve fails. Who can blame them, when most graduate teacher programmes allocate half a day to drama training during the course of an entire year? This is part of the reason why the Primary Shakespeare Company exists.But to return to this challenge that I referred to: what is it? Personally, I think it’s truth, an acute observation of real human behaviour that sounds as clear as a bell down the centuries and that presents a real test for performers of all ages. Can you be faithful to it? It certainly resonates with our participants.Last year, when we studied Hamlet, the children I worked with were deeply moved by the sadness of the tale of a son who is in another country when his father dies, and returns to find that home is no longer home. This year they were mesmerised by the corrosive effect that Macbeth’s guilt has on his soul, and we spent an entire lesson just discussing what we would each do should we be handed the prophecy that he receives. Next year we will tackle Julius Caesar and I know that they will be just as engaged by his compelling study of mob mentality. I don’t think the characters and dilemmas in Shakespeare’s best work are either antique or modern, I think they’re just how we are as humans – and that’s why humans, even at primary school age, respond to them. So, some questions to answerHow do we introduce children to Shakespeare? A disclaimer: the following is not meant to be presented as a gospel of teaching Shakespeare, but it is an approach that has worked for my business partner, Neil and I (with whom I jointly run the charity), for the last eight years. First, the text comes last Lots of people’s initial encounters with Shakespeare – myself included – are with the text – a battered copy of one of the plays handed to them at school. And many of these people – myself included – are bored rigid. The problem is, showing someone in this situation a printed page of Shakespeare is like telling them how beautiful the Brecon Beacons are (bear with me, this is my homeland) but only ever letting them look at an ordnance survey map of the area. A play is called a play because, in order for it to exist, you need to play. It doesn’t come alive until the actors stand up and their characters each try to pursue their own wants and desires. It’s in the conflict that this creates that drama and interest arises, and it’s crucial that whatever we do, we must interest the children with whom we work.  And once their attention is grabbed, we must keep it.So, story comes firstNot all Shakespeare plays are equal in this regard (compare Romeo and Juliet with King John and you’ll see what I mean), but the best, the core of his works, display the ability of a storyteller who is second to none. The Primary Shakespeare Company currently works with approximately 1,200 children in schools across eight London boroughs. At the beginning of each year’s project, which roughly spans the end of Spring Term 2 to the start of Summer Term 2, every one of these children will watch a specially adapted storytelling version of the play, which we produce and send into their schools. Responses from children and teachers alike are unequivocal: they’re thrilled.Next comes participationOnce the storytelling performance is over, the next stage is to revisit the story, this time as active participants. Each class is assigned one of our directors, who will then make their first visit to the school, running a workshop which leads the children – via a series of structured scenes, and highly physical drama activities – through the story again. Then comes textWe only work with Shakespeare’s words (no modern translations) but, it has to be said, not all of them. Wonderful though Mercutio’s Queen Mab speech is, it doesn’t advance the plot very far, and it’s these kinds of words we tend to cut. Anything narrative stays in. Although we lose some of the most beautiful passages of writing in the English language, we gain comprehension: lines that are linked to action are more likely to be understood (as studies on effective modern foreign language teaching have shown). Thus, once a child has seen the story of Romeo and Juliet, and physically recreated the action of the play, a line which might have seemed opaque two weeks"
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Arts-Based Learning

Method, Madness and Meaning Shakespeare and Play

17 Jul 2018