Implementation Flashcards
What is the purpose of your curriculum?
Two-fold: aligned with our two school values.
Everyone Learning - key knowledge, skills and understanding to progress to next stages of their education and for the rest of their lives as learners.
Everyone Caring, to ‘make our children more human’ - caring, respectful and tolerant; make a positive difference to the world.
What endpoints are you building towards and how do you prepare students to reach them?
Prepare for the next stage of education: KS3; 4; 5; and beyond - lifelong learners and PD
Knowledge and skills sequenced to prep next stage - on web site (curriculum overview - e.g. Maths mastery approach, Science spiral curriculum)
Quality assured and refined through SLT, RLT subject groups, SCPs and reviews (E.g. improvements in English, PE, Drama as a result)
Is your curriculum planned and sequenced so that knowledge and skills build on what has been taught before and towards its clearly defined end points?
Six curriculum principles 2 - ‘Deliberately sequenced learning for long term retention and understanding’
Trained/supported subject leaders in reviewing and planning the sequencing of their curriculum. (SIP 2018-20)
See above with reference to quality assurance process - now under way via Curriculum Conversations
How does your curriculum address typical gaps in pupils’ knowledge, given your local context?
Truly comprehensive school - some very poor cultural capital and LPA; some HPA go on to Oxbridge
Implementation - Assume nothing. Pre-teach background knowledge; verbal rehearsal; model every task; model for access and challenge (SF results suggest modelling now established practice)
Lockdown - Access and quality teaching = gaps were limited (e.g. KS4/5 assessment). Proactive in identifying and addressing gaps (e.g. COVID adaptations)
How has your curriculum been designed so that students are able to read at an age appropriate level?
2 years into a 3 year plan to support students’ reading. Has been complicated by COVID.
Year 1: Fresh Start interventions; clearly defined knowledge and language and CPD in direct instruction of vocab. Purchase AR for Y7+8 to support RFP, run for 3 months. COVID begins.
Year 2: As above, + library lessons double-staffed + 10 mins of all Eng lessons. AR extended to Y9. Online system supports reading for pleasure in lockdown 3. Researching subject-specific literacy.
Year 3: As above - Fresh Start get more lessons. AR complemented by teacher-led small group / 1:1 interventions. Bedrock Learning to help close LPA gaps. Middle Leaders supported to develop subject-specific literacy strategies.
How do you quality assure curriculum delivery?
Whilst working on intent, via SLT, RLT peer reviews and SCPs, and subject groups. Improvements in e.g. drama, PE, English as a result.
Review about to happen when COVID hit; not in process via Curriculum Conversations.
Monitoring during lockdown identified key strengths (e.g. explanation and checking understanding.)
Now realise we need to know more in classroom; in process via drop-ins to inform SIP.
How do you ensure that key concepts are presented clearly to students, and that they have appropriate time for discussion before attempting to apply them?
INSET has focussed on the importance of avoiding cognitive overload (e.g. Rosenshine)
Clear explanation and instructions = Habits 4 co-created and reviewed, including remote learning
Online learning has led to improvements in explanations (e.g. engagement 80%-90%; drop-ins findings; parent feedback)
Aware not consistent; currently QAing via drop-ins
How do you know that teachers are systematically checking students’ understanding and tackling misconceptions?
2 parts - in class, and out of class.
In class, formative assessment and feedback is one of our Seven Habits - CPD for how to do online - strength (findings from drop-ins)
Out of class, our subject feedback policies specify how regularly student knowledge will be checked in a time-efficient manner, and teaching will be adjusted as a result. QA via subject leader, then SLT LM (90% compliant last term)
Aware that this is nonetheless not consistent in class, currently QAing via drop ins.
How do you know that teachers help pupils to embed key concepts in their long-term memory so that they can apply them fluently?
Since as far back as 2016, CPD has focussed on the importance of long-term memory and the building of schema (e.g. KR, Rosenshine)
Regular review and retrieval is one of our Seven Habits
Common approach across subjects (e.g. bespoke training on MCQs used research, illustrated with examples of practice from across school subjects)
Revision strategy also makes students aware of the importance of long-term memory and spaced practice (e.g. LYR overview).
How do you know that remote education was well-integrated within the course of study, and well-designed to support the wider implementation of the school’s curriculum?
Good position -Google and ambitious approach. Large proportion of curriculum covered (see 80% - 90% attendance, able to assess Y11-13 without many changes)
Impact of pandemic response monitored regularly (e.g. DFE review tool showed clear strengths, surveys and drop-ins; overwhelmingly positive response)
Proactively identified adaptations and gaps (e.g. COVID adaptations audit) per-year group, per-subject plan to address.
How have you used the government’s Catch-up funding to address gaps in learning?
Initial plan to address catch up was informed by EEF, split into 3 areas: QFT, interventions, wider school. Impact = improvements in B4L.
Shifted context - remote learning mitigating need to catch up. QFT in online context; interventions trumped by pastoral - daily context 17; weekly contact 200+ vulnerable, Food Bank scheme to over X families. Impact = engagement + feedback overwhelmingly positive.
Back from lockdown - adaptation of plan with current initiatives: behaviour refresh, Seven Habits update, T and L drop-ins. Monitoring suggests successful.
However monitoring from lockdown suggests vulnerables disproportionately who fell through the floor (attitude and engagement). GL tests; Y7 NMM; Y10 and Y12 exams. Bespoke adaptations to follow.
