13th January 2020

                             WoW: nevertheless

 

Communication Focuses

READING	WRITING	ORACY
Reading widely Reading for pleasure	Spelling of subject-specific vocabulary Use of WAGOLLs to model/scaffold (visualisers, mini-whiteboards)	Purposeful and structured communication with others

 

Teaching and Learning Priorities

Climate for learning – students will be enthused by their learning and will be focused, absorbed and attentive (DMC).

Vocabulary – the words that we use and expect the students to be able to use in context, to succeed in their lives beyond Walton le Dale High School (ACH).

Purposeful Interactions by all – if students are communicating, it must be purposeful allow their needs to be met.  Interactions should enhance the learning of ALL students at ALL times (CRO).

This Week:

• Welcome Trainees – L.Pugh (PE) and C. Farrow (Technology) will start today and will be with until June.  They will be mentored by LEA and BHU, as well as RLO.   They will be around school and in lessons on this week, shadowing students.
• NQTs – Meetings resume in usual slots this week.
• Wednesday – Quality of Education learning walks (see email for further information).
• CPD for new staff, NQTs and Trainees - SEND provision, Inclusion, IQM, Dyslexia-friendly status, TA support in lessons: 23^rd January in D14 with JMA (postponed from last term).

Reflect on Your Practice:

So last week, the One Page Summary of our new T&L Policy was disseminated through the TLD.  The key three words are: Feedback – Plan – Teach. 

The first snippet to be published here is the ‘feedback’ section. Please take time to read it and apply it to your own daily practice. Feedback welcomed (RLO).

Feedback… has two key purposes: to allow students to make progress over time; and to inform future planning and teaching.

1. Teachers must have a secure overview of the starting points, progress and context of all.

 

A secure overview means that:

1. The information in the ‘progress ladder’ is understood. This includes:
   1. Prior attainment data from primary school
   2. Reading age data
   3. Cohort and progression path on progress ladders
   4. GL assessment data
   5. How the student is doing in your subject compared to others
   6. How the student has done in your subject, prior to you teaching them.

 

2. Teachers should understand the student’s overall strengths and weaknesses, in examined courses it is advisable to have a checklist linked to progress ladders.

 

3. Teachers should be aware of the context  of each class because:
   1. Of the relationships formed with them, in line with the Behaviour for Learning policy
   2. You make a mental note of any announcements about student welfare, for example in briefings, on ClassCharts or by email
   3. You liaise with Progress Coordinator or Form Tutor where necessary

It is important that a student’s context rarely means that you should adjust your aspirations of what they can achieve.  At WLD, we believe in being ‘aspirational for ourselves and others’. 

 

Without a secure overview, it is impossible for a teacher to form the first wave of intervention by delivering ‘Quality First’ teaching.  Feedback provides a marker to teachers as to whether students have learnt what has been taught.

 

2.Marking and/or feedback must be primarily formative, may be selective and include MAD time to allow students time to reflect and Make A Difference to their assessments.

 

‘Primarily formative’ – means that the focus of your marking must show students how to improve.  A summative mark/band/grade often means that the students spent their time comparing their performance with that of their peers on not on improving their mark.  The use of MAD time is designed to engage students within the improvement process and will be completed in a different coloured pen (usually red pen). 

Summative assessments will be marked in more detail and their frequency should be proportionate to the amount of curriculum time, although they must also have formative comments.  These assessment will form the minority of marked work in any subject or year group.

‘Selective marking’ – allows a more precise focus on key areas for development and to ensure progress within them.  Subject-specific spelling errors (Tier1 vocabulary) will be corrected and students will be asked to copy the correction five times.

Top Tip Schedule

 Subject Heads, please ensure that someone from your department is ready to share a ‘Top Tip’ on the designated date. 

W/C	Day	Department
06/01/20	WEDS	Humanities - interleaving
13/01/2020	WEDS	SENDCO - JMI
20/01/2020	FRI	Pastries and Progress Open Door Week
27/01/2020	MON	Careers
3/02/2020	WEDS	Maths
10/02/2020	FRI	Computing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CPD Cascade

Study Groups 2019-20

A reminder of the key focuses within departments:

• Expressive Arts – improving engagement in Year 9
• Computing – Developing the use of Teams to allow learning beyond the classroom
• Mathematics – recall and retention
• Art – Engagement of boys
• English – use of knowledge organisers
• MFL – Speaking examination – extended pupil responses; Listening and reading: developing confidence
• Humanities - progress of middle attaining boys
• PE  – Link between theory at KS3 and KS4
• Technology – Developing the use of homework at KS3 to prepare students for KS4 course
• Science – personalised learning plans for each student in each science.

 

INSET – This Thursday Evening

JHA has provided information regarding the organisation of this evening in the weekly Staff Bulletin.