Teach. Smile. Repeat. It is well-known that the very greatest mastery in any field is the result of great discipline. Less recognised is the fact that the greatest freedom is often also the result of great discipline. For headteachers looking to maximise return on their CPD investment, there is a fine balance between letting teachers… Continue Reading →
MAKE TEACHING VISIBLE: Many NPQHs will remember the concept of a “Golden Thread” that should “run through the school.” But as with so much educational advice, that is a vague concept much in the same way as “ensure pupil engagement.” For someone in the thick of it, such fluffy instructions are not helpful. And this… Continue Reading →
This is the second instalment of the Stalham Academy series, which investigates how a reeling Norfolk primary in special measures could reach UK top-500 in two years – for a £900 CPD investment. In the previous post, we discussed the importance of knowing what you want. This second post examines the steps from the first CPD… Continue Reading →
Even in a Formula One racing car, it all comes down to the driver. If they weren’t so skilled, Stalham Academy’s senior leadership should be wearing fireproof suits and crash helmets. This is the first in a series of articles discussing how Stalham Academy used Cooperative Learning to get from special measures to top 500… Continue Reading →
When I started Werdelin Education and mentioned that Stalham Academy was my first (and only) client back in 2014, everyone I spoke to seemed to have some form of horror-story about the school. Stalham Junior has been, I slowly discovered, a catch-phrase for everything wrong with primary schools in Norfolk. Not so anymore. I was contacted… Continue Reading →
Sir Kevan Collins, CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation recently argued that “If you’re not using evidence to inform your decisions, you must be using prejudice.” But how, as a school leader, do you know which evidence to use in your context? How do you evaluate its impact? And how can you ensure that it… Continue Reading →
The only time anyone looked half interested was when they were talking to each other, rather than listening to me. Which is precisely why Cooperative Learning instantly improves teaching and learning in any school.
For the benefit of delegates who did not feel satiated after our 15 minutes, this brief article details the underlying objectives of, and delegate feedback to, the Cooperative Learning session at the VNET Tea Party 20 March 2017.
This is the first of several themed recordings from the webinar “Special Measures to Top-500 with Cooperative Learning.”
Mrs Naomi Hennah (@MrsHennah) of Northampton School for Boys has created a clear and concise “visual summary of the complexity of chemical discourse” to boost oracy skills and language acquisition in chemistry. (Link at the end of the page). Teachers from other subjects should not be put off, however. This post should hopefully make Mrs Hennah’s considerations relevant not only to… Continue Reading →
Finally, dates are set. For all of you who took a keen interest in the Stalham Academy, What Went Right? series, attending this free webinar is a must. Our main speaker, Andrew Howard, became acting head when his school was put in special measures in May 2014. By 2016’s SATs, the impact of just three… Continue Reading →
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