This consultancy aims to provide you with an independent look at how successful your writing curriculum is. Will consider what might need some attention, and is similar to a deep dive, except with more time afforded to it.
It will consist of the following (these are examples with other aspects being looked at as necessary):
Evaluation of your curriculum leaders’ long- and medium-term thinking and planning.
- Consider fidelity to the National Curriculum’s programme of study
- Look at how your pupils’ context has been taken into consideration
- Consider how well you know your strengths
- Discuss your current points for development
- Evaluate how appropriate your policies and procedures are
- Consider how vocabulary is being developed
- Evaluate progression mapping across the school
- Consider how cumulatively and cohesively your pupils acquire knowledge
Learning Walk
- Examine how curriculum implementation is aligned to the intent
- Check that agreed protocols are being followed
- Consider if teacher subject knowledge is strong enough
- Consider if the classroom environment is supporting learning
- Look at how CPD and training is supporting better outcomes
- Consider how the needs of SEND pupils are being met
- Evaluate how teachers are helping pupils to know more and remember more
- Consider how more able pupils are being challenged
- Focus on learning behaviours
Book Scrutiny
- Check that presentation is in line with school policy
- Consider if the quality and quantity is appropriate
- Look at how pupils are building on prior knowledge
- Evidence of subject specific vocabulary being used
- Books show that teacher subject knowledge is strong
- Evidence of progression over time
- Evidence that pupils are being asked to follow agree protocols
- Needs of all pupils being met
Staff Voice (selection of teachers that will have been seen during the learning walk)
- Consider why the lesson taught was being taught
- Consider what they would consider a success in that lesson
- Discuss what comes next
- Consider how they build on prior knowledge
- Consider how well they know the expectations for the end of their year, the year before theirs and the one after
- Discuss how feedback is provided and how intervention works
- Consider the impact of assessment
- Consider the impact that CPD has had on their practice
Pupil Voice (3 groups: KS1; lower KS2; Upper KS2) – usually same pupils as ones in book scrutiny
- Consider what happens if they get stuck
- Discuss which work they found easy
- Discuss work that they found challenging
- Discuss what does doing well mean to them and how do they know
- Consider how they deal with feedback
- Consider what a typical writing might look like
If you are interested in booking one of our consultants for a one-day curriculum session, please email consultancy@www.focus-education.co.uk or call 01457 821 818.
