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TRAINING TIMES
hertsforlearning.co.uk
MARCH 2015
Issue 9
Grit Gets Grades
Jessica Broadbent
Herts for Learning Journalist
The Department for Education (DfE)
has announced a new focus on building
character, resilience and grit in pupils
in order to prepare them for life in
modern Britain. Several measures have
been put in place to support schools
with this, including millions in funding
for former armed services projects and
awards for schools.
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan
commented: “Delivering the best
schools and skills is a key part of our
long-term economic plan that is turning
Britain around. As well as high academic
standards, this means providing opportunities for all young people to develop
the character and resilience they need
to succeed in modern Britain.”
This new focus follows a 2014 report
by the University of Birmingham, Schools
of Character, which states the benefits of
this kind of education and provides case
studies of seven schools nationally.
Kings Langley School near Hemel
Hempstead was one of the seven case
studies; Headteacher Gary Lewis has
been working on these values in his
school for the past 13 years. Since taking
his current position he has been focussing on creating a strong school ethos
and a feeling of identity through what
he says is the most important thing in
life: “Your ability to deal with many situations and to manage your behaviour”.
Kings Langley embeds three main
values into school life: ‘stickability’ –
learning to stick at things and cope with
failure; self-regulation – learning to
have control over actions; and empathy.
Within these three areas the school
advocates the practice of excellent
manners and positive body language.
Pupils have developed a sense of pride
in their school through interventions
such as close attention to personal presentation; this includes maintaining high
standards of the school uniform and a
focus on communication, specifically
covering language, vocabulary, tone of
voice and smiling!
In an Ofsted inspection just before
Christmas, Kings Langley received
outstanding for the ‘behaviour and safety
of pupils’. Inspectors commented that
“students are well motivated, respectful
of each other and of staff and cooperate
particularly well in lessons. They do not
give up when they find the work is difficult”,
and “they wear their uniform with pride”.
This notion of not giving up is key
to building resilience from an early age.
Goldfield Infants’ and Nursery School in
Tring works on pupil perseverance from
Early Years in order to begin preparing
NEW
Individual 2015/16 HfL
contracts for schools and
academies have now been
sent to all settings. These
bespoke contracts sit
within a contract services
brochure for schools and an
academies range brochure
for academies. Details of all
HfL services are included.
A Fascinating
Assortment
Well-designed school classrooms
‘boost academic success’
Goldfield Superheroes
pupils for life beyond school. Head- show strength of character; it’s all in the
teacher Debora Stevens works with
studying, revision, doing homework and
a cluster of Tring schools to develop
learning about failure.”
independent learners, using Guy Clax- Since re-launching the school with
ton’s Building Learning Power model. character education at the forefront,
The school uses superhero personas
Gary says he has seen academic standto embed its core values for learning
ards double. He feels it’s given Kings
and for life: Polly Perseverance, Chloe
Langley a “uniqueness”, and can’t praise
Cooperation, Roger Resourcefulness
enough the impact of helping pupils to
and Ryan Reflectiveness.
develop these skills: “I’d rather a pupil
Pupils and parents have embraced
get a grade B but have a whole array
this style of learning, one parent recently
of leadership qualities and teamwork
quoting that their child had been “Polly
skills, than achieve an A* and sacrifice
Persevering” with their work. Pupils are
all those other skills.”
encouraged to value their own and their
The first allocation of the £5 million
peers’ individuality in the way they work, set aside to help schools build character
with self-reflectiveness key to their
is seen in the character awards. The DfE
learning: “Reflectiveness gives children
states: “Schools that develop and build
the opportunity to see how they are
character, resilience and grit in their
evolving as people,” said Debora.
pupils will also be recognised for the first
The superhero skills set children up
time through the new character awards.”
to become lifelong learners; the idea
Character, it advises, can be developed
that learning can happen anywhere
through any medium from citizenship
helps children to understand that all
lessons to Duke of Edinburgh Awards to
skills learned can be helpful in life. With
military ethos projects (projects run by
this in mind, Goldfield pupils partake
former armed services personnel).
in numerous projects and lessons
As we go to press 27 winners of
outside the classroom. Each year they
£15,000 awards have just been revealed
run a joint project with local busi- - with King’s Langley amongst them!
nesses, where pupils learn the basics
Congratulations to all winners, who will
of running a business and create their
be receiving the award from the secreown business cards. “It’s important that
tary of state on 16th March. A further
when they walk down the street they
award of £20,000 for one school will be
know what is going on behind those
announced later this month.
doors,” said Debora, “Projects like this
reflect what you need to be successful
Herts for Learning will be
in life, not just school.”
delivering courses to support
The DfE suggests that this sort of
character education in the
character education should be put on
autumn term. Look out for the
a par with academic learning. Gary
autumn term CPD brochure
agrees: “You can’t expect children to
spotlight section.
improve academically without the right
emotional skills to handle whatever
Professor Guy Claxton will be
they may face in life.” However, he said,
speaking at HfL’s national conference
academic skills and character go hand
for primary deputy and assistant
in hand: “Strong academic achieveheadteachers on 18th June 2015
ment is one of the best vehicles to
(see back page for details)
The BBC is reporting a new study that
suggests well designed classrooms boost
the academic performance of primary
school children… Researchers from Salford
University said that layout, construction
and decoration of classes had a significant
impact on reading, writing and maths:
http://bit.ly/TTMarchClassDesign
We would like to hear your views on this
topic for a future article on classroom
designs that you think are making a real
difference in Hertfordshire schools.
An update from the FSS team
This is a busy time of year for all involved
in school finance. Schools’ budget shares
are currently being worked on. Primary
and secondary schools maintained by
Hertfordshire will be issued with the
budget share document for the schools
block element of their funding at the end
of February 2015; budget shares for early
years, special schools and education
support centres will follow.
The Hertfordshire Schools Forum plays a
key role in a range of financial and budget
matters. Details of your representatives on the Schools Forum, records of
meetings and programmes of work can
be accessed here: http://bit.ly/1FSv9ZK
Among topics recently considered by the
Schools Forum is the funding formula
for special schools. It is proposed to
introduce a simpler system for calculating the per pupil “top up” element of
special school budget shares.
The DfE is currently undertaking an
exercise to establish a formula for distributing the grant which funds high needs
SEND provision between local authority
areas. We will update you with news on
this area as it becomes available.
For more information from FSS please
see: http://bit.ly/HfL-FSS
Inside this issue
Meet the teams
The pick
Latest
HfL headlines
This month’s spotlight teams are
science and MFL; we take a look at what
each team is currently working on and
the training that is available.
An overview of what’s on to support
BME pupil achievement. Just in case
you missed them – HfL’s Early Years
conference and national poetry
conference and are also reviewed.
Read about HfL’s work to tackle the
teacher recruitment issues faced by
schools; HfL is also excited to introduce
several new advisers and services in
this issue.
Hertfordshire schools have received
much publicity this month, with a visit
from the BBC and impressive Holocaust
Memorial Day events.
p.2
p.3
p.6
p.7
Herts schools
2
Herts for Learning Training Times
March 2015
Meet the teams
Science
The science team supports both primary
and secondary schools and acad­
emies in developing effective learning,
appropriate curricula and responsive
leadership in science.
The team provides central training,
bespoke training, coaching and mentoring, through network meetings, departmental reviews, self-evaluation and
Ofsted preparation. Advice and guidance
on safe practices within science and radiation monitoring is also available.
Forthcoming courses focus around
innovative approaches to: teaching
and learning, Assessment for Learning,
scientific ways of thinking, and delivering cross-curricular content using
outdoor activities. Specific CPD is available for current and aspiring primary
science subject leaders and NQTs.
For more information about science
training and consultancy please visit:
http://bit.ly/Grid-Science or
contact Anne Coad:
anne.coad@hertsforlearning.co.uk
Following the implementation
of the new National Curriculum, the
team has produced guidance to
support primary schools with assessment of science under the new guidelines. This is available as part of the
primary core teaching, learning and
assessment package in HfL’s web
subscription service.
The materials in the package add
breadth to the skills highlighted in
the DfE’s statements around progression. They map out the requirements
for each year group and suggest ways
to embed scientific thinking into the
science curriculum, using skills to track
pupil progress. Resources for secon­
dary schools are to follow.
MFL
At a time of significant developments
in the teaching of modern foreign
languages (MFL) from Key Stage 1 right
through to A Level, HfL is working with
schools and academies across the UK
to enhance their language provision
and to ensure they are meeting statutory requirements.
In the wake of these changes, HfL
is providing training and consultancy
to schools on the new programmes
of study and GCSE/A-level examination content. Training looks at how to
embed languages within the primary
and secondary curriculum, exploring cross-curricular opportunities. It
focusses on raising achievement for all
students, ensuring they foster life-long
learning and a love of languages.
For more information about
the subscription service and to
subscribe please see:
http://bit.ly/HfLwebsubscription
For more information about training
and consultancy please visit:
http://bit.ly/Grid-MFL
Or email:
resources@hertsforlearning.co.uk
Or contact Anne Coad:
anne.coad@hertsforlearning.co.uk
Following the new requirement last
September for all children in Key Stage
2 to be learning a language, HfL has
developed the Primary Languages
Quality Mark (PLQM).
This tiered quality mark allows
schools to apply for bronze, silver or
gold status; it helps schools to audit,
embed and evaluate their foreign
language provision and has received
national interest since its launch.
For more information about the
PLQM visit: http://bit.ly/TTPLQM or
contact Jackie Rayment:
jackie.rayment@hertsforlearning.co.uk
Meet the advisers
Joanna Conn
Jackie Rayment
Joanna is the HfL Lead Teaching and
Learning Adviser for Science and has
been working with Hertfordshire
schools since 2006.
She manages HfL’s science CPD
programme and provides support and
consultancy to teachers at all levels
regarding
curriculum,
assessment,
pedagogy and health and safety.
She maintains a consistent understanding of innovative science practice
through her affiliation with educational
organisations at the forefront of scientific development. These include: the
National Advisers and Inspectors Group
Jackie Rayment is the HfL Modern
Foreign Languages Adviser and has been
working with Hertfordshire schools
since 2007.
Jackie specialises in supporting MFL
teachers across Key Stages 1 to 5. She
works with NQTs, foreign language
assistants, classroom teachers, heads
of MFL and senior leaders to ensure that
students maximise their potential in
their modern foreign languages studies.
Jackie has over 30 years’ experience
in teaching languages, becoming a head
of modern foreign languages and an
associate member of SLT before joining
the Hertfordshire advisory team. She
has also been a successful international coordinator in Essex, Havering and
Hertfordshire schools, and is a ‘Links
into Languages’ trainer.
Jackie keeps abreast of all new
initiatives and is co-author of the very
successful On Track MFL resource. Her
promotion of the British Council’s International School Award led to Hertfordshire winning ‘best local authority’ in the
prestigious Link2Learn Awards.
‘a consistent
understanding of
innovative science
practice’
for Science (NAIGS), where she is Chair;
the Association for Science Education,
where she is regional secretary; and
the Consortium of Local Education
Authorities for the Provision of Science
Services (CLEAPSS) where she sits on
the steering committee.
Previously, Joanna was a secondary
science teacher and head of department
before becoming a science consultant.
For four years she worked as a consultant in the London Boroughs of Wands­
worth and Islington, before moving
to Hertfordshire.
She has a postgraduate certificate
in educational leadership, development
and consultancy and an MA in school
effectiveness and school improvement.
With a continued drive for involvement
in academic education improvement
she completed a Graduate Diploma in
assessing colleagues’ learning in 2009.
Science and
MFL training
For more information and to book
your place on one of the following
courses please visit:
www.thegrid.org.uk/schoolworkforce
Science
New and aspiring primary
science subject leaders
5th March 2015
9.30am – 3.30pm
(Science Learning Centre East of
England, Bayfordbury)
and
4th June 2015
9.30am – 3.30pm
(Science Learning Centre East of
England, Bayfordbury)
14SCI/014P
This two day course is aimed at teachers
new to the role of science subject leader
or those aspiring to take on this role.
The course will provide participants
with an overview of the role in terms of
monitoring, evaluating and developing
science teaching in primary settings.
MFL
‘maximise their
potential in their
modern foreign
languages studies’
Go for bronze, silver, gold! The
Primary Languages Quality Mark
20th May 2015
1.30pm – 3.30pm
(Hertfordshire Development Centre,
Stevenage)
15MFL/005P
This term Jackie ran a conference for
an academy chain (E-ACT) on current
issues affecting language teaching
and learning. These include: raising
achievement; delivering the key stage
3 programme of study through cross
curricular themes; and spontaneous
student talk. She will also be speaking
at Language World at Newcastle
University in March.
Photos from top to bottom; Joanna
Conn and Jackie Rayment
Suitable for primary teachers involved
in delivering languages or for subject
coordinators, this course is designed
to support the Primary Languages
Quality Mark process by providing
extra guidance and support for schools
applying for the Quality Mark at bronze,
silver or gold level.
Herts for Learning Training Times
March 2015
The pick
Up and coming
3
What’s on and what you might have missed
Spring term at HfL
What’s on for BME pupils?
HfL provides a variety of support,
training and consultancy for Black
and minority ethnic (BME) pupils, with
several exciting pupil workshops now
available to schools. These include:
Raising aspirations pupil workshops
HfL is offering a programme of workshops
that aim to raise pupil aspirations through
exploring some of Oxford University’s
Black scholars.
These workshops are delivered
in partnership with Pamela Roberts,
historian, cultural heritage practi­
tioner
and author of The Untold Stories of
Oxford University’s Black Scholars.
Pixmore Junior School in Letchworth included the workshops in their
Black History Month celebrations for
Year 4–6 pupils. During the interactive
series of workshops pupils undertook
various exercises linked to Oxford
University’s Black scholars and their
achievements. They learned about
Susan Rice, the first Black woman to
become United States Ambassador to
the United Nations. They then explored
the role, skills and attributes required
to be an ambassador, and its similarities
to Pixmore’s School Council.
They also looked at strategies for
building and achieving their goals,
concluding with an inspirational excerpt
from Nelson Mandela’s inaugural
speech: “Our deepest fear is not that we
are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that
we are powerful beyond measure.”
Pupils reflected that they had particularly enjoyed learning about the Black
inventors and the first Black woman to
attend Oxford University, Kofoworola Moore. Pupils said: “I found Nelson
Mandela’s speech interesting because
he said, ‘You all have talents’”, and “I was
inspired hearing who invented peanut
butter and the ironing board and then
the traffic lights as well”.
Spiritual, moral, social and cultural
(SMSC) and achievement pupil
workshops
This programme discusses aspects of
SMSC that impact upon BME students’
achievement. It is aimed at: students in
KS3 and KS4 with low self-esteem and/
or confidence for learning; students with
social and emotional aspects of learning
impacting on achievement; and students
not working to their full potential.
The gold thread running through
the sessions is the link to achievement.
Students have said that following the
workshops “I believe that I can get
better results”, and have learned the
Recently at HfL
importance of “self memos, and different
types of learning skills.”
The programme comprises a series
of six workshops for up to six students,
and two three-hour sessions involving in
depth discussions with individual students.
To find out more about HfL’s BME
support, contact: noah.kaindama@
hertsforlearning.co.uk
To book either of these workshops
contact: linda.lovett@
hertsforlearning.co.uk
In case you missed anything…
Hertfordshire schools prepare for early years pupil premium
School leaders said they were
premium, and sharing these ideas with
“inspired” at HfL’s Ready for Early
their colleagues.
Years Pupil Premium and Ofsted
One delegate said, “Events like this
Inspection of Early Years confer- conference give value to Early Years
ence in February. The conference
and the work that we do”, and another,
was held in response to requests “It’s about networking for professional
from headteachers for information
development and sharing practice with
about the new three to four year old
people in different school structures.”
pupil premium funding that will be
All settings are free to decide how
allocated from April 2015.
they use their funding, but must be able
Speakers across the day addressed
to justify their spending decisions in an
headteachers and senior leaders on
Ofsted inspection. In view of this, HfL’s
how to plan for the use of the early
Early Years team arranged for Ofsted
years pupil premium and how to
inspector Gill Jones to give a keynote
prepare for a successful early years
speech. Gill is currently the Deputy
Ofsted inspection. Delegates found
Director for Early Education involved
the day hugely useful in consolidat- in developing the 2015 common
ing and reinforcing ideas around pupil
framework for inspections, writing
guidance and training for inspectors.
This framework will apply to schools
and all early years settings.
Delegates found that, “Gill’s talk was
a good insight into what’s expected and
what’s coming. It made us think about
how we can show impact for our pupil
premium children”. Her talk motivated
her audience to see “how creative you
can be with a small amount of money”.
Peter Rogers from the national
charity 4children and Marcus Cooper,
Lead Adviser, Virtual School for
Children Looked After also inspired
the audience. Workshops focussed on
evidencing the impact of leadership
in early years, tracking and reading
progress data and innovative provision to
maximise the impact of limited resources.
Following the conference, delegates
were buzzing with conver­
sation.
Comments included: “The workshops
we have been to were relevant and
interesting; they repackaged some
things we were already doing and
formalised them, which reinforced our
good practice” and “The thing about the
Early Years team is that they are always
there for us to answer questions, and if
they don’t know the answer they’ll go
and find out.”
For more information about the
team and all EYFS training and con­­
ferences, see: www.hertsforlearning.
co.uk/team/early-years
Splashing around in language
Britain’s Poet Laureate Dame Carol
opinion was indisputable: “Poetry is the
Ann Duffy and Liverpool poet Roger
music of life”, she said, “It is essential to
McGough entertained delegates from
allow children to express themselves
across the country at HfL’s national
and splash around in language.”
poetry conference, The Power in
She spoke of the universal nature
Poetry: Language as Play, in February.
of poetry that means it can be applied
The conference was organised by HfL
across the curriculum, saying, “What
English Teaching and Learning Advisers
pleases us is when schools take some
in response to the increased profile of
of the ideas and use them in all subjects,
poetry in the National Curriculum; it
not just English but geography too, for
aimed to inspire delegates to go back
example.” Roger McGough concurred:
to their schools with new and refreshed “Poetry doesn’t have to belong
approaches to this versatile form.
anywhere,” he said, commenting that
Carol Ann Duffy performed a set
there is no need for it to be confined to
of poetry and music with musician
literacy lessons.
John Samson. They worked creative- Roger also performed myriad poems,
ly through countless poems, weaving
from comical accounts of having to talk to
them all into a larger narrative poem
pupils in school to a poem he had drafted
about a princess. This performance is
only the day before the conference. He
often done for children, keeping them
reminded delegates of the flexibility of
engaged with the movement between
poetry, which can take many forms and
spoken word and music and with
convey any mood, and urged teachers
audience participation.
not to shy away from using it in lessons.
When asked about the importance of
He views poetry as an essential
children having access to poetry Carol’s
tool for children’s learning: “We have
to create a generation of children for
whom poetry is a part of their life…
poetry helps slow readers, it’s malleable,
you can create it however you want
to – poetry is a vehicle for children to
surprise you.”
Workshops were also run throughout the day, focussing on delivering practical and engaging poetry
activities for pupils. These included:
Exploring narrative poetry through
drama with Alison Dawkins; Free
verse to ignite the reluctant writer
with Jane Andrews; Extending the
range of appreciation and composition in Year 6/7 with Martin Galway;
Writing cinquains with a hist­
orical
theme with Michelle Nicholson; Using
colour poems as a stimulus with
Ruth Goodman.
For more information about the
English team and what’s on this term,
please see: www.thegrid.org.uk/
learning/english/
Carol Ann Duffy during
book signings
4
Herts for Learning Training Times
March 2015
A taste of our
forthcoming courses
Using Fischer
Family Trust in
Key Stages 3, 4
and 5
Safeguarding in
a digital world
– eSafety for
primary schools
Addressing
mathematical
misconceptions
in Key Stage 1
9th March 2015
10th March 2015
10th March 2015
Proving progress
within lessons in
Key Stage 2 and
3: assessment to
enhance learning
14ASS/118S
14COM/010P
14MAT/110P
10th March 2015
This course will look at how the FFT
reports can be used for school selfevaluation, improvement and target
setting. The course aims to show how
these reports can complement other
data analysis tools such as RAISEonline
and Post 16 analyses, and provide
an extra dimension to the analysis of
school attainment data.
Keeping children and young people
safe online and teaching them about
the appropriate and responsible use
of the internet are essential parts of
a school’s safeguarding role. The
proliferation of mobile devices over
recent years means most children
are online at home for an increasing
amount of time. It’s therefore never
been more important that they are
taught how to keep themselves safe
from the risks that exist online.
Many pupils experience difficulties
in developing some aspects of their
mathematical understanding and
particularly struggle to make crucial
connections in their learning. In many
cases, these problems affect the
learning of other concepts causing
greater distress. Probing this further
can reveal where the misconceptions
lie and supports the identification
of the most important next steps in
learning. In addition to this, the raised
pitch of the new curriculum will also
increase the likelihood that even
more children struggle.
14ASS/077A
By attending, delegates will:
gain an understanding of how to
interpret the FFT self-evaluation
report
• use the FFT report to consider
key aspects of attainment and
progress with a view to updating
the SEF and evaluating subjects
• understand how to use the FFT
pupil estimate data to inform
target setting
•
Supporting
better behaviour
– supporting
better learning
12th March 2015
14BFL/034A
Under the current framework, Ofsted
have significantly increased their
focus on systematic, skilled and
consistent behaviour management
by all staff. All staff must understand,
and use consistently, the behaviour
management strategies agreed by
the governing body and the school
community.
This course offers an opportunity
for support staff to further develop,
refresh and improve their skills in
managing behaviour to ensure a
good and safe learning environment.
Firm boundaries and consequences
are an essential part of behaviour
management; we’ll explore how to
apply these in a framework of fairness,
support and mutual respect.
By attending, delegates will:
discover the six key preventative
strategies to reduce behaviour
problems in groups, classrooms
and beyond
• gain a better understanding of
the National Curriculum and the
new programme of study
• support pupils to think for
themselves, make good choices
and discover the benefits to be
found in responsible, considerate
behaviour
•
Section 5 of the Ofsted Framework
from September 2014 states that
inspectors will include eSafety in
their discussions with pupils and what
measures the school takes to promote
safe use and combat unsafe use, both
proactively and reactively.
This course looks at what schools need
to do to in order to make eSafety a
priority across all areas of the school.
By attending, delegates will:
look at young people’s use
of the internet and the latest
online trends
• consider how the teaching of
eSafety can be embedded into
the curriculum
• cover the expectations from
Ofsted around eSafety and how
to meet these
• consider how schools can
engage with parents around
eSafety
• discuss the policies and
procedures relating to eSafety
which schools should have in
place
•
Effective and
efficient planning
in the EYFS
17th March 2015
14EAY/048P
Are you wanting to: make your
Learning Journals work for you? Set up
time efficient planning systems? Meet
the needs of all your children?
By attending, delegates will:
identify and explore the key
misconceptions that arise
• develop strategies to probe
this further to find where the
difficulty lies
• enhance teaching approaches
to move learning on
• engage in practical activities
and tasks that will provide daily
opportunities for children to
improve their reasoning in your
classroom
•
By attending, delegates will:
consider effective and
manageable systems for planning
• understand how to plan for
adult-led activities and enhanced
continuous provision
• discuss how to respond to
children’s interests
•
We will then focus on: strategies to
give effective feedback that scaffolds
improvement and avoids labelling;
a range of questioning strategies
to promote progress in lessons;
techniques to develop pupil centred
learning, pupil generated success
criteria and self and peer assessment/
collaborative improvement which
lead to progress within the lesson.
By attending, delegates will:
understand how labels limit
progress
• gain practical strategies for
immediate use in the classroom,
leading to progress within
lessons
•
Moving level 5
writers to level 6
in Year 6
Defining
leadership
growth
17th March 2015
14ENG/079P
Aimed at Year 6 teachers, this innovative one day course will support
teachers in using assessment to inform
their planning and teaching of reading,
writing, speaking and listening. The
day will include a range of exemplified
strategies in speaking and listening and
reading writing. There will be opportunities to explore progression from level
5 to level 6 and consider the practical
issues of teaching level 6 within a Year
6 curriculum. There will be a focus
on guided and shared writing and a
wealth of practical ideas to use back in
the classroom.
By attending, delegates will:
use assessment strategies to
improve reading writing
• embed modelled, shared and
collaborative writing in the
teaching sequence
• use practical strategies to
improve text structure, purpose,
and sense of audience
• identify techniques used to
control writing
•
If so, this is the course for you.
A key factor when Ofsted observe
lessons is that pupils make progress
within
lessons.
As
National
Curriculum levels are being removed,
this course will explore the ways
to gain and demonstrate progress
within lessons for teachers of Years
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. The course
will begin with a discussion based
around the reasons for the removal
of level descriptors. We will consider
the implications, both positive and
negative, and how to demonstrate
progress without them.
18th March 2015
14MAN/127A
This half day course is delivered by
HfL’s new consultant Nicci Statham,
and is designed for everyone from
aspiring leaders to current members
of the school leadership team.
The course will explore where you
are currently in your leadership skills,
and identify areas of growth both for
now and in the future.
It will enable you to have a proactive
approach when working with the
different challenges of school
leadership. It will explore how to
build upon your ability to respond
to varying contexts by adapting your
approaches.
By attending, delegates will:
identify leadership skills
explore areas to grow
techniques and skills
•
•
Herts for Learning Training Times
March 2015
5
For more information, to book your place or to see our
full range of training courses visit:
www.thegrid.org.uk/schoolworkforce/training/courses/booking.shtml
For further information about our training programme
please contact Mark Green: 01438 844788 or mark.green@hertsforlearning.co.uk
Maths:
Singapore Bar
method
Reading and
writing in MFL
17th March 2015
Assessment for
Learning for
EYFS and Key
Stage 1
14MAT/101P
18th March 2015
18th March 2015
14ASS/078P
14MAT/102P
This course is for the Foundation
Stage and Key Stage 1 teachers
wanting to develop Assessment for
Learning in their classrooms.
Aligned with the new National
Curriculum, this course is aimed at
Key Stage 1 class teachers and Key
Stage 2 based subject leaders who
are new or wish to develop their
understanding of the writing process
in Year 1 and Year 2. You will explore
the importance of rich reading
experiences in creating successful
written outcomes. A range of quality
texts to support the writing process
will be explored and key strategies
for scaffolding the writing process
exemplified. The use of assessment
information to move pupils’ writing
forward will be a central theme of the
day, exploring shared writing in detail.
19th March 2015
14MAT/103P
The Singapore Bar method provides
children with a proven flexible visual
model which they instinctively
understand, and which puts them in
control of routine and non-routine
problems building their confidence
and creating a ‘can do’ attitude.
During these exciting, fast paced
twilights we will be sharing examples
of Hertfordshire children’s learning
to illustrate strategies you can use
immediately for teaching problem
solving, mastering word problems,
developing higher-order thinking
and assessing children’s conceptual
understanding.
By attending, delegates will:
begin to explore the potential
of the Singapore Bar method to
support pupils’ understanding
• provide hands on activities
and ideas which can be used
immediately in the classroom
•
Everything you
need to know
about PSHE and
the new National
Curriculum
20th March 2015
14PSE/019P
The course is aimed at teachers who
have the role of PSHE subject leader.
It will enable teachers to develop
the skills, confidence and subject
knowledge to successfully lead PSHE
provision in their schools.
By attending, delegates will:
explore how to lead and
develop PSHE provision within
the new National Curriculum
• receive up to date advice,
information and guidance on
recent developments within
PSHE
• consider Ofsted expectations of
the subject and how this relates
to other areas
• apply knowledge and
understanding to classroom
activities and ideas for PSHE
•
We will explore what we mean by
the term Assessment for Learning
and look at the practical ideas that
have been tried and tested with
Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1
children.
The day will focus on pre-planning,
modelling, learning intentions, success
criteria, feedback and the most
crucial element of creating a learning
classroom.
By attending, delegates will:
understand the key principles
of Assessment for Learning in
an Early Years and Key Stage 1
context
• look at a range of ideas and
have confidence to experiment
with some of the techniques
•
Using data
for school
improvement
Key Stages 1
and 2
23th March 2015
14ASS/082P
If you are new to a leadership role
and need an overview of the key
data analysis tools, this is the course
for you. The course will focus on
using the Hertfordshire assessment
profile, RAISEonline and Fischer
Family Trust (FFT) data to analyse
end of key stage results and inform
school improvement priorities and
self-evaluation. The tracking of pupil
progress throughout the key stages
will also be explored.
By attending, delegates will:
understand the core subject
data presented in the
assessment profile and in
RAISEonline
• understand how to analyse the
data to identify key strengths
and weaknesses
• be aware of the key features of
the FFT data, including its use in
target-setting
• have the opportunity to spend
time analysing your data
supported by advisers
•
Active and
engaging
strategies for
teaching
primary RE
18th March 2015
14MFL/021P
By attending, delegates will:
develop understanding of the
teaching sequence for writing
• be able to support children
in exceeding age related
expectations in Year 1 and Year 2
• take away practical ideas to
move pupils’ writing forward
• develop confidence in
scaffolding the writing process
through strategies
•
Teaching for
independence
in KS1 (literacy
focus)
19th March 2015
14NQT/042P
This lively one day course will give
primary NQTs the opportunity to
trial a range of active and engaging
strategies for teaching RE. We will
explore the legal framework for RE
in Hertfordshire and the sources of
support available to you in delivering
this curriculum area. We will also
consider creative approaches to
cross-curricular
work,
setting
appropriate learning objectives and
assessing pupils’ work.
By attending, delegates will:
become familiar with the
Hertfordshire Agreed Syllabus
for RE
• gain a greater understanding of
the skills pupils are expected to
develop
• develop an understanding of
assessment in RE
•
Metal machine
safety course:
S2HS and S6HS
24th March 2015
25th March 2015
24 March 2015
th
26th March 2015
14NQT/045P
Independent learners are active and
curious, ask good questions, support
others, understand how well they are
doing and have a go, knowing that
making mistakes and ‘being stuck’
are part of learning.
Children do not become independent
learners by themselves; we need to
teach them how. You will focus on
the key skills, habits and attitudes
which teachers and pupils require for
independent learning and develop
opportunities and experiences within
the revised English curriculum, in
order to build learner motivation,
curiosity, self-confidence and selfreliance.
By attending, delegates will:
• explore what it means to be an
independent learner in KS1
• identify essential learning skills
• reflect on your teaching
environment to develop
independent learners
• gain awareness of effective
research based methods
• build your personal toolkit
of teaching strategies for
independent learning
14DET/010S
This three day course allows teachers,
NQTs, technicians and site staff to
demonstrate,
through
practical
activities, their capability in using the
process of:
- the centre lathe for metal cutting
(S2HS) – types of functions,
particularly safe holding, selection
and mounting of tools
-
the
milling
machines
and
machining centre (S6HS) – using
both the horizontal and vertical
milling
machines,
including
computer controlled machines
and machining centres
You will learn the correct procedures
for using each of the above machines,
routine maintenance requirements,
the types, parts and functions,
particularly the controls and safety
devices.
By attending, delegates will:
gain the TTA and DATA Health
and Safety qualification for
centre lathe, for metal cutting
(S2HS) and milling machines
and machining centres (S6HS)
•
6
Herts for Learning Training Times
March 2015
Other news from HfL
Not to be missed… the Teach in Herts Teacher Recruitment Fair
The Teach in Herts Teacher Recruitment Fair is being sponsored by HfL
and will be taking place on Saturday
14th March at Hertfordshire Development Centre, Stevenage.
The recruitment fair is supported
by a national and regional advertising
campaign covering press and online. A
two week radio campaign with Heart
4 Counties will also be running from
2nd March. Advertising is targeted at
current, past or new teachers, or anyone
considering a career change to teaching.
Hundreds of schools from across
the county will be exhibiting, promoting their school and their current/future
teacher vacancies. Workshops will also
be running for attendees focussed on
progressing your leadership career, NQT
support in Hertfordshire, increasing your
subject knowledge, returning to teaching,
changing your career and re-training
to be a teacher, plus unmissable tips on
applying for your first teaching job.
The National College of Teaching
and Leadership will be running Train to
Teach sessions; the University of Hertfordshire will be available to advise on
routes into teaching, and School Direct
providers will be attending.
If your school is interested in
attending, but has not yet booked
an exhibition stand, please email
teachinherts@hertsforlearning.co.uk.
Stands are free to book and are
restricted to Hertfordshire schools
only. No external teacher recruitment
companies will be attending.
For further information on the event,
see www.teachinherts.com
Invest in parents through Parent2Parent®
As detailed in the January/February edition of Training Times, Parent2Parent®
will be available to Hertfordshire primary schools after Easter and information
packs have been sent to schools detailing the programme and how to subscribe.
Parents working as partners with
schools in the learning process can
potentially improve pupil outcomes,
thereby
supporting
the
school
improvement agenda. By participating in Parent2Parent®, schools will be
able to actively support and promote
parental engagement, without creating
additional workload for their staff, and
can apply for HfL’s new Investor in
Parents status.
Investor in Parents has been
developed to highlight schools that
are committed to, and are actively
involved in, engaging with parents.
Three status levels are available:
bronze, silver and gold.
Investor in Parents may be applied
for and awarded where there is clear
evidence that a range of activities and
programmes adopted by the school
or setting are having a demonstrable
impact on a child’s learning as a result
of working in partnership with parents/
carers. As greater impact and reach
to more children and parents/carers
can be demonstrated, silver and gold
awards may be applied for.
Involvement in the Parent2Parent®
programme will contribute to achieving the award.
Parent2Parent® will rolled out to
all Hertfordshire primary schools
in the summer term 2015.
For more information on
Parent2Parent® or Investor in
Parents, contact Julie Garstang:
p2p@hertsforlearning.co.uk or
call: 01438 844853
Addressing teacher recruitment issues in Hertfordshire
The increasing shortage of high quality teachers across all phases and curriculum
areas is being raised as an important national issue. HfL, working with its shareholding schools in Hertfordshire, has been proactively addressing and funding
this agenda rather than waiting for national policy to solve the problems.
In addition to sponsoring the high
profile Teach in Herts Recruitment Fair
on 14th March (see article above), there
are several other important strands of
work taking place to encourage and
attract high quality teachers into Hertfordshire, driven by an overall steering
committee made up of headteachers
and HfL staff.
The five strands of work are:
1. Encouraging young people
to
join the profession – working with
pupils in our schools to ensure that
they are considering teaching as
a really worthwhile career choice.
Mater­­ials are being developed and a
range of suggested activities will be
shared widely in the coming months.
2. Appointing a Recruitment Manager
to lead and champion this work to
make sure Hertfordshire schools
have access to the best possible
pool of teachers available and
ensuring that people coming to
work in Hertfordshire have support
in settling and living here. We expect
to have this appointment in place
early in the summer term 2015.
3. Redesigning and retendering the
Teach in Herts website to make it
more informative, user friendly and
able to act as the electronic ambassador for recruitment into Hertfordshire. The new website is scheduled
to be ready for September 2015.
4. Running
recruitment fairs and
advertising campaigns – maximising
opportunities from university recruitment fairs to encourage graduates into
Hertfordshire has already been taking
place, through HfL and headteachers attending the fairs and following
up potential candidates with good
effect. Consideration of another
big county Recruitment Fair in 2016
will be dependent upon the success
of the event on 14th March 2015.
5. Developing exciting programmes to
upskill and fast track subject knowledge for potential returners, career
changers and for existing teachers
wishing to change phase or subject.
These programmes are already being
shaped and will be launched at the
Recruitment Fair on 14th March.
If you have other ideas or would
like to throw your weight behind
any of these initiatives please get
in touch with: perdeep.kaur@
hertsforlearning.co.uk
School business manager services now available
HfL is excited to have fully launched its service for school and academy business
managers (SBMs), led by Head of School Business Manager Services, Natalie
Dalvarez. Access to an SBM can relieve pressures on other members of SLT,
enabling them to focus on teaching and learning. The service aims to support
school improvement, raise the profile of SBMs and help standardise a role that is
still new to many schools.
The four main contract services available to schools are:
• SBM consultancy
• business management reviews
• recruitment support
• an induction package for newly
appointed SBMs
Natalie Dalvarez
The service also supports SBMs through
CPD opportunities, training, conferences and networking events.
The service is led by Natalie
Dalvarez, who manages the training/
conference programme and a team
of primary and secondary SBM
consultants. She also works with HfL
colleagues when required to assist
with schools causing concern.
Natalie has several years’ experience as a school business manager in
both maintained and academy primary
schools, and as a cluster SBM. Alongside her new strategic role she still
spends time working as an SBM in
order to maintain her acute understanding of the current needs of
the role.
Previously she worked in the
private sector, managing ICT procurement for KPMG and SAP. She joined
HfL in February 2014 and since then
has been working to formalise HfL’s
services for SBMs.
This year’s National Conference
for school business managers will
take place on: 8th June at Sopwell
House, St Albans
To book your place please visit:
www.thegrid.org.uk/schoolworkforce
HfL is keen to hear about the
type of support you would like to
see from the SBM service. If you have
any comments or suggestions please
contact: natalie.dalvarez@hertsforlearning.co.uk
Herts for Learning Training Times
March 2015
7
Latest Herts schools news
Lions Club funds four Hertfordshire Healthy Schools
Watford Lions Club has provided funding to enable
four local schools to take part in the Hertfordshire
Healthy Schools (HHS) programme. Berice Andrews,
President of the Watford Lions, presented each
school with a cheque for £700 at the annual presentation evening on 28th January 2015.
The schools are: Parkgate Junior School in Watford,
Bedmond Village Primary and Nursery School in
Abbots Langley, Central Primary School in Watford and
Holywell Primary School in Watford.
The Watford Lions Club is a service organisation
providing practical help and assistance to those in the
local area and beyond. The club champions the cause
of young people, raising funds to educate them about
a variety of issues.
HfL works with the Watford and Harpenden Lions
Clubs to promote the learning of life skills for young
people in Hertfordshire; this involves supporting
Representatives from Watford Lions Club, the
schools and Watford Borough Council
schools to complete the HHS programme, coordinated by HfL adviser Kate Stockdale.
The programme enables schools to review the
delivery of health and wellbeing across the school and
identify a priority area for a developmental piece of
work. The first phase of the programme works towards
the Hertfordshire Healthy Schools Status. Schools who
have achieved Hertfordshire Healthy Schools Status
can then choose to work towards an enhanced status
in their second year on the programme.
For more information on the
Healthy Schools Programme
contact: shelagh.jennings@
hertsforlearning.co.uk
Find your nearest Lions Club at: www.lionsclubs.co
BBC features Broom Barns
Following the praise in Ofsted’s recent report for Hertfordshire schools, BBC Look East shone a spotlight on
Hertfordshire highlighting the impressive work that has
been done across all Hertfordshire schools. They were
particularly interested in the school company model,
the work of HfL within the county and the impact the
company is having.
The BBC visited Broom
Barns
Community
Primary
School in Stevenage in order
to see some of this work in
action. They filmed a selection of children showcasing
their learning, with a focus on
writing – an area Broom Barns
has seen significant improvement in. Pupils from several
year groups were involved in
Tina Jarman
the filming, with an extended
shoot of a Year 2 pupil during his one-on-one creative
writing surgery session.
Also filmed were Headteacher Tina Jarman, HfL District
School Effectiveness Adviser Tracy Warner and Hertfordshire County Councillor Chris Hayward. Each spoke
about the changes seen in Broom Barns over the past few
years and their journey to a good Ofsted judgement with
outstanding for behaviour and safety of pupils.
Broom Barns has worked closely with HfL to help raise
standards across the school and has been involved in initiatives such as the RANGe project, of which Tina spoke at the
Hertfordshire headteachers’ conference in October. “We
draw upon HfL to help support our vision for the school”
said Tina. “The schools company model works for us and I
couldn’t see why it wouldn’t work for others”.
The interviews were aired on BBC Look East
and BBC Three Counties Radio, and can be accessed here:
http://bit.ly/BBC_BroomBarns
Tracy Warner during filming
Holocaust Memorial Day 2015 – a legacy of hope
Students across Hertfordshire gathered on Thursday 29th January 2015 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp in Europe. The theme of
Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) this year was ‘keep the memory alive’, and events were held to reflect
upon the responsibility of current generations to champion the memory of the Holocaust and all subsequent contemporary genocides.
Two Hertfordshire schools were selected to host one
of 70 memorial candles commissioned by the Holocaust Memorial Trust to mark the anniversary – one to
represent each of the years since the liberation. These
schools, St Joan of Arc Catholic School in Rickmans­
worth and Watford Grammar School for Girls, both
hosted Holocaust survivors who spoke about their
experiences in Nazi-occupied Europe.
The Hertfordshire Standing Advisory Council on
Religious Education (SACRE) annual commemoration was held at St Joan of Arc Catholic School this
year and sponsored by several local organisations.
Pupils and guests heard from Holocaust survivor Nelly
Ben-Or Clynes, who gave a personal testimony of her
Holocaust experiences, a time that she calls “a horrific
stain on human history”. She told moving accounts of
several terrifyingly close escapes, describing the realities of human genocide.
“Being Jewish was a death sentence,” Nelly said, as
she spoke of having to masquerade as a Polish Catholic
in order to evade the clutches of the Nazis. “A crazy
ideology can lead to inhumanity and insanity,” she
warned her audience. “Beware of crazy ideologies…we
are all human beings and we must respect each other;
that is what was lost.”
Both schools saw performances by students showcasing their own responses to their Holocaust learning.
St Joan of Arc Catholic School hosted 12 participating
Hertfordshire primary, middle and secondary schools
who performed a variety of drama, film, music, art,
dance, readings and poetry. Alongside hearing from
Holocaust survivor Hannah Lewis, Watford Grammar
School pupils sang, danced, and performed a number
of readings, including a poem written by a Year 11
student who won the Anne Frank poetry competition.
Artist Cindy Lass was also present at St Joan of Arc
Catholic School, and returned to present a lithograph
of a painting she created for the Anne Frank House in
Amsterdam, Anne had no time to blossom. Cindy spoke
to pupils in one of a series of assemblies that shared
some of the HMD performances with pupils who were
not in attendance on the night.
Cindy spoke to students about her visit to Anne
Frank’s house and of the inspiration for her painting –
the importance of being allowed to grow and blossom
freely. Whilst reflecting upon the themes of this year’s
HMD commemorations, she reminded pupils of the
resonance of our actions: “Remember to be respectful to the person next to you”, she said, “because they
reflect and mirror who you are.”
Both schools are continuing their work to keep
the memory alive and share the messages learned
through their HMD work. St Joan of Arc Catholic
School is taking a group to the Jewish Museum in
London later this term as well as hosting another Holocaust survivor to talk to pupils. Watford Girls School is
holding a conference later in the year, where survivors
will come and talk to delegates.
Above: Pupils from Little Green Junior
School in The Little Boy Star
Below: Nicholas Watt from Watford School of Music
plays the piano before the memorial candle is lit
For more information about the
Holocaust Memorial Day Trust visit:
http://hmd.org.uk
If you have any events coming up that you would like us to cover, get in touch with Jessica Broadbent: 01438 844331 or jessica.broadbent@hertsforlearning.co.uk
“Creative, curious and courageous:
embracing the leadership challenge!”
Conferences
Growing Minds Conference
– a day with James Nottingham
Tuesday 17th March 2015
Fielder Centre, Hatfield
14ASS/088A
A national conference for primary deputy and assistant headteachers
Thursday 18th June 2015, 9.15am to 4.00pm
The Auction House, Luton LU2 0AH
This one day national conference will explore the leadership role of deputy
and assistant headteachers in the context of current educational change and
challenge, including how to:
• maintain and develop creativity, providing pupils with an inspiring curriculum
that develops both key skills and values – but which at the same time has the
potential to unlock doors to future life chances
• remain curious about the relationship between pedagogy and leadership and the
impact on this of high quality professional development
• be empowered to risk-take, searching out opportunities to actively research,
apply and evaluate new ideas and thinking.
Behaviour for Learning Promoting
and supporting the learning
behaviour of our children and young
people – are we there yet?
Thursday 19th March 2015
Hertfordshire Development Centre
15BFL/038A
SIMS Managers’ Conference
Wednesday 8th July 2015
Hertfordshire Development Centre
15SIT/033S
Keynote speakers include:
Jonathon Lear
Professor Guy Claxton
Matthew Syed
£185 Early bird booking offer. Book by 18th April 2015
Course code: 15CON/001P
For further information please contact Danielle Wallington, Events Coordinator
email: danielle.wallington@hertsforlearning.co.uk or telephone 01438 844535
For further information about our
upcoming conferences please
contact Danielle Wallington on:
danielle.wallington@
hertsforlearning.co.uk
If you have any feedback or suggestions about
Training Times, would like to include a news story in the next
issue, or you would like any additional copies please contact
Jessica Broadbent: jessica.broadbent@hertsforlearning.co.uk
All information correct at time of going to press.