Sandringham Learning Steps

The Student Leadership Team worked with the PLT on developing a set of skills, strategies and techniques that lead to outstanding learning. One of the drivers around this is the meta-research of John Hattie and the EEF in their Toolkit that shows teaching meta-cognitive skills as being one of the highest impact strategies. The Learning Steps weaves in a number of initiatives from the past few years at Sandringham, including independent learning (5 Rs), ReACT (feedback), memory (review, practice, check) and character development.  See here for the full descriptions of the steps.

What makes great teaching?

We started the term on our training day with a reminder of the work of the Sutton Trust in their 'What Makes Great Teaching?' research from 2014. This was a meta-study of over 200 pieces of research and identifies the elements of teaching with the strongest evidence of improving attainment. 

To read more, click here

Mindful Marking

One of our overriding themes for Learning and Teaching this year has been to do more of what is impactful and less of what is not, with particular regard to teacher workload and student wellbeing. After reforming our whole-school homework policy last year, we are redeveloping the marking policy with the view that marking should be MEANINGFUL, MANAGEABLE and MOTIVATIONAL. See here for the DfE workload team guidance on marking. We held a marketplace in December on a variety of different approaches including whole-class feedback: the resource from this meeting is here

Whole School Read 

Our Whole School Read for 2017 was launched in November: The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon.

The Bone Sparrow is a beautiful, heartbreaking, hopeful and deeply moving novel that explores a tragic and relevant topic, with the plight of the Rohingya people in Myanmar in the news.

Our Charity Day this year will be fundraising for refugees via the Refugee Action charity.

Literacy Strategies

Our Literacy Coordinators presented a teaching tip on using five different strategies for guided reading.

Learn more here

A reminder of our literacy marking symbols that should be used when marking students' written work. Consistency and simplicity is key!

Read here about our literacy strategy for 2017-2018

Character 

Our student Character development programme launched in September. We have identified the following aspects of character that we will focus on at Sandringham School:

• Aspiration
• Confidence
• Integrity
• Initiative
• Resilience
• Tolerance

See here for a 'work in progress' plan for how character development will be woven into the curriculum. Students have begun to evidence their character development through Google Drive portfolios. The Super Curriculum also gives opportunities for character development.

Our L&T Theme Week this year will be on Character development - w/c 26th February

Blended Learning and Assessment

If you are looking for ways to improve the timeliness and impact of feedback using edTech, see this article on five different tools that you can use for assessment, graded from easy to ultimate! 

The PLT Pop Up Store

In September, the PLT ran a 'Pop Up Store' with many of our very best teaching strategies and ideas all presented in a goodie bag! If you missed it, here is the folder of resources

Research School Launches

This term saw the launch of Hertfordshire’s Research School based at Sandringham.  Our first conference is in March, in partnership with researchED.  There are over 30 speakers at the event, including keynote Baroness Estelle Morris.  Next term, we’re hosting teacher training on tackling linear exams and designing feedback effectively in partnership with the universities of Cambridge and Oxford.  In addition, we will continue to provide evidence informed teaching tips, following on from this term’s tips on flashcards and meta-cognition.  See our website for resources and how to get involved:

https://sandringham.researchschool.org.uk/