It's almost Easter!

Can you believe how quickly time is passing this academic year? I can only think I must be enjoying myself! It's time to write the second Newsletter, and there is a lot to say!

A busy term!

After Christmas, half way through a very snowy January , a two week break in South Africa was a welcome getaway! Since then it seems I have not stopped. Supporting teachers in their quest to develop Assessment for Learning and leaders to get to grips with the new SEF format in anticipation of OFSTED visits has taken up much of my time and my invention "SEF AID" is proving to be invaluable to many head teachers hard pressed to complete the paperwork.

The New National Curriculum now in schools!

It quietly went on line whilst I was away in South Africa and arrived in schools earlier this month. Arranged in six areas of learning, it is still dominated by content, and I was really disappointed to see the essential skills reduced to one page of A4 with no indication of progressions at all! Anyway,I have worked with two schools this term on some curriculum development and have been really encouraged by the enthusiasm encountered in teachers keen to make the mos of their new freedoms.

If you have not already discovered it, check out The Curriculum Foundation website. Founded by amongst others Mick Waters and Brian Male, this organisation promises to be the best thing since sliced bread as far as encouragement, support and plain common sense is concerned in the year and a bit we have before September 2011 to make sense of it all. I shall be basing my development work around the ideas they are promoting, and urge you to a) join the Foundation and b) attend one of the series of Conferences being held all over the country as I write. Well worth the £150 and the joining fee of £50.

Support for schools developing their Vision.

Perhaps you are a new headteacher trying to build a new vision for your school and its community, or maybe you are an established head teacher looking for a fresh approach and needing to engage and enthuse your governors. Either way you might want to consider booking me for a "Visioning Day".  I just planned one with a school in Bath and all the governors turned up and took part in a highly active and thought provoking day that will form the basis of their future work with their brand new head teacher.

                                       "They all turned up! And it was a Saturday! Great stuff.  Thank you."

Making good and outstanding teaching even better!

I have spent some time with three great schools this term, developing some training to take them to even greater things in the classroom. The focus was on dialogic teaching approaches and extended their already good AFL practice to challenge and inspire their thinking about  and planning for deeper, more profound learning. I call the day "On the Edge of Don't Know" because that is where they said they wanted to see the pupils in their schools. The day is great fun, very practical,  and as always, highly engaging.

                                        "I've seen an immediate impact -the very next day!"

                         "We thought we were already doing that but you really made us think!"

And finally......

Two books you must read that have been published this year:

 "Developing Teacher Assessment"   Gardner, Harlen, Stobart et al 2010

" Creating Tomorrow's Schools Today "  Richard Gerver 2010

Have a good summer!