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View from the classroom


View from the classroom T


his month, Education Today is delighted to offer an extended issue of our regular View


from the classroom feature, in which Rebecca Thomas from Cherry Orchard Primary in Worcester talks about the school’s implementation of the “Learning without Limits” programme, and looks in detail at how the use of innovative teaching practices and some great pedagogy has changed the school and staff.


Tell us a little about the school Cherry Orchard Primary School is a friendly, forward looking school, on the south side of Worcester with approximately 630 pupils on roll. All staff work really hard to ensure pupils are fulfilled and leave school with a strong set of rich and happy memories. We offer a stimulating, exciting learning environment that reflects the broad and interesting curriculum the pupils receive. Over the past few years, parents, governors, staff and children, have contributed to the new curriculum by letting them know what it is that they value and want they want


the school to provide for them. This curriculum prepares pupils for experiences they will encounter in the wider world and it is also fit for the changes in the 21st Century. Staff at Cherry Orchard are encouraged to do continuous research into cutting edge teaching methods and review best practice across a wide range of educational settings.


Where did you get the idea for the ‘Learning without Limits’ programme? The summer of 2014 came to a close, the new curriculum had been embedded and assessment was the key word on everyone’s lips. Inspired by the recent exciting changes in education and the new ownership we now had in our schools we were desperate to weave some more magic. We were encouraged to keep researching recent pedagogies and on September 2nd 2014, inset day, our acting head teacher, Lee Card, kicked off an exciting start to the process with a speech about TRUST. He revealed that he wanted us to keep developing as professionals, through lesson study and research we were asked to explore ways to continue to improve our teaching and learning, whilst maintaining the rigour we are bound by. It was so refreshing to feel that we could be pioneers in this quickly changing landscape and we were quick to rise to his challenge. Each year group could choose their own focus and the Year Five team chose to create an environment where learning had no limits. Thankfully, we had been fed a diet of Carol Dweck and explored the ways Wroxham School works. The head teacher there, Dame Alison Peacock, was the original candidate involved in a ‘Learning without Limits’ project in 2010. We had read her books along with some Shirley Clarke, so we had a favourable start to our journey.


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When did we implement it? The first day the children were back we asked them what they thought of ability groups. The answers were astounding. The ‘more able’ loved it; they enjoyed being the bright ones and having ‘special’ challenges set by the teacher. They also saw working with the teacher as a negative. The middle group were annoyed that they don’t get the same work and challenges as the other group, they wanted to try harder work, but they had worked out they would never be moved up as there were only six seats on the top table! The less able were affected the most. They felt ‘dumb’, useless, they thought they would never be allowed challenges as they usually work with the TA (some by year five were completely dependent on the TA to help them). This ‘less able’ group liked the sound of some of the challenges the top group had, but knew they would never get the chance, they stop aspiring to be like them. They also stated they were always sat with the same children. On hearing this, we all


“The more lessons


we taught that week, the more we realised what we wanted to achieve would have great benefits...”


September 2015


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