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BESA CORNER


This month, in our ongoing feature highlighting the work of members of the UK education suppliers’ trade body BESA, we hear from education software company CASCAID; and DENISE INWOOD, former senior school leader and managing director of BLUESKY EDUCATION, looks at the thorny subject of lesson observation.


How embedding careers planning software in PSHE


produces tangible outcomes Engaging students in planning for their futures is hard! The introduction of the Gatsby Benchmarks in December 2017 set out a framework for schools to deliver good careers guidance, but the methodology behind reaching these benchmarks has varied widely from school to school. However, Sidmouth College, in


East Devon, has alighted on an


effective solution to this challenge and it is one that is producing tangible results both for its students and within its community. Committed to providing students from ages 11 to 18 with a


stimulating and happy learning environment, the college has, for over 10 years, relied on careers planning software to support parts of its careers guidance provision. In response to the increased focus on delivering personalised careers


education, Nicki Young, Careers and Work Related Learning Coordinator, alongside enthusiastic members of the Sidmouth College SLT, decided that it was time to try a new approach. Although their initial strategy of incorporating careers planning software into their careers guidance lessons was good; it was not producing the results they wanted to see. As a result, last year, Nicki made the strategic decision with Lisa


Whitworth, PSHE leader, to deliver careers planning and future readiness to students within Personal, Social, and Health Education (PSHE) lessons. Nicki says: “The results have been amazing! Pivoting our strategy to


include the use of our careers planning and future readiness tool as part of the PSHE curriculum for our students in years 7, 8 and 9 has been game-changing for Sidmouth College.” “The students’ skills awareness and motivation has increased. They


are more engaged in managing their careers journeys and able to self- reflect on the way their own interests and skills play a crucial role in their futures. Students are more engaged academically but are also developing transferable skills to aid their progression through life.” Making the move to incorporate careers planning and future


readiness into PSHE may sound like a simple solution, but Nicki advises that to achieve this level of coordinated delivery you first need a willing and enthusiastic team to implement the changes. She also believes that having the right careers planning and future-readiness tool is critical and that supporting teachers to use the software is important. Sidmouth College has partnered with CASCAID, an education


software company powered by passionate people committed to helping every student become future ready, for over a decade. Commenting on CASCAID’s Kudos product, she says: “It’s 100%


reliable and the students and teachers love it!” After just one year, Nicki and her colleagues have witnessed marked


improvements in student aspirations and engagement. They received the ultimate validation when a local employer observed that school leavers were noticeably more confident and aware of the real-world skills they need for future success. Engaging students in future planning may be hard, but Sidmouth


College’s approach of linking PSHE with careers planning has created that all-important link between learning and real life. The students are more prepared for the world of work, and Nicki and her team couldn’t be happier!


14 www.education-today.co.uk


Schools are abandoning the graded lesson observation


Denise Inwood, former senior school leader and managing director of BlueSky Education, looks at the thorny subject of lesson observation.


While many believe lesson observations are a valuable professional development tool, others in the teaching profession feel it’s simply an additional source of stress that does little to improve learning. Whichever side of the fence you’re on, lesson observations have been an established feature in most school calendars for many years. But it seems evolution, if not quite a revolution, is in the air. BlueSky Education commissioned a survey of 204 schools in the state


and independent sectors during the summer of 2019. The research revealed that two thirds of schools (68%) have changed their lesson observation practice and more than half of schools (59%) no longer grade observations or use grades rarely. Whether inspired by Ofsted’s decision to no longer grade lessons or


simply driven by a desire to move away from the high-pressure, make or break nature of observations, 44% of schools surveyed reported doing fewer formal lesson observations than they did before. Instead they are replacing them with learning walks, work scrutinies and informal drop ins. The key findings of our research were as follows: • 68% of schools have changed their approach to lesson observations in the last two years


• 59% of schools have moved away from grading observations or use it rarely


• 44% of schools are doing fewer formal lesson observations than previously


• 94% of schools carry out informal drop ins regularly or some of the time


It appears from the survey that the high-stakes, graded lesson


observation of the past is being assigned to the history books. Schools are finding more supportive ways of developing their teaching staff, which often put the teacher in the driving seat. Stephen Rollett, curriculum & inspection specialist, the Association of School and College Leaders, is in agreement: “We are entering a new phase with many schools changing the way they look at standards, monitor what is happening in the classroom and support their teachers’ continuing professional development.” According to the survey, nearly two thirds of schools (64%) still


reported doing some form of formal lesson observation regularly, but many of those interviewed for the study reported a more collaborative approach, where the teacher is involved in setting objectives. At Parrs Wood High School, this is the case as Ben Hill, the deputy


head explains, “We haven’t graded lessons for a number of years. The teacher rather than the observer often comes up with the development points, which we feel is a more useful way of working.” When the experience is driven by the teacher, lesson observations


can lead to positive and constructive outcomes. Lesson observations are in a period of transition, and many schools are taking the opportunity to try innovative approaches to replace the traditional ones. The full research is published in a report entitled, ‘The quiet uprising:


A report into the changing shape of lesson observations in schools’ which also includes examples of best practice from schools.


It can be downloaded at https://www.blueskyeducation.co.uk/ quiet-uprising-report


February 2020


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