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Research School Network: School to School Support in Lockdown a Blog by Carmel College Assistant Vice Principal, Joanne Walker

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School to School Support in Lockdown

a Blog by Carmel College Assistant Vice Principal, Joanne Walker

by Carmel Research School
on the

School to School Support in lockdown

As an experienced Curriculum Leader and Assistant Vice Principal leading School-to-School Support, helping others during lockdown has been a different challenge to usual. At this time, I am often driving up and down the A1 to visit schools to support other colleagues but due to restrictions, that hasn’t been possible. However, those issues have not evaporated: the need to continue to support colleagues is still there. So, TEAMS meetings began and this has been such a useful tool in many ways.

Some of the key elements in any support are relationships and rapport, which is so much more difficult to establish remotely. However, one area which has proved to be easier is the sharing of best practice. The ability to share a screen and discuss the content has been really positive. Matching an English department with a high turnover of staff with our own meant the power of share content” came into its own. No longer was it one Head of Department sat in a room with another, now entire departments were involved, and this generated great discussion about how to develop the curriculum to stretch the more able, or how to develop a spiral curriculum. The departmental element allowed more members of the teams to be more fully involved – how do we teach Shakespeare to year 9 so that it will resonate and sow the seeds we will then harvest in year 11?

Developing an ongoing support programme was essential, so the departments met fortnightly allowing implementation to begin and be reviewed. Using continuous development of best practice felt far more cohesive and holistic. The supported department considered the best stratagies to teaching Shakespeare in KS3 to allow the staff to develop themes into KS4. This then led to a plan of how to alter assessments to test key concepts. Through open professional dialogue teachers identified which concepts had been embedded effectively and which were areas of developments for the less able. As a result, the discussions then focused on how we could reduce the disadvantaged gap. Consequently, over the term, relationships were indeed built, issues were aired safely and honestly; as a result, a range of topics were covered, developed and reviewed and student outcomes improved.

The use of TEAMS meetings rather than in person meetings appears to have reduced a perceived pressure and allowed more open and encompassing discussions and actions to flow. The departments now meet half termly to keep the innovations on track and the use of TEAMS has been remarkably successful in supporting a relatively inexperienced department.

Joanne can be contacted via research@​bhcet.​org.​uk

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