Research School Network: Putting the Evidence to Work to Prepare our Learners for Success (Episode 2 of 2 blogs) Juliet discusses how research recommendations support pupils to thrive at Etone College

Decoding examination questions is also a very important part of helping pupils to apply the knowledge that they have learned to achieve exam success. Highlighting the command word, underlining key content, breaking down the key subject terminology and focusing on the context of the questions are all imperative if we are to provide learners with the keys to unlock examination questions. Decoding questions using either the visualiser or smartboard are a regular feature of our lessons at Etone College as are other strategies such as key and command word lists and walking talking mocks. In some subjects, pupils receive a command word of the week which they then apply to a variety of questions featuring this command word along with a range of top tips to answer a question of this style. In others, pupils work with the teacher to deconstruct questions and plan answers as the teacher models and shares their thought process out loud through walking talking mocks. Regular practice of decoding and answering questions in a low stakes environment, along with timed assessed practice under exam conditions, really helps pupils to demystify the complexity of examination questions and therefore improve their success. Exam questions are not something to be feared but to be tackled in a methodical, systematic and taught way so much so that pupils at Etone College have regular ​“Exam Attack” practice in English lessons, for example, where they collectively work with their teachers to literally attack the question as a combined force!

Explicit vocabulary instruction strategies and curriculum comprehension strategies have also been a key feature of staff training providing them with the tools to support pupils with the disciplinary literacy required to achieve examination success. Staff are familiar with how to use etymology starters or Frayer models to decode complex vocabulary. Our whole school approach to reading of academic texts with a focus on activating prior knowledge and encouraging pupils to question, check and repair their comprehension helps to better prepare our learners for reading in an examination situation. Key words are often the focus of retrieval activities or low stakes quizzing and our curriculum planning embodies clear strategies for the teaching of subject specific vocabulary. No where is reading and vocabulary more important than in MFL who have successfully adapted these approaches to really focus on reading and key terminology as well as develop shared approaches for the speaking and listening elements of their exam.

Having decoded the question and secured what knowledge is needed, learners also need time to plan their approach to the question and what content to include. Discussing the plan and modelling an approach to begin the examination answer through guided practice helps to build confidence and provide the opportunity to address any misconceptions or errors in exam approach. At Etone, we have developed many different approaches to the use of guided practice to inform subsequent independent practice with” I Do, We Do, You Do” being a strategy successfully deployed in many lessons. Learners also benefit from model answers and WAGOLS as standard that they then analyse for the key ingredients in the recipe to exam success. They also receive partly completed answers or power paragraphs which provide the model to allow them to complete the rest of the answer without support. Writing requires not only planning but for pupils to recall information whilst communicating this well and according to the nature of the question being asked. This becomes increasingly challenging under timed and pressured conditions. Scaffolds such as structure strips, sentence starters, key word boxes and paragraph prompts can all be used effectively and then gradually removed closer to the final examination to provide both the initial support and the later independence that pupils need to be truly exam ready.

Vital to the success of our learners is also teaching them the strategies that they need to successfully learn and revise and then providing them with the opportunities to use these in lessons and beyond. Metacognitive strategies are shared in lessons such as the power of dual coding through Science and revision skills taught through PSHE and assemblies. It is also vital to encourage learners to reflect on whether these strategies have been successful in securing positive outcomes. As subject specialists we look to cultivate the best techniques paired with the knowledge and skills in each topic. Guiding pupils with this information enables them to make intelligent choices when revising.

Whilst we can equip our learners with a range of strategies to use, we also need to encourage them to be reflective and resilient in order to use the strategies to the best advantage. In addition, we as staff also need to be reflective and show resilience too – using sources of information such as examiner reports and question level analysis to inform our next steps, drawing on sources of expertise from examination boards, colleagues and across our trust but also being the person who regularly inspires pupils to believe that they really can achieve success. If I have learned one thing in my many years of teaching, it is about the power of finding those achievements and using them to build relationships and confidence in young people so that they fully invest and join you on the shared journey to their future success.

At Etone, we pride ourselves on the quality of our feedback and the opportunities that pupils are given to reflect on their learning. All summative assessments include detailed subject specific feedback which pupils then use during focused fix it time to identify their strengths and set targets for future learning. Summative assessments are regular and mirror the actual examination as much as possible with clear staff moderation based on JCQ guidance to ensure accuracy of assessment and predicted grades. This helps us to ensure that we can track progress and use a focused talking children approach to ensure appropriate intervention. Ongoing formative assessment in exercise books as well as more focused summative opportunities are also used to identify misconceptions and create clear close the gap tasks that pupils respond to in order to correct any misunderstandings in content, approach or self-regulation. They may, for example, identify that they have understood a concept well because they revised it carefully through the use of flash cards and regular self-testing or appreciate that they need to manage their time better in the examination to allow them to provide adequately detailed answers to the last question. Using pupil friendly mark schemes and peer and self-evaluation as a regular feature of lessons along with reflection and fix it time opportunities, also equips learners with the tools to identify and carry forward their successes as well as find solutions to the challenges that they have faced.

Building learner resilience is a key part of successful feedback. At Etone College it is common place for learners to routinely respond to feedback meaning that redrafting or learning from mistakes is not seen as failure but just another part of their learning process. Integral to this is also rewards and ensuring that pupil work is valued and recognised through regular and informative feedback. This provides pupils with recognition and motivation which they can use alongside their own intrinsic motivators to encourage them towards further success.

At Etone, we also pride ourselves on our whole school approaches to motivating and providing support for pupils as they prepare for examinations. Not only do we have a minimum expected standard for examination groups in terms of the preparation that they can expect to receive from their teachers but our ​“Class of 25” approach ensures that we try to keep our pupils as buoyant during possibly the hardest year of their education to date. This approach embodies not only teaching revision techniques and sharing strategies to beat exam stress but also includes mentoring, wellbeing drops ins, external motivational speakers as well as regular rewards and recognition of successes. Every small win and treating the challenge of preparing for examinations as a marathon not a sprint, helps us to better help our learners to be ready for the final end game in the best way we possibly can. We truly do believe in and use a range of strategies to try to ensure that we live up to and realise our shared vision of ​“progress for all”.

You can read the full feedback guidance report here – https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/feedback