programme-management voices ‘Sarah’ on applied-learning days in an school

'Sarah's' strategic position senior managers see the wider picture - the strategy of where we're going, what the purpose is and the context we work in - but programme managers run things on a day-to-day basis, as things happen the first thing is to make the team feel good about who they are, to be somebody - they have group meetings where they share what they are doing - and that experience sparks something an applied-learning day can bring design technology, the arts and maths together - the students are working on a project - they are a very open-ended projects

'Sarah's' tactical focus applied leaning means that students can apply what they learn in one subject to other subjects - they learn in more than one way, in more than one subject - they have new ways of learning - teachers are able to give space to do that we say ‘this will help you pass your exams’, but that is not the only reason for doing it we need to know that students take a moment to reflect on what they have learned here, so that they can see its importance, and understand that they can use it - if that is not recognised, learning will stagnate, and disappear

'Sarah' developing the position the most important feature is to involve everybody - it enables teachers and students to open to different forms of learning - everybody feels it is worth the effort, I want them to get the reward - it is not a chore for teachers it is collaboration and experiencing each other in curriculum areas where they would not normally be in touch - that is the biggest thing I want from them for students it is not being in a box - they work in different partnerships with each other and with people from outside - they express ideas and try them out, and learn - being happy is often associated with learning from mistakes

'Sarah' developing the focus the first thing is to make them feel good about who they are - then they have group meetings where they share what they are doing - and that experience sparks something one of the keys to this kind of success is the bursaries - I asked to use the money as a bursary, for people working in their own curriculum areas - to get the bursary means that they are somebody when I was beginning this I knew them all well - now it is enabling them to do something that they value - if we have something of interest then we engage students - we call on teachers’ natural skills of - my duty of care is to them

'Sarah' developing the network I need to be perceptive - to know my people, and notice small things, to see how people work, and to feel the emotion around the work - the teacher makes new links - I can get the children on board for applied learning. students deserve a teacher who can answer a question from whatever direction it comes - I am looking for someone who knows their stuff - it is more natural to teachers than the ability to work with children it is never just because they have the time, and are available - if somebody has an idea that I think has potential, and if the teacher has the enthusiasm and the skill-set to deliver it, I will talk with them

'Sarah' developing the action so often in education we have to conform, and our passions are hidden - I start with the passion, I can get the rest - if I open up the passion and show it to a group of students, then the they will go ‘wow!’ it means that the work does not stagnate - renewal is important to this - I look for teachers who are two-or-three years in, and who can keep the students ‘sparky’ it is now seen as good and established practice - it helps people to carry forward what they do - it gives some people an opportunity to shine, where all of the shining might seem to have been taken by other people