Curriculum Innovation 20 th November

Programme for the day Purpose and understanding of innovation Engaging stakeholders Leadership and management

Aims Explore the meaning of curriculum innovation and establishing a shared purpose. Explore the processes of Leadership and Management of change in schools Signpost support for the process

Key Messages Share the vision and purpose in your school. Recognise this is about raising standards. Ensure the process is rigorous– measured risk taking, and knowing the impact. Outcomes for children – making learning relevant for their lives.

There is no one best way … Schools need to build on existing strengths and areas of high confidence You might want to start small with a few committed members of staff who can then help embed the project and over time get the whole staff on board. You might want to start with the whole staff and models of coaching and mentoring or collaborative classroom-based CPD

‘To develop a modern, world- class curriculum that will inspire and challenge all learners and prepare them for the future’ QCA’s Aim

Shift Happens: school-based activity Education only flourishes if it successfully adapts to the demands and needs of the time. The curriculum cannot remain static. It must be responsive to changes in society and the economy, and changes in the nature of schooling itself. National Curriculum 2000

A Changing Society technology an ageing population the gap between rich and poor global culture and ethnicity sustainability changing maturity levels in schools expanding knowledge of learning a changing economy

Three key questions What are we trying to achieve? How do we organise learning? How well are we achieving our aims?

Talking point: NC Aims Have you read these before? How helpful are they? To what extent have they influenced your curriculum design?

QCA Aims Successful learners Confident individuals Responsible citizens

Do you agree with the new aims? What do the aims mean to you? To your school? As a staff can you come up with the detail that reflects both the national aims and your own local context?

Co-creating the vision Successful learners who … –have the essential learning skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology Confident individuals who … –have a sense of self-worth and personal identity Responsible citizens who … –are able to work cooperatively with others

What do you want for your learners? What would you expect to see in your young people when they become successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens?

Picturing the ideal How would you describe a well-education young person? With staff, draw a young person in the middle of the sheet – a stick person will do! Ask everyone to write words/phrases around the drawing to create a description of a well-educated young person. Encourage your colleagues to draw on the ideas from earlier discussions and your school mission statement. Do you agree with each other? Skills, Knowledge, Attitudes and Attributes Consider each one, and decide if it is a skill ( hand) attribute ( heart ) or knowledge ( Head).

21 st century needs Consider the balance across the skills, knowledge or attitudes and attribute Are your support staff involved? Parents? Governors? The learners themselves? This is a starting point for your curriculum design.

National Context Ofsted on Curriculum Innovation –Types of innovations: p4 &5 –Barriers: bottom of p6 – top p8 –Successful innovation: p18-20

Ofsted Report on Curriculum Innovation Key findings: Innovations led to clear improvements in achievement and personal development; Principal barriers include anxiety about tests, standards, Ofsted, sustainability, skills of staff, parent attitudes; Success clearly linked to strong leadership at all levels;

Ofsted – success factors: Rigorous self evaluation; Clarity on the rationale for change; Clear process for evaluation including timescales, success criteria, involvement of all stakeholders, CPD programmes; Most successful schools based their reforms on considerable background research – learning, teaching and approaches to curriculum.

Other stakeholders What do the children think? Engaging the governing body with curriculum change

The Five Components of Personalised Learning Assessment for Learning Effective Teaching and Learning Curriculum Enrichment and Choice Organising the School for Personalised Learning Beyond the Classroom

Curriculum Innovation: afternoon session Somerville: a case study

There is no one best way but … It is impossible to over-state the importance of leadership in making personalising learning work. Leadership that is focused on learning has the greatest impact on performance and achievement. John West-Burnham (2008, NCSL) NCSL Online learning resource

Three key questions What are we trying to achieve? How do we organise learning? How well are we achieving our aims?

Dimensions of change Vision Skills Incentives Resources Action Plans Vision Skills Incentives Action Plans Frustration Vision Skills Incentives Resources False Starts Vision Skills Resources Action Plans Slow Change Skills Incentives Resources Action Plans Confusion Vision Incentives Resources Action Plans Anxiety Success Jacqueline S. Thousand & Richard A. Villa Managing Complex Change; 2001

Leading change Strategic: bring the possibilities of PL to life for staff, parents, governors, children and linking the components of PL into school improvement strategies and long-term planning. Operational: incremental movement of the school toward embedding working practices. Cultural: focusing on vision and values; criteria for review and evaluation.