Can a school improvement plan embrace complexity?

I've seen a fair few school improvement plans and have never really been completely satisfied with what I have produced. Each one is iteratively better than the last, I hope, not in how they look but the thinking that sits behind them. However we think of them and however they look though, they do represent...

LO: write learning objectives and success criteria

As teachers we put all our effort into striving for children to learn the things that we think are valuable but we sometimes overcomplicate the systems that we use to make this happen. Deciding what we want children to learn and the work that they will do to make that happen is the bread and...

Success criteria in maths

I vividly recall maths lessons as a child.  I was in the bottom set and I remember a general feeling of bafflement as it appeared to me that others seemed to know what to do while tasks remained a mystery to me.  I don’t remember anything being explained and years later as an NQT, reading...

What I think about…maths

Moving schools and with more than an eye on headship is sure to get you reflecting.  The following posts are what I think about various things, in no particular order.  Previous posts were about displays and learning.  Next up - maths. Any unit of work should be planned with end points in mind.  Teachers should start with the...