Pilots and Trials

Key Stage 3 Regional Pilot

Enniskillen Collegiate

The following information is a transcript of an interview conducted with the pilot school at the end of the first year of the pilot.

 

This school took a 'through subjects approach' in the implementation of the revised curriculum. Detailed planning began in November when the curriculum team was identified. The whole staff had been given an overview of the key messages of the Revised Curriculum on one of their Staff Days in August.


Whole staff involvement was encouraged with a mini audit being facilitated for every department towards the end of the Autumn Term. This mini audit examined one unit of work in each subject area against the bottom three rows of the big picture - the learning experiences, attitudes and dispositions and Assessment for Learning. Each department worked collaboratively to highlight where these three areas were already addressed and selected gaps where some of the skills could be integrated.


This stage of planning highlighted several advantages for the school, these included:

  • Reassurance to staff that the revised curriculum was not a complete change to their work as current developmental priorities in school found resonance there.
  • Opportunity for departments to share ideas in planning.
  • Opportunities for collaboration and connectivity on projects.
  • Professional development for the teachers.


The main focus of the curriculum team in the planning process was "Creating additional learning opportunities to introduce more active learning activities and focus on developing skills and capabilities"


The next stage of planning began in February 2006, which involved the curriculum team working together to create an 'audit tool' for departments. The main function of this tool was "to audit their Year 8 provision against the learning outcomes, knowledge, understanding and skills pupils are expected to develop in the learning strands" in line with the three curriculum objectives. A checklist was produced for Year 8, Year 9 and Year 10. Departments were also asked to identify opportunities for collaboration with other subject areas.


The interviewees indicated that the Learning for Life & Work components, Personal Development, Citizenship and Employability would be delivered discretely and Home Economics was already on the school timetable. To avoid duplication, the pastoral care coordinator had discussions with departments such as Home Economics, RE and Science to see where topics relating to Personal Development would be delivered best.


A proforma was also issued to each department for completion; this indicated an overview of how each subject area met the criteria of the big picture. Planning was done collaboratively within departments to complete this task.


After training in March 2006, the team planned to "drip-feed" the information back to the whole staff on Thinking Skills & Personal Capabilities and Assessment for Learning. Subsequent to this departments worked on the identification of aspects of Thinking Skills & Personal Capabilities and Assessment for Learning that could be included within their subject area.


The curriculum team met with heads of departments to plan together methods of delivery for collaborative units amongst several subject areas.


Following from the results of the audit for each department the following points were addressed by the core team and each department:

  • Identification of areas of Thinking Skills & Personal Capabilities and Assessment for Learning that can be focused on within each subject area. These will dovetail with current departmental priorities where possible.
  • Adaptation of schemes of work to include opportunities for these two cornerstones.
  • Meeting with heads of departments to discuss areas for collaboration between subjects and create a visual image of the curriculum for the first term using mind mapping for rest of school.
  • Some departments identified a co-ordinated approach and some are involved in collaborative units of work.
  • Seven departments are contributing to a webbed unit on "Me, Myself and I" and Music, Art and Design and English are planning an integrated unit later in the year.
  • Sharing of strategies between departments.


Some challenges were met during the planning in this school; these included ensuring the availability of adequate planning time and uncertainty amongst staff about how these changes at KS3 will interact across all the key stages within the curriculum. In meeting these challenges it was important to keep the balance between the integrity of individual subjects and their content and the desire to develop connected learning activities which emphasise the development of thinking skills and strategies to the benefit of the pupils.