Our Director of Music, Mr Taylor and Subject Lead in Geography, Miss Chuchla give an overview of the experience.

We approached our Music deep dive with a degree of apprehension and anticipation, but we found it to be an amazing experience. We are rightly proud of our all-through musical curriculum, and this ‘mock’ exercise gave us the opportunity to evaluate and endorse what we do. The learning, the experiences, the curriculum that has musical responses at the heart of everything we do. 

The day enabled us to bring all of the hard work of Team Music together, to show our ethos and to be humbled when the students talked of their musical learning with such passion. It was wonderful to see and hear our amazing rehearsals, to see sixth formers support younger students, including those from the Larch and to hear our students talking musically about Simon Balle and all we strive to achieve.

We ended the day knowing that we do our very best to ensure that each student has the best possible musical experience at Simon Balle, in all year groups. Team Music is an incredible team and as we know that includes our students, our families and our staff. The day was long, but exhilarating. Most importantly, the day  demonstrated that we are an amazing musical school. 

The Geography Department recently took part in a Deep Dive which was an insightful experience that we are excited to share. A Deep Dive is an opportunity for us to explore and celebrate the incredible work happening in our school, from our youngest learners in Reception to our secondary students. It’s a day of discovery, reflection, and growth. 

The day began with a discussion about our school’s vision for Geography and the detailed curriculum that we are proud of as a department. We were able to talk about the progression in fieldwork and map skills that we have mapped across the all-through school, to ensure that each student is deepening their learning through each key stage. The curriculum was highlighted as a strength during the feedback of the day, and members of the department all demonstrated a deep understanding of both the curriculum and their students.

The day provided an opportunity for students to discuss their love of Geography and the positive challenge that the lessons provide them with. Lesson visits demonstrated the strong use of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to allow students to interact with analysing data and maps, an area that the Geography Ofsted subject review highlighted as a challenge for many schools. Quality first teaching and consistency across the department was also clear, with all students being given the opportunity to “think and speak like a geographer”. 

The insights gained from the Deep Dive will play a pivotal role in shaping our Department/Phase Improvement Plan in Geography to ensure that we continue to use research-led pedagogy to inform our practice. We are committed to continuous improvement and will use this feedback as a catalyst for growth.

Thankyou to all members of both subjects for the continued hard work and success.

Educational Expert Dylan Wiliam suggests:

“It’s the commitment we make as teachers to never stop learning that will build good habits, develop great teachers and ultimately move the lives of the young people in our care forward. Every teacher needs to improve, not because they are not good enough, but because they can be even better.”

We are proud to support staff in their quest to professional develop especially those that have undertaken NPQs. These can last between 12 and 18 months.

During the period of study, staff learn from the evidence-based curriculum of the chosen qualification, drawing on effective pedagogy, current research and international best practice to equip staff with the knowledge and skills to improve in their current role, or take the next step in their career

Today we celebrate the most recent member of our staff to complete an NPQ (Mrs Cannon) and a member of staff currently working on one (Mr Townsend)

Congratulations to Mrs Cannon. She writes:

“At Simon Balle we are very fortunate to have a strong culture of professional development. Staff are encouraged and supported to study for additional qualifications. When I arrived to teach at the school in 2021, I had no idea that teachers could partake in a variety of National Professional Qualifications (NPQ’s). I quickly learned in a new staff meeting that NPQs for teachers exist, and I would be encouraged to apply. I have been a Head of Department for many years and I am considering the next steps in my career, and so the NPQ in Senior Leadership felt like the right NPQ to undertake. I began the NPQSL in the Spring of 2022, and completed it in September 2023. It involved four face to face meetings with colleagues around Hertfordshire, and many tasks to complete between my teaching and Head of department responsibilities. I really enjoyed doing the NPQSL, It was an excellent opportunity to develop my own knowledge and skills, and to network with colleagues in other schools”

Mr Townsend writes:

“Throughout my career I have always enjoyed supporting other members of staff, and been involved in training others. My career background has involved a variety of roles in a range of schools. As a result, this academic year I decided to sign up for the National Professional Qualification in Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD). 

The NPQLTD is driven by evidence based practice, and has enabled me to engage with up-to-date research on a more regular basis. The course involves: completing online tasks linked to research and submitting this to tutor; analysing case studies looking at how interventions have been planned, implemented and reviewed in different schools; spending time with an in-school coach (Mr Finch) discussing pedagogy and how we as a school approach certain aspects of CPD; and attending in-person sessions delving into the research, and how this is relevant to leading teacher development. 

Two areas of interest that have stood out to me so far: the power of peer observations, and the importance of subject specific CPD. 

Peer observations are one of the most valuable ways of learning – seeing good examples of teaching strategies in action, whilst supporting colleagues in identifying areas to work on. We have a wealth of knowledge and experience here at all stages of career development, from teachers new to the profession to those who have been at SBAS for over a quarter of a century. Every member of staff has something valuable to share, and we have chosen a career path where constantly learning is vital. Observing colleagues, and being observed by colleagues – even for just 10 to 20 minutes – is an area I am looking into allocating more of my time.

Cordingley et al (2018) really emphasise the need, and want, for staff to engage with subject knowledge. Generic pedagogical strategies can still be used as CPD, but clear examples of how they can be used in specific subject areas makes the training more successful. Typically as a profession staff spend less than 25% of their training on subject specific content, yet when surveyed, subject specific is the training seen as most beneficial to the individual. We spend time weekly having meetings about Teaching and Learning as departments, enabling us to discuss subject specific pedagogy, along with making generic pedagogy more specific to our subject areas. In Maths, we are focussing on specific WalkThru strategies (designed by Tom Sherrington but links to a wide range of research) as a department, along with each having our own, which we share with the department. I am currently looking at ‘Giving Practical Demonstrations’ as a way of representing different topics, and have shown examples to my colleagues. 

Seeing pedagogy from a subject specific angle, and viewing it live by observing others, has a positive impact on staff CPD. Creating an open and supportive environment is key for staff engaging with CPD; one we clearly have here at SBAS. An example of this is the development of a large working group of teachers, led by Mrs Rooke, who are engaging with research and putting this into action in the classroom”

We wish all staff well who work on NPQs and celebrate with those who have completed them. Well done all!

On Tuesday morning, one of our T&L Leads, Mrs Rooke, led a staff briefing to welcome staff to our very first T&L Research Group. We have always valued the use of evidence informed research into our practice and this was a great opportunity to share and develop our knowledge under Mrs Rooke’s guidance and expertise.

Th aims of the group were to:

• have a confident and thorough understanding of the core research underpinning the SBAS teaching and learning principles
• identify how the research translates into classroom practice through subject/phase specific lens 
•  identify and disseminate good practice with the wider staff body 
• To increase professional expertise, confidence and autonomy

It was important to start with what we mean by the terms ‘Evidence Informed Practice’ and ‘Research’. Mrs Rooke led staff to identify that evidence based practice is not about telling teachers what to do; quite the opposite. It is about empowering teachers to make informed decisions for their contexts and students, using the best available evidence.

Staff were then set their own home learning to read one of the following articles / summaries about one of the educational pieces of literature below.

• How Pupils Learn – The Science of Learning, EEF Cognitive Science in the Classroom Evidence and Practice Review, Metacognition and the seven step model
• Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction
• Coe’s work -Great Teaching Toolkit: Evidence Review and Improving Education: A triumph of hope over experience.
• Willingham’s – Why don’t students like school
• Wiliam and Leahy’s  – Five Formative Assessment Strategies

As the respected British scholar Dylan Wiliam (2018) notably remarked: “Almost everything works someplace and absolutely nothing works every place.”

With this in mind, staff are encouraged to report back their findings and try to incorporate something new into their teaching. We will feedback of the success of the group in upcoming newsletters.

Thank you to all the staff that have taken the time to reflect on their own practice in order to help provide the best possible outcomes for the children/students.

Train to Teach – Initial Teacher Training at Simon Balle

“Approaching the start of my training was definitely something that had me very nervous, but the moment it began almost all of those nerves melted away. You learn so many interesting new methods and techniques to bring forward to a class and get the opportunity to really develop your own style of teaching within an environment where you receive constant constructive and useful feedback – as well as being supported in every aspect you could need.

On the ‘Schools Direct’ route am I on with the Alban Federation, I am lucky enough to be provided with a rich curriculum every Wednesday which helps me understand the science of learning and informs my practice. I follow up this with conversations and targets with my School Mentor in my weekly meetings.  

While the process is busy and you need to put a lot of hard work into the training, it always feels rewarding and satisfying to either see your plans come to success, or lay the foundations for your own development to improving as a teacher. I have thoroughly enjoyed my training so far and would definitely recommend it to others considering this path – especially within a school like this.”

Current Trainee Teacher at SBAS 2023/24

Please do visit the Alban Teaching School Hub and check out some great Train to Teach webinars.

Events

“Inspiring” was the common word heard as many staff left the Main Hall after such a wonderful and informative day led by Tom Sherrington.  It was an opportunity to provide teaching staff with time to further engage with strategic methods to “engineer professional learning processes” so that they are “effective and sustained” using Tom’s Walkthrus

The first session was about the core concepts of how students learn and why they might struggle. This, therefore, can provide Implications for responsive teaching. Tom was able to link all of this to our new Teaching and Learning Principles.

The session provided staff the chance to see how Walkthrus work to support professional learning.  Specific Walkthrus such as ‘Cold Calling’ and ‘Signal Pause Insist’ were clarified. These are great methods to deeper the thinking of students. Tom also linked particular Walkthrus to our second school priority. We looked at how to consistently set high expectations, build positive relationships and use positive framing. This is how we use positive praise only to achieve potential outcomes. Finally in the session we discussed the power modelling has on students if used precisely by staff. 

The second session was all about how we ‘check for understanding’ and Tom highlighted a number of Walkthrus related to questioning, retrieval and developing student agency. This was done through highlighting how we can develop vocabulary through strategies such as practice and quizzing.

Finally, Tom supported staff with actions to take into our team pedagogical briefings we have fortnightly.  A lot of current research supports the impact of the ‘Team Coaching Approach’ and how we can use that to full effect at Simon Balle to self assess with the strategies and Walkthrus we are using to ensure maximum impact on students’ learning.

Overall, a truly inspiring day, allowing staff the time to professional develop and reinforce our drive to always want to be better in all we do.

Teaching WALKTHRUs: Five-Step Guides to Instructional Coaching: By Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli

The Research Schools Network states:

It is a book that is refreshingly different from most other books about teaching both in its aim and its presentation. The aim: to be a ‘technical manual’. It looks simple but its aim is ambitious: to ensure that “all teachers can have “24/7 access to … a compilation of the best of the profession’s practices.” Like any manual or encyclopaedia, it may not be the most refreshing to read cover to cover, but certainly a ‘go to’ book when you need to.

It presents these practices in straightforward, concise language, with lots of pictures (dual coding) but it is deeply rooted in careful analysis of robust research into how humans learn – and it follows its own advice. Stylised drawings, for example, replace videos because research by Sweller et al (Cognitive Load Theory, 2011) suggests that videos are, counter-intuitively, hard to learn from. Too fast, too transient, too much irrelevant visual ‘noise.’

This is not a book which loves the latest fad, as the authors make clear on the first page. ‘Professional amnesia thwarts the attempt to build on past knowledge.’ There is a wonderfully succinct overview of some of the most robust evidence-based contributions to our understanding of the science of learning and an acknowledgement of how established, successful techniques can too easily be lost in favour of a new approach.

The authors suggest using this as a focus for coaching conversations to neutralize some of the emotion that clings to feedback, directing the emphasis back to a shared understanding of a common goal: good teaching. It would be an excellent tool for this.

But it also works as a book for teachers, a way to help them to use metacognitive and self-regulation strategies themselves. With sections on curriculum planning, explanation and modelling, questioning and feedback, practice and retrieval and more, it provides a comprehensive bridge between theory and practice.

We are also delighted to welcome the author Tom Sherington to Simon Balle to work with staff on our INSET day in November.

“All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger. Roots entrench themselves and branches grow. The task of breaking a bad habit is like uprooting a powerful oak within us. And the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time.” James Clear – Atomic Habits.

It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis.

James Clear writes, ‘improving by 1% isn’t particularly notable— sometimes it isn’t even noticeable—but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run. The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding. Here’s how it works out: if you can get 1% better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done. Conversely, if you get 1% worse each day for one year, you’ll decline nearly down to zero. What starts as a small win or a minor setback accumulates into something much more. It doesn’t matter how successful or unsuccessful you are right now. What matters is whether your habits are putting you on the path toward success’

We challenged our staff last month to focus on getting 1% better every day. 

Our teachers are all in the process of setting professional growth targets with this in mind. We want staff to have a relentless ethic to constantly look at ways to improve their practice. This may be tweaking small things such as: allowing more thinking time for students when asking a particular questions, using varied modelling techniques to provide clarity or tweaking activities to further enhance the level of challenge further.

In recent staff training, we used James’ analogy: If a plane was travelling from LA to NYC across the USA – yet the nose changed a couple of degrees inflight, for most of the flight initially, you would notice no difference! However, you’d be bound for NYC but end up in Washington DC – some 300 miles away. The impact of the plane represents a shift of habits over time.

Our staffs’ drive to continuous improvement is a dedication to making small changes and improvements every day, with the expectation that those small improvements will add up to something significant. Our continual goal to develop our pedagogy and make 1% improvement over time is a commitment to ensuring the students and children at SBAS get the best possible learning experience.

Deep Dive in Mathematics

We’re excited to share the wonderful experience we had on Monday September 11th, when our school embarked on a Deep Dive in Mathematics. A Deep Dive is an opportunity for us to explore and celebrate the incredible work happening in our school, from our youngest learners in Reception to our secondary students. It’s a day of discovery, reflection, and growth.

The day began with a discussion among our Hertfordshire Improvement Partners (HIPs) and key leaders. Together, they painted a vivid picture of our school’s Mathematics Vision: to create confident, fluent Mathematicians. This vision serves as the guiding light for all our mathematical endeavours.

As the day unfolded, our HIPs embarked on a journey through all year groups, visiting classrooms and engaging in meaningful conversations with both students and teachers. Their mission was to gain insight into our curriculum and teaching methods.

Some initial findings were really positive: Our students are being encouraged to take their time and think deeply about mathematical concepts as teachers are using cold calling, ensuring that every student is actively participating in the learning process. Thought-provoking questions were able to stretch their mathematical thinking and students in all years were seen collaborating and supporting each other, fostering a sense of teamwork

Teachers demonstrated a clear focus on the curriculum, making it the heart of their lesson planning ensuring appropriate challenges were present in all phases of learning. The team was particularly impressed with how well-settled Reception and Year 1 classes were, considering it was early in the term.

It was also noted that Subject specialist Teaching Assistants (TAs) are a valuable asset.

An area for growth is to review the purpose of our retrieval practice starter activities. The Deep Dive team suggested making more use of Retrieval Starters to promptly identify and address any misconceptions.

The insights gained from the Deep Dive will play a pivotal role in shaping our Department/Phase Improvement Plan in Mathematics. We are committed to continuous improvement and will use this feedback as a catalyst for growth.

The Deep Dive experience was incredibly valuable for our professional development. It reinforced our confidence in the quality of Mathematics education at our all through school while highlighting opportunities for improvement. We’re thrilled to see our students thriving becoming confident & fluent Mathematicians.