Why a Year 7 Foundation Curriculum at HF school? Most pupils experienced difficulties when moving from KS2 to KS3 Transfer: Physical environment Primary – controlled environment Secondary – large environment, moving from room to room and teacher to teacher; different experiences in teaching styles, routines and expectations Transition: Curriculum Primary – teachers know and understand the learning needs of the whole pupil or taught for tests; reverted to misconceptions about the world Secondary – subjects compartmentalised and content led; pupils did not transfer learning skills; dip in attainment

We need a curriculum which is best for all students, irrespective of learning styles, previous attainment or their social, cultural and economic background 80% of the jobs that our current Year one pupils will do, do not exist yet. – Alistair Smith (The future of learning to learn, 2005) Our current 7 year olds will retire in 2070 Our aim is to educate our pupils in the best way possible for the world they will inhabit, rather than the one we have been living in Vision:

Mastery of basic skills Ability to work with others Being able to deal with constant distractions Working at different levels across different disciplines Using mainly verbal skills Problem solving and decision making Innovation and creativity Professor Guy Claxton – Levels of Learning (Where are we as a school?) Level three - out of school as well as within Level two - become better learners (AfL, L2L) Level one - learn better (homework/intervention) Level zero - learn more (content led curriculum) Evidence based research:

Whilst everyone needs the basic skills, in the era of lifelong learning, there are a much broader set of dispositions that we all need to have. These are the 5Rs; Resourcefulness Remembering Resilience Reflectiveness Responsiveness Jackie Beere - Building Learning Power for Life (KS3 learning kit 2002)

Process skills Planning Gathering Processing Presenting Reflective learning (metacognition) Engagement using learning styles Emotional Intelligence (persistence, resilience, optimism, mood control, empathy, self – confidence, self awareness, stress management) Relationships (listening, communication, mutual respect and rapport) Positive Learning Environment (water, air, display, brain gym, music, smiles, layout of desks) Core skills Time management Social skills Reflective skills Self-appraisal skills The skill of seeking help

Alistair Smith – Personalised Learning Skills (The future of Learning to Learn, 2005) The essential outcome of any personalised learning approach is that the learner is given the navigational skills to cope with the journey. These include: The capacity to make informed choices and live with the consequences of those choices The ability to discriminate between relevant and irrelevant information in a variety of contexts The willingness to operate on a daily basis within a moral code Everyday problem-solving which is pragmatic and appropriate Active participation in a number of communities And – throughout all of the above - the ability to feel positive about yourself and those around you as you do so.

Solution: An integrated, theme based, competency led curriculum 15 lessons per week with one teacher in one classroom Art, D &T, Drama, Music, PE, Dance, MFL taught by subject specialist All behaviour for learning managed ‘in house’ with consistent routines and expectations Four broad themes: Me, myself and I Water Eco-systems Salford through the ages – An enterprise project Competences based on ‘Opening Minds Model’

DCSF Pilot: Collaborated with primary EAZ feeder schools on transfer and transition pilot Focus on sharing pedagogy and practice with a particular emphasis on literacy skills All pupil this year arrived with literacy targets, ‘golden books’ and partial completion of transition projects Featured in DCFS video as an example of good practice Foundation lessons were observed by Dave Cutler, the DCSF consultant leading the Pilot. Dave remarked “I love what I’ve seen here today. Every school should be adopting this approach, it’s the way forward”.

Outcomes: Far less negative incidents related to behaviour/behaviour for learning; far less ‘on call’ and removal to the behaviour unit; when compared to data from previous two years Attendance consistently 2% higher than previous two years Progress made in attainment and evident through Optional and Progress test results for maths and English. Majority of pupils progressed two sub-levels in maths and one sub- level in English. More level 6s in English when compared to previous two years. Improved staff morale -passionate, resilient and altruistic professionals who readily an enthusiastically put their hearts and souls into everything they did.

Professional dialog between foundation staff and with primary colleagues; centred around pedagogy and practice Improved relationships with parents; form teacher first point of contact Collective responsibly for managing issues if or when they arose - alleviated SLL from ‘fire fighting’ to get on with the business of leading the school! Team expanded; developed leadership roles; collective vision for the future of foundation Pupils ready for and looking forward to year 8 QCA currently developing an assessment criteria for competency led curricula

Drawbacks: Lots of resistance from staff not teaching foundation; particularly younger staff Staff absence posed problems for continuity in pupils’ learning (We had to come up with creative solutions!) It’s hard work! Setting versus mixed ability – not sure! Delivery of science based learning; lab work, health and safety/training issues Continuity of curriculum – Y8,Y9 etc Progress in writing better than reading (which is in line with trends nationally)