Motivation

How TASC (Thinking Actively in a Social Context) helped to ensure rapid school improvement

Aim: To raise expectations and the levels of achievement of all pupils; To lift the self-esteem and motivation of both staff and pupils; To actively involve parents and governors in school development; To give ownership and to develop pupils pride in their primary school; and To create a positive learning environment and a school culture which celebrates excellence throughout the whole school.

Making school less 'schooly': what's the impact on student attitudes?

Aim: Over a period of several years, we set out to transform the ethos of our school. Our hypothesis was that this could raise pupils aspirations and attainment. Adopting a range of strategies, we looked to change the attitudes of staff and pupils towards learning and the learning environment. Our sense was that there was no reason why schools have to feel 'schooly' with no toilet paper and graffiti. We aimed to create a school where we knew students by name and where adults routinely had conversations with youngsters.

Developing Learning Strategies in Writing French at Key Stage 4

The overall aim of the research was to develop specific strategies to support pupils in their written French work at KS4. This was addressed through exploration of the following research questions: What attitudes do pupils have towards writing in French? Does training in strategies to support their writing help develop pupil confidence? Is the success of this training dependent on ability? and Does increased independence at KS4 lead to greater uptake and retention at KS5?"

Maths is good for you: teaching mathematics in a historical context

Aim: The prevailing modern view of mathematical ability is one which includes creativity and transcends the more limited concept of technical ability. There is, however, little widely available material which, in a simple and accessible way, introduces secondary school age children to the world of creative mathematics. This projects main aim was to bridge this gap.

Raising boys' attainment in English through single gender teaching and assessment for learning strategies

Aim: The original aim of the project was to investigate ways to raise boys attainment in English. We were aware that our GCSE top sets were heavily weighted towards girls, with often less than ten boys in a group of thirty plus, and we wanted to address this imbalance. The main aim of the study was to close the attainment gap between boys and girls.