Case studies

Castles in the Air, Feet on the Ground

Jane Rolph, Angela Moore and Sara Stanley are, respectively, the Head, Deputy and AST at Chapel Break First School in Norwich and they have a tale to tell…

Once upon a time, far, far away stood a little school, an ordinary little school on an ordinary little housing estate, with ordinary little children but extraordinary staff with HUGE ideas and even bigger expectations! This is the story of how Chapel Break First School has followed a quest for what is best in teaching and learning, a quest for creating children who are hungry for learning, hungry for ideas and hungry to work together.

The journey began with a spell book entitled Accelerated Learning in Primary Schools. There were flurries in the staffroom and whispering in the corridors. Had we found some magic? Well, we have seen many magical events: staff and children transform into real, responsible learners, children who talk about their own learning and the processes they use, children who support each other, who know how to advise and help. The NLS and NNS are now our friends rather than our masters, and thinking and talking our new King and Queen! Key Stage test results are soaring 20% above predictions and Beacon status is a gift for self-development.

We operate a curriculum that does not put a ceiling on a child's achievement and that uses the performing and creative arts as a springboard for success and provides self-esteem for many of our children. The first and vital ingredient in our spell is positivity. Our first priority way back at the beginning of our quest was to improve behaviour and the attitude to learning; a circle-time model, a new behaviour management policy, and a sharpened focus on the language teachers and children were using all made an immediate impact. Children actively use a language of self and peer support and congratulation; they listen with sensitivity to adults and each other. Changing to a very positive language has changed attitudes. A second key is a carefully modelled language of learning, a language for learning and a fully embraced culture of talking for learning.

A language for learning is adopted by staff as a tool for teaching. Careful consideration (and overt teaching) has been given to the use of a shared vocabulary for planning, evaluation and the delivery of the curriculum. It is essentially child focused - there is no difference between teacher-speak and child-speak, we speak a common language.

The language of learning provides structures for child and teacher to share. They have been developed and modelled with the children and use language structures for self-help, self-evaluation and review. Our children have the words to use to ask for help, say exactly the point at which they are stuck and to talk about the processes they are using.

Establishing a culture of talking for learning is one of the most potent ingredients in our spell book. It is about giving space for talking between children, to express their own thoughts, to work through problems, to use self-talk to aid learning and to rehearse and reward success. This vital space is where we have been able to introduce an approach based on critical thinking, questioning and enquiry.

This valuable approach is Philosophical enquiry with Children (PwC). Philosophy is taught from the Foundation Stage upwards at Chapel Break (We also have an expanding waiting list of pupils wishing to join the after school Philosophy Club). Its aim is to challenge the children's autonomy in thinking. Philosophy taps into the child's natural spirit of enquiry through reasoning, problem solving and self review. Its benefits for democracy, self-esteem and moral citizenship are immense and its impact far reaching, affecting raised standards of behaviour and higher order thinking skills right across the curriculum. Philosophy sessions are preceded by experimentation with silence, relaxation and meditation methods. We believe strongly that children cannot do heavy thinking on top of heavy thoughts that might accompany them to school.

Through our discussions with the children we have discovered that they view Philosophy as hard, but there is no indication of fear, reluctance or anxiety. The children feel very academic and clever, they understand that it is difficult to think and talk philosophically. When asked to describe the processes of thinking up questions and making connections several of the children interviewed used the word "challenging."

PwC has proved itself to be a successful home-school link. The pupils keep a journal in which they record pictorially their thoughts and ideas drawn from the stimulus. These drawings lead into shared talk and the formulation of their questions. The journal goes home and parents are encouraged to talk with their children about the issues or questions raised. The points of view of child and parent are recorded and shared during the week, keeping the children alert to the concept. This shared homework facilitates communication at home. We have observed how the parents' involvement and depth of thinking has progressed alongside that of their children. We believe this sends an important message to families about the quest for lifelong learning, where it is not the answers that bear most importance but the adventures and experiences along the journey. Parents' comments have included:

"Philosophy has opened up communication at home because we are able to discuss things on an equal level, which doesn't happen with day to day problems."

" I think Philosophy will teach my child to question more things and not just accept them as they are."

" I thought Philosophy would be too hard for a six year old but I have been pleasantly surprised how much she is getting from it. I'm really pleased she wanted to join Philosophy Club."

So, you're asking, how can you possibly make such wizardry work? High achievement and attainment in traditional knowledge-based areas, a powerful and positive approach to self-development and learning in a shared community, a rich culture of spoken and visual language and higher order thinking skills? What, all this with such tiny children? The answer lies in the structures and scaffolds that we have developed. We don't believe that our children learn by osmosis, but need to be shown step-by-step how to achieve success. Staff at Chapel Break tackle this head-on and creatively. It's not magic really; our feet are firmly planted in practical solutions. We simply break areas of learning into steps, manageable chunks with manageable skills. We use targets that have real meaning and value, and there are tangible props to support learning. Classrooms are awash with prompts and processes for self-help, self-development and self-motivation.

Our ordinary little school, on an ordinary little housing estate, is not ordinary on the inside - it is a castle of dreams, overflowing with princes and princesses eager to reach the very top of the highest tower. And we wizards are here to help them.