From Strictly Come Dancing to Transformation

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From Strictly Come Dancing to Transformation

• Paul Roberts
• Headteacher
• Eaton Bank School, Congleton

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From Strictly Come Dancing to Transformation

• Eaton Bank context
• Arrived January 2003
• A very good school (Ofsted 2003)
• A child centred culture
• Doing the traditional things very well
• Uncovered substantial deficit budget (-360K)
• Extremely distinctive culture and ethos

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Is tweaking the answer?

• If you do what you have always done, you will
  get what youve always got

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NEXT STEPS

• Set up an Innovation Development Team
• Looked at research on Rich Tasks, deep learning
  and competence led curriculum initiatives (RSA to
  Queensland to Tasmania)
• Decided that we needed the staff to experience
  this as learners before the students
• Organised a learning experience which
  transcended curriculum disciplines and forced
  staff out of their comfort zones

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The Eaton Bank Strictly Come Dancing
CompetitionDecember 2004
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Blood, Sweat and Tears

• How we did it?
• In 3 weeks training after school
• All staff invited to learn to ballroom dance
• (Highly) competitive couples
• Lots of practice and cross-curricular cooperation
• Huge degree of challenge
• Costumes designed
• Egos toyed with
• Student and Peer Assessment!

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AND THE WINNER IS . . .

• Whole school watched 12 couples compete
• Students (and staff not involved) were amazed at
  the depth and extent of learning that had been
  undertaken and the standards achieved
• Wider community fascinated (press coverage etc)
  which allowed an opportunity to explain why we
  did it
• Morale very high
• A climate up for change and experimentation

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WHAT NEXT?

• January 05 - INSET day of rich tasks for all
  adults on site teaching and support staff -
  which challenged every individual to learn
  outside their comfort zone
• A multi-disciplinary activity where they couldnt
  work with their immediate friends or colleagues!

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A SELECTION OF ACTIVITES

• Big Bag Fashions
• Indian Temple
• DIY Flat-pack
• Ready Steady Cake
• Hong Kong Helipad
• Orienteering

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IMPACT

• Fundamental learning experiences
• Teaching and Learning resources created
• Awareness of new futures thinking was
  heightened
• Staff levels of cooperation and morale improved
• Staff and student attendance rates went up
• Momentum for change has started
• ALL in a budget deficit scenario of staff
  reduction, increased contact ratios, increased
  class size!

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THE NEXT, NEXT STEP

• An Out of the Box Day in the summer for all
  staff and students where we were liberated from
  the usual constraints to deep learning
• Subject content
• Bells
• Location
• Rooms

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OUTCOMES

• Analysis of evaluations showed huge support for
  this type of learning and engaging with students
  from students and staff
• A commitment to explore in more detail the notion
  of rich tasks as part of a trans -disciplinary,
  L2L curriculum
• A commitment to find the time in a very
  content-driven curriculum to deliver it

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MAKING PROGRESS

• Innovation Development Team continued for second
  year
• Investigating Essential Learnings Curriculum in
  Australia (Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania)
• Finding out and visiting key schools in UK
• Close examination of RSA Opening Minds
  Curriculum

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COMMITMENTS

• From September 2006 5 of curriculum time to
  new Opening Minds course for all of Y7
  competency, skills and rich task based
• The Innovation Development Team became the OM
  Development Team
• 8 Departments offered time
• 27 Staff offered to teach it
• SLT committed to teach it 1 of 3 teachers for
  every pair of tutor groups

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THE PRESENT

• OM established in Y7 and now in Y8
• Whole-School Conference
• Rich Task Day
• Student Voice Departmental Review and Learning
  Walks
• Assertive Mentoring Deep Support
• Beginnings of Co-construction
• Staff not averse to change a certainty and an
  opportunity to do things better

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THE FUTURE

• Preparing for Transformation theme for 07-
  08
• Vertical Tutoring House structure Sept 08
• Move from the default school day structure
  flexible time Sept 08
• Radical Curriculum Review Sept 08
• Learning Events Immersion Learning Sept 08
• ?