But – now that I’m actually doing it, I am recognising the same problem that is always there when I’m working with schools on designing a poetry curriculum. Namely: where to start?

It’s a problem that’s also a delight as there are so many possibilities, but it is important to clarify a few things at the beginning before we all disappear down the poetry rabbit hole. So, I tend to ask the subject leaders I’m working with to think first about two things:

• what do you want from your poetry curriculum?
• what do you want your children to get from it?

The answers have been many and varied. A few examples include: investigating a wide variety of poetic forms; linking poetry to other ongoing themes; exploring poetry and poets they are unlikely to meet anywhere else; building vocabulary; embedding an understanding of rhythm and metre in fun ways; engaging with image-rich language; developing spoken language through recital. I could go on and on! Most people want many things, but to keep the task manageable we’ve needed to pinpoint down to a few priorities for that subject leader and school – at that time. A curriculum can, and should, grow and change.

Once we’ve agreed the core intentions of this poetry curriculum, it’s at that point that we’d go to the national curriculum to see what actually, we have to incorporate.

There, we find the following. The box below contains the statements that include poetry as a part of the literature that children need to read, have read to them, immerse in, discuss and enjoy. (The bold is mine.)

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Y1

listening to and discussing a wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently

Y2

listening to, discussing and expressing views about a wide range of contemporary and classic poetry, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently

recognising simple recurring literary language in stories and poetry

participate in discussion about books, poems and other works that are read to them and those that they can read for themselves, taking turns and listening to what others say

explain and discuss their understanding of books, poems and other material, both those that they listen to and those that they read for themselves.

Y3/4

listening to and discussing a wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks

Y5/6

continuing to read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks

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I wouldn’t quarrel with any of it, although we do always end up pondering over why Y2 has so much more detail than the other years? And we normally decide that the last two statements in Y2 are equally applicable in years 3 to 6.

Then also, there are statements that are specific to the poetry element of an English curriculum.

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Y1

learning to appreciate rhymes and poems, and to recite some by heart

Y2

continuing to build up a repertoire of poems learnt by heart, appreciating these and reciting some, with appropriate intonation to make the meaning clear

writing poetry

Y3/4

preparing poems and play scripts to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone, volume and action

recognising some different forms of poetry [for example, free verse, narrative poetry]

Y5/6

learning a wider range of poetry by heart

preparing poems and plays to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone and volume so that the meaning is clear to an audience

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Once again, there are some peculiarities. Why are children expected to write poetry in Y2, but not in other year groups? Why are poetic forms a part of the Y3/4 expectations, but learning poetry, unlike in the other year groups, is not?

I think in all of the schools that I’ve done this with, (after we’ve finished enjoying exclaiming about inconsistency), we’ve agreed to iron those inconsistencies out. Here is an example of how we did this:

You will see that there were some generalisations common to all of the schools – keep them learning poetry in LKS2 as the prime example. The other important one was around poetic forms. By and large, we agreed that exposing KS1 children to some different poetic forms would support embedding the statutory expectation about recognising some different forms of poetry for the children in years 3 and 4. And also, that extending this to UKS2 would broaden and deepen that knowledge.

Beyond that though, the schools became brilliantly different in their approaches and desires. Most decided they wanted about six weeks of poetry, but for some that was one week every half term, for others, one two-week block every term, for others a mixture of those things. All will work; ‘which will work best for you?’ was always my question. (These were English lesson units. Some people wanted more, with additional poetry in some cases being read, discussed and enjoyed at other points in the day or as part of ‘guided reading’ lessons.)

Then, carving up the ways in which the expectations are delivered across the schools produced more variety. Some examples are below. My apologies for the different fonts; these are snipped from original documents.

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When doing this, we found it helpful to look at some different options as a way of expanding the discussion about what is possible. And at this point, I’ve tended to suggest going back to staff and sharing what we’ve agreed so far. Class teachers are the ones who have to deliver the curriculum and often people have favourite poems they want to include or poetic forms that they have tried and tested ways of teaching. We can add all of those preferences into the second stage of planning a poetry curriculum: that of choosing the content.

In most cases and apart from poem choices that teachers have requested, we’ve tended to populate the curriculum – usually at the class teachers’ requests for this first year. The hope has been that through teaching poetry, confidence will grow around choosing which poems to teach.

In the meantime though, we’ve chosen for them by:

• remembering old favourites
• leafing through anthologies – stopping to read aloud
• browsing websites – there are some fabulous ones, often with poets performing their own work.

And then we’ve needed to cross-check and question to ensure that:

• there is a mixture of contemporary and classic poems in each year group
• both male and female poets are present
• diversity has been taken into account
• any constraints from our original intentions (such as links across the curriculum for example), have been met

It’s never been easy! But it has always been fun and so satisfying. As a thought though, I’ve never done one, but actually, a ‘poetry choosing’ twilight CPD meeting, where staff could browse and compare and discuss might well be a pretty effective way of building some core content … If anyone decides to try that, do let us know.

I want to finish by coming back to a couple of sentences earlier in this blog,

A curriculum can and should, grow and change.

The hope has been that through teaching poetry, confidence will grow around choosing which poems to teach.

To design a poetry curriculum in the first place can be quite an orderly, systematic process. Managing a large and important task by breaking it down into small steps needn’t make it boring; it just makes it easier. But what is truly important is to then keep reflecting on whether it’s providing the impact and outcomes that you want it to. Review it. Ask the teachers and the children how they’ve enjoyed it. Are there particular poems they remember? What was it about those poems? Is there anything they’d like more of? Is confidence growing about choosing poems for themselves?

And be prepared for (in fact be joyful about) reinventing your poetry curriculum from year to year.

 

Many schools and academies are cautious about outsourcing their payroll provider. Payroll is a time-critical activity, so understandably this makes people nervous about making the change.   

However, with payroll software providers streamlining processes, offering comprehensive reports and easy to use tools at your fingertips, your team could claw back invaluable time to focus on other important tasks.   

In the current financial struggle, as education settings look to find efficiencies and cut spending in every direction possible, changing providers can save you time, energy and money.   

Here’s our five top tips to successfully move your payroll provider:   

1. Establish what you need from your payroll provider

Understand from your workforce what the full payroll requirements are and make an extensive list of service requirements. Are there any pain points that need to be addressed? Could you use this opportunity to expand your offer?   

2. Discover  

Research the market for payroll providers that are experts in the education sector, so that they can better suit your needs. Are they experienced in the different types of contracts you use? Ensure all suppliers are compliant with HMRC legislation, and they have a trusted security network to avoid any kind of data breach. Have they had the seal of approval, for example from the CIPP Payroll Assurance Scheme (PAS).  

3. Read the fine print  

Opt for a payroll provider with fixed costs. The last thing you need is to receive bills for hidden services during the year. Check that your above list of services are included in plan proposals. i.e Can statutory deductions and expense claims be calculated automatically.  

4. Migration   

Migration of your data is crucial. Check that your payroll provider offers support with this service, and that the costs have been included within your proposal. How are you going to switch from one provider to the next. Do they recommend a dummy phase or perhaps running two software providers in parallel. What effect will this have on your bottom line?  

5. Customer support and training  

Support: When you urgently need to speak to someone how can you make contact with them? Will you have a named member of staff that you can direct queries too or do you need to submit tickets via email? If so, what is their response time?  

Training: How are you going to make the most out of your new payroll software? What tools will be provided to train your staff? Are there demo videos, self-help documents or online webinars? How do your team prefer to learn?  

Above all do your research and work out what is best for your setting, you might be surprised by what you could get.  

 

I have the privilege of working with many schools across Hertfordshire and over the borders into other areas too. As you may or may not be aware, the HfL Education Primary maths team spend most of our time working in schools with children, teachers, and subject leaders to support the implementation of the maths curriculum.

Our work includes everything from working with individual children to develop their mathematical learning, to team teaching with teachers to look at pedagogy in maths lessons, action planning and monitoring with maths subject leaders and maths curriculum development. As you can see, everything to do with maths! We work with schools regularly over longer periods of time, so we get to know them well, so our support is bespoke.

This means, using Ofsted speak, we support schools with the ‘3 Is’ of their maths curriculum; their intent, implementation, and the impact.

In this blog, I would like to tell you about the journey I am currently on with two of my schools that offer special provision for pupils with special educational needs and disability (SEND).

Southfield is a primary school for approximately 80 pupils with Learning Difficulties, which include, Autism, Speech Language and Communication Needs, Global Developmental Delay and other conditions. 

The secondary school is an academy for 11–16-year-olds who all have Special Educational Needs. Traditionally a school for pupils with learning difficulties, they were recently designated as an LD, ASD and SLCN school by the local authority. Pupils have a range of needs including ASD, Global Developmental Delay, Downs Syndrome and rare specific diagnoses.

The secondary school, I have been working with since 2019 and Southfield since Easter 2022.

I should say at this point that my role in supporting these schools is focused on curriculum and pedagogy; not the pupil’s learning needs. I am fortunate to have worked with many children across my teaching career with a range of special educational needs and disabilities who have helped me to have some understanding of teaching for a range of learning needs. Both schools have the goal of developing their maths curriculum and it is for this that they want my advice.

If we refer to the ‘Quality of education’ section of the Education inspection framework, it says:

Inspectors will make a judgement on the quality of education by evaluating the extent to which:

Intent

• leaders take on or construct a curriculum that is ambitious and designed to give all learners, particularly the most disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or high needs, the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life
• the provider’s curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced towards cumulatively sufficient knowledge and skills for future learning and employment

Guidance, Education inspection framework

Updated 11 July 2022

With both schools, we started with thinking about developing a curriculum that is coherently planned and sequenced. Maths learning is hierarchical. I see it as an interconnected spiral, building upwards in small steps; new learning builds and is connected to what has come before.

For both schools, it was agreed that the ESSENTIALmaths resources, produced by the HfL Education maths team, would be a good place to start as these resources have been very carefully designed to build and connect the learning. However, I was very conscious, particularly for the secondary school, that to avoid it being like putting a square peg in a round hole, the resources would need adapting.

We knew that to meet the needs of lots of the learners, the small steps within the planning materials could be too big or could take too long. Ways to tighten the spiral were discussed.

Tightening the spiral

Here are the sequenced steps from the first two learning sequences from the Reception ESSENTIALmaths learning sequences:

Subitising (including equivalence, more and less)

 

 

Counting Skills (stable order and one to one correspondence)

 

The number range within the first learning sequence is between 1 and 6. In the second sequence, the range increases to counting within 10.

The steps in these sequences are already small and the number range is within the first decade but for some learners at these schools, without tightening the spiral, it could either mean that learning moved on too quickly and wasn’t secured or they would be learning the same thing for a very long time.

So, to tighten the spiral, these possible changes could be made:

Reduce the number range

• In the first sequence, initially secure subitising to 3
• In the second, keep the count to 5

Adapt the steps

• In the first sequence (in steps 3 and 4), the size of the objects within the groups of objects being subitised varies. Exploring this requires a secure understanding of conservation of number so initially comparing sets of the same sized objects would still enable the pupils to notice when values are the same or different without adding the extra challenge of size.
• In step 2 of the second sequence, mixing the objects in the set being counted could be built up in smaller steps. The sets could contain objects of the same type (for example, dinosaurs) with small changes being made to the sets being counted each time.

For example:

 

 

Postpone steps

• In both learning sequences, the final steps focus on subitising or counting when objects are moving or can’t be seen. Initially, these steps could be removed.

This doesn’t mean that the adapted learning would be not completed; these learning sequences would be revisited and then expanded to include all aspects of the learning within the original steps.

The next learning sequence in the progression focuses on comparing and developing the language of measure. Aspects of this could be taught and then the learning can loop back to the first learning sequence. The spiral is tightened and revisited without learning being missed or dragging on for too long.

Considering progression

The ESSENTIALmaths resources are written to match the Early Years Framework and National Curriculum expectations for Reception through to Year 6. This was another aspect of discussion as, in both schools, the pupils are not working at age-related expectations due to their special educational needs and/or disabilities. Also, in the secondary school, pupils are not within the primary age range.

In addition, in both schools, classes are organised considering pupil needs, rather than by age, meaning that pupils are not always with peers of the same age. Identifying starting points and then year-on-year transitions is an area that still needs to be ironed out.

Despite this, staff can now see the progression in maths more clearly using the steps within the sequences. The models provided, particularly of the talk, support their teaching and there is a greater consistency of mathematical models and language being used.

Developing subject knowledge

Another part of my support with both schools has been developing the staff’s subject knowledge.

In the ‘Quality of education’ section of the Education inspection framework, it says:

Inspectors will make a judgement on the quality of education by evaluating the extent to which:

Implementation

• teachers have good knowledge of the subject(s) and courses they teach. Leaders provide effective support, including for those teaching outside their main areas of expertise
• teachers present subject matter clearly, promoting appropriate discussion about the subject matter they are teaching. They check learners’ understanding systematically, identify misconceptions accurately and provide clear, direct feedback. In doing so, they respond and adapt their teaching as necessary, without unnecessarily elaborate or differentiated approaches
• over the course of study, teaching is designed to help learners to remember in the long term the content they have been taught and to integrate new knowledge into larger concepts

Guidance, Education inspection framework

Updated 11 July 2022

In both schools, the teaching of the curriculum is organised so that most subjects are taught by a single teacher. As a primary teacher myself, I see myself as a ‘Jack of all trades, and a master of none...’  I don’t see this as a negative, but I appreciate that I am not a specialist in a single area – I always have found I have greater aptitude for some subjects than others – I know I was never great at teaching PE or modern foreign languages, but I felt more confident with maths (unsurprisingly, due to the job I do now), science and art.

This meant that in both schools, like in most schools, there were varying degrees of subject knowledge and confidence in teaching maths across the school staff. Therefore, staff CPD has been, and continues to be, an important part of my role.

For both schools, training has been given to all staff on maths subject knowledge, particularly early maths concepts such as counting, subitising, ordering and comparing numbers, all of which support the teaching and learning of a sense of number. With all children, it is important that there is a deep understanding of these early number concepts because it is upon this all maths is built.

Memorisation and recall can sometimes mask whether this is understood or not. This can lead to some pupils being able to recall individual bits of information from long term memory but being unable to connect it to new learning or apply it.

The Deputy Headteacher of Southfield School reflected about the impact the training has had on staff:

“The CPD has definitely been impactful, with staff gaining the knowledge to teach early maths. I have never heard the word subitising used so often. It has made us think about the depth of knowledge as a building block rather accepting that if a child can count to 100, they understand about those numbers.”

Investing in professional development

Other ways in which the leaders at both schools have supported the staff to deliver the curriculum is to invest in specific training to implement and use the ESSENTIALmaths resources well. Teachers across both schools have had access to a mixture of online and face-to-face training. This has enabled them to understand how the resources can be best used to support understanding and delivery of the curriculum.

My work within the schools has included working directly with all class teachers to see how the resources can be adapted further to meet the needs of their learners. This is still very much a work in progress at the primary school as the resources are still very new, and time is needed to become familiar with them and to embed their understanding.

Developing independence and confidence

One thing we have recognised is that the curriculum is vast, and we must not lose sight of the overarching aims. At both schools, their goal is to develop the children into young people and adults who are independent, confident, and ready for their next steps.

Many of the pupils at these schools, like many pupils who attend special schools, will not leave school with same qualifications as their peers – GCSEs, A levels etc. At the secondary school, they have introduced assessments and qualifications that reflect the life skills that their pupils will need.

Together, we have started to map the knowledge and skills needed to complete the assessments and gain the qualifications, planning this into the ESSENTIALmaths progression. An outcome of this is that the progress through the curriculum as it stands will need reviewing; elements enhancing, and other aspects being removed or thinned out. Now that staff have been using the resources for a period of time and are more familiar with the progression as it stands, this is one of our next areas of development.

Purposeful assessment

Assessment across both schools is developing through teachers having a better understanding of the progression of the curriculum and having continued professional development. They are growing in confidence with formative assessment.

The secondary school have used multiple choice diagnostic assessments that have helped them identify starting points and quantify the security of the learning. In addition, due to the incorrect answer choices being carefully chosen, they have also exposed gaps and misconceptions. This means that future planning can be further adapted to address this.

In the Education inspection framework under Implementation, it says:

Inspectors will make a judgement on the quality of education by evaluating the extent to which:

• teachers and leaders use assessment well, for example to help learners embed and use knowledge fluently or to check understanding and inform teaching. Leaders understand the limitations of assessment and do not use it in a way that creates unnecessary burdens for staff or learners

Guidance, Education inspection framework

Updated 11 July 2022

The increased confidence in subject knowledge and having a clear progression in the curriculum, alongside assessments that inform planning and teaching, means that practice is developing to use assessment more effectively to inform teaching. Ways to track and monitor the small steps of progress at a whole school level is a challenge and still on the ‘to do list’.

Reflections

In writing this blog and reflecting on my work with both specialist provision schools, it has highlighted to me that when developing a maths curriculum, the principles are the same for all learners whether they have special educational needs and/or disabilities or not.

The intent of the curriculum needs to be clear, so pupils learn the mathematical skills and knowledge to achieve well. But in these special schools, the focus isn’t so much on data-based outcomes at the end of Key Stages; it is more focused on making sure that the pupils have the life skills and knowledge that ensure that they are ‘ready to take their place in 21st century Britain’, as David McGachen said in his Headteacher Welcome on the school website.

In my opinion, widening out our range of vision for what our maths curriculum is driving towards is a good thing (I am not naive enough to know it isn’t a huge challenge in our current system).

Broadening the horizons so it isn’t all about outcomes, percentages, and progress scores would help us see the purpose for maths in all aspects of life and more people might have a more positive view of the subject.

Nevertheless, tightening the focus on learners’ needs, would be a good thing, particularly those who have greater vulnerabilities or special educational needs and/or disabilities. Thinking carefully and deeply about how the teaching and learning can be broken down, scaffolded, and taught in those small steps so the skills and knowledge learnt is secure and can be applied is absolutely what is needed for the pupils at the schools I have talked about in this blog. But wouldn’t this be good for all pupils, whatever their needs? 

 

Income generation? Really? Not sure we’ve got time for that at the moment!

Well …… there are so many things income generation could include:

Applying for capital funding for building works – HCC (LEA) or CIF bids to the ESFA.

There are costs for commissioning surveyor reports or architects drawings but they are one off for a project – and not hidden.  The rewards can be transformational for your school estate.

Fund raising with the PTA

This can be lots of hard work but that is usually by parents and mostly requires lots of encouragement and a focus on some exciting targets (new play areas / outdoor gyms / Chromebooks) by the school, Head and SBM.  There are some costs, additional caretaking and cleaning for example for event fundraising in school, but they are one offs for a special occasion and the costs are not ongoing.

Applying for grants

It takes time to find the grant opportunities to apply for and even more time to put together the application ensuring you use the right language; understand the outcomes you should include and pull together the evidence you might require. Unless it is a big bid, this is usually a fairly solitary exercise and ‘part of the job’ for someone.

Lettings / hirings 

In some schools this can be quite a big opportunity to earn additional income.  When setting your lettings rates you should consider the following costs:

• administration time:
  • setting up the letting’s contract/agreement
  • preparing a file holding all relevant documentation such as, qualifications,
  • child protection policy, affiliation certification, insurance documentation and
  • updating these documents annually.
  • monthly invoicing
• energy costs: will there be additional lighting or heating required to accommodate the letting
• site staff time: for evening and weekend lettings will your site staff be required to unlock and lock up

Before and after school clubs

Should we, or shouldn’t we?

Have you been thinking that it was about time to review what you are doing with your breakfast and after school clubs? Well yes, you really should be!!

Clubs are definitely beginning to recover from ‘the Covid years’ and parents/carers know what their normal agreed working pattens are. Some schools are reporting numbers back to ‘pre C’ levels in the morning and ‘getting there’ in the afternoon.

What are the benefits of a breakfast club?

• it allows parents to drop their children in to a known, safe environment and allows them to get to work earlier whether at home or in the office
• breakfast is enjoyed with friends and can provide a calm start to the day
• food is provided and can be subsidised for FSM / PP children (from other funding lines)
• staff can identify issues from home before the school day starts
• it may help to avoid late arrivals or absence
• it may help parents to choose your school over another

What type of clubs do you run?

• breakfast clubs run by your own team or an outside provider?
• what hours do you open the club for?
• do you restrict your club to school age children (not nursery)?
• what do you charge for the session?
• are you providing healthy food?
• what is that costing you?
• how many staff do you need?
• does the external provider pay rent?

What’s important?

Your breakfast and after school clubs should break even; the total cost of the provision should be equal or lower than the total income from the provision. It is therefore important to accurately calculate the costs that will be incurred so that you can set up a reasonable pricing structure and decide place numbers.

Is it also worth adding in that analysis needs to be done on potential take up!

How do schools know what the expected minimum pupil number is?

How can they make sure that the school's budget won't be subsidising the club?

So how much is it costing you?

Good question – do you know?

When was the last time you checked whether the breakfast and after school clubs you are running are viable?

Termly would be good, checking whether you have the right staff contact ratio, can calculate your staffing bill with on costs (pension and national insurance) and identify changing associated costs too – energy, food etc.

What staffing will be required?

• this will depend on the number of pupils that attend the club
• pupils of reception age and over, require 1:30 supervision
• a lower ratio would be expected for safeguarding purposes
• the additional supervision is required for varying arrival times, food and activities
• consider what grades the staff will be paid and calculate salary plus on costs
• what hours will they work to be able to set up, run the club and clear away?
• what training do they need for this responsibility?
• what happens if a member of staff is absent, who will substitute at short notice?
• how much admin time is required to take bookings and ensure payments are made?

When calculating your staff costs:

• you will need to consider the correct pay rates, latest increases and latest on costs
• support staff on costs currently vary between 31% and 35% depending on the member of staff’s grade and also whether they pay into the pension scheme
• don’t forget to factor in the energy, food, cleaning and admin time incurred time to run the club

Training required will include:

• safeguarding and the use of reporting systems in school such as CPOMs
• paediatric First Aid training and refreshers
• food Hygiene – Level 1 for handling food and Level 2 if there is any preparation required
• often these staff are working without the support of your normal school set up working either early or late before or after other staff are working (who may be in staffrooms or classrooms away from the club area)
• they will need access to emergency contact details
• staff will need to be covered if absent to maintain the same ratios

What is even more important?

Clubs provide a safe haven for our children to be looked after by trusted professionals. They can give a routine to the start and/or end of the day that might not be available at home. They open opportunities to develop relationships and build communications skills with other children and adults in an informal setting. It is a mixed age group of children which gives an additional dimension to the opportunities the school day offers.

I used afterschool provision for my daughter from the moment she started school (she had been at full time nursery before this) and she really enjoyed it.  Over time we mixed after school club with tennis, swimming and Rainbows and after school club afternoons and school holidays. 

It was also at a very reasonable cost for before or after school provision (just make sure you are not losing money :-) – watch your costs!!) for me at that moment in our lives and can be a real lifeline for many parents/carers.

Don’t forget - you’re doing a great job getting this in place at your setting – just make sure you don’t lose any money whilst you provide these range of amazing services!

 

Cash flow forecasts are the key tool we can use to monitor our bank accounts. This is different from budget monitoring, which is retrospective – looking at previous months’ actual expenditure against budget. Schools, trusts and settings also try and forecast their in-year and reserves position at the end of their financial year. However, it rarely takes account of the position at the bank, and this is where cash flow forecasts can help. Cash flow forecasts look forward, usually to either the end of the financial year or on a 12-month rolling basis. At HfL Education, our finance business partners working with schools produce a bank forecast for the following three months. This allows the Headteacher to see if the school is likely to go overdrawn at the bank and to take action to avoid this by deferring spending or making cost reductions in the budget. However, is three months forecast sufficient? I have worked for a local authority that required its schools to do a 12-month cash flow forecast at the start of the year and for it to be considered by the governing body. However, the issue with this was that those schools forecasting a healthy bank balance never revisited their cash flow forecast until the following year, which defeats the object of cash flow forecasting.

It is a fundamental principle of cash flow forecasting that it must be live – regularly updated and reviewed so it presents as accurate a position as possible. The easiest way to create a cash flow forecast is to export your budget from either the finance system or budgeting software into an excel workbook. The budget should be profiled by month, allowing the opening, and closing bank balance for each month to be added as a formula. The next step is then to check each item to ensure only cash items are included and this is where reference to previous bank statements can help. Strategic interventions like this can pay real dividends by keeping schools on track as budgets tighten.

A focus on cash can really help schools, trusts and settings understand their future financial position so that any remedial action can be taken in plenty of time. Forewarned is forearmed.

 

Since the end of 2021 there has been a significant shift in the shape of the MIS market, with noteworthy gains in market share for the so-called challenger MIS'. The inroads to SIMS market share have been significant, falling from 76% in May 2019 to 60% in May 2022. It is widely anticipated that the trends of challenger MIS’ gaining schools will continue and will be evident when the next set of data is published.  In this accelerated growth period, Arbor (13%) and Bromcom (6%) have gained the most market share and stand out as the two MIS’ that are on an accelerated growth trajectory.  HFL Education has been at the forefront of market changes during this period, launching a new Multi-Supplier Licensing Framework in April 2022. The Framework offers significant discounts to licences on three MIS systems; Arbor, Bromcom and ScholarPack. Whilst we’ve loved being in the thick of market changes and selling the benefits of cloud-based MIS, we recognise that SIMS remain a major player with 60% of market share and we have retained our status as a SIMS accredited support partner. 

At HFL, we have seen significant numbers of schools choosing to move MIS over the last year. Those that moved recognised the economy and ease of working with a market aggregator and took advantage of the discount of up to 35% discount on licences that we had negotiated. The overarching rationale for schools changing MIS was the recognition of the significant benefits that a cloud-based MIS delivers. The pandemic brought the advantages of anyplace, anytime access and real term updates into sharp focus. When HFL launched our MIS Framework, we estimated that around 20% of the schools we supported would elect choose to change their MIS. The number of migrations the HFL team has managed to date is almost three times higher than initially predicted and shows the growing popularity of cloud-based systems in schools. So what have we learned that might benefit schools looking to change their MIS in the future? 

Planning your migration is everything – as early in the process as possible, get your team on-board, identify a ‘champion’ in school to drive the change process. Who are the users in your organisation that will be most affected by a change of MIS? Involve them in the planning and make sure that they feel heard and that their training needs will be met. Most primary school migrations take four to six weeks, from planning to implementation. Make sure that you allow enough time to make it a successful transition.   

Change Management – in the current financial climate, school leaders face many challenges in balancing school budgets. Realising efficiencies by moving your IT including MIS to the cloud is one way to potentially reduce operating costs. However, managing the associated change can be challenging and it is important that schools, settings and trusts make a time investment in managing the change. All MIS systems are different and taking the time to train new users, showing them where to find the features and functionality needed to perform their role effectively is time well invested. If you need additional support to help manage the change, or with upskilling your users to optimise their use of the new system contact us to discuss how HFL can help, with bespoke, strategic and/or operational change management consultancy. 

Don’t be tempted to cut corners on the migration process – we have learned (through supporting many, many schools with their migrations), that the pre-migration preparation is just as important as the training and support once your data is transferred. The HFL team has streamlined our migration package, which includes advice on preparing your data before the transfer, pre-recorded training videos for your staff to follow at their own pace and a series of live calls with one of our dedicated MIS experts for any questions or additional support, both before and after the data migration. The programme is designed to set your school up for the best chance of success possible at (and following) your go-live date 

Your new MIS is not the same as the old one - Indeed, it may be even better! Don’t expect processes to be the same in your new MIS as they were in the old one, things will be done differently. All of the MIS on the HFL Framework have undergone a rigorous procurement process and all meet the requirements we set out in the product specification. Have an open mind and encourage staff to try to let go of how things used to be done. It really doesn’t take long to get used to a new system with the right training and support. Embrace the change! 

Compared to carrying out your own procurement exercise, calling off a framework is easy and cost-effective. HFL is a public body and followed a full and compliant process to establish the Framework such that schools, settings, trusts and LAs can call-off knowing the procurement risk is managed. Schools and Trusts engage directly with suppliers to see their products and decide which meets their needs. Once an order is agreed with the supplier, securing savings on license costs of up to 35% on market rates, they will notify us that you want to use the HFL Framework and HFL Education will call-down on your behalf; all you need to do then is sign and return the agreement we send you and you are ready to start planning your migration process.   

Effective from November 2022, schools and trusts are also able to access the HFL Education MIS Framework via G-Cloud 13.  HFL Education’s inclusion on G-Cloud provides the opportunity to purchase your MIS licenses at the preferential rates already secured by HFL via our own procurement exercise in 2021/22, and our MIS support as well as services to support schools with migration to cloud, all in one place.  Buying via the Digital Marketplace means that schools and trusts can be assured of HFL’s compliance with UK Government requirements, as all suppliers on the framework have been approved following a rigorous application process.     

The HFL Framework is open to all English Academies and Multi Academy Trusts and Local Authority maintained schools, so all schools can benefit from a potential saving of up to 35% on their MIS license. HFL also offers migration and support services, although schools can choose to retain their local support provider and still benefit from using the framework to purchase licenses.  We are also able to provide a licensing agreement for Local Authorities acting on behalf of a group of schools. 

Has your school or trust changed MIS?  What did you learn from the experience?  We would love to hear from you, contact us on the details below. 

If you are considering changing your MIS, or you are a Local Authority team looking at MIS licensing options on behalf of schools and would like to discuss our MIS framework, migration or support further, please contact us at misframework@hertsforlearning.co.uk or visit: 

*(With thanks to Joshua Perry at https://bringmoredata.blogspot.com for the data)  

Clare Hodgson, Assessment Adviser, looks at how schools can develop and embed a school-wide growth mindset culture, exploring the common mistakes made by schools when implementing and embedding a growth mindset culture and how these can be overcome.

Avoiding ‘wallpaper’ growth mindset: learning from other schools' mistakes

Carol Dweck’s seminal work on the Growth Mindset is now almost universally known. Many schools, recognising the relevance of the research to learner efficacy, have implemented the growth mindset approach – but with differing degrees of success. Embracing the notion that mistakes are learning opportunities, what can we learn about the issues and misconceptions that have arisen, as schools have endeavoured to embed the growth mindset school-wide? And most importantly, how can we pre-empt these errors, in order to build successful learning communities in our schools?

Central pitfall: ‘Wallpaper’ growth mindset

We all know this scenario.  We attend a training session on the growth mindset.  It resonates with us.  Enthused and armed with resources and YouTube clips, we rush back to our classrooms and schools and plan a fantastic assembly or lesson introducing the growth mindset. We may put up some posters and info-graphics.  However, somewhere along the way, we fail to ‘live and breathe’ the growth mindset operationally in school and in the classroom.

A by-product of this is that:

• Pupils and staff know they are ‘supposed’ to have a growth mindset and hide what they may be feeling.
• Pupils are told to make more effort, but not shown the steps it takes to succeed.
• Pupils may be shamed by staff and parents or berate themselves for not having a ‘growth mindset’ if they fail: it must be their fault for not persevering or putting in enough effort.
• While the growth mindset message is conveyed, the structures and systems in the school send conflicting messages to pupils (e.g. external reward culture, fairly static fixed ‘ability’ grouping, staff response to mistakes etc).

Overcoming this pitfall:

• There isn’t anything wrong with growth mindset posters and useful reminders on display.  However, pay as much attention, if not more, to formative assessment and responsive feedback in the classroom to engineer success incrementally. Keep goals proximal and attainable rather than distant and insurmountable.
• Review school systems: do they align with your growth mindset vision?  Are you, on the one hand, telling pupils that they can develop their intelligence and abilities, while on the other hand, reinforcing ideas of fixed intelligence through the structures and language in place in the school? Remove extrinsic rewards and static ability grouping. See here for how one school did this.

Pitfall #2: Praising Effort Alone

Carol Dweck’s work shows that praising students' process (their hard work, strategies, focus, and persistence) and tying it to their performance, learning, or progress can promote a growth mindset. But in many teachers' practice, it has become divorced from any learning or progress. "Great effort" becomes the consolation prize for pupils regardless of the outcome. So the very students who most need to learn a range of strategies, skills and knowledge to develop their abilities are instead receiving praise for their ineffective effort.

Overcoming pitfall #2:

Praise effort that is linked to progress.  Do acknowledge laudable effort, but if that effort is not leading to enhanced achievement, then students need to be taught more effective learning strategies.

Assess the use of points or stars given for effort. For example, a system generated praise postcard based on effort scores (that may or may not be linked to achievement/attainment) doesn’t have the same impact as a subject teacher’s words to a pupil regarding effort coupled with achievement e.g. ‘You really listened to the feedback and now are writing like a scientist. You could go far in this subject’. Is there some further thinking around praise and rewards that may be of use in your school?

Pitfall #3: Failure to acknowledge or recognise the fixed mindset in each of us

It is a life-time’s journey to develop a growth mindset. As Dweck wrote: ‘We have come to realize that every one of us is a mixture of both mindsets: sometimes we're in a growth mindset, and sometimes we’re triggered into a fixed mindset by what we perceive as threats. These can be challenges, mistakes, failures, or criticisms that threaten our sense of our abilities -- for example, venturing into unknown territory with a new teaching method, confronting a student who is not learning, or comparing ourselves to a more accomplished educator. Are we inspired to try new things, or are we anxious or defensive?’

Overcoming pitfall #3:

Learn to listen and talk back to your ‘fixed mindset’ thoughts. Teach pupils to do the same through modelling your thought processes. 

Pitfall #4: Celebrating mistakes, without reflection or meta-cognition

Rightfully, teachers have worked to make mistakes not only acceptable, but also desirable in the classroom.  Mistakes should not be seen as an embarrassment, sign of failure or something to be avoided.  They are signs of opportunities to learn and they are to be embraced. However, without close inspection and learning from these mistakes, simply celebrating their presence can lead to an acceptance of sloppy work or a repetition of the same mistake.  It is the learning/change that we take away from the mistake that is key.

Overcoming pitfall #4:

Yes, make your classroom a safe environment to voice a misconception, or ask the ‘silly’ question, but also ensure that the mistake is explored and analysed to avoid the mistake being made again. Firstly, thank a pupil who may have made the mistake or given an incomplete answer, as if they did this, it is likely others in the class will too.  Then, and this is key, don’t move away from the pupil by asking another pupil to supply the correct answer, but remain with that pupil allowing them to correct it themselves, or providing prompts and cues so that they can understand both their misconception, and how to correct it.  Allow the pupil to rehearse voicing the correct answer.  The message sent is that we all make mistakes, and each of us has the capability to learn from them.

Pitfall #5: Just add ‘yet’ to every negative statement

It is good to move pupil self-talk from the permanent and all-encompassing, to the movable and specific (as in the example above).

However, while it is good to add ‘yet’, it doesn’t go far enough if we don’t also show pupils how to improve incrementally and make progress.

Overcoming pitfall #5:

Do help pupils to re-frame their thinking, but also help them to move on.  It is the feeling of getting ‘one more right than yesterday’ (improving) that will banish the feeling of hopelessness, not solely the addition of the word ‘yet’.

Pitfall #6: Reward systems, over-lavish praise and overly frequent grading

This is a ‘biggie’ and often the stumbling block.  It relates to policies and systems, as well as how individual staff operate in their classroom.  Sometimes we have been doing something one way for so long, it feels ‘inbuilt’ and immovable, at both these levels.

Research has repeatedly shown that teachers often use more superlatives/gold stars with low achievers and more critical feedback with high achievers.  Indeed 69% of students prefer praise to be private and 17% prefer no praise, ‘probably because most praise is given to teacher-perceived low achievers and most criticism to high achievers,’ (Meyer, 2011).  Low achievers often know that the teacher lavishes praises on them because they didn’t expect much of them.  This re-enforces the message that there is a defect in them that they cannot do much about. High achievers often gain more rewards too (in the form of praise, high grades or points or stars).  Yet this can lead to a build-up of pressure or else complacency.  These pupils may not seek out challenges that show them up to be defective and simply seek marks rather than attend to the needs of their learning that these marks ought to reflect.

External rewards (including grades, stickers etc.) divert pupils' attention and energy away from their own learning, instead looking for ways to please the teacher/gain rewards.   Alternatively, realising that they will never achieve high grade/rewards, many pupils (such as the ‘invisible middle’) ‘opt out’, stay under the radar, or ‘retire hurt’, therefore missing out on valuable learning. Moreover external rewards reinforce stereotypes and differences between learners that undermine the development of a safe, supportive and co-operative learning environment, where learners can enjoy high challenge, but low threat.

Overcoming pitfall #6:

Remove extrinsic reward systems. Avoid overpraising top and bottom end of the achieving scale.  Give constructive feedback and advice across the attainment range.

Feedback to any pupil should be about the particular qualities of his or her work, with advice on what he or she can do to improve, and should avoid comparison with other pupils. For older children, adding this line:

“I am giving you this feedback because I believe in you”

(Cohen & Garcia, 2014)

to written feedback, has been proven to produce gains in learning, especially when also coupled with taking the time to give  5 to 10 minute 1 to 1 conference sessions across the year.

Grading should only take place after all the learning has taken place as, ‘grading carries the message that the work is over,’ (Hattie, 2018).  Are you grading too frequently?  Or grading as well as giving suggestions for improvements?  If so, give the suggestions for improvements before the grading. Reflect on the journey.  In this way, the pupil can make the improvements and reflect on the efficacy of the process to get to the grade.  If successful, what led to the success? If really necessary (towards the end of the year), grade, but don’t give a comment: you would be wasting your time. (See p13-14 Working Inside the black box: Assessment for Learning in the Classroom by Paul Black, Christine Harrison, Clare Lee, Bethan Marshall, and Dylan Wiliam for more advice on feedback that works.)

 

 

In conclusion, remember that the growth mindset is the belief that qualities can change and that we can develop our intelligence and abilities. So let’s take the growth mindset from ‘wallpaper’ into the very foundations of your school and into the classroom itself. If I were to sit in your classroom, would I feel, hear and see the growth mindset in action?

Further reading and links

Mindset; how you can fulfil your potential, Carol Dweck

Outstanding Formative Assessment: Culture and Practice, Shirley Clarke

Visible Learning: Feedback, John Hattie and Shirley Clarke

Punished by Rewards, Alfie Kohn

The Expert Learner: challenging the myth of ability, Gordon Stobart

Working Inside the black box: Assessment for Learning in the Classroom, Paul Black, Christine Harrison, Clare Lee, Bethan Marshall, and Dylan Wiliam

Carol Dweck Explains The 'False' Growth Mindset That Worries Her

Tom Sherrington Engineering Success. A positive alternative to generic mindset messaging

Shirley Clarke Learning Teams

Jo Boaler When you believe in your students, they do better

Jo Boaler Ability Grouping

Youcubed: Rethinking giftedness

Interested in more training on assessment and the growth mindset?  

Contact the Assessment team at hfl.assessment@hfleducation.org for enquiries about bespoke training packages or other courses.

The start of a new academic year can be exciting; a fresh new start, a clean slate. However, it can also be a tricky time for subject leaders getting to grips with their new class, supporting new staff and pushing ahead with their plans to strengthen the teaching of maths across their school. With so much going on, this blog outlines seven key considerations to support maths subject leaders to prepare for an effective year ahead. 

1. Consider termly action plans:

Whilst it is tempting to focus solely on the future, it is crucial to consider and evaluate the impact of actions taken last academic year to inform your strategy for the year ahead. Taking into account your school development priorities, and feeding in next steps from the previous action plan, it is important to set out your strategic monitoring timeline for the whole year. However, action planning in detail on a termly basis enables leaders to tailor strategies to meet the needs of the school based on outcomes from this ongoing monitoring cycle and will allow a clear focus on what is really possible in the next 12 weeks.

2. ‘Treat implementation as a process not an event’ (Education Endowment Foundation, 2018:1):

Having carefully planned and delivered a staff meeting, it can be very satisfying to tick it off on your action plan and think ‘thank goodness that’s done and dusted’. In reality, implementing change within schools is rarely that simple, as recognised by the Education Endowment Foundation (2018) who assert that there are four well-established stages of implementation – explore, prepare, deliver, sustain. Due to the pressures within school, the ‘sustain’ stage can be particularly challenging to focus on but crucial to ensuring that long term change can be secured. For example, a staff meeting on daily fluency sessions will provide a good starting point, but effective implementation may involve support for planning, modelled sessions or team teaching.

3. Effective actions or just endless monitoring?

The proverb ‘continuously weighing the pig doesn't make it fatter’ is well known and can be applied to the role of subject leader. In an attempt to triangulate evidence, there is a risk a subject leader’s precious time can be reduce to ticking off endless monitoring processes. Ensure your action plan is exactly that, a plan with actions that are focused on improving maths rather than just a list of monitoring activities.

4. Tap into what pupils really think

We all know that most pupils are keen to please and that questions such as ‘do you enjoy your maths lessons?’ typically can result in pupils dutifully nodding for fear of being disloyal to their teacher. A more successful strategy can be using questions which are less loaded towards them judging their teacher. One great example is ‘what are you most proud of in your maths books?’. This often can provide a great insight in their attitude towards maths which they have picked up from teaching staff, their peers or their families. What is valued most? Do pupils value correct answers, neat work or work completed quickly above work that challenged them? How are making mistakes or the use of concrete resources perceived? Pupils will find it much easier to discuss their learning if they have their books with them to point out examples to support their answers to your questions.

5. Impact, impact, impact

If there could be only one thing for subject leaders to consider at any point in the year it should be: What impact will this have on the quality of maths teaching? Time is the key challenge for teachers and leaders alike. Having a maths cupboard with triple colour coded, freshly laminated labels on matching baskets, which are cross-referenced by domain, year group and resource type sounds great! However, the impact of this on pupils’ learning is likely to be far less than planning alongside a less confident colleague, team teaching with an ECT or using data analysis to inform actions. There is no avoiding some administrative tasks but always coming back to ‘what impact can this have?’ can help subject leaders to make smart choices and, when needed, justify their strategic prioritisation to others.

6. Identify support for yourself:

Finally, middle leadership can be a lonely place, with some reporting they can sometimes feel a little trapped between SLT and their classroom peers. Making time to catch up with other subject or phase leaders in your school can be an invaluable informal opportunity to provide support and discuss issues which could also be occurring in English or other areas of the curriculum. Making links with other maths subject leaders in your local area or via social media can be invaluable in keeping up with developments, sharing good practice and discussing successes and development areas within your school. We use our @hertsmaths Twitter account to share the latest news and share good practice from the schools we work with.

7. Consider your own development needs

Part of your role is developing and supporting other staff so it is important you are well placed and feeling confident in your role. 

More information on all of our training events is available at HFL Education Hub. 

More information about our HFL Education Curriculum Impact Packages.

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References

Education Endowment Foundation (2018) ‘Putting evidence to work: A school’s guide to implementation guidance report’ available here.

When the new National Curriculum was first published a few years ago, I used to talk about the three ‘C’s’ of curriculum design with mathematics leaders. These being cohesion, coverage and consistency.

Cohesion referred to the design of the curriculum. The National Curriculum document simply presents a series of statements in domain content order for each year group. Leaders had to decide how best to connect this learning in a way that ensured the mathematics in the classroom flowed from lesson to lesson and helped pupils see the interconnectedness of concepts. Think, for a moment, about pupils you know who do not really have a sound understanding of proportionality. I wonder if this is a result of how they have experienced fractions. As part of the number system, as quantities and in the context of shapes – but separately. Developing cohesion is somewhat trickier than deciding which bits of learning need to be apportioned to which terms and weeks.

Leaders also had to ensure there was coverage. By this, I do not mean that pupils had to simply ‘experience’ all of the curriculum statements and deep learning would follow. More specifically, pupils experienced the breadth of learning required to help build their schema. The skilful curriculum design provided sufficient opportunities to revisit and deepen understanding.

And what about the three aims of the curriculum? Don’t forget fluency, reasoning and problem-solving. Not as bolts-ons but manifested in the way that the curriculum is delivered.

With regards to consistency, I meant maintaining an unwavering focus upon ensuring high quality teaching in all classrooms. Simple to say – much trickier to do!

Inherent in all of this was the pressure upon leaders to ensure that colleagues had sufficient subject knowledge and teaching expertise. By subject knowledge, I am referring to the expertise teachers need to have about the conceptual development in maths. And how this informs the selection of effective teaching approaches for a concept. This being across the phases teachers work in and not just the year group they currently teach. This is challenging in one subject let alone across all of the others that make up a primary school’s curriculum!

The challenge of this for leaders is the reason, I assume, most have reached out for support. By support, I mean resources.

Only a few years have passed and it would appear that another important organisation has become very interested in curriculum design as part of their quality of education judgement[1]. I would accept that my original three ‘C’s’ were very broad. They were presented as useful hooks for thinking. I am now happy to accept OFSTED’s three I’s: Intent, Implementation and Impact as the new lens and language that all leaders use.

It is not my intention with the rest of this blog to offer a critique. Let’s not start about how often I have heard that this is the year of reading – that’s perhaps for another time! Instead, I wish to use this as an opportunity to re-explore curriculum design for mathematics and offer some points of reflection and support. I think these new lenses are helpful. I also wish to consider sources of evidence that might be used in an inspection. This isn’t offered as a checklist to help leaders feel they have all bases covered if visitors arrive. Instead, as points of note to consider the reliability and accuracy of our own evaluation.

It was, and still remains, our key intention to help leaders ‘take control of their curriculum’. The National Curriculum is a broad framework. It needs to be adapted and made right for each school’s context. So what does that mean?

The inspection framework offer an insight.

“Inspectors will take a rounded view of the quality of education that a school provides to all its pupils, including the most disadvantaged pupils (see definition in paragraph 86), the most able pupils and pupils with SEND. Inspectors will consider the school’s curriculum, which is the substance of what is taught with a specific plan of what pupils need to know in total and in each subject.”

(paragraph 167)

Now to Oftsed’s three eyes, I mean I’s.

Intent is defined as the way a school’s curriculum sets out the knowledge and skills that pupils will gain at each stage. In essence, the curriculum plan. Implementation refers to the way in which it is taught and assessed. In Ofsted’s words, “to build their knowledge and to apply that knowledge as skills”.  I often describe this as the way in which the planned curriculum manifests itself in the classroom. Finally to impact. This is the outcomes pupils achieve as a result. It is important not to lose sight of this aspect as I have frequently and incorrectly heard leaders suggest that Ofsted are no longer interested in outcomes. Secure and deep learning is the reward for a rich maths curriculum, well planned and expertly executed. Whether that manifests itself in test outcomes is a slightly different point.

The handbook outlines a number of points that are worthy of further consideration. So let me take each of these in turn and offer some thoughts.

I referenced ‘cohesion’ earlier. In many respects, this is equivalent to intent. As such, it is reflected in the careful planning of the curriculum. The way that the knowledge and skills are identified and sequenced. Both in terms of conceptual development across the primary phase but also the conceptual development within a year group. It is seen in the clear end points that this is building to. For most schools, the national curriculum steer this.

The bullet point I am interested to ponder on in paragraph 170 is this one.

“The curriculum reflects the school’s local context by addressing typical gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills”

I agree. The school’s context in this sense is about what your learners are like. Patterns in weaker areas of mathematical understanding and mathematical behaviour that inform curriculum design. So pause for a few moments and consider these questions.

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Are there any areas of learning in your mathematicians that are not as strong as you would like?

Is this common across the school or isolated to classes or groups?

As a result of this what adjustments are needed to your curriculum?

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Your response maybe to focus upon increasing time for certain key learning focuses. Sharpening fluency. Some schools have identified key skills in each year group. This is a useful step. What is required here though is to ensure that these are secured. Of course, these skills may change over time as learners will be different. Identifying and prioritising certain areas of learning is very helpful but the ensuring that pupils actually do secure these is the most important aspect. Clear intent. It is skilful implementation that leads to impact. Read more about this in Siobhan King’s excellent blog Detecting shaky learning and dealing with it .

The handbook suggests that the main source of evidence for this is discussion with senior and subject leaders. It is essential that you own your school’s mathematics curriculum. Most schools make use of resources to support this. It is crucial that leaders know how the resources supports them. That it was selected and adapted because it provided the key focuses that teachers and learners need. Does it help with the sequence and flow of learning? Does it support the effective use of representations that secure deeper conceptual understanding? Often referred to as ‘Concrete Pictorial Abstract (CPA)’. Does it support the use of the correct mathematical conceptual language and the language to work on the mathematics?

I move now to explore implementation. As I have previously stated, I think about this as the ‘reality in the classroom’. When you are next describing what you think is happening in each of your mathematics classrooms, pause and consider what your thoughts would be if this was the reply. “Let’s go and see this in action.” In some ways, this is the thread of the ‘deep dive’ approach to evaluation in the inspection framework. As leaders, it is fundamental that we have an evidenced view of the reality. Hoping that your colleagues are is not the same as knowing they are. This isn’t about engaging in increased monitoring exercises. Talk to any of the maths team and they will tell you that ‘weighing the pig doesn’t make it any fatter!’ This is related to how leaders actually lead on professional development in mathematics. How they improve teaching. And the final part of any improvement (or enhancement) cycle – knowing it is working as you want it to.

This is the essence of the bullet point that references teacher’s ‘expert knowledge’. I would suggest that this is the perennial challenge and core motivation for leaders. It may seem obvious but is nonetheless worth stating. With strong knowledge of conceptual development and a repertoire of effective teaching strategies, practitioners are then more likely to teach more effectively. Ensuring that learning is secured for all because they are very acutely aware of what misconceptions pupils face and so can teach to expose and address them. They are secure in what to look and listen for and so are the masters of assessment.

I have the frequent pleasure of supporting teachers so an example may help. It is from a Year 1 classroom a few weeks ago. The lesson focused upon developing pupils’ use of the 0, 5 and 10 benchmarks. A crucial skill that takes time to develop in Year 1.  Pupils were using a demarcated number line to place various single digit numbers. The aim here was for pupils to use the 0, 5 and 10 as anchor points to help position other numbers. Indeed, the pupils were able to place 6 quickly using the 5 benchmark. They also had ’0-20 beadstrings’. I asked many pupils to show me ‘6’. In each case, pupils counted the beads individually. They were still counting and so hadn’t secured the notion of helpful benchmarks in numbers. Not once did any pupil slide the 5 red beads and then 1 further white bead. You might say that this is where the teacher was going next.

As leaders, it is crucial to not be too presumptuous. In our roles as leaders and supporters of teachers we need to ask. I did. It was clear that the teacher hadn’t noticed. And as we explored the journey to date in year 1, it was also evident that many of the earlier key learning points were not quite secure either. The teacher, by their own admission, was not that clear about these essential components. So we unpicked this in a bit more detail and identified precisely what learning needed to be revisited and secured. Importantly, also identified what this would look like when it was happening.

I do not offer this vignette as criticism of teachers at all. I have a very privileged position in working with and supporting lots of teachers to develop their practice. More crucially, I offer this as an example of what leaders need to do. The teacher had planning support resources but needed to spend a bit more guidance to unpick the conceptual learning underpinning this sequence of learning.

I had a recent conversation with an Ofsted inspector and we talked about the need for leaders to ‘look at’ and not ‘look for’ in classrooms. It may be pedantic but the former provides the leader with a position of inquisitiveness. To look carefully and consider what the information is really revealing. Further questions really help. In the example above, the discussions with pupils in lessons really helped understand what they hadn’t quite developed yet. From moments like this, the skilful leader is able to identify the support and guidance that will have the greatest impact.

In the handbook, there is reference to the transfer of knowledge to the long-term memory. I am not quite sure of my own understanding of this neuroscience and so are more enamoured with the phrase “new knowledge and skills build on what has been taught before and pupils can...” use these in a range of contexts with fluency (that last bit is my addition). This relates again to the design of the curriculum. Its flow and connectedness that supports teachers to manage the learning journeys for pupils. I am looking forward to returning to work with the Year 1 teacher in a few weeks.

As with intent, the handbook identifies a range of sources of evidence. These are well known. Discussions with leaders about the programme of study and how pupils are progressing through it; observations of learning in classrooms;  pupils’ ‘work’; and discussions with pupils. Of note and I applaud it is the reference to the support for teachers. I refer to this as the professional development of teachers. I regularly talk about this essential ingredient with leaders. It can take a myriad of forms but is the only catalyst for even greater practice.

The framework also identifies how this can be evidenced through conversations with teachers. I note this last point as I rarely hear leaders talk about this and it can be a really rich source of feedback.

Impact, in the handbook, is aligned to “what pupils have learned”. This is hard to disagree with. Positive learning outcomes should and will be the result of a rich maths curriculum, which is well constructed and taught. National assessments are useful indicators but not necessarily the only measure. A view of what is happening in classrooms, in books, through interviews will add to that picture.

Aligned with the earlier point about ‘local context’ to address gaps in learning, there is reference to the learning success of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. In many senses, this will be the ultimate litmus test of your curriculum intent and implementation. The extent to which your curriculum design and delivery supports the success of your most vulnerable learners. By vulnerable learners, I do not necessarily preclude this to the ‘defined’ groups. I simply state that any pupil who is in danger of not securing the learning is vulnerable.

To support subject leaders, I have generated a short set of questions. These are not intended to be exhaustive or used as a definitive script. Instead, they are offered as further prompts for reflection and evaluation. They have been created from many conversations with school leaders and listening keenly to those involved in school inspections or curriculum evaluation.

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Subject leaders

How do you decide what to teach in each year group? Why this? Why now?

How do you support the development of subject expertise?

With regards to the sequence ... what learning is next? ... what came before?

What is your approach to revisiting key learning?

How do you check pupils are making progress through the curriculum?

How well do pupils secure key learning?

How are your pedagogical approaches matched to the learning taking place?

What’s the reality in the classroom? Let’s see that in action.
 

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Teachers

Why did you teach that...? Where is the learning heading? What came before? How has this shaped your decisions?

Why have you decided to teach it like that?

How did the lesson content and activities ensure the learning was secured?

How are you supported to develop your understanding of the key components pupils need to learn?

How are you supported to develop the best ways to teach these?

What has been the impact of that?

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I believe that the three lenses offered to us by Ofsted are useful. I would, however, urge readers to return to the crux. This is not about the need now to write out a lengthy statement for three I’s. A quick reflection to ascertain salient points would be helpful. Not swathes of time dedicated to create a set of rhetorical soundbytes. The quality of your mathematics curriculum and how well it is served up in classrooms is what you need to invest energies into. This will be evident in what you say about how you have designed it for your school, but ultimately about what happens in classrooms and the secure learning pupils build as a direct result.

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References

Handbook for inspecting schools in England under section 5 of the Education Act 2005, The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted), May 2019

This blog has been written for teachers but can be shared by schools with their parents as the ideas within it are useful for the learning of multiplication tables at home.

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Much of the key learning of multiplication tables happens across Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4. It is fair to say that children who know their multiplication tables up to 12 x 12 (with a good amount of understanding as well as recall) cope better with the demands of the maths curriculum in many areas, such as formal written division, equivalent fractions, percentages and ratio and proportion.

So much of the mathematics curriculum in Upper Key Stage 2 is built upon a good understanding of multiplication and division and recall of the multiplication tables. Where a child has not yet remembered the necessary facts or understood their connections to each other enough, they often end up using what becomes an inefficient ‘counting up from 0’ strategy to figure them out. Not having facts at fingertips or fast strategies to get them will slow down the bigger calculations they are trying to solve and place additional pressure on working memory when problem solving (as they are adding in additional steps to work out multiplication facts rather than recalling them).

Many schools ask parents to help at home with the learning of multiplication tables. We think of it, like regular reading, as an area where parents’ support is really beneficial. What we need to do is be more specific about ‘how’ to support this at home. This blog aims to support the ‘how’ to learn a multiplication table (from the beginning) and then also how to rehearse and maintain it.

First, to be clear about the expectations within the National Curriculum from Year 2 onwards, there is specific reference to the recall of multiplication and division facts. It should be acknowledged that some pupils find learning their tables harder than others and so this may not be a smooth path but the general expectations are:

Year 1 – Count in multiples of twos, fives and tens

Year 2 – Recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 2, 5 and 10 multiplication tables

Year 3 – Recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 3, 4 and 8 multiplication tables

Year 4 – Recall multiplication and division facts for multiplication tables up to 12 x 12

 

Starting from the beginning:

If a child is learning, for example, the 3 x table for the first time, we need to set out a path. This should include:

 

 

A lot of what is thought of as practice for multiplication tables, e.g. games using speed of recall, in reality actually falls under the rehearse and recall phases, rather than the initial learning, as they rely on children already having some base knowledge to draw upon. When children begin learning a new multiplication table, it is important to give time for exploration and building a picture of what is happening, allowing the opportunity to physically make the facts and then rehearse them in a range of ways before focusing on the memory and retrieval.

At the ‘learning’ phase, children benefit from seeing the multiplication table build up from the beginning, looking first at one group of the amount (e.g. 1 group / row of 3) and then building up by adding another group / row of 3 each time and seeing what the total becomes. This helps children to link multiplication to repeated addition, e.g. linking 4 x 3 (four rows of three) to 3 + 3 + 3 + 3   and knowing that both make 12.

Any small resource that there are lots of can be used for this. At school, this might be cubes but at home, small toys would work equally well – cars, beads or even a handful of dried pasta. For the purposes of this example, I have borrowed my son’s collection of dinosaurs.

A selection of the arrays (equal rows) are shown. The child would build each in turn, working up through 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x… and talk about each one, noticing how another group / row of 3 is added each time.

 

 

As a note here, it is also good at this stage to talk about no groups / no rows of 3. If there were no groups of 3 dinosaurs, there are 0. This reinforces the idea that 0 x 3 = 0.

Counting and tracking the number of groups on fingers is really important to help children understand one lot more or less as well as to build up a familiar pattern of multiples ready to learn facts. Avoid counting in multiples at the beginning if you want to build a good understanding of relationships between facts. Children generally begin by counting every object in a row at the beginning of skip counting. Help this by encouraging children to ‘whisper’ numbers that are not a times table fact, touching each object and shouting the number of the object at the end of the rows. For example…

 

 

In this array, the child might point to each object starting top right, move along the row whispering 1, 2 and shouting 3, move to the next row whispering 4, 5 and shouting 6 etc. They repeat this on their fingers; tapping a finger and whispering 1, 2 and shouting 3.  In school, you could try with cubes on fingers as these teachers, working with the fabulous Professor Jenny Field to develop skip counting, demonstrate below. Over time, encourage children to miss out the ‘whisper numbers’ and skip count more.  Finger tracking at this stage is crucial to help children negotiate the number of groups. We can make it more efficient once children can skip count by asking… Do we need to count up from 0? If you can remember your 5th fact, could you count on from there?

 

 

A nice thing to do at this point (with arrays of small items still available) is to turn the facts into a set of cards with the ‘question’ on one side and the ‘answer’ on the back:

 

 

Once these cards have been made, there are lots of options for playing with them; first of all, in order to build some memory recall and then, once the child is starting to remember what is on the back, moving to playing with them out of order to further secure the learning. The point here is about taking time to build confidence and develop memory. Repeated rehearsal should strengthen the memory so don’t rush to reach the out of order and speed rounds.

 

 

Keep it light and manageable:

• The process needs to be broken up into several steps to maintain motivation and concentration and to build up rehearsal.
• Think about whether to stick to one multiplication table at a time or return to explore a small number of less well remembered facts. It is not a race to learn them all as fast as possible. Focusing on one family or set at a time will allow the child further opportunities to build confidence and develop a more lasting and meaningful memory of the facts.
• Play and create your own games with the cards; whether playing against a partner or children creating their own new rules for using the cards.
• Ask questions such as, “Which facts do you think you already remember?” “Which facts do you think are harder to remember? Why is that?” “How can we remember them?” “How could you use other facts you do remember to help?” This helps children to take more ownership in the learning of facts they see as ‘harder’ to remember (see Further Professional Development Opportunities below for more on this).
• Once you feel a multiplication table has been cracked, keep the cards safe and return to them after a break of a week or two. Revisiting tables to keep them fresh will also help to embed the learning.

Continue the rehearsal:

Once you feel a particular multiplication table is becoming secure, two further elements are needed: application of the knowledge (helping children see when they might need to use them) and also continued rehearsal. This helps to maintain the memory. Application might be about noticing how the knowledge can be used in everyday life or in other areas of their mathematics learning.

 

 

The ‘continued rehearsal’ could be where online games come in and here at Herts for Learning we love a card game. Look out for the games posted @Hertsmaths and our FaceBook group Herts for Learning: ESSENTIALmaths. 

The main messages:

Take each multiplication table one at a time. There is a logical order which usually works; 2s, 5s and 10s first (usually around Year 2), 3s, 4s and 8s next (usually around Year 3), then 11s, 6s, 9s, 12s and then 7s come later (usually around Year 4).

Take time to develop an understanding and then memory of each multiplication table rather than skipping to recall; this comes later.  

It takes time for most children to develop their memory recall of the full set to 12×12 (and some do struggle more than others to do this) so developing and personalising the approach is important.

Once a table has been rehearsed and is fairly secure, remember to revisit it again and again to keep if fresh.

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Further professional development opportunities

Join our digital, on-demand training to explore effective teaching strategies for rehearsal and recall of multiplication facts. The modules are full of practical ideas and resources to take away to enable pupils to learn multiplication facts with understanding and recall. 

Supporting pupils to learn multiplication facts – effective strategies for rehearsal and recall

Here is an article that schools could share with parents about the hardest to learn times table facts.

Here is an article that might be of interest to teachers looking for professional development around the teaching of times tables.(pdf)

 

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Further blogs to read:

The beautiful array