Our CPL year came to an end last week, culminating in a wonderfully collaborative Nano Meet. Summed up  nicely in Alan’s plenary talk, the event was designed simply to give us space as colleagues to talk, reflect and critique. Alan reminded us of Wiliam’s notion that ‘everything works somewhere/nothing works everywhere’ and also Warren Little’s thoughts on professional independence and need for individuality in teaching.

We heard a range of talks all focused on different aspects of our learning and teaching year. Tim and Dan kicked us off, sharing their action research on active learning. Anne then involved her entire hub, focusing on practical classroom approaches to strategies to close the gap. Statements of learning were shared as a tool for bringing consistency and reinforcing expectations with students and colleagues alike. Dan’s talk on effective pastoral care looked at the role of the tutor and unpacked what has made the role work this year. Keith took us through the mechanics of great assessment. His approach to PLCs, question level analysis and diagnostic feedback has been adopted widely across our teams. Stuart talked to us about stretch and challenge. Luke shared his and Max’s whole school approach to numeracy, designed by colleagues. These posters are to be appearing across the school soon. Sarah took us through some effective support strategies for dyslexia, notably how to make resources more accessible. Fay ended with a talk on positive behaviour strategies, which fed nicely into Friday’s INSET from Pivotal.