Sir Mark Grundy - Executive Principal, Shireland Collegiate Academy and Kirsty Tonks - e-Learning Director, Shireland Collegiate Academy

1. Creating a
Learning Palette
using Technology
Sir Mark Grundy
Executive Principal
Kirsty Tonks
e-Learning Director
March 2013

2. Student’s
Progress Student’s
Targeted Needs
Interventions Curriculum
Change
Data
Creating a Learning
Palette using Technology

4. Decoding Learning
“Digital technologies offer new ways of
presenting information and ideas in a
dynamic and interactive way. However
learners may need the support of teachers
to interpret those ideas and to convert that
information into knowledge.
New forms of representation (e.g.
augmented objects) offer the potential to
enrich the dialogue about information
between teachers and learners.”

5. Decoding Learning
“We found many examples of technology
building on existing teaching practice,
rather than creating new, innovative
practices. It is open to question whether
simply building on traditional approaches
will improve dialogue between learners
and teachers in a way that will ultimately
improve learning.”
BYOC

6. Decoding Learning
“We need to change the mind-set amongst
teachers and learners: from a ‘plug and
play’ approach where digital tools are
used, often in isolation, for a single
learning activity; to one of ‘think and link’
where those tools are used in conjunction
with other resources where appropriate,
for a variety of learning activities.”

7. Decoding Learning
“Over recent decades, many efforts
to realise the potential of digital
technology in education have
made two key errors. Collectively,
they have put the technology
above teaching and excitement
above evidence.. As we continue
to develop our understanding of
technology’s proof, potential and
promise, we have an
unprecedented opportunity to
improve learning experiences in
the classroom and beyond.”

8. Context
• A journey to truly “Outstanding”.
• Basic skills of the students at one stage came in
with a KS3 APS of 20.4, less than a level 3 average.
Lowest of any Academy in the country at the time.
• We now think we are 43rd from the bottom.
• Technology has been a silver bullet in transforming
our Academy.

9. Transformation Using Technology
Targeted
Intervention
Holistic Granular
Knowledge Knowledge
Radical More than
Curriculum Expected
Change Progress

10. The Transformation
• 20% Jump in
5A*-CEM 93% 5A*-C
No Fixed
89% > 96% Term
Attendance exclusions
this year.

11. Inspiring
More than
Expected
Progress.

12. Expected Progress
• Too many standard predictive tools helped support
the assertion that we would never move the Academy
forward. FFT, CVA, VA, RAISE predictions were
something we were used to beating but their
predictions still left us below floor targets.
• 4 Levels and 5 Levels has to be the norm for many of
our students to gain a C grade at GCSE.
• Move away from a predictive targeting process to
creating cohorts of students who need 4 and 5 levels
of progress and different curriculums and intervention
strategies around those students.

13. Staff CPD and Understanding
• Data is only useful
if staff can
understand it and
use it effectively.
• CPD is supported
by wikis and
collated data sites.
• Creating bespoke
solutions when the
MIS is not enough.

14. Cohort Analysis

15. Pivot
• Used to graphically represent to
departments the students they are
teaching.
• Bridges the gap of understanding to the
heads of department and teachers who
are managing the interventions.
• Accessible, Visual, Holistic

17. Supporting
Targeted
Interventions

18. Traditional Intervention
Specific One to one
Better ethos and Better knowledge of intervention to
motivation organisation areas of clear up
improvement misconceptions.
Better Better
Improvement in
attendance and relationships
learning skills
behaviour with staff

19. Using technology to surface data to support
Senior and Middle Leaders
• Supporting • Monitoring
staff and subject level
sharing best delivery of the
practice RAP
Planning Subject
Bank Sites
Leadership
Pivot
Portal
• Making data • Maintaining a
“tactile” clear sense of
direction

20. Decoding Learning
“Technology can enable schools to tap
into the wealth of expertise that exists
within their communities.
Technology can link learners with other
learners, experiences, and settings much
more easily and, often, cost effectively.”

21. Our Learning Gateway
Student Portal
A device without a Learning
Environment or a context is
of limited value!
Family Portal
Schools need to “manage”
the learning through
technology, not just let it
happen.
Staff Portal

22. Staff Portal

23. Mathematics Subject Site

25. Humanities

26. Supporting
Student’s
Progress

27. Literacy for Life curriculum

28. Granular Knowledge
• 4 years into a 5
year plan where
we have moved
our students to a
competencies
based model.
• Worked with Richard De Lorenzo, Mick Waters and
others to develop 200 competencies across 10
different literacies.
• These are tracked and a number of cross year
interventions are put in place to ensure all students
‘graduate’ at the end of Year 9.

29. Detailed Student Knowledge
• Students know where they are and where
they need to go next.
• Staff and students track all competencies.

30. Reinforced Knowledge
• Advanced levels insist on students
knowing the information to teach to
others.
• Invaluable as we move to an environment
where knowledge is at the end of a course.

31. Decoding Learning
“Flipped classrooms, or inverted classrooms,
use technology to allow learners to view
teacher exposition (Learning from Experts)
before the start of a lesson. This allows more
time for other forms of learning to flourish
during lessons, such as Learning through
Practising or Learning with Others.
To ‘flip’ their classroom, teachers present
learning materials online, perhaps created
using screen–casting technology, which
learners use to prepare in advance.”

32. Student Portal

33. Class Sites; Flipped Learning

34. Resourcing Flipped Learning

35. Supporting
our Holistic
Knowledge of
Student’s
Needs

36. More than Grades and Levels
• In the same way our data moves to a deeper level with
competencies. We also track large amounts of
information around students’ welfare, attendance,
behaviour and family relationships.
• This information is often as crucial as teacher
assessments as it goes to the heart of the reason for
underperformance.
• We track holistic information in Pivot alongside
assessments. Then back this up with a full time
safeguarding manager, Police Officer, EWO and school
nurse.

37. Attendance Live
• Gets key attendance
data to all key
personnel.
• Takes data live
from the MIS
system and
repurposes it.

38. Family Portal

39. Governance Portal

40. Radical
Curriculum
Change

41. Radical Curriculum Change
• A 5 year plan where we hope that 70%+ students who
have been through our system will gain 5A*-CEM next
year.
• Students taught integrated curriculum based on
competencies for:
• 18 hours in Year 7
• 13 hours in Year 8
• 9 hours in Year 9
• Only Arts, PE and Science which need specialist
facilities are taught separately.

42. Achievement Weeks and Focus Days
• The Academy collapses the curriculum for all
students one day a week and for a week
every Half Term.
• This is applicable for all students.
• For years 7, 8 and 9 these are often drive
workshops, mixed year taught to improve
students who have fallen behind on self
diagnosed competencies.

43. Class Sites; Flipped Learning

44. 3
Key
examples
Kirsty Tonks
e-Learning
Director

45. Technology is our way …

46. Technology is our way in …
…..to support improvement.