Learning

This event took place on 9 November 2023 and involved pupils from a range of secondary schools in Southampton. Faith leaders, RE teachers and pupils came together in discussion, sharing information about how faith impacts our daily lives.

We will be running our 'Speed Dating' style event again this year, with faith leaders and pupils joining together to talk about key issues of faith which are relevant to them.

Our event aims to promote respect, improve understanding and collaboration between all faith groups and those who do not profess a faith. We feel it is vital to work together for a more inclusive, tolerant city where we celebrate our differences and learn from each other.

Each April for a number of years has seen the city’s Science Intervention Day take place. This has the purpose of focussing revision and specific input for each Year 11 student who attends, ahead of their GCSE Science exams.

This year the event hosted over 180 students from 13 schools in the city. They attended workshops chosen using their mock exam performance to tailor input to their specific revision needs, and also took part in a walking, talking style mock paper exercise. They had the opportunity to work with students from other schools, and to receive input from specialist teachers from across the city.

We were also delighted to be supported by Student Ambassadors from the University of Southampton at this event. Students shared their journeys to University and assisted in the delivery of sessions.

At the end of the day, 75% of students said the workshops helped them understand concepts better than they did before.

Students came away saying, “I know more than I thought, but I also still learned more” during the day.

In June 2023, Maths teachers in the city came together, with the University of Southampton Education School and Mathematics Department, to host a Maths Day for high achieving Year 9 pupils.

The day comprised workshops, an escape room, fast-paced puzzles, a university tour, and talks on cryptography and theoretical physics.

Pupils were challenged to “think like a Mathematician” and use their problem-solving skills in practical ways to solve challenges and work together as a team.

Teams of gifted geographers from five schools came together on 10 July 2024 to compete in a geography quiz including rounds such as:

• Flags around the world
• Wordle
• Local Geography
• Lego Landscapes

We were hosted and supported by the University of Southampton Education School, and a fantastic time was had by all who participated.

Solent University organised and hosted our business event on 25 June 2024. Teams from schools and colleges across Southampton came together to present their business proposals to an expert panel of judges and compete to be winners of the Business Challenge 2024.

Pupils presented their business ideas on the theme of "Using AI in business". They looked specifically at ThinkEngine, a Southampton based digital marketing company, thinking about how AI could support them or undermine their professional offering. It was a fabulous event and all judges were impressed by the quality of presentations, with pupils from Woodlands Community College winning this year’s challenge.

The day also included a campus tour of Solent University, and the opportunity to work with students from other schools and be inspired by other pupils' ideas and approaches. Business teachers in the city, together with Solent University, worked to make this a fun, informative and inspiring day.

James Elliott, Oasis Academy Mayfield

As part of the work undertaken on the Southampton Aspiring Leadership Programme in 2018/19, James Elliott explored curriculum development in the creative arts within the current political context.

James is passionate about the arts and their importance in shaping well rounded, cultured citizens. He is concerned about the gradual decline in the visual and expressive arts over the past decade, and this concern was the motivation for the study.

The study reviews relevant literature and explores the influence of government bodies on curriculum models and and the restrictions around developing relevant and appropriate curricula for schools' respective cohorts. He concludes that curriculum design and development must be ongoing and evolving. He is encouraged by the statement in the most recent Ofsted Inspection Framework that focuses on developing learners with the 'cultural capital' to become fully functioning, participatory and engaged members of society, but he is aware that curriculum content and delivery models will require ongoing scrutiny and adjustment.

For more information about the report, contact James Elliott at Oasis Academy Mayfield.

Rebecca Murray, City College

Rebecca carried out a study into the reasons given by students for their particular career choices. She gathered data from primary research and consulted other research from which to draw her conclusions.

Focussed on students in the City of Southampton, Rebecca carried out primary and secondary research on the reasons given by students for their Post-16 course choices. She reviewed local initiatives and events in providing careers guidance for young people. The results of the primary research appear to confirm the work carried out by the University of Southampton in 2004, which reported that 'enjoyment of a subject, the influence of the parents and a perception of being good at subjects appear to exert more influence on the choices pupils make.' It was noted that only a small minority of students had relied on the schools' careers guidance to influence their course choices (University of Southampton: 2004).

Rebecca concludes that Post-16 institutions must adapt and provide qualifications and programmes of study that meet the needs of industrial and technological change.

Contact Rebecca Murray at City College for more details about her work.

Amy Cooper, Regents Park Community College

The aim of this study was to explore whether a focus on pupil progress against personal targets and rewarding this progress would reduce levels of disruption in the classroom.

Recognising the limitations of the study (data gathering in only one school; small sample size; changes in teachers; inconsistency with teacher rewards), the data gathered presented some interesting results. Five students saw a decrease in the number of ‘behaviour points’ they received and three increased the number of behaviour points (under 1); and three increased their points by more than one.

For more information, contact Amy Cooper at Regents Park Community College.

The above research project was carried out by Chris Brown, Head of Science, St Anne's Catholic School and Sixth Form College as part of the Southampton Aspiring Senior Leadership Programme. Chris notes, 'The Programme afforded me excellent opportunities and rare insights into the workings of senior leadership teams in two different contexts.'

The initial premise of the project was to investigate best practice strategies for establishing successful and effective sixth form learner behaviour and ethos. The research was largely qualitative in nature and information was gathered through observation, discussion and interview. Carried out in two very different sixth forms in Southampton, differing widely in terms of size, ethos and cohort, the research concluded with recognition that induction support and proactive personal tutoring are key strategies for effectively supporting students in the jump to post-16 learning. Induction programmes are particularly important to help students feel a strong sense of belonging very early in their post-16 careers.

Another key finding was the importance of developing a growth mind-set and VESPA attributes (Vision, Effort, Systems, Practice and Attitude), The VESPA programme is 'based on the concept of growth mind-sets being conducive to learning and progress at A-level, where a fixed mind-set can lead to a lack of self-belief and contribute to failure.' (Brown: 2018) Both organisations studied were implementing approaches to developing a growth mind-set. 'Only in growth mind-set cultures, where teachers and administrators are encouraged to fulfill their potential, will they be able to help their students fulfill their potential in schools that are free of bias.' (Dweck: 2015)

For more information about this research project, please contact Chris Brown at St Anne's Catholic School and Sixth Form College: Christopher.Brown@st-annes.uk.com

Tim Liston, St George Catholic College

Tim investigated whether a successful reward system could reinforce students' self esteem and thereby create a positive attitude toward learning.

A questionnaire was created and distributed to a stratified sample, to reflect the size of the year group and the gender balance within the population from Years 7 to 10. The sample size was 140.

Recognising that this research provides a snapshot only and that more work would need to be done, Tim concluded that three of the four students who were fully tracked improved their attitude grades, even when the support was withdrawn. Other conclusions are as follows:

1. Consistent application of a positive House Point System has the support of the students
2. The use of a House Point System must be built from the lower years and maintained through Years 9 and 10 to be effective
3. More emphasis must be placed on Aspire Awards, particularly in lower years, which could be a means of improving the perception of students of the reward system
4. Departments should review how they reward students in Year 10 and perhaps revive the postcard/telephone home to recognise positive effort and improvements
5. Early intervention by tutors/staff based on short-term improvement in recognition of effort/achievement through the House Point System can lead to sustained improvement

Overall, this study supports the hypothesis that the current House Point System at St George Catholic College encourages a positive attitude to learning, but it will require consolidation to make it consistent.

For more information about this study, contact Tim Liston at St George Catholic College.

Tracey Judd, St Anne's Catholic School and Sixth Form

As part of her research project for the Southampton Aspiring Senior Leadership Programme, Tracey Judd looked at metacognition.

The project plan was to deliver structured cognitive and metacognitive strategies to five year nine pupils who were identified from the school's white British pupil premium list. Pupils attended intervention sessions for four days per week, over a seven-week period. To track the impact of the intervention, students were given pre- and post tests (Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI); pupils and teachers were given learning journals with key questions/pointers and finally, weekly observations were made of activity.

From thorough analysis of the data, Tracey reached the following conclusions:

1. The majority of the pupils were starting to understand the relevance of learning about different cognitive strategies, how to apply them and how to use the metacognitive strategies to aid them in structuring the tasks se
2. There was a very clear increase in student confidence levels, and they were setting themselves aspirational goals during the intervention period

For more detail about the study or to discuss it further, contact Tracey Judd at St Anne's School and Sixth Form.

Alex Johnston, Richard Taunton Sixth Form College

Alex chose to analyse attendance at Richard Taunton Sixth Form College, by using attendance data, a student questionnaire and student interviews and then to use this information to identify the factors leading to poor attendance in sixth form.

The author concluded that there are numerous factors that affect a student's attendance at college. Two areas in particular that might improve attendance would be improved transport links and better mental health support services, particularly during the early transition period into college. Interestingly, a student's overall enjoyment of college and their reasons for choosing to enrol do not appear to have a significant impact on attendance. Further, working with students, in particular those from disadvantaged postcodes, to improve their engagement in education would like have a positive impact on attendance.

For more information about this research project, contact Alex Johnston at Richard Taunton Sixth Form College.