GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION College of Social Sciences & International Studies St Luke’s Campus Heavitree Road Exeter EX1 2LU Telephone +44 (0)1392 724917 Email [email protected] Web www.exeter.ac.uk/education Report by Bernadette Hancock on the application of The Victory Academy to become an accredited Thinking School by the Cognitive Education Development Unit, University of Exeter. Context The Victory Academy is a “rapidly improving school”1 in Chatham, Kent. It is a smaller than the average- sized mixed secondary school. It is in an area where there are grammar schools and as a result, whilst welcoming students of all abilities, the student body tends to have lower prior achievement. The school also has a greater number of students with special educational needs or disabilities than average and a higher number of students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is part of the ‘Thinking Schools Academy Trust’ led by The Rochester Grammar School which is a family of schools working together to "improve the life chances of all their children and young people.”2 Evidence Base The University of Exeter received the school’s submission from the Thinking Skills Co-ordinator, Ms Laura Gladstone, evidencing the school’s progress towards meeting the accreditation criteria. Victory Academy School began its journey towards becoming a ‘Thinking School in 2015 when it changed its name and became part of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust. The evidence presented on the school’s web site was well-organised and included pictorial evidence of displays and work showing how pupils apply and use the tools to enrich and enhance their learning. There were statements from staff, examples of teachers’ planning, observations of learning and classroom practice, minutes of meetings, evidence of communication with parents, presentations and standards of achievement. The assessor also spoke with the thinking skills leader. The school then submitted further evidence by e-mail. School Ethos From the evidence presented, it is clear that staff at Victory Academy are intent upon raising the achievement and aspirations of all. This pervades the school. The thinking approach has engendered a consistent methodology to developing learning and a spirit of cooperation and collaboration. This can be seen in the ‘Victory Virtues,’ based on the ‘Habits of Mind,’ which are particularly key for staff and pupils. Senior Management and Whole School Commitment The school’s vision is grounded in the school motto of “Aspire, Endeavour and Achieve.” The head teacher has made a formal commitment to cognitive education as part of the school’s development priorities, called the ‘Victory Vision.’ This is a plan of actions that the Academy wishes 1 Ofsted report September 2017 2 Vision of the ‘Thinking Schools’ Academy Trust. Found on the Academy’s website 1 to achieve and is developed annually into “an overview Vision Document which acts as a road map (of actions) for key stakeholders with both the Academy and the Trust.”3 The members of the Governing Body are supportive of the school's approach to cognitive education and share the vision of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust. They have also taken part in observing learning in the school. There is a collective understanding that the ‘Thinking Schools’ approach has been a successful pathway for raising student achievement and continues to transform how pupils and staff view learning. However, there is little evidence that the governors, together with all staff have made a specific commitment by articulating their own particular vision of what it means for Victory Academy to grow and develop in its ‘Thinking School’ journey, and, how this vision can engage all stakeholders in reinforcing and improving its existing practices to transform the learning of all. It is only by regularly revisiting its own ‘individual’ vision of what being a ‘Thinking School’ means for the Victory Academy and how this impacts upon its purposes, goals and values, that the Academy will continue to develop as a ‘Thinking School,’ rather than a school that engages with thinking practices. During the transition evening new parents, are "given a presentation about the Victory Academy as a Thinking School, and what this means for their children and their experience.” 4 The school’s web site and prospectus includes information about the cognitive approaches at Victory Academy and there are plans in place for Year 7 students to give parents further information about the Academy’s cognitive approaches. The lead teacher is a member of Senior Leadership Team who, with the drive team, has led the development of cognitive approaches that have been so integral to the Academy’s drive for improvement. There has been a phased approach to the introduction of the whole school development in the use of thinking tools and strategies led by Rochester Grammar School. Right from the start, Victory Academy has taken ownership and made its own decisions regarding in which order they would implement the thinking tools and strategies. The drive team represents staff from all areas of the school. Their areas of responsibility are clear. They hold regular meetings to discuss and reflect upon the teaching and learning experiences related to the development of a thinking school. The drive team monitors the impact of the cognitive approaches and because of their findings are able to support staff through mentoring, the designing and redesigning of staff development training and their planning for future developments. There are explicit expectations that all staff are obliged to use the thinking strategies and tools to effectively develop learning. This formal commitment is given further status through the use of performance objectives as “The use of Thinking Tools is a key aspect of the Performance Management of staff, and form several of the objectives.”5 The Drive Team also wrote, ‘The Compass Guide to Teaching and Learning at the Victory Academy’, “which shares the expectations we have of Victory teachers,” and gives “clarity as to the approaches that form the core of our pedagogic approach.”6 During the academic year 2016/17, the school created from the student body a group of Thinking Cadets. The aim of this student group is to not only to harness the student voice but also to act “as ambassadors for the Thinking School approach…contributing to both staff CPD and supporting the 3 Narrative of evidence presented by Ms Laura Gladstone, Thinking School Co-ordinator 4 4 Narrative of evidence presented by Ms Laura Gladstone, Thinking School Co-ordinator 5 Narrative of evidence presented by Ms Laura Gladstone, Thinking School Co-ordinator 6 Ibid 2 introduction of new and/or younger students to various cognitive approaches.”7 There is evidence that the cadets are having a positive impact both in and out the classroom such as their idea of displaying ‘Thunks’ in the galley. Implementation The school has implemented the cognitive approach through embedding a range of thinking tools and strategies into their practice since 2015. They began their journey with an understanding of the ‘Thinking School’ approach to learning and initially used the strategies of Ryan’s ‘Thinking Keys’ and De Bono’s ‘Thinking Hats’. These strategies are used extensively to support and evaluate learning. For example, students use 'Thinking Hats' effectively to reflect on their reading. Since then, the Academy has incorporated the use of Hyerle’s ‘Thinking Maps’ and specific strategies to develop questioning. Ian Gilbert’s ‘Thunks’ are used to kick start creativity in thought and communication between students. The Question Matrix linked to Bloom’s Taxonomy, supports the questioning of staff who “use questions to encourage pupils to explain their thinking.”8 However, there is little evidence of students as yet, using these tools effectively and independently to develop their own questioning skills. There are many examples that show how Thinking Maps are being used creatively and effectively across the curriculum and in displays around the school, such as in supporting student’s revision. The examples show how the metacognitive frame or the ‘Frame of Reference’ helps pupils to reflect on their learning. However, the examples submitted of the bridge map were varied in quality and in the accurate use of the ‘relating factor.’ The ‘Victory Virtues,’ are based on the Art Costa’s ‘Habits of Mind’. Staff chose the habits that “they felt were most valuable for our students.” 9 The chosen habits were then incorporated into the ‘virtues’ which were introduced to “the whole school including a special additional habit or Virtue, which students have really adopted as their own: that of ‘bounceability.’”10 Students are rewarded with points from staff when they are seen to be developing a particular Victory Virtue and these points lead to house points and prizes. The school uses their understanding of a Growth Mindset as an invitation for staff and pupils to grow. Indeed the school uses the visual based on the ‘Learning-Pit’ in the Victory Values posters. Qualitative data stated that “The Victory Values have been very useful this year in helping pupils not to give up but to persevere even though the result of their mock exams were not what they had wished for.”11 In conversation with the Thinking School Leader, it became apparent that the school is beginning to recognise that the Victory Virtues, based on Habits of Mind, are unlike the other strategies and tools. There is an appreciation that in order to develop these positive behaviours and help students to understand that they are capable of growth and can improve their abilities when outside their comfort zone, the school needs to do much more than ask students to recognise and use the virtues. The school needs to teach their students how they can internalise the ‘Victory Virtues’ and to recognise what it means to them as individuals to develop in their capacity of growth.