Throughout the year we have been working with a range of secondary schools across the country.

For example, developing effective action plans both for Ofsted and the DFE based on a variety of issues including safeguarding, curriculum development, progression documents, and even plans for a new school to ensure they meet the necessary standards. We were able to support the schools in identifying achievable and time-bound targets and provide interventions and CPD for teaching and support staff. This has resulted in positive outcomes from both Ofsted and the DFE. In many cases our work is continuing with the schools to support them at a subject level, resulting in students using more metacognition, creating more effective schemas of knowledge, and developing a more profound understanding of why topics need to be studied. 

Much of our work has been with senior leaders to help them identify the impact of decisions made, and get a clearer view of the journey the school is on. This has included external reviews, monitoring appraisals for senior leaders, and support for School Improvement Plans post Ofsted. In many cases the work we have done has revealed areas that the school was previously unaware of: for example, how safe students felt in the school and how effectively incidents were being dealt with. The schools now have an effective support structure and have improved the delivery of PSHE and RSE.

In some schools we have focused on specific needs. For example, over a series of consultancy days we reviewed one school’s careers curriculum and supported a new head of careers and sixth form to create a better balance between vocational and academic pathways so that they encompass all learners. Guidance is now available when students need it, and they can talk about how this influences the focus they have when on work experience. The careers fair has a greater impact now that it focuses more on local opportunities; the speakers are more relevant to the journeys the learners are on, and those students are able to articulate how the speakers have inspired them. 

In a similar situation we explored, with heads of departments, how careers can be embedded in their own subject. Students are more aware of the skills they are developing through disciplinary knowledge and how these will be relevant to their future ambitions. This has also led to the school reviewing the breadth and balance of their curriculum, with more learners taking a variety of options at both GCSE and A-Level.

Working with a series of secondary trusts and with senior leaders to support reviews and reports has ensured consistency and highlighted best practice to share with others. This has included work on behaviour for learning, leading to greater engagement in lessons, better questioning and purposeful lessons. Action plans were created for departments who were perceived as being weaker, alongside CPD. Our reviews have also included work for SEND, providing support through observations, discussions and feedback, and following through with practical suggestions so all staff are secure in the delivery of an adaptive teaching approach for SEND and EAL students. Our support for special needs has included RSE courses, as well as developing science and maths curriculums to accommodate all abilities, including those on a pathway to GCSE.

Our work also extends to working with universities on outreach programmes for secondary schools, for instance by creating a series of interactive courses for students to close gaps and support their achievement and ambitions for the next stage of their education. During these sessions we have worked with progression and outreach leaders, identifying evidence-based examples of what works alongside our own innovative methods to engage learners. We also worked with evaluation teams to measure impact and to ensure the work dovetails with existing secondary curriculums and the needs of each particular school. 

If you want help with your planning, curriculum design, pedagogical knowledge, careers, pastoral support or other areas, have a look at our Secondary Curriculum Development Package, or give our friendly head office team a ring on 01206 625627.