064: How to create a school with less testing, less planning & verbal feedback

Flora Barton is Headteacher at Crowmarsh Gifford CE Primary School. We discuss how they are supporting their pupils to become independent learners, while creating a working environment for the teaching team to thrive, inspire and be creative. Less testing changes the focus of how teachers teach and as you will hear the results are remarkable.

They are doing this by:

• Purple learning for the pupils


• Increasing educational visit


• More learning outside of the classroom


• No formal observations


• Verbal feedback


• 2 days a week staff should leave school at 4.15 with nothing in their hands


• Focus on wellbeing


• Less Planning


• No non-statutory testing


• Growth mindset


• Being part of the community


• Broad curriculum

“Learning and leadership are central to the ethos of our school, where both adults and children not only always give their very best but go above and beyond what is expected.  We work hard to ensure that the curriculum is exciting and stimulating, where children can utilise all of their talents and inquire about the wider world around them. This is a place where everyone learns, where everyone is challenged and everyone is inspired.”

http://crowmarshgiffordprimary.com/

Links to other topics we discussed

National Association for Primary Education

Keycolab European Project

Carol Dweck – mindset works

Dame Alison Peacock – Chartered College of Teaching 

For more podcast episodes and content about how to support children to be happy, creative and inspired please visit www.EducationOnFire.com