21st Century Learning Alliance » Events

Raising Attainment in Basildon

martin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 20:49:49 +0000

The Basildon Education Services Trust’s Annual Conference on 31st October will explore successful strategies to raise the achievements of working class pupils and will engage in practical workshop activities to tackle the underachievement of working class pupils.

Headteachers Eileen Heaphy, Glenys Jones, Jude Gibbon and Tracy Evans have master-minded the design and development of this conference, working with BEST Director, Patrick White, and Tracy Slater. It’s all a part of BEST’s vision for a Basildon Challenge – a challenge that will improve achievement in local schools.

The conference aims to examine the achievements of BEST pupils and to look at the research evidence around this; to identify barriers to learning and reasons for underachievement; and to share strategies for raising achievement.

Key speakers include:

Brenda Bigland CBE, recently retired headteacher of Lent Rise Primary School. Brenda will report on the journey she went through to transform achievement in her school.
Professor Denis Mongon, Visiting Professorial Fellow at the London Centre for Leadership in Learning at the Institute of Education.
Christopher Nye HMI will offer Ofsted’s views on what works in raising the achievement of working class pupils.

The conference includes 15 related workshops: Targeted Support for Working Class Children (Alan Jacobs): Raising Self-Esteem (Dr Dave Anderson); Focussing on Underachievement and low aspirations in numeracy (Sharon Victory); Engaging ways to teach writing (Theresa Mullane)…the full programme is at the foot of this page.

The conference has been many months in the making, and is the fruits of a successful collaboration between the 21st Century Learning Alliance and BEST.

Click here to link to the conference papers and background research on raising achievements of working class pupils.

The full programme for the day is as follows.

9.00	Welcome and Opening Remarks Iris Cerny, Chair of BEST
9.05	How my School Made the Difference – A Success Story Brenda Bigland, CBE
9.45	The Ofsted View on What Makes A Difference in Raising Achievement of Working Class Pupils Christopher Nye HMI, Ofsted.
11:00	Workshop Sessions 1A. Leadership and vision and working class achievement. How to create the same hymn sheet! (Brenda Bigland) 2. Whole school strategies for raising achievement in working class students (Denis Mongon) 3. Targeted support for working class children (Alan Jacobs) 4. Strategies for engaging with working class parents (Maria Coles) 5. Engaging ways to teach writing to working class pupils in Primary School (Theresa Mullane) 6. The use of a relevant Primary curriculum (Marianne Harris) 7. Transition (Alex Bedford) 8. Raising self esteem (Dr Dave Anderson) 9. Focussing on underachievement and low aspirations in numeracy (Sharon Victory) 10. Whole school Literacy? Whole school Responsibility! (Sue Goldsmith) 11. AfL – Reinforcing aspiration and achievement through positive assessment methods (Kim McWilliams) 12. Attendance – Impact on under-achieving pupils (School Home Support – SHS) 13. Working with students to raise self esteem and aspiration in Primary Schools (Rosemary Linton)
12.05	Lunch and networking opportunities
1.00	High Leverage Leadership – Improving Outcomes for Working Class Pupils Professor Denis Mongon
2.00	Workshop Sessions Workshops 2 – 12 as per morning session. In addition, alternative afternoon workshops include:- 1B. Leadership and vision and working class achievement – international collaboration and its impact on standards (Brenda Bigland) 14. Working with students to raise self esteem and aspiration in Secondary Schools (Rosemary Linton)
3.05	Reflections on the Key Themes Panel session
3.15	Closing Remarks Patrick White, Director of BEST

Innovation in Education Summit

jon_w — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:37:59 +0000

Board Member Professor Mick Waters spoke at The Guardian’s Innovation in Education Summit 2011 on 17th November. Now in its third year, the event brought together education leaders to explore how to enable the innovation and creativity that is imperative to rise to the long and short term challenges faced by education providers in times of austerity and policy uncertainty. Further information on the Summit will be posted shortly.

21st Century Learning Alliance Thinking Aloud

jon_w — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:42:54 +0000

Forthcoming events – Sir Michael Wilshaw to open the first Thinking Aloud: 21^st Century Alliance DinnerI

Sir Michael Wilshaw will be our first guest speaker at the Thinking Aloud dinner. The title of Sir Michael’s speech is Where Principals Dare. Further details can be found here.

In a relatively short time a diversity of teaching styles and types of schools has emerged in this country and public discussion on what constitutes a good educational experience has become controversial.

The 21^st Century Learning Alliance continues to act as a unique and influential forum able to influence the debate on what constitutes good teaching and learning. In November the Alliance will hold the first of a series of Thinking Aloud dinner discussions opened by influential educators. We are delighted that Sir Michael Wilshaw has agreed to act as our speaker at this first dinner. Sir Michael, the Executive Principal of Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney, has achieved remarkable examination and performance results for his inner city pupils through his sustainable management methods. The text of Sir Michael’s opening speech and the outcomes of the dinner will be posted on the website shortly after the event.

baseLearning Conference

jon_w — Thu, 13 May 2010 11:00:27 +0000

baseLearning Conference – March 2010

The conference brought business together with education; baseLearning focused on education and skills in a low-carbon economy. Its focus was on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects and the career options that these open for young people, via vocational, technical and academic routes to employment.

Its content connected classroom attainment with careers in today’s sustainable business environment. It aimed to facilitate constructive debate between education and industry that will lead to productive relationships that engage, inspire and prepare young people for working life.

Sir Mike Tomlinson, co-chair, 21st Century Learning Alliance and former government schools advisor opened the conference with “21st Century skills – are these core learning needs or are schools being asked to take on employers’ training?”

To read a Times report on baseLearning click the link The Times baseLearning

21st Century Learning Alliance Big BETT Debates

jon_w — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:17:07 +0000

At BETT 2010, the 21st Learning Alliance continued its challenging programme of debates.

The debates considered the questions, What do you want Government to do? and What place do new technologies play in the classroom?

The first discussion explored the challenges facing Government in engaging pupils in a climate of uncertainty and change.

The second discussion looked at the ways in which new technology could assist in making schools more flexible and assessable for young people and how the skills of team building and self-reliance might be recognised.

To read SecEd’s article on page 11 on the 21st Century Learning Alliance’s Big BETT Debates click this link