Featured School
are motivated when playing to what
they do best. Subsequently Ranches
has taken to the stage at What Works
to showcase their work on digital
feedback and flexible seating. It was
evident walking around the school that
students are comfortable in the space
and enjoy the flexibility of working
where they feel most comfortable in
the classroom.
An example of flexible seating at Ranches Primary School.
S.O.L.E
The soul of any school is both unique
and personal. At Ranches Primary
School they pride themselves on their
S.O.L.E or, Self-Organised Learning
Environment. At the start of each year
the senior leadership team begins
by asking the teachers the same
question. What would the learning
look like if they weren’t there? Now this
does not suggest that the teachers are
absent, instead it is a way of ensuring
that pupils are not reliant on simply
learning within lessons, but learning
without lessons and indeed, without
limits. The Ranches classrooms are
truly alive with modern and traditional
styles of learning.
Technology plays a significant role in
supporting this innovative philosophy.
Applications (APPs) such as Seesaw
are pivotal in creating transparency
between parents, students and
teachers. This digital portfolio has
been the tool that has inspired and
further supported initiatives such as
digital feedback and flexible seating.
As a result, the speed at which learning
takes place, has risen dramatically,
as validated by recent external
assessment results.
These initiatives are not rolled out
lightly; Ranches uses Learning Lenses
(a digital Learning Walk APP), Learning
Talks (with pupils) and digital surveys
with parents to ensure that impact
is measured. To ensure consistency
and best practice in the school,
Ranches has flipped the Performance
Management targets of teachers to
focus on strengths, not weaknesses.
The idea behind this is that teachers
Staff at Ranches are extremely proud
of the way they feedback to their
pupils and how they have embraced
modern technology to raise standards
and lessen teacher workload. They
value feedback as being one of the
most important aspects of furthering
learning. They have researched the
optimum way their pupils respond to
feedback and how they interact best.
The results have been outstanding
and have led to them building a
‘Digital Learning Community’ around
each learner. Gone are the rigid
marking and feedback policy of old;
the constant need for triple marking
and purple response pens!
Staff
at Ranches now use technology to
share achievement, improve work and
reduce teacher workload.
Using Seesaw, teachers are able to
respond in three ways, by typing
feedback, annotating or recording a
verbal response. Parents get instant
notification that work has been posted
on any of their devices. They have
been encouraged to not only praise
their child’s work but to also ask further
questions. This has led to many lessons
Mr Price taking on the role of facilitator in his classroom.
Class Time
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