A whole-school approach to securing high standards of teaching and learning
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Information about the school
Whitmore High School opened in 2018 on the same site as Barry Comprehensive school. Since then, a substantial transformation project has taken place during which the school moved from a single sex, boys’ school to a mixed comprehensive. The school moved into a new building in 2021. There are 1082 pupils on roll, including around 160 in the sixth form. Around 20% of all pupils are eligible for free school meals. The headteacher was appointed in 2019.
Context and background to the effective or innovative practice
Whitmore High School’s philosophy is grounded firmly on the ‘four pillars’ that provide the basis for developing the whole child and which form ‘The Whitmore Values’. This philosophy is advocated by nearly all staff who work to ensure that pupils are valued and listened to, are treated as individuals, and receive consistently good teaching and extensive opportunities outside lessons. This is so that they can succeed in their learning and nurture their passions and talents.
Description of nature of strategy or activity
A whole-school learning and teaching approach has been deployed, achieved and embedded at Whitmore High School. This has been done by employing a simple, consistent and stepped approach, ensuring clarity of purpose and expectations. The Whitmore direct teaching method is not lecturing, and teachers are expected to ‘chunk’ learning to ensure that there is no excessive cognitive overload on pupils’ working memory. Following initial modelling, pupils are given structured tasks to practise applying the new skills or knowledge, culminating in independent work. ‘The Whitmore Way’ of learning and teaching is characterised as ‘modelling and scaffolding towards independence’.
At Whitmore High School the teacher is in control of the learning intentions. They make these explicitly clear to the pupils. Teachers demonstrate by modelling, evaluate by questioning, address misconceptions and provide learning scaffolds with decreasing levels of support until independence is achieved. This blend of approaches has direct teaching as its focus. The approach to teaching and learning at Whitmore High is grounded in research and was co-created with staff. They are confident that this method produces independent and confident learners:
Many pupils make strong progress in their learning and benefit significantly from effective teaching and assessment’ (Estyn 2022).
Leaders believe that this is a way of learning that promotes high expectations and high challenge, providing individuals with a gateway to future success. In addition, it provides a blueprint of what is required of teachers to be successful in the classroom. This clarity empowers teachers to deliver lessons that meet the high expectations of the school. By providing complete clarity for staff, the learning and teaching model allows teaching to improve at a rapid rate by enabling teachers to develop mastery of each element, as evidenced within the Estyn report.
This clear blueprint allows staff training to be highly focused on the elements of a lesson that have the most impact. All staff training, including INSET days, morning briefings and one-to-one coaching, revolve around the key elements of a ‘Whitmore lesson’. The objective of the coaching programme at Whitmore High School is to develop a structured process to allow for meaningful discussions between colleagues based on the Whitmore learning and teaching model. This non-judgmental and supportive relationship between coach and coachee facilitates the sharing of experience and dissemination of best practice. This creates a culture of reflective practice where teachers are open to and willing to engage in learning and teaching.
In addition, all staff members are encouraged to complete their Masters in Education (Wales) qualification with Cardiff Metropolitan University (13 members of staff are currently enrolled), with all research and enquiry assignments focused on an element of the Whitmore model for teaching and learning. Due to the simplicity of the model, all staff can clearly articulate to peers what is expected, and they have a shared vocabulary of the key elements of a lesson. This shared understanding leads to useful and successful collaboration. The school-based professional learning programme underpins these non-negotiable criteria for teachers when they plan lessons. In-house master classes support teachers’ development beneficially by equipping them with the pedagogical strategies and confidence to embed the Whitmore learning and teaching model.
Quality assurance is achieved through an ‘open-door’ policy that is evident throughout the school. Frequent learning walks, a robust observation timetable and an effective coaching programme allow leaders to make robust judgements about the quality of teaching and learning in the school:
‘Senior leaders have a well-considered approach to gathering first-hand evidence about the quality of teaching. This includes formal lesson observations and frequent trips around the school to check how well pupils are engaged in their work’ (Estyn 2022).
What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?
Staff welcome senior leaders and coaches into their lessons because they have confidence in what is expected. They do not feel the need to produce ‘show lessons’ that do not mirror their everyday practice. Instead, they follow the key elements of the Whitmore model, safe in the knowledge that any feedback will be clearly linked to the expected elements of the ‘Whitmore way’.
There is a strong culture of reflective practice at Whitmore High School, where teachers are open to and willing to engage in their own learning, improving their teaching and are committed to making a difference to pupils’ learning experiences.