Good Practice - Case Study

The Wroxham School

School No: 663

Pupil Voice

All children at Wroxham School have an opportunity to share in decision making. Our ethos is one of a ‘listening school’ where everyone is valued.

Weekly Circle Meetings

All children and staff participate in mixed age circle group meetings each week. The circle groups are led and minuted by Year 6 children. Each group consists of 25 children aged 4-11. We have a shared agenda for the week and decisions are made collectively. This initiative is in place of the traditional school council model and ensures that the entire school community is involved in discussions and that everyone has a voice. The mix of ages has helped to increase tolerance and understanding between year groups.

Radio Wroxham

One of our recent innovations has been to introduce ‘Radio Wroxham’ which broadcasts in school during breakfast club, lunchtimes at the Wroxham Café and after school at Kids’ Club. Although this is primarily a speaking and listening initiative there is tremendous potential for almost every area of the curriculum to be enhanced through the production and broadcast of radio articles. We are planning to work with all schools in the Potters Bar area to extend this idea using Primary Learning Network funding. Our vision is to stream our radio broadcasts over our school website.

Teaching without ability labelling

Alison Peacock’s teaching formed part of a newly published research study ‘Learning without Limits’ by Hart et al. This study challenges notions of teaching by fixed ability labelling and suggests a new approach to differentiation and inclusion.
We are working with researchers from the University of Cambridge to devise a follow up study of ways in which a whole school can approach teaching without fixed ability labelling.

We believe that grouping and setting by ability is divisive and potentially hugely demotivating. Assessment for learning should enable all children to make informed decisions about the level of task they attempt and the level of support they require. We aim to establish classroom environments where teachers and students engage in real dialogue about learning and where children know that they are trusted to make appropriate choices about levels of challenge within their work.