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The extra dimension
As a consequence, the Vice-Principal and I decided to support the
proposal for a visit of ten Year 10 pupils to visit our partner school in Gifu,
Japan. The students underwent a rigorous application process in order
to be considered for the visit. They were individually invited, with their
parents, to a meeting to discuss the proposed visit. The group of students
included one who had never been on a bus before, another who had never
been on a train and seven others who had never been on a plane.
Following the meeting, each student was asked to write a letter
describing why they should go on the visit, what they would gain from the
experience and how they would promote the links with Japan once they
returned to school. Out of the twenty students invited, sixteen submitted
a letter. This was extremely encouraging, as the party included some of
our potentially most disengaged and disaffected. Once a decision had
been made, the Vice-Principal, who is responsible for Pupil Premium,
formulated a tracker to measure the impact of the visit. This included clear
and quantifiable data on progress, attitude to learning, behaviour in lessons
and attendance.
I am delighted to say that 90% of the members of the group have shown
sustained and consistent progress in each area. The students’ attitude to
learning has definitely improved with 70% of them consistently attaining
at least one grade higher since the visit. What have also improved are the
students’ self-esteem, confidence and aspiration. While these qualities
cannot be measured, it is evident from their engagement in all aspects of
school life. The visit, according to one student, made him “look at life in a
different way”. Another commented that although she “was nervous”, she
appreciated “the challenge” that the visit provided. All the students enjoyed
working with their Japanese peers and quickly realised that there were
“more similarities than differences” between them. Our current Deputy
Head Girl stated that she appreciated the opportunity to “learn about
the history and the culture. It was not like anywhere I had been before”.
Another participant added, “I liked the opportunity to meet Japanese
people and discuss their culture with them. I thought the Japanese method
of taking small steps towards the big picture was really interesting and have
tried to use this system in my lessons.”
The vital aspect is maintaining the momentum of the visit by ensuring
that there is regular follow-up with specific activities. This not only serves
as a reminder of the visit but also reaffirms the status and value of the
students who participated. I definitely feel that through this opportunity,
the students’ aspirations and self-esteem have been raised and they are
more engaged in their learning.
As a school, we are committed to utilising a small proportion of our
Pupil Premium to continue to promote the raising of student aspiration.
I feel this is vital when full consideration of the school’s context is
considered. A group of Year 8 students are visiting Disneyland Paris to
consider STEM subjects during the February half-term holiday. Again, the
same rigorous procedures for monitoring and follow-up have been applied.
During the last academic year, specific departments have applied for
Pupil Premium money to support curriculum enhancement activities.
The English department has run a Murder Mystery weekend with Year 11
GCSE English students studying inference, deduction and interpretation.
Following this weekend, 55% of the Year 10 students who attended made at
least three levels of progress and 95% strongly agreed that they enjoyed the
Summer 2014 | 63