Evaluation of the Two Year Key Stage 3 Project - Communities and ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Amyruth SchoolThe case study visit took place in Summer 2006. At that time the first cohort of accelerated pupils werein Year 11 (at the local high school) and the first cohort of Project pupils were in Year 9 (at the localhigh school).Amyruth School is a middle school catering for pupils aged 9-13. It is located in a coastal town with ahigh level of deprivation among its population. The intake of the school includes a very high proportionof pupils with special educational needs. The school joined Phase 1 of the Project.At this school, early entry of pupils for Key Stage 3 tests pre-dated the launch of the Two Year KeyStage 3 Project. Being a middle school, and reportedly at the behest of the local high school to which itwas a feeder, there was an attraction in having pupils complete the Key Stage at their middle schoolrather than having Key Stage 3 straddle two schools. Respondents reported that teachers had initiallynot been in favour of the change and that some remained so. The two year Key Stage 3 was seen as achallenge thrown down to the three feeder middle schools by the high school and taken up with adegree of trepidation rather than as originating from within the school.Initially all pupils followed a two year Key Stage 3 programme in all subjects. However, this wasreduced, in all three of the middle schools, to the core subjects only. It was felt that they struggled tocomplete programmes of study in the more content heavy subjects and that an Ofsted inspection couldeasily conclude that they had signed off pupils as having completed their programme of studyadministratively when they had not done so in reality. Consequently the programme was reduced tocovering the core subjects only.Interviews suggested that the school seemed to operate with a slightly different conception of KeyStage 3 from the other case study schools with entry for the SAT test as the defining criterion forhaving completed a two year Key Stage 3.At the end of Year 8, Amyruth’s pupils went on to the local high School. Staff at the middle schoolhowever felt that the time saved had not been well utilised by the high school.The middle school only entered its most able pupils for the Key Stage 3 tests and consequently, in termsof raw scores, looked very good in the school performance tables. The high school, meanwhile, wereleft entering the lower attaining pupils and consequently saw its Key Stage 3 league table positiondepressed.77
Henryson SchoolThe case study visit took place in Summer 2006. By that time the oldest cohort of Project pupils were inYear 9. The school had however previously run its own pilot with higher attaining pupils entering KeyStage 3 tests in Year 8 prior to joining the Project. These pupils were in Year 11 at the time of the visit.Henryson School is a mixed, 11-16 school located in a city. Attainment at Key Stage 4 and progressfrom Key Stage 2 to 4 is above the national average. Levels of eligibility for free school meals arebelow the national average although the intake could not be described as advantaged.The school chose to adopt a two year Key Stage 3 for a number of reasons. In particular, a desire toimprove motivation, improve pace and progression, as a vehicle to improve the quality of teaching andlearning, to avoid a Year 8 dip and to open up a more flexible Key Stage 4 were all cited as reasons.The idea for a shortened Key Stage 3 pre-dated the Project. Originally it was adopted as a means toaccelerate learning although this subsequently changed as the programme was seen as a component ofdesigning the curriculum as a 5-year package with different pathways to GCSE.While the senior management team decided on the adoption of the policy, departments were able tochoose whether or not to take part. A two year Key Stage 3 was followed in English, mathematics,science and the humanities. Art, one of the school’s greatest strengths, was felt to depend in part onmaturity and so a three year Key Stage was retained. Music, drama and technology also retained theconventional format.In the case of English, all pupils followed a two year Key Stage 3 and all pupils working above Level 3were entered for the Key Stage 3 tests during Year 8. In mathematics and science however only pupilswho were anticipated to achieve Level 5 or higher were entered in Year 8.In English, an enrichment programme was then provided in Year 9 including, for example, creativewriting, media studies and poetry but also with some starting GCSE coursework. In Year 10 thedecision was taken as to who completed GCSE English Literature and Language at the end of that year.AS level film studies and English were then available in Year 11.The main benefits of the innovation were seen to be opening up a wider range of options in Key Stage 4with an earlier acquisition of qualifications (with pupils having from 1 to 5 GCSEs on entering Year11). In addition, the saved time allowed pupils to study for AS levels in Year 11. However, under thenew model it was acknowledged that the opportunities for transferring between groups were limited andso, when determining groups, it was important to take into account maturity as well as attainment.78
Page 1 and 2:
RESEARCHEvaluation of the Two YearK
Page 4 and 5:
CONTENTSEXECUTIVE SUMMARY 21. EVALU
Page 6:
nationally expected level for pupil
Page 9 and 10:
For schools operating an accelerate
Page 11 and 12:
2.2 Attainment and attitudesThe tim
Page 13 and 14:
could follow a Year 7 and Year 8 Ke
Page 15 and 16:
Figure 2 - Percentage of Project sc
Page 17 and 18:
The analysis of Key Stage 3 results
Page 19 and 20:
Table 4 - Proportion of pupils achi
Page 21 and 22:
Figure 4 - 2005 Key Stage 3 mathema
Page 23 and 24:
Table 6 - Proportion of pupils achi
Page 25 and 26:
SummaryIn the case of English, when
Page 27 and 28:
4.4 Attainment summaryThe analysis
Page 29 and 30: to 8 these were in the opposite dir
Page 31 and 32: Figure 10 - Percentage of Year 7 pu
Page 33 and 34: 6. ANALYSIS OF CASE STUDY DATAAs ha
Page 35 and 36: Table 9 - Operationalisation of the
Page 37 and 38: 6.1 Overall viewsMost, though not a
Page 39 and 40: Points of interest for the higher s
Page 41 and 42: The key advantage is opening up Key
Page 43 and 44: 6.3 ProgressionNevertheless, findin
Page 45 and 46: would no longer exist. Both of the
Page 47 and 48: However, as a colleague noted, even
Page 49 and 50: Most commonly the freedom was used
Page 51 and 52: Phase 2 Project and Phase 2 Compari
Page 53 and 54: A11 - Key Stage 3 attainmentProject
Page 55 and 56: A20 - Reported number of books in t
Page 57 and 58: The variables listed below were inc
Page 59 and 60: Table C1 - Final model for Year 7 M
Page 62 and 63: Table C3 - Final model for Year 7 E
Page 64 and 65: Figure C2 - Year 7 English Optional
Page 66 and 67: Table C8 - Final model for Year 8 m
Page 68 and 69: Figure C4 - Year 8 mathematics high
Page 70 and 71: Table C11 - Final model for Year 8
Page 72: Good teachersMy teachers make sure
Page 75 and 76: ANNEX F - CASE STUDY SUMMARIESPhoeb
Page 77 and 78: Abbotswell SchoolThe case study vis
Page 79: Elsiemaud SchoolThe case study visi
Page 83 and 84: ANNEX G - OTHER EARLY ENTRANTS TO 2
Page 85 and 86: Table G5 - Key Stage 3 Mathematics
show all

Evaluation of the Two Year Key Stage 3 Project - Communities and ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?