There’s not a lot of good news about at the moment - cost of living, teacher recruitment targets being missed and the Government failing to negotiate over teacher strikes. Here’s hoping for better times on all fronts.
On that note, this week’s highlights are about:
finding and sharing good news and practical insights about how your fellow members get the best outcomes for their students.
helping where we can with one of the biggest issues above - recruitment.
Hope you find it useful.
Enjoy the rest of the bank holiday weekend.
We - schools - Are In Beta - always learning.
This week
🧠 Revision: a 16 step recipe for success.
📚🧠 Curriculum Thinking Week 2023 will be back.
💼 🔎Jobs with We Are In Beta community members.
🧠 Revision: a 16 step recipe for success.
With Year 11 exams just around the corner and Year 10 waiting in the wings to start their final year, the chances are you'll be thinking about how you can get your students to know and remember as much as possible so they can knock their exams out of the park.
The trouble is, despite what your students might think: reading, highlighting and copying information from revision guides just won't cut it.
Below I've summarised Katherine Gibson's and Neilam Atcha's 16 step recipe for success at MEA Central from their master class: “How to get students revise effectively: techniques and whole school strategy”.
Get the values right.
Build excellent habits.
Play the long game.
Understand the problems with revision.
Do your research about memory.
Make a clear plan.
Design 3 keys for effective revision.
Provide students the resources they need.
Choose just 2 revision strategies.
Train students by live modelling how to use the techniques.
Build rewards into the strategy.
Timetable sessions for students to revise independently.
Train staff to embed the techniques.
Weave the revision strategy into line management meetings.
Train parents.
Evaluate the impact.
If you want to learn more about how and why they took each step…
📚🧠 Curriculum Thinking Week 2023 will be back in July 🎉
Curriculum Thinking Week is back!
Join us in July 2023 for our big online conference to celebrate excellence across the Curriculum Thinkers Community.
In producing our last conference in Spring 2023, we heard from lots of people who would have loved to speak but couldn’t at that point in time.
Curriculum Thinking Week Summer 2023 is for you (and those who want to join us again ;)
We’re looking for brilliant subject experts, who want to lead the national conversation.
We can’t wait to see you there!
💼 Jobs with We Are In Beta community members.
Want the 14.5k+ people reading this newsletter to see your roles?
Senior leadership.
Principal - Beacon Academy (Leicestershire).
Head of School - Richmond Park Academy (East Sheen).
Vice Principal - Behaviour & Attitudes - The Hart School (Staffordshire).
Vice Principal - Worle Community School - an Academy (Weston-super-Mare).
Vice Principal (Academic) - Ark Boulton Academy (Birmingham).
Associate Assistant Principal - Oasis Academy Southbank (London).
Assistant Headteacher- Maths Specialist - E-ACT Royton and Crompton Academy (Oldham).
Assistant Principal (Curriculum, T&L) - Ark Boulton Academy (Birmingham).
Assistant Headteacher (Pastoral) - East Barnet School (London).
Assistant Principal - Teaching & Learning - Ash Green School (Warwickshire).
Associate Assistant Headteacher - Shenley E-ACT Academy (Birmingham).
Assistant Headteacher - Progress Leader - Raising Standards - Shenley E-ACT Academy (Birmingham).
Associate Assistant Headteacher - Assessment - West Walsall E-ACT Academy (Walsall).
SENCO - Brakenhale School (Bracknell).
Deputy SENCO - Shenley E-ACT Academy (Birmingham).
Middle leadership.
🎨 Art
Head of Art - Ark Acton (London).
🛠D&T
Leader of Food Technology - The Oldham E-ACT Academy North (Oldham).
Director of Faculty - Shenley E-ACT Academy (Birmingham).
Head of Product Design - Shenley E-ACT Academy (Birmingham).
📖English
Head of English - Brakenhale School (Bracknell).
Deputy Leader of English - E-ACT Royton and Crompton Academy (Oldham).
Head of English - Shenley E-ACT Academy (Birmingham).
Key Stage 3 English Lead - West Walsall E-ACT Academy (Walsall).
🌎Geography
Head of Geography - Brakenhale School (Bracknell).
Head of Geography - Ark Acton (London).
Lead Practitioner for Geography - The Oldham E-ACT Academy North (Oldham).
👋Languages
Head of Spanish - The Oldham E-ACT Academy North (Oldham).
Deputy Head of Faculty - Spanish - The Oldham E-ACT Academy North (Oldham).
📊Maths
Head of Maths - The Priory Learning Trust (Somerset).
Head of Maths - Brakenhale School (Bracknell).
Deputy Leader of Maths - E-ACT Royton and Crompton Academy (Oldham).
🎶 Music
Leader of Music - The Oldham E-ACT Academy North (Oldham).
🛡Pastoral
Head of Year - Shenley E-ACT Academy (Birmingham).
Head of Year - The Castle Rock School 11-18 (Leicestershire).
🧒🏾 Primary
Phase Leader - Ark Franklin Primary Academy (London).
🕌 Religious Studies
Head of Religious Studies - Oasis Academy Southbank (London).
🧠 Psychology
Head of Psychology - Oasis Academy Southbank (London).
🧬Science
Head of Science Faculty - Oasis Academy Southbank (London).
2nd In Charge of Science - Les Quennevais School (Jersey).
Second in Department Science - The Priory Learning Trust (Somerset).
Head of Science - Wrenn School (Northamptonshire).
Head of Science - Shenley E-ACT Academy (Birmingham).
Lead Practitioner Science - Shenley E-ACT Academy (Birmingham).
Teaching.
Maths - Oasis Academy Southbank (London).
Maths - Les Quennevais School (Jersey).
Computing, Geography, History, Maths - East Barnet School (London).
English; KSE English Lead - The Priory Learning Trust (Somerset).
Geography; Spanish - The Oldham E-ACT Academy North (Oldham).
Spanish; Maths; English - E-ACT Royton and Crompton Academy (Oldham).
Computer Science and I-Media; Social Sciences; Humanities; Maths; Science; Music - Beckfoot Oakbank (Yorkshire).
Economics - Newstead Wood School (Bromley).
English; Maths - Shenley E-ACT Academy (Birmingham).
IT; Science; Geography - - West Walsall E-ACT Academy (Walsall).
Science; Maths; Drama; Food Technology; Business or IT - The Castle Rock School 11-18 (Leicestershire).
Interested in these roles?
Send the people who posted them a message to find out more. But first…
On a personal note.
When you’re working in schools it can feel like the to do list is endless. You’re forced to make a seemingly impossible choice between your own needs and your students’.
Do you sacrifice your own (or your family’s) time to make sure your students get what they need to succeed? Or do you fill up your own cup when you have some down time? Whichever you choose the guilt you feel is real.
It’s impossible not feel that same guilt when leading We Are In Beta. I have a team to grow, members to serve and a young family to support. They play an endless tug of war in my mind. And it’s not a quiet one.
As I get older (and hopefully wiser) it becomes clearer and clearer that you have to put your oxygen mask on first. If you’re not top on form, you can’t deliver for your people whether that be your team, your students or your family.
So this weekend, I put my own oxygen mask on first. I delayed this edition of the newsletter by 24 hours to enjoy my *brother’s 40th birthday with my family down in Brighton - volleyball on the beach followed by dinner out and brunch at home the next day. Bliss.
*Those of you who know me well, know that he is one of main reasons We Are In Beta exists today. Without his generosity in the early days, I would never have been able to make it work financially. I will be forever grateful.
What did you do? Would love to hear how you filled up your cup.
Thanks for reading.
@NiallAlcock and the We Are In Beta team.
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