QUESTION 4- The Big Big Question!!!!!
25 x 1 @ 2 + B + 2 + L + 1 X 5 is this the best we can do????
Staff felt changing the way the day is timetabled could be beneficial in a number of ways: -
- allows for deeper learning
- faculties have more time for enrichment and development of links with e.g. college/ industry
- reduced movement around school
- varied teaching methods including team teaching and project work
Ideas on how the day may be changed generated by the group:-
- Group periods/block time to enable longer sessions (this may vary dependant upon subject)
- Earlier starts to the day/ earlier finishes (staff felt where earlier finishes may cause issue with parents extended services/ sporting activities may be made available)
- 6 sessions (double periods) on 4 days and an early finish
- P.M. reg at end of day or not at all (felt not necessary)
- Assembly would be more productive in the morning (popular opinion)
- Assembly should be timetabled and possibly linked with subjects e.g. French/ mentoring time /PSHE/SEAL
- Spilt lunches would be preferable (difficult to manage in current build- unless pupils are escorted)
- Replace ‘tutors’ with ‘mentors’
- Faculty days – this would allow faculties to manage their own time with pupils.
- Extended tutor time could be timetabled once a week if necessary (information may be passed to pupils/parents in other ways)
- Enrichment to take place on a shorter day
- Movement bell not needed
- Built in time for faculty/dept planning or meeting
- Faculty areas required in new school particularly
- 5 year groups, 5 days, 5 faculties (at KS3) i.e. timetable 'faculty days'
- Include a 'skills day'
Consultation points for all staff:-
- Which Faculty areas/subjects would want to block time together?
- What are optimum session lengths for these subjects?
Action Points:-
Comments (2)
Andy Leek said
at 1:03 pm on Oct 7, 2008
I am in quite a fortunate position due to the fact that i am deeply involved in practical subjects like science, ICT, Vocational Subjects and MT and also pure academic subjects like Maths. If i was teaching practical subjects i would jump at the chance of teaching for a 2 and a half hour stretch the time saved would be huge and the work output immense. However i am in two minds about Mathematics. On one hand there is the succesful humanities year 7 model that is getting rolled out which obviously works. On the other is the thought of having any group for that amount of time in upper school, would the educational experience be worth the time saved. Maybe extended lessons could be in lower school and more practical KS 4 subjects. I would have to consult the experts.
From a disruptive pupil point of view if pupils had blocked timetables it would be a lot easier to educate them with other experiences else where like work in a garage for a morning then in school in the afternoon.
ICT must stay as a recognised subject not an add on to other faculties. With the best will in the world staff in general would not be able to stretch the pupils ICT knowledge and their software ability as much as dedicated ICT staff. what does the world want now. It needs everyone to be more and more ICT literate.
Peter Westhorpe said
at 3:50 pm on Oct 7, 2008
I feel the same way about Maths - perhaps the standard time block would be 2 hours and the single would be 1 hour!
You don't have permission to comment on this page.