Berrywood Primary School

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by Berrywood Primary School's best practice article

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from Berrywood Primary School is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Blunkett signature Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett
Pickles signature Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles

www.berrywood-pri.hants.

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
30 | BERRYWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL
Chris Reilly, head teacher
View from our stunning
meadowland – parents enjoying
a project celebration
As head teacher of Berrywood, Chris Reilly is proud to
lead a large primary school that is rated by Ofsted as
“good” with “outstanding features”. In recent years a
stunning outdoor environment bursting with first-hand learning
opportunities has been created. Sport and physical development
is an impressive feature that the school offers, with the visual
and performing arts gaining prominence and academic standards
rising. The school is determined to Make Learning Irresistible –
an ambition driven by the desire to enhance learning behaviours
in which pupils demonstrate profound critical analysis.
The journey – changing the culture
When I joined in the summer of 2013, I knew from the interview process that
the culture at Berrywood was damaged. Senior leaders had been weakened by
the orchestrated actions of some disaffected members of staff who avoided
initiatives and openly challenged their authority. There were stark differences in
professional values between teachers, and the success of pupils was not the lens
through which enough members of staff evaluated the impact of their work.
With the support of the local authority and governing body, self-evaluation was
downgraded to reflect a realistic understanding of the position.
From day one, I felt a strong imperative to fight for the integrity and purpose of the
organisation. The speed of engagement surprised the principle dissenters, enabling
some clarity about the authority of leadership to be restored. Most members of
staff were good people who welcomed the hope of a fairer organisation with
REPORT CARD
BERRYWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL
»Head teacher: Chris Reilly
»Founded in 1992
»Based in Hedge End,
Hampshire
»Type of school: Community
primary school
»No. of pupils: 639
»www.berrywood-pri.hants.
sch.uk
Berrywood Primary
School
31BERRYWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL |
BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2018
a brighter outlook for its pupils. I
remain incredibly grateful to many
colleagues for the support I received
during challenging times. When Ofsted
visited in February 2014, “special
measures” were avoided. Instead,
we were granted the opportunity to
continue building momentum through
a “requires improvement” judgment.
Key improvement areas
After Ofsted, improvement work
gathered pace and accountability
increased. Many grasping the
improvement nettle did so with greater
success than I had thought possible.
Coaching, mentoring, encouragement
and care were heaped upon six NQTs
who successfully completed their
induction during academic year 2014-
2015, and a further two the year after.
Everyone was benefiting from a fresher
and happier atmosphere: parents
regained trust and supported the
improvement drive.
Recruiting senior leaders and
reshaping the existing team resulted
in a revitalised structure with clear
responsibilities. Leaders at all levels
engaged in the rebuilding process,
seeing opportunities to develop
professionally and to take ownership
of improvement planning. Inclusive
principles began to underpin practice
as colleagues systematically addressed
the specific needs of vulnerable
groups and disadvantaged pupils.
Video coaching encouraged crucial
peer development and enabled a
learning community to establish.
We grew a culture of success
in tackling the huge changes
underway nationally in assessment
andcurriculum.
In mathematics, we abolished ability
setting, it being at odds with our
embrace of the growth mindset
principles advocated by Carol Dweck.
We worked intensively with the
Hampshire Maths team to establish
the use of concrete, pictorial and
abstract representations to develop
the reasoning of our pupils. Deeper
learning approaches encouraged by
the architects of the new national
curriculum were taken on board and
standards in every year group began
to rise.
In English, we were determined
to create a long-term English plan
based on rich texts and a curriculum
map aligned to the Hampshire
Assessment Model. We invested in
the development of two members
of staff who trained for two years
in the powerful Let’s Think English
programme. They have now led
school-wide implementation by
supporting colleagues to boost
writing composition through
inspiring children’s imaginative and
criticalthinking.
Project learning
I was passionate about establishing
project learning as the basis for
improving teaching and learning in
foundation subjects. A consistent and
uncomplicated planning structure was
introduced:
Making damper bread
by the fire in the unique
splendour of our
woodlands
The
head teacher has
created a highly
skilled team of
leaders at all
levels.
Together, their
outstanding
leadership has
brought about
substantial
improvements...
Ofsted May 2016
“
“
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
32 | BERRYWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL
Hook – Imaginative activity to engage
pupils in the subject matter and project
structure ahead
Body of Learning – Six to eight weeks
of well-planned project lessons
bringing rigour into learning across
thecurriculum
Celebration – Exciting and varied
events to which parents are invited; an
experience aimed at deepening pupils’
understanding
Having embedded project learning
fundamentals, we’ve created capacity
to embark on larger scale projects. In
2014, we appointed an environmental
learning leader who transformed
our nine-acre site. To explain our
journey towards “a school within
a garden”, we’ve produced a film,
greenheroes.berrywood-pri.hants.
sch.uk, that celebrates the beauty of
our environment while exploring the
children’s critical thinking on climate
change. In establishing the Green
Heroes brand and Forest School
approaches, our aim is to encourage
pupils and staff to take this venture to
even greater heights.
Challenges ahead and future
hopes
Like many public-sector organisations,
our greatest challenge is meeting
growing need during a sustained
period of funding constraint.
Educationalists, child psychologists
and others with a professional stake
cite a decline in children’s social,
emotional and academic functioning,
alongside increases in mental health
diagnoses. Thus, doing more with less
is straining capacity in even the best
placed schools and adversely affecting
recruitment and retention.
Another challenge is steering a
pathway through SATs in the better
interest of pupils. While welcoming
accountability and not denying the
imperative of a strong grounding in
English and maths, the effectiveness
of these tests, with their impact on
pupils’ wellbeing and a narrowing
curriculum, are of increasing concern
to parents and professionals.
The ambition at Berrywood is
founded on a belief that primary-
age children benefit from a buoyant
education aligned to their actual lives
and the exciting spirit of childhood.
It is encouraging that unease is
being voiced over, seemingly, the
acceleration of a predominantly
utilitarian direction in state education
and the possibility that by subtle
design this mainly serves to preserve
vested interests. Likewise, the political
consensus in neoclassical economics
that during recent decades has
provided the overarching context for
public policy, including education,
may now be ending. If this is
the case, a significant number of
educationalists may well welcome the
prospect of redefining the purpose of
their work through better imagining
a future less restricted by a naïve
standardsagenda.
Children
benefit from a
buoyant
education
aligned to
their actual
lives and the
exciting spirit
of childhood
“
“
Forest School – creative
experiences in the spirit
of childhood

www.berrywood-pri.hants.

This article was sponsored by Berrywood Primary School. The Parliamentary Review is wholly funded by the representatives who write for it. The publication in which this article originally appeared contained the following foreword from Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng.

Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng

This year’s Parliamentary Review reflects on a tumultuous and extraordinary year, globally and nationally. As well as being an MP, I am a keen student of history, and I am conscious that 2020 would mark the end of an era. It will be remembered as the year in which we concluded Brexit negotiations and finally left the European Union. Above all, it will be remembered as the year of Covid-19.

In our fight against the pandemic, I am delighted that our vaccination programme is beginning to turn the tide – and I pay tribute to the British businesses, scientists and all those who have helped us to achieve this. But the virus has dealt enormous damage, and we now have a duty to rebuild our economy.

We must ensure that businesses are protected. We have made more than £350 billion available to that end, with grants, business rates relief and our furlough scheme supporting more than 11 million people and jobs in every corner of the country, maintaining livelihoods while easing the pressure on employers. The next step is to work with business to build back better and greener, putting the net zero carbon challenge at the heart of our recovery. This is a complex undertaking, but one which I hope will be recognised as a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Through the prime minister’s ten point plan for a green industrial revolution, we can level up every region of the UK, supporting 250,000 green jobs while we accelerate our progress towards net zero carbon emissions.

With our commitment to raise R&D spending to 2.4% of GDP and the creation of the Advanced Research & Invention Agency, we are empowering our fantastic researchers to take on groundbreaking research, delivering funding with flexibility and speed. With this approach, innovators will be able to work with our traditional industrial heartlands to explore new technologies, and design and manufacture the products on which the future will be built – ready for export around the globe.

And I believe trade will flourish. We are a leading nation in the fight against climate change. As the host of COP26 this year, we have an incredible opportunity to market our low-carbon products and expertise. Our departure from the EU gives us the chance to be a champion of truly global free trade; we have already signed trade deals with more than 60 countries around the world.

As we turn the page and leave 2020 behind, I am excited about the new chapter which Britain is now writing for itself, and for the opportunities which lie ahead of us.
Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy