Frogmore Junior School

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by Frogmore Junior 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 Frogmore Junior School is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett

Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles

www.frogmorejuniors.co.uk

1FROGMORE JUNIOR SCHOOL |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE

Headteacher Carl McCarthy

A “can do” approach

where everyone can

succeed

Frogmore Junior School have achieved a rapid turnaround.

After being put into special measures, they have since become

an academy and have continuously improved, with their most

recent Ofsted report commending the attitude of their pupils as

outstanding. They have changed their curriculum to promote a

rounded learning experience and have emphasised the importance

of sport and pupil inclusion in decision-making. Headteacher

Carl McCarthy explains how they achieved their remarkable

turnaround and how they plan to continue that progress.

I came to the school as an advisor in 2017 while working with the University of

Chichester Academy Trust. I had been a headteacher twice before, but what

struck me when I arrived was the sense of teamwork and togetherness that the

staff, trust and governors showed. Located in a disadvantaged area, the school

had undergone a rapid transformation from being put into special measures to

becoming an academy in 2013. I was aware that the school needed extra guidance

to move it forward, so when the headship became available in September 2017,

I knew I could make a significant difference. Using the insight I had gained from

being an advisor, we have been able to continue this progress and have seen 18

months of rapid improvement.

The strength of the team was foundational to this progress. We also identified that

the children needed a distinct set of values, which would be at the centre of their

learning experience. We endeavour to always put the children first and actively

give them a role to play in decision-making processes. Real prominence is given to

involving the pupils through the school council and the digital leaders and sports

REPORT CARD

FROGMORE JUNIOR SCHOOL

»Headteacher: Carl McCarthy

»Founded in 1969

»Based in Blackwater

»Type: Junior school

»No. of staff: 27

»No. of students: 187

»Ofsted: “Good”

»www.frogmorejuniors.co.uk

Frogmore Junior

School

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

2| FROGMORE JUNIOR SCHOOL

leaders programmes. When schools

are struggling, direct instruction is

clearly needed, but in terms of school

improvement, this only goes so far.

Involving pupils and staff, and working

collaboratively, can help to achieve far

greater results.

Adapting the curriculum to

improve results

We reinvigorated the curriculum

and tried to infuse it with strong,

memorable experiences. The

importance of sport was significantly

increased, and we changed the

curriculum to make it more rounded.

We used Shakespeare and classic

texts to bring learning to life. Books

were at the centre of what we tried

to do. We feel that, at the end of

their junior study, pupils should have

access to and feel confident about

the key themes and ideas in these

seminal texts. We have also developed

relationships with external partners,

such as St George’s School in Ascot,

and try to incorporate inspirational

extracurricular events: we have invited

renowned authors to the school; we

have hosted Olympic athletes, who

gave our pupils coaching sessions;

and we have worked with Chelsea

FC Foundation to supplement our

curriculum with experiences that

add significant value like the “Girl

Powered” Vex Robotics challenge.

Key to improving results is instilling

aspiration in our children. Both

staff and pupils need to feel that

they are being listened to. We have

created a culture that promotes

achievement, values individuals and

celebrateslearning.

A deliberate strategy has been to

ensure that teachers spend as much

time as possible in the classroom.

When I arrived, some teachers would

often be involved in activities that

took them out of the classroom and

disrupted the pupils’ routines. Inspired

by a visit to Singapore, we ensured

that each class teacher would be

teaching every day. This allows pupils

to know who will be teaching them

each morning and decreases the

probability of challenging behaviour.

Repeated changes to routine, teaching

staff and teaching schedules can be a

trigger for disruption. I am convinced

that consistency significantly improves

how pupils learn and provides a

sense of stability. We engage our

staff in carefully planned continuing

professional development programmes

and are very thoughtful in planning

Primary education is

complex, but, in many

ways, what we are

trying to do is very

simple

We have

created a

culture that

promotes

achievement,

values

individuals

and celebrates

learning

“

3FROGMORE JUNIOR SCHOOL |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE

and preparing for any time that

teachers have away from their classes.

Empowering teachers and

promoting positivity

I have high expectations for my staff,

but I believe that they are more than

capable of exceeding them. Ultimately,

it is essential to empower teachers

to be the best they can be. We have

created an atmosphere in which every

employee adds tangible value to the

school; as headteacher, I am trying to

engender meaning for the whole team

and awareness of what they provide.

Many schools around the country have

inherited a deficit model that focuses

on what teachers and pupils can’t do

and the things that must be changed.

We have taken the opposite approach,

promoting positivity, building on

potential, using best practice and

creating high morale among our team.

One of the biggest challenges we

face is budget constraints. To adapt

to this, we have adopted a “less

is more” approach. Rather than

focusing on advanced technology or

expensive solutions, we have tried

to keep everything very simple and

focused on learning. We want our

pupils to value books, develop their

imaginations and be involved in active

learning that helps to create strong,

memorable experiences, rather than

relying on learning via a screen, as, in

my opinion, this can be distracting and

unhelpful. We still teach computing,

coding and even robotics, but we

prefer to keep the teaching experience

itself simpler. This has led to growing

efficiency in our expenditure, and we

have been able to invest resources into

the wider curriculum experiences that

we provide. Budget constraints can

force schools into difficult decisions

and prevent them from becoming

the sanctuaries for learning that they

should be.

Staff morale is really high, and

we have been able to recruit and

retain staff very well. Our teachers

feel positive about their profession,

and this has helped to increase

pupil numbers. Our progress is best

encapsulated by the fact that many

of our students from disadvantaged

backgrounds are significantly

outperforming their more-advantaged

peers. The support of the University

of Chichester and a great board of

governors has been invaluable in

helping us to achieve this.

Looking ahead, we want to continue

to improve, perfecting the curriculum

as far as possible while making

minor tweaks to ensure that we are

performing at the highest possible

level. For this stage, we are trying

to ensure that our teachers feel that

they are experts in their field. Primary

education is complex, but, in many

ways, what we are trying to do is very

simple. We will continue to do what

has proved to be so successful: placing

values, sport and the curriculum at

the heart of the school experience

and ensuring that all of our pupils are

prepared for, and looking forward to,

secondary school.

We want our

pupils to value

books,

develop their

imaginations

and be

involved in

active learning

that helps to

create strong,

memorable

experiences

“

Celebrating learning by

promoting positivity,

building on potential

and using best practice

www.frogmorejuniors.co.uk

This article was sponsored by Frogmore Junior 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 The Rt Hon Professor The Lord Blunkett.

The Rt Hon Professor The Lord Blunkett's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By The Rt Hon Professor The Lord Blunkett

A new Prime Minister, a new Education Secretary and, as we're all painfully aware, a deeply uncertain future. It is in this context that the education service continues to deliver for individuals, communities and of course for our nation.

There is no doubt whatsoever that the education service as a whole, schools, post 16/Further Education, and yes, lifelong learning, needs the most enormous injection of cash. Independent analysis shows that there has been at least an 8% average reduction in the amount of spend per pupil in our schools. Those damaged most by this have been pupils with special educational needs, whose voices are sadly rarely heard. The necessity of urgent action was underlined in July by the report of the all-party House of Commons Select Committee on Education. They could not have been clearer about the need for substantial funding and a long-term 10-year commitment.

At the same time, there are a number of reviews taking place. One of them, in relation to post-16 qualifications, is in danger of a classic mistake by politicians and officials who have little or no understanding of the complex territory they're dealing with. Namely, the ridiculous proposition that BTEC National Diplomas might be set aside because 'T Levels are the gold standard'!

I'm in favour of T Levels, but in the right context and for the right outcome. They are intended to be extremely focused specialist qualifications in defined areas of employment. When and if they eventually take off – there is predicted to be just a thousand students in 2021-22 taking up the qualification – they will not replace the BTEC, which has been the workhorse providing a general and high-quality education for decades. The BTEC has equipped young people for a variety of opportunities in a very changing employment market where the development of artificial intelligence, robotics, and changed working practices makes confining the choice of vocational pathways to one narrow focus, frankly ridiculous.

Meanwhile, her Majesty's Opposition continue to throw out titbits which do not give, as yet, a very clear idea of what, if elected, Labour would do in office. What is needed is positive proposals. Abolishing this, that or the other – assessments/tests for those leaving primary school, for instance – is not the same thing as a very forward-looking agenda for radical improvement in standards and equity between those who can and cannot afford additional help for their children.

There are a handful of Labour Party members, supported by some people who ought to know better, who have decided that a full-frontal assault on private education would be a good idea. For those worried about this, stop worrying. A party that put this in its manifesto wouldn't get elected, and if by some fluke it did, it would be challenged in the courts to the point where all the contradictions would be exposed for everyone to see.

Just contemplate one simple fact. 20% of secondary schoolchildren in the borough of Hackney attend private schools! Yes, Hackney. This is because a large number of parents, some of whom scrape the money together, are sending their children to private education in London which happens to be the area of England with the best academic outcomes from state education. What's more, very large numbers (again, particularly in London) pay for private tutors. At the last estimate 40% of parents in London had at some point over the last year paid for a tutor for their child!

Perhaps therefore an opposition party, hoping to provide unity rather than division, opportunity for all rather than a futile class battle against educational privilege, would seek ways of ensuring that those who can't afford tutors have the kind of support outside school that would put them on equal terms.

One thing is very certain, no government would be able to stop parents buying additional tutoring for their children.

So, a practical agenda for equalising opportunity, for investing where it's needed most, for transforming the pipeline from school through college, apprenticeships, or university, is a goal worth fighting for. A positive way of linking business and education through political decision-making, with the delivery by excellent professionals in the education service, to the children of today and the economy of tomorrow. Surely that is a much more progressive and less negative way forward for both government and opposition.

The Rt Hon Professor The Lord Blunkett
Co-Chairman