
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
2| FULWOOD ST PETERS CE PRIMARY SCHOOL
if you think about it, and the more
decisions and learning that are
exclusively dependent upon them, the
less that will be accomplished.
We have also targeted specific awards
to enhance the core curriculum,
such as the Eco-Schools Green Flag
award, the Flagship National Health
Schools award and the School Games
GoldMark.
A specialised role for teaching
assistants
Having attended training on coaching
and having also read about the
subject, we started to further develop
teaching assistant skills by using this
method. Teaching assistants usually
have a specific role that builds upon
their strengths. We wanted to ensure
they developed a wide range of skills
which supported learning effectively.
Initially, writing became a focus for
development using the coaching
method. A key area for improvement,
we found, was to develop children’s
appropriate use of the various
features of writing when working
independently. Once our teaching
assistants were upskilled, they were
given a key role in developing this
withchildren.
Following a skills audit, we found
many of our teaching assistants had
experience or qualifications prior to
working in school that would prove
invaluable in developing their role.
The more they gained experience
in an area of prior knowledge, with
teacher input, such as phonics, maths,
comprehension and behaviour, and
the more autonomy they had in
working out how to work in this area,
the better they became. Teaching
assistants carrying out this enhanced
role felt trusted and valued and had
strong feelings of responsibility for the
children’s achievement.
Coaching methods for
children
This initiative involved training some
higher-ability children in coaching
methods. They went on to work
in pairs carrying out activities such
as reading together, explaining
vocabulary, summarising, asking
questions and then discussing answers.
It has been fascinating to watch
how the coaches develop their own
autonomous style and method as
they are given responsibility for the
other child’s learning, substantially
developing their self-esteem. The
children being coached reported that
they found another child easier to
understand than an adult, and that
their thinking and ways of explaining
were the same – expressed in a way
Outdoor learning is also
important
A key focus
has been to
enable staff
and children
to be more
independent
and
responsible for
their own
learning
“
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Sharing ways they have
learnt themselves