Continuing to progress our LOtC: a Gold LOtC Mark School Case study
Rachel Linkletter, Head of School, Salusbury Primary School
The key thread that runs through Salusbury Primary School’s development plan is allowing all members of their school community to flourish. They recognise that pupils need to learn beyond the classroom to ensure they become well-rounded citizens.
Rachel Linkletter tells us how, even at a Gold LOtC Mark standard, they continue to use the LOtC Mark as a framework to develop, improve and expand what they offer to students.
We see the LOtC Mark as an ongoing self-improvement tool: it gives us the framework to evaluate our provision and plan next steps strategically. Revisiting the tracker with key members of the staff team reminds them of the moral purpose behind our learning beyond the classroom (LOtC) strategy and we are able to reassure ourselves that we have maintained the things that were in place two years ago and have used these to build on.
For example, two years ago we had set ourselves the target of ensuring trips were explicitly built into the curriculum. Since then, we have introduced G7 (7 galleries in 7 years) for Art and following that R7 (7 Religious buildings in 7 years). These are now an embedded part of our Art and RE curriculum.
Talking though our tracker during our LOtC Mark renewal with an experienced and objective assessor enabled me to reflect on areas that we could further develop and be exposed to good practice beyond our local network of schools
Renewing our LOtC Mark and using the tracker allows us to review the progress we have made since our initial application and to ensure that we had met the targets we had set ourselves. Re-accreditation provides a robust framework for self-assessment and ensures that we are still working at a high level while challenging us to think about which areas we could further develop for our pupils.
A structured development plan for this strand of our provision ensures there are continued, high quality outcomes for the children in all areas of the curriculum.
Find out more
The LOtC Mark is a quality assurance scheme that supports and celebrates schools and educational settings who provide meaningful experiences beyond the classroom across the whole curriculum, indoors and out, on and off-site.
The LOtC Mark Direct pathway gives schools and educational settings a LOtC Progress Tracker: a framework to help you review, plan, develop and evaluate your provision to meet your students’ needs. It is suitable for settings at the start of their journey and those looking to progress.
Find out more and register for the LOtC Mark by clicking here.
For any questions, please contact awards@lotc.org.uk.
