Extending the Boundaries of Learning
Rhys Thrower, Primary Leadership Consultant, and Martin Campbell, Executive Principal, Meridian Trust
When they first embarked on the partnership with the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC) just over a year ago, the Meridian Trust had a sole clear aim of attaining awards across the schools in their trust.
They wanted to identify and celebrate some of the excellent practice that was taking place over the breadth of their schools and begin to highlight not only what was working for their students but also how they could best share this practice.
Initially we thought that this was going to be a relatively short-term project with continued development following. However, we soon realised that a different strategic approach was needed. Meridian Trust had, at that stage, 30 schools: 15 Primary, 3 Special Schools and 12 Secondary Schools. We took the decision to split strategic leadership with one Executive Leader taking the Primary Schools and one taking the Secondary and Special Schools.
This enabled more personalised support and allowed, on a regular basis, the learning beyond the classroom (LOtC) agenda to be part of Principals’ meetings. It was at these meetings ideas were shared, impact was measured and the LOtC Mark Progress Trackers analysed. These meetings also enabled the Principals to call for whole trust action and training to be implemented which would help all schools achieve the Bronze, Silver or Gold LOtC Mark. Section 5 of the LOtC Mark Progress Tracker (The setting manages risk and the perception of risk effectively) was particularly important in shaping the critical incident policy and the health and safety policy for the trust. It also led to work in each school on adopting and creating local Standard Operating Procedures -SOPs- and maps of the local learning areas.
Each Executive Principal was able to hold meetings for the leads in schools and create task groups and sharing forums, especially valued by those who were new to their school and tasked with gaining this award. Each month CLOtC and Meridian Trust produced a newsletter specifically to help leads identify and shape the responses of different sections of the LOtC Mark Progress Tracker. The case studies were also important in crystalising thought and process and in at least one school were shown to Ofsted during a section 5 inspection.
We were overwhelmed with the scope of activities that were happening in our schools but also, through our work with CLOtC, a realisation of where else we could take things to ensure that this good practice was having even more of an impact on both learning and experiences for our students.
Being able to work through the LOtC Mark Progress Tracker and meet with CLOtC to discuss how we were going to get a large trust with schools from the Primary, Secondary and Special sectors progressing was essential. Looking at how we addressed the LOtC Mark Progress Tracker and then sending out initial surveys and audits to identify progression areas was vital to make sure that the work we did next would move both the award application but more importantly our work in schools forward.
With scheduled support from CLOtC and catch-up meetings with our schools, practice progressed. With a focus on LOtC we began to see more identified opportunities, displays themed on LOtC, improvements in our planning around local learning environment and use of school grounds. Lessons and activities have also started to be evaluated with more purpose and informing future practice.
Schools have produced resources that others have adopted but arguably one of the most important aspects of the project has been that all subject areas have developed more in-depth plans and strategic leadership for deep, progressive and expansive learning outside the classrooms. Subject areas are looking at the pupil’s journey across all years in their school and asking themselves if opportunities exist which broaden and shape a child’s experience and character.
We are, of course, still continuing our development of LOtC across our trust. Our schools will need to continue the process of submitting applications for the awards, taking time to look at such things as standard operating procedures and adapt future planning to meet need.
Since starting our links with CLOtC, what has become really apparent is the positive highlighting and profile raising of LOtC. When you walk around the schools, staff are considering how current planning can be adapted to include more opportunities for learning beyond the classroom and thereby further strengthen the trust core value of Extending the Boundaries of Learning.
Find out more
For more information about CLOtC’s ‘Learning Beyond’ support programmes for schools: LOtC Mark Direct or LOtC Mentoring, visit: www.lotc.org.uk/educators/developing-your-lotc/learning-beyond.
If you are an academy trust and, like the Meridian Trust, are looking to embed LOtC throughout all your schools, please get in touch with the Learning Beyond team.
