South Essex NLC have formed five research and development groups on the topics of literacy, numeracy, assessment, learning to learn and use of data in raising achievement. The groups will examine best practice and bring to our 25th March Conference a 'blueprint' of clear objectives and best practice. We hope that this very practical initiative will support staff and pupils within our community.

• Formative Assessment in the classroom
  Leader - Andy Hodgkinson - Sweyne Park School

  Sara Sullivan - Woodlands
  Denis Foot - De La Salle
  Claire Edwards - Glebe Infant School

• Using Data
  Leader - Pete Grainger - Woodlands

  Joan Negrine - Sweyne Park School
  Steve Nortney - De La Salle

• Literacy
  Leader - Pete Gibbon - Woodlands

  Sarah Jackson - Sweyne Park school
  Geraldine O'Brien & Anita Smith - De La Salle
  Sam North - Glebe Infant School
  Nick Boschi - Kingswood

• Numeracy
  Leader - Scott McGuiness - Woodlands

  Corina Seal - Sweyne Park School
  Mike Kay - De La Salle
  Pat Clarke - Glebe Infant School
  Jenny McGeachie - Kingswood School
  Linda Rubio - Down Hall School

• Learning to Learn project
  Leader Andy Samways - Sweyne Park School

  Rhonda Andrews - Glebe Junior
  Claire Edwards - Glebe Infant
  Kathy O'Donnell & Sam Kelly - Down Hall School

The groups will be sharing their work through conferences and bulletins, but do feel free to contact the group leader if you are interested in any topic.

In Key Stage 2 we use the traffic light system at the end of each piece of maths work. This works very well as it gives the children time to reflect on the lesson.

Every child has a target sheet in their maths and literacy books. These targets are discussed with the children and new targets agreed.

Teachers use agreed marking symbols and the children are aware of them as they have been discussed with them and are displayed in the classrooms.

In some of the Key Stage 2 classrooms there are reflective questions displayed and the teacher asks the children these questions at the end of each lesson. I would like to see these questions used in all Key Stage 2 classrooms.

In set 2 Literacy the children write a 'HIK' at the start of each lesson. The teachers tell the children what the learning objective is for the lesson and the children write their own 'HIK' underneath (how I know). This encourages the children to think about their learning objective and how they will know if they have met it.

<SAM KELLY LEARNING TO LEARN CO-ORDINATOR - DOWNHALL PRIMARY SCHOOL >

The school's High Expectations Project working with Cambridge University is ambitious in its scope. It is a project which is calendared for the rest of this year but which obviously after then. The preparatory work began last March and the project was launched in July.

It has been designed to raise expectations of levels of achievement for both pupils and staff and is very much centered on the educational philosophy of David Hopkins. It incorporates the training materials for the Foundation Subjects and also attempts to utilise new knowledge about learning and in particular to exploit developments in the field of accelerated learning.

The working party comprises senior manager, subject leaders and a member of the local education authority. It also works in close collaboration with the school's link advisor and Kate Myers and John MacBeath of Cambridge University. Philosophy and practice will be explored and much will be embedded in a series of workshops. It's predicted on these principles. Teachers and pupil learning needs to.

• Acquire and use a range of learning skills
• Solve problems individually and in groups
• Think carefully about their successes and failures
• Evaluate conflicting evidence and to think critically
• Accept that learning involves uncertainty and difficulty

The teacher's task is not simply to teach, but to create powerful contexts fro learning. For this to happen Subject Leaders need to recognise and embrace the facts that:

• The most effective curricular and teaching patterns induce students to construct knowledge to inquire into subject areas intensively. The result is to increase student capacity to learn and work smarter.
• Models of teaching are really models of learning. As students acquire information, ideas, skills, ways of thinking and means of expressing themselves, they are also learning how to learn.
• Draw on theory, research into practice, and the teacher's own experiences in formulating strategies, so that the rationale for the required changes is established in the minds of those expected to bring them about.
• Recognise the importance of staff development, since it is unlikely that developments in student learning will occur without developments in teacher practice.
• Provide for monitoring the impact on teacher practice and student learning early and regularly, rather than rely on post-hoc evaluations.

Learning how to learn is an essential preparation for lifelong learning to help pupils acquire the knowledge and skills of learning how to learn. Sweyne Park's involvement in the ESRC Learning to Learn Project sees us working with two of our Primary schools namely Glebe and Down Hall under the guidance of Cambridge University, focusing on 'what characteristics the school that successfully manages how teachers create the knowledge and skills of learning how to learn for both teachers and pupils'.

After the project launch in September 2002, presented by our 'critical friend' Professor John ManBeath, the school staff have been considering assessment practices through staff and pupil questionnaires, and has pulled out our strengths and areas fro future development. David Peddar our researcher from Cambridge, has also pulled out our strengths and areas for future development. David Peddar our researcher from Cambridge, has also conducted more in depth pupil interviews and observed a number of staff teaching. The school co-ordinators attend regular briefings at Kings College, London and also share ideas at regional meetings organised by Tracy Goodway from the Essex Advisory. At present the emphasis for us is to consider how assessment for learning (formative), metacognition and questioning can be firmly integrated into all good classroom practice across the curriculum at Sweyne Park School.

<ANDY SAMWAYS - SPS>