Our Research Projects

The aim: to set up a school web-based radio station, broadcasting items that support participating departments' needs and enabling participating students to develop linguistic, technical, presentation and management skills. 

Outline: set up a student technical team (mostly Year 10 students, led by a Year 12 student) to run the broadcasts. Different departments created revision podcasts, election specials and we are currently selecting and training a team of younger students to act as 'roving reporters'. It has become an ongoing school project.

To find out more contact Anne-Marie Hetherington at Hitchin Boys' School:

ahetherington@hitchinboys.co.uk

I am the professional mentor for the NQTs in the school and found that as we do not have a very big staff room the NQTs were not meeting each other as easily. I decided to set up sharing lunches to share main ideas across the faculties with NQTs in them to increase sharing of good practice.

From this the NQTs now regularly meet and observe each others lessons though our Open classroom week in the school. They have worked together to feedback on every meeting and published an article is every edition of our teaching and learning journal- Nobel's Learning. They also have offered to buddy this years New NQTs to ensure their induction of the school is smooth.

To find out more contact Amy Pearson at The Nobel School:

Amy.Pearson@nobel.herts.sch.uk

This project was aimed at creating teams of MAT students, it evolved into focusing on boys and accessing their inherent joy for competing against their peers. Teams were created and students 'effort' was tracked, behaviour did not affect the standings, only effort. With the use of this system, it was hoped the project would see a reduction in low level disruption and increased levels of competition based on simply being 'better' than last lesson.

With a weekly trip to the greasy spoon on offer to the winning team, the results were really very good. We saw a significant shift in effort and desire to win. I must thank my mentors and team of colleagues who with my own enthusiasm assisted in timetabling shifts and cover to make this a success.

 To find out more contact Carl Swendell at The Nobel School:

Carl.Swendell@nobel.herts.sch.uk

With a positive reception from staff to the concept of 'Growth Mindset' during several inset sessions, I set out to build on this knowledge and guide staff to put the theory into action.

After attending an advanced Growth Mindset course, I set up a new working party - with staff from a variety of subjects and a spectrum of understanding of GM. I brought them up to speed with the newest research findings and together, with different members of the GM group taking part, we led GM activities in two staff meetings. 

We informed staff about relevant research findings - such as particular challenges faced by low ability students ien regard to GM. However the majority of these sessions were getting staff involved through practical tasks. They were asked to think about current practice/wording for report writing and verbal feedback in lessons, and wrote down how they could adapt these responses to have a more GM approach. Using staff ideas from these sessions, we have started to create resources for staff, and through role play activities in our September inset day we hope to further encourage the use of GM language and actions around school.

Additionally the GM group made a bank of posters/quotes which staff voted on, to put up around school, and a student group will be delivering assemblies in September to develop student understanding.

All of these activities seem to have been received positively and are continuing to develop a GM culture at HGS.

To find out more contact Caz Evans at Hitchin Girls' School:

Caroline.Evans@hgs.herts.sch.uk

Working with 2 year 10 students who have ADD and behaviour issues to improve their progress in GCSE Textiles.

To find out more contact Caz Sullivan at The Knights Templar School:

csullivan@ktemplar.herts.sch.uk

The EPQ project will now be compulsory for the whole of year 12 to complete as part of the changes from four to three ‘A' Levels.

I have taken on the role to develop the artefact route to make this more accessible for students and give guidance on the practical making of chosen artefacts. This is to promote independent learning and gain students valuable skills that will translate into their other chosen areas of study.

 To find out more contact Jennie Clift at The Highfield School:

jennieclift@highfield.herts.sch.uk

“Children, in order to understand and participate in our increasingly visual culture, need to engage directly with significant works of art..." Grigg (2004).

The key word here being 'directly' intending that the students not only be introduced to artists through secondary resources but that they have the chance to see the work as the artist intended. Through this study I hope to gain a greater understanding of how vital study visits are as a part of art and design education, whether just organising a visit to a gallery is enough, and how much direction or pre-planning is perhaps too much or too little. 

 To find out more contact Monique Edgson at Hitchin Boys’ School:

medgson@hitchinboys.co.uk

With A-levels now being linear it was decided that moderating Year 12 mock exams to ensure rigour in the marking was an important step to increasing         validity in the results.

The project needed the co-ordination of all departments delivering the new specification A-levels in 3 schools. A working party was setup with staff               members from all 3 schools who would lead on specific subjects to offer support and ensure consistency in how the expected parameters of moderation would work.

The working party also consulted with staff at each of the 3 schools and managed to alleviate some concerns with changes in the timetable of events and allowing for calendared moderation meetings. Moderation took place in the week commencing 3rd July.

To find out more contact Phil Dawson at Hitchin Boys’ School:

pdawson@hitchinboys.co.uk

To find out more contact Andrew Wakeling at Fearnhill School:

andrew.wakeling10@fearnhill.herts.sch.uk

To engage students from different key stages getting them to work together, develop meaningful and functional teams and be able to take part in the end of challenge completion to launch their rocket. Be able to evaluate their performance and recognise what steps would need to be addressed in order to improve performance.

To find out more contact Bob Lovelock at The Nobel School:

Bob.Lovelock@nobel.herts.sch.uk

• Developing wider and independent reading in Year 7 in order to promote a love of reading and improving students’ reading ages.
• Utilising the whole school rewards policy to promote wider reading.
• Extending the use of Accelerated Reader in order to close the gap for our most vulnerable students CLA, PP, FSM, PP and SEND.
• Promoting a series of events and activities to promote whole school literacy and wider and independent reading e.g. public speaking, reading club, film club, speak easy (public speaking).
• Audit students literacy skills in order to ascertain students’ skill deficits, plan and implement intervention by deploying LSA’s to deliver intervention and monitor the impact of the intervention in English lessons and in other subjects.
• Deliver additional training to other departments in order to support the teaching of literacy across the whole school.

The focus will be on a whole school level. However, outreach work will also seek to engage parental involvement and support of KS3 parents.

To find out more contact Craig Lowe at Fearnhill School:

craig.lowe10@fearnhill.herts.sch.uk