Achieving results that place Wyke in the top 10% of sixth form colleges nationally is not only a result of the hard work and dedication of our students but of the continuous development of teaching practices.Specialist A Level and BTEC teachers at Wyke have recently completed their second full day of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) with a focus on Metacognition and Self-Regulation.The CPD investigates strategies to challenge and support our students to plan, monitor and evaluate their own learning more effectively. The impact of this on student outcomes has been backed by extensive educational research (Education Endowment Foundation toolkit suggests + 8 months progress).Teachers on Wyke’s Lead Learner Programme also continued with their exploration and implementation of evidence informed teaching, learning and assessment guided by previous training from Prof. Stuart Kime of The University of Durham.The group of 20 teachers used an improvement model based on data analysis, quality assurance information, learner voice and student voice to identify an outcome to improve. Following this, they used a deep investigation of research material to find possible solutions and strategies. After planning and carrying out an implementation plan the teachers decided on a method to evaluate their initiative.This bespoke approach allows hard working teachers to work even more ‘smartly’.Our Lead Learner projects are diverse, ranging from live marking in Economics and dual coding in English to the use of cognition and memory for learning techniques in History.We also believe that it is never too early to engage with research. That’s why we have a well-established development programme for newly qualified teachers/ recently qualified teachers which is rooted in evidence from planning a sequence of lessons to motivating students.
