Learning
At The New School, we largely follow the National Curriculum, adapting our journey through it from Early Years to GCSE or equivalent. We balance this learning journey alongside self-directed learning opportunities (SDL) and collaborative learning opportunities such as workshops. Workshops are mixed age, and sometimes our young people like to offer them for each other. A good example of this is when a year 9 young person ran a Dungeons and Dragons club in workshop time. This was attended by young people across several different year groups and from several different friendship groups.
Whatever the age of our young people, we believe learning should be engaging, authentic and connected to our interests and experiences. At primary, we offer a timetable of lessons that link to the National Curriculum, social science projects, with time and space for self-directed learning. Our young people are also fortunate to have specialist teaching in art, science and ICT. At secondary, we maintain self-directed learning time at KS3, balanced with a growing timetable of specialist subject teaching. By KS4, our young people are ready to study and enter their chosen GCSEs or equivalents.
A key difference at The New School is that we assess in three areas: the social, the emotional, and the academic development of each of our young people. By triangulating this information, we can more meaningfully understand the needs of our young people, and support decision making around their learning, as well as more precisely intervene when assistance is needed.
Finally, supporting young people to develop as critical thinkers is key to our approach to teaching. Lessons, projects and self-directed learning spaces promote critical literacy by using multiple sources of information and viewpoints, and enable young people to develop their own voice in response.
Student voice
Research shows that when young people feel recognised, are included in decision-making activities, and have their voice heard in a way that is not just tokenistic, it has a substantial positive impact on self-worth and wellbeing. This is important for all young people, but it is especially important for those who are marginalised and disadvantaged in other areas of their lives.
Participating in democratic processes builds strong interpersonal relationships based on equality and mutual respect. Giving young people the confidence to speak up, be heard, and engage with school life in the full knowledge that their needs and opinions will be taken seriously, supports them to develop their individual identity, but also is a means of developing the skills and learning to be inclusive, responsible members of a democratic society.
All our young people can participate in class circles and school council. However, it is not uncommon for teachers to use the circle method to explore attitudes to key issues arising, and to find solutions. A good example of this is when teachers used circles to find out the most popular lunches to help the catering team write new menus. Another example is when teachers use circles so that young people can choose from available sports sessions for PE lessons.
Governance
Our democratic decision-making process uses the principles of sociocracy. It is a central part of The New School and designed so that young people can experience democratic participation in a meaningful way. The circle system is used as a form of governance for staff, but also young people participate in circles to discuss issues, share ideas and make decisions about school life. Circles also take place in each class at the beginning and end of every day, and are a place for young people to challenge, raise concerns, address problems and expect that they will be heard. It is a mechanism by which young people can tackle challenges with staff and to develop inclusive and emotionally intelligent relationships. Everyone participating has an equal vote and right to speak regardless of their age or job title.
Relationships and belonging
Belonging is a fundamental human need, and our relationships with each other, with school, and with learning, underpin our daily experience at school. Therefore, we strive for every young person at our school to feel a sense of belonging and a sense of significance. One way we do this is to focus on creating strong, respectful relationships between teachers and young people, working in partnership, using the principles of restorative justice. Restorative circles are our approach to conflict, enabling mutual solutions to problems to be found, and to transform the relationship in order to address harm.
We have small class sizes, and value multi-age grouping meaning teachers stay with a group of young people for a number of years. This allows relationships to develop over time, creating a trust that allows young people to learn more effectively. It also ensures that gaps in learning are more easily spotted and addressed.
Community
As a school we enable teachers to build great relationships with young people’s families, working to understand families’ culture particularly if it’s different from their own.
We empower young people to identify and discuss wider societal problems and to create projects that benefit and enrich the lives of the school community. We support parents and staff to facilitate a close working relationship in the best interests of every young person.
Inclusion
Our belief is that education should be accessible to all and should provide a truly inclusive learning environment that celebrates difference. We work to create a caring, respectful community that acknowledges and values all young people for who they are. We promote respect for diversity and create a context within which young people’s experiences can be understood, appreciated and connected to the curriculum. Our teachers actively work to unpick bias and stereotypes, develop and maintain a culturally responsive pedagogy, and explicitly address issues of race, racism and cultural difference, always seeking to connect young people’s knowledge of their communities to the way we teach and learn.
We aim to make our outcomes framework and methods of assessment as inclusive as possible so as to value a much wider range of skills and competencies than is currently ‘recognised’ in education. We also have strong systems of support and care to meet the social, emotional, physical and cognitive needs of every young person, including those with identified special educational needs.