The Mayors’ £24 million London Schools’ Excellence Fund supports teaching excellence in London. The fund is part of the Mayor’s Education Programme and, alongside the London Schools Gold Club and London Curriculum, aims to boost standards in the Capital’s schools. Six of the successful bids for funding involve Lesson Study.
- The Alexandra Pickhurst Infant School Teaching School Alliance has received a grant of £393,700 for a project named ‘ASCEND’. This project based in South London will use Lesson Study to engage teachers in high quality reflection and training opportunities in order to develop their subject specific knowledge, improve the quality of teaching and the attainment of socially deprived pupils. The project involves 44 schools and 54 teachers in Bromley, Croydon and Lewisham.
- The Barnet Partnership for School Improvement (BPSI) has received a grant of £178,478 to improve subject knowledge of teachers and support staff in order to improve teaching and raise attainment. Teacher Learning Communities, Lesson Study and Peer Enquiry will form the 3 key strands of the project. 65 schools and teachers are involved in the project in Barnet. For an update on the first few months of this project, click here.
- The Lambeth Teaching Schools’ Alliance has received a grant of £212,000 for a project named ‘Connecting Knowledge.’ The project will enhance subject knowledge using teachers as ‘experts’. Employing an evidenced based join practice development approach of Lesson Study leading professionals who will transfer and embed subject knowledge securing school improvement and exceptional outcomes for children and young people. The project is working in 40 schools with 80 teachers.
- Archbishop Lanfranc School has been awarded a grant of £57,300 for a project to improve writing and develop active reading. The project will involve primary and secondary teachers of English and humanities in using Lesson Study to produce a toolkit of resources focused on extended writing and active reading techniques in order to raise literacy levels of pupils, in particular White British boys and those eligible for the Pupil Premium. This project involves 3 schools and 70 teachers in Croydon.
- The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has received a grant of £41,650 for a mathematics project which uses a Lesson Study approach to bring together teachers from Key Stages 2 and 3 to build on each other’s strengths so improving teacher understanding and pedagogy, curriculum and expectations of students. This project involves 9 schools and teachers in Barking and Dagenham. For an update on this project and an invitation to join in Year 2, click here.
- The London Borough of Camden has been awarded a grant of £459,272. The project aims to transform standards of mathematics teaching, securing the highest outcomes for pupils within the new National Curriculum by creating a self-sustaining Lesson Study community of teachers and lead practitioners and a network of schools delivering joint professional learning supported by excellent resources. This project is working with 22 schools in Year one but will expand to up to 90 in Year 2. Find out more about how this project is going and how you could get involved next year by clicking here.