Empowered to learn: A curriculum for transition
Written by: Helen Wakefield and Jude Mellor
7 min read
HELEN WAKEFIELD, SENIOR DEPUTY HEADTEACHER, ASHBY SCHOOL, LIFE MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST, UK
JUDE MELLOR, HEADTEACHER, ASHBY SCHOOL, LIFE MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST, UK
Introduction
The transition gap and the resultant loss in learning have long been recognised as students move from primary to secondary learning (Bharara, 2019; Busch, 2017). In a setting also experiencing age range change, through the addition of Key Stage 3 to an established Key Stage 4 and 5 upper school, this potential learning loss was significantly exacerbated, closely scrutinised and potentially damaging. It was out of this concern that our Empowered to Learn (E2L) curriculum was born. Echoing our school values and our trust’s vision for agency, equity and thriving students, we sought to overtly teach lifelong learning skills through mechanisms that pedagogically and practically bridged this gap. This article explores the initial manifestations of that journey, the lessons learned and the tentative start of a
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