Whole-school metacognition: Implementing with impact
Written by: Lorna Gardiner
7 min read
LORNA GARDINER, INDEPENDENT EDUCATION FACILITATOR; LEAD CONSULTANT, THINKING MATTERS, UK
Introduction
It is widely recognised that young people need to develop the critical and creative thinking skills and dispositions necessary to thrive in the challenging context of the 21st century (OECD, 2018; NFER, 2025). Driven by a desire to ‘futureproof’ their learners, some schools become recognised ‘Thinking Schools’ (Thinking Matters, 2025), pursuing the vision for their students to become ‘meta-learners’, i.e. metacognitive, self-regulating learners.
This case study will identify the discrete features of the implementation model adopted by Thinking Schools in two UK regions who have gained accreditation with the University of Exeter. It will summarise the impact and benefits of successfully embedding a visible culture of whole-school metacognition (Ritchhart, 2015). The focus schools are:
the primary schools in the Nexus Education Schools Trust (NEST), located in Brom
Join us or sign in now to view the rest of this page
You're viewing this site as a guest, which only allows you to view a limited amount of content.
To view this page and get access to all our resources, join the Chartered College of Teaching (it's free for trainee teachers and half price for ECTs) or log in if you're already a member.
- Burden RL (1997) An evaluation model for use by applied educational psychologists. Educational Psychology in Practice 13(1): 13–20.
- Costa AL (2025) What are the Habits of Mind? Available at: www.habitsofmindinstitute.org/what-are-habits-of-mind (accessed 25 June 2025).
- Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) (2021) Cognitive science approaches in the classroom: A review of the evidence. Available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/evidence-reviews/cognitive-science-approaches-in-the-classroom (accessed 15 April 2025).
- Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) (2022) Teaching and Learning Toolkit. Available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit (accessed 15 April 2025).
- Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) (2024) A school's guide to implementation. Available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/implementation (accessed 15 April 2025).
- Eells RJ (2011) Meta-analysis of the relationship between collective teacher efficacy and student achievement. Dissertation, Loyola University Chicago, USA. Available at: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/48607343.pdf (accessed 15 July 2025).
- Mannion J (2025) Making Change Stick: A Practical Guide to Implementing School Improvement. Woodbridge: John Catt.
- National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) (2025) The skills imperative 2035: Essential skills for tomorrow’s workforce. Available at www.nfer.ac.uk/media/jq3bhyec/skills_imperative_2035_the_story_so_far.pdf (accessed 15 April 2025).
- OECD (2018) The future of education and skills: Education 2030: The future we want. Available at: www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/about/projects/edu/education-2040/position-paper/PositionPaper.pdf (accessed 15 April 2025).
- Ofsted (2023a) Inspection of Perry Hall Primary School. Available at: https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50237991 (accessed 10 April 2025).
- Ofsted (2025a) Inspection of Alexandra Junior School. Available at: https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50271397 (accessed 10 April 2025).
- Ofsted (2025b) Inspection of Balgowan Primary School. Available at: https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50277755 (accessed 25 June 2025).
- Perkins D (1992) Smart Schools: Better Thinking and Learning for Every Child. New York: Free Press.
- Ritchhart R (2015) Creating Cultures of Thinking: The 8 Forces We Must Master to Truly Transform our Schools. Germany: Wiley.
- Thinking Matters (2025) What is a Thinking School? Available at: www.thinkingmatters.com/thinking-school-accreditation/what-is-a-thinking-school (accessed 15 April 2025).
Please login to comment
0 Comments
Oldest
