This article has been published as part of the Rethinking Curriculum project, kindly funded by The Helen Hamlyn Trust.
Rachel Beyer, Global Director of Teaching and Learning – Primary, OneSchool Global
Introduction
In autumn 2025, the National Foundation for Educational Research released The Skills Imperative 2035 (Bocock, Scott and Hillary, 2025), which identifies what the labour market is likely to look like by 2035 and the Essential Employment Skills (EES) most needed for those jobs. These core skills include collaboration, communication, creative thinking, information literacy, organisation, planning and prioritising and problem solving and decision-making. Similarly, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Learning Compass (OECD, 2023) positions student agency as the capability to set goals, reflect and act, explicitly stating that agency depends on foundational cognitive, social and emotional skills, including collaboration, communication, creativity, problem solving and self-regulation. As such, at OneSchool Global, we believe student agency begins with our youngest learners.
OneSchool Global is a truly international network of schools, operating across more than twenty countries, educating students from Year 3 to Year 13. Within this global context, the challenge is not only to deliver our curriculum consistently, but to develop learners who are independent, reflective, and capable of directing their own learning journeys. Our unique pedagogy, the Learning to Learn Framework, was developed in response to this challenge and sits at the heart of the organisation’s pedagogy within both the primary and secondary phases of the school.
The Learning to Learn Framework is grounded in the development of student agency and in preparing students to be life- and work- ready. Rooted in the Dalton model (Parkhurst, 1922), this pedagogy is applied across our global network of 123 schools spanning five regions (UK, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand) and underpins how we teach, learn and grow student agency.
Learners who understand how they learn, can set goals, and seek support appropriately are better positioned to adapt to changing contexts and demands. Fostering agency in primary-aged students is particularly important, as early experiences of ownership, choice, and responsibility shape children’s developing identities as learners (Bandura, 2006). Within the Learning to Learn Framework, student agency is not conceptualised as unrestricted choice or independence. Rather, it is understood as ‘guided agency’, where learners are explicitly taught the skills, language, and routines needed to take increasing responsibility for their learning over time.
Research on self-regulated learning consistently emphasises the importance of scaffoldingProgressively introducing students to new concepts to support their learning, modelling, and feedback in developing agency (Hattie, 2012). In primary settings, this is particularly critical. Children need clear structures that make learning processes visible before they can internalise them.
The Learning to Learn Framework operationalises agency through four interrelated components:
- The Assignment: a structured unit of learning that acts as a learning contract between teacher and student
- The Lesson: explicit teaching of knowledge, skills, and strategies
- The Study: time for self-directed application, consolidation, and choice
- The Tutorial: targeted support, feedback, or extension based on learner need.
Study periods increase as students move through the school, beginning with two periods per week in Years 3 and 4, three periods in Years 5 and 6, and gradually increasing to 50 per cent of their timetable in Years 12 and 13. This structure ensures that agency is embedded within curriculum delivery rather than treated as an add-on or enrichment activity, ensuring consistency and confidence for both teachers and students.
Curriculum / pedagogical approach
Study periods have long been a feature of the curriculum for our secondary students. However, feedback from stakeholders, including pupil voice, indicated that primary students found the transition to autonomous learning challenging. Rather than wait for this shift to begin in Year 7, it was decided that the introduction of Study periods in primary would better support the development of student agency. The primary environment also offers advantages: students are with one teacher for most of the week, creating a stable environment to grow and shape student agency (Bandura, 2006).
How does Study work?
At the beginning of each academic year, to support the development of Study planning, students participate in short workshops which remind them how to create and execute a Study Plan. In Year 3 and 4, students are provided with lists of tasks to choose from, for example, ten minutes daily reading, times tables practice, handwriting practice, correcting written work etc. The options are scaffolded and allow the student to self-select or add their own ideas.
Planning Study is modelled by the teacher, who ‘thinks out loud’ as they plan their Study. As the students develop in confidence, the Study templates provided can still be used as a scaffold; however, students are encouraged to create templates of their own that work well for them. Study plans are always checked by the teacher, and at times, revised and re-worked. Discussing this with the learner or encouraging the student to self-reflect, grounds the process in metacognition and supports the student in future self-reflection of their planning.
Over time, the students move from organising their learning from a given list of tasks to thinking for themselves, ‘what do I need to improve or revise?’ and then considering the tools they can access to support this learning, whether that is accessing the lesson content via Canvas, working through a text book or requesting support from a peer or teacher.
The Tutorial forms a distinct part of the Study. In the Tutorial, students can request extra support on an area of their choosing, whether to address a specific need or to help challenge them further. Students are encouraged to sign up for Tutorials via class-determined methods; this may include an electronic booking system or a simple whiteboard in the classroom. What is important is that this is, again, decided by the learner, further promoting student agency and encouraging students to know what to do when they don’t know what to do.
Supporting staff
Initially, Study in primary was piloted on a small scale. Interestingly, it was the teachers rather than the students who required the most support in building confidence in the process. With an Early Years curriculum already rooted in the development of student agency, most learners were able to adapt to managing their time quickly; however, the more significant challenge lay in supporting teachers to move from traditional, teacher-led models towards facilitative practice.
Such pedagogical shifts require sustained professional learning and cultural change (Fullan, 2016). Professional development has therefore focused on:
- developing a shared language around agency
- modelling facilitation strategies
- using observation and coaching to support classroom practice
Clear guidance and structured, high-quality professional development have been key to the successful implementation of Study in primary. Staff were carefully guided through the approach and have access to asynchronous support via the organisation’s Global Teacher Academy — our blended teacher professional development programme — which includes courses specifically focused on development of Study in primary. In addition, providing strong models of best practice has been key to building stakeholder confidence.
Jemma, Primary Lead Teacher, commented that when students arrive from feeder schools, and new staff join the organisation, both encountering the Learning to Learn Framework for the first time, ‘they need help with everything’. However, through a carefully structured approach, staff learn how to gradually release responsibility to the students, enabling learners to work independently and make informed choices about how they learn. As Jemma explained, ‘there is a supportive network of both staff and students experienced in the Learning to Learn Framework, meaning that support is always on hand and confidence quickly grows over time, along with increased student agency.’
Findings and observations
Developing student agency through the Study has evolved over the four years since the approach was introduced. Initially, it was implemented at secondary level but not in primary. However, recognising an opportunity to coach students in planning their Studies from the very beginning of their journey with us, we embarked on a trial in the UK, first with a small group of campuses, then introducing two Study periods per week for all primary students in the region. This trial was reviewed and subsequently rolled out across all five of our regions, increasing the number of Studies in upper primary to three per week. Now, all students are expected to provide Study plans which show what they are planning to do, where they are planning to work, what the intended outcome is and how they will approach this task.
Primary Lead Teacher, Jemma, has noticed that students tend to personalise their Study plans over time. For example, some Year 5 students have learned how to use Canva to organise their tasks with varying levels of detail and visual preferences. Some students prefer detailed planning, while others use simpler organisational systems, such as using colour to show task time or focus (See Figures 1 and 2). Over time, students have become more autonomous, setting their own goals and reflecting on their own learning. This increase in student agency has led to higher engagement, motivation and self-efficacy. Indeed, we have also found that older students in primary are not only preparing for their transition into secondary but modelling self-direction for their younger peers.
Figure 1: An example of a Year 5 students’ personalised Study plan
Figure 2: Another example of a Year 5 students’ personalised Study plan
Jemma has also noticed that student time management strategies during Study periods have developed over time. She explained that students effectively use laptop timers and have access to their class teacher during Study, which helps with guidance and time allocation for tasks. She has also encouraged her students to plan their time on Mondays to prepare for the week ahead, with different tasks assigned time estimates (See Figure 3).
Figure 3: An example of a Year 4 Study plan with each task assigned a time estimate.
The Learning to Learn Framework is embedded across all 23 UK-based primary campuses and, internationally, within all the 123 schools in the network. Several indicators suggest a positive impact:
- Increased student articulation of learning strategies, with students able to explain what they are learning and why.
- Improved engagement during independent Study, particularly for older primary students.
- Greater consistency of practice across campuses, supporting equity in learner experience.
Teacher feedback shows that students demonstrate increased confidence in seeking support through Tutorials and, as Jemma has seen, are more willing to persist when learning becomes challenging — key indicators of developing agency.
Recommendations and next steps
Evidence highlights metacognition and self-regulation as high-impact strategies for improving student outcomes, particularly when taught explicitly (Quigley, Muijs & Stringer, 2018). By explicitly teaching students how to plan, check, and evaluate their learning, schools can support both academic achievement and learner confidence. The Learning to Learn Framework intentionally balances autonomy with structure, allowing students to experience success while developing independence.
The key here is to start with one Study period per week with a clearly structured and initially heavily scaffolded plan, and then gradually release independence over time. Ongoing refinement has emphasised the importance of clear success criteria, explicit modelling and scaffolding, and the gradual release of responsibility.
Looking ahead, several strategic priorities have been identified:
- Deepening metacognitive dialogue, ensuring reflection is purposeful rather than procedural.
- Further research engagement, linking practice more explicitly to emerging evidence on agency and digital learning.
- Student voice initiatives, capturing learners’ perspectives on how agency supports their learning.
Conclusion
Developing student agency in primary education is neither quick nor simple. It requires deliberate design, sustained professional learning, and a willingness to embrace complexity. The Learning to Learn Framework shows how agency can be embedded within curriculum structures, rather than positioned as an abstract aspiration.
Within OneSchool Global, implementation of Study in Primary has provided coherence, equity, and clarity, while supporting young learners to develop the skills and dispositions needed for lifelong learning. As educational systems continue to grapple with uncertainty and change, agency-focused frameworks offer a powerful means of preparing students not just for the next stage of schooling, but for the demands of life beyond the classroom.
References
Bandura A (2006) Toward a psychology of human agency. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1(2), pp. 164–180. Available at: http://wexler.free.fr/library/files/bandura%20%282006%29%20towards%20a%20psychology%20of%20human%20agency.pdf (Accessed: 13 April 2026).
Bocock L, Scott M and Hillary J (2025) The Skills Imperative 2035: Creating a system of lifelong learning to provide the essential skills for tomorrow’s workforce. Final report. Slough: National Foundation for Educational Research. Available at: https://www.nfer.ac.uk/media/4ulc0syg/skills_imperative_2035_final_report.pdf (Accessed: 24 March 2026).
Fullan M (2016) The new meaning of educational change (5th ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.
Hattie J (2012) Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. London: Routledge.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2023) OECD Learning Compass 2030: A series of concept notes. Paris: OECD Publishing. Available at: https://issuu.com/oecd.publishing/docs/e2030-learning_compass_2030-concept_notes (Accessed: 24 March 2026).
Parkhurst H (1922) Education on the Dalton Plan. New York: E.P. Dutton & Company
Quigley A, Muijs D and Stringer E (2018) Metacognition and self‑regulated learning: Guidance report. London: Education Endowment Foundation.
