Curious Minds

School profile: Wallasey - from good to outstanding!

Wallasey School in Wirral used their Creative Partnerships Change School programme with us to progress their lessons from good to outstanding. Forty-three teaching and associate staff and five creative practitioners attended a residential weekend, examining 'How to make Wallasey School Outstanding?’ and using Open Space technology to explore teaching and learning and inspire discussion about both positive and negative aspects of the school. This proved a powerful method for staff to get to grips and reflect upon complex ideas in ways that made them manageable and relevant to each. Creative practitioners Robert Meadows, Peter Greenhalgh, Paul Main and Tracey Carmen worked with staff both during the residential and on their return to school as they put their ideas into action ideas.

Staff reported that collaborating with the creative practitioners enhanced their confidence in teaching and learning across a wide range of curriculum areas. They could articulate what makes a creative lesson, and this helped them to plan and observe lessons. A new staff member commented that she felt confident teaching a 'creative lesson' because of the shared ethos developed by the school.

An OFSTED subject survey inspection took place after the residential, in which the number of 'outstanding lessons' observed increased and it is believed that this is a direct result of the impact of the Change School programme. Ofsted reported: "In the overwhelming majority of lessons, good use is made of adventurous techniques such as drama and role-play".