We are delighted to announce that NoTosh will be working alongside the staff at Rosendale and Christchurch family of schools in London. As part of our core business supporting schools is central to the constant growth of our little company, so we are extremely pleased to be working with Neil Hopkin the Executive Headteacher and his staff over a long period.

Neil has implemented some truly innovative approaches to learning which he began at Robin hood Primary School in Birmingham. Alongside his colleague Kate Atkins, Head of School at Rosendale, they are delivering a curriculum model that embraces Negotiated Learning:

In our Key Stage 1 classrooms we allow children free access to various areas of learning, including creative learning and problem solving. Children are able to follow their own interests and adults interact to extend and develop their thinking, help them solve problems and model ways of and approaches to learning. Within this, there are several ‘Provocation Points’, which are strategies that have been planned to develop the children’s interests or expose them to new experiences or ways of thinking. These provocations could be teacher initiated, environment initiated or child initiated. Each adult holds 1 literacy and 1 numeracy workshop each day, working with a small group of children (usually 6). This group may be made up of children of the same ability, children with the same interests, friendship groups or Kagan groups. The content of the workshop will depend on the needs of the children and will be planned as a result of careful observation and assessment so that children are being extended appropriately. At the end of the workshop, the children and the teacher will negotiate a ‘follow up’ task. The aim of this task is to give the children the opportunity to practise their newly learnt skill whilst demonstrating to the teacher their understanding and emerging competence.

Both Ewan and I are excited to be working with a school so willing to change and not just do the talking. At the heart of it all is the ability for each child to put their passions to work in a curriculum that encourages, not excludes. As Kate goes on to say in a post, this curriculum approach:

will preserve the desire to learn that children have and it will recognise and celebrate their individual achievements and successes.

NoTosh will be supporting and advising the schools with:

• the implementation of new technologies
• an ongoing exploration of new and future possibilities for how technology can enhance learning
• developing tools for staff to capture and organise learning moments
• further develop their existing school and class blogging
• develop the concept of “learning around us” how we see it and how we can be inspired by our peers

But this is very much the tip of the iceberg, as we will be developing a longer term relationship with the Rosendale and Christchurch schools. NoTosh will seek not only to bring our own international experiences in to support ongoing development, but also help tell the success stories from these ground-breaking schools.

Pic by Le Deluge