Revising the timetableWe all know that in order to pass exams to the best of their ability, students need to revise. Yet how can we ensure that any time spent slaving over past learning is focused and fruitful? Increasingly, schools are exploring this issue and concluding that study leave may not be the answer. One such school is John Hunt of Everest Community School in Hampshire, which has recently restructured the way it teaches students about revision, as well as abolishing study leave and replacing it with a programme of structured study support. Reworking the system"Last year, we looked at what our students were achieving, and felt that many were not reaching their potential. We decided to abolish study leave and suspend the Year 11 timetable from May half-term onwards, reworking it based on when each exam was," explains Anne Crawford, head of modern foreign languages (MFL) at John Hunt of Everest. A bonus system was woven into these changes, so that students received work bonus points for every revision session they attended. They were then able to use these towards prizes that were given out at the end of Year 11. Pre-exam nutrition and hydration were also given priority. As Anne explains: "We provided food and water for students before each exam, and this worked really well. We also provided refreshments for students coming in for revision sessions at lunch time and after school." Student mentorsThis year, the improvements to revision and study leave have continued in the school, in particular before the Year 9 National Curriculum tests. Two weeks before these took place, the timetable changed to incorporate more teaching for maths, English and science. All the staff were involved in working on this in their own lesson time, regardless of their subject. And expert teachers were on call to help out. Mentoring also features at John Hunt. As Suki Binning, community projects manager, explains: "All our students from Year 8 upwards have mentors from outside the school, and teachers also mentor Year 11 students. We've had students within classes helping each other to learn and we've had Year 11 students going lower down the school. Students really learn by teaching what they know, and it helps the younger ones not to have to listen to a teacher for a change. "In addition, we run a mentor/student quiz based on Year 9 work. It's a fun way for them to revise with their mentors." The school uses some ICT programs such as Global English and Global French for revision purposes, as well as a program called Successmaker. The Global English software is also used to support primary feeder schools with their revision at Key Stage 2. BBC Bitesize is used throughout the school. Different approachesThe breadth in approach to the issue has certainly been a factor in the success of the revision programme at John Hunt. By facing it from every angle, attitudes and habits have been positively shaken up. For Anne and Suki, this is key. "Something that worked very well last year that we have picked up on this year is the work we did with students on learning styles. We also had students presenting information to staff at a training morning on what works well for them. It helped us to understand what the students were doing and how they were learning, and broke us out of more traditional ways of thinking about revision," explains Suki. It is evident that staff commitment in supporting the programme is great at John Hunt of Everest. Re-timetabling is a huge task and yet everybody, staff and students alike, can see that there are real benefits. Words: Elizabeth Holmes Resources
This content was published in May 2005 and may not reflect current policy |
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Originally published in Teachers Magazine May 2005 |
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