This document summarizes the key aspects of School 21, a free school in London for students aged 4-18. It discusses the school's core values of integrity and humanity. It also outlines 6 attributes to prepare students for the 21st century: small class sizes, a focus on language and oracy, collaboration between primary and secondary, technology integration, authentic assessment, and real-world learning. The school aims to close achievement gaps and create a student-centered, innovative approach through its curriculum, teaching, and collaboration between staff. It discusses moving beyond "best practices" to develop each student and create a supportive community.

2. My aim for today:
To start a conversation about:
- 21st century schools
- “next practice” not just “best practice”
- Ways of collaborating and continuing the
dialogue

3. School 21: the facts
• Free school opened September 2012 in portacabins
• 4 to 18
• 75 in a year
• Admissions identical to all Newham schools: proximity
• Funding identical – per pupil
• Above average SEN, EAL, FSM
• Currently 4 year groups – Reception, year 1, Year 7,
year 8
• Refurbishment of an old secondary school

4. What are the key ingredients of a 21st
century school

5. Integrity
“We are true to
our word”
Humanity
“We look out for
each other”
Our Core
Values

6. 6 attributes: to prepare children
for success in the 21st century

7. And to close the
achievement gap
Only 44 children on FSM in the whole
country get 3As at A level - the odds are
stacked against all these children… and
more

8. What is school for?
To create beautiful work
To make a difference to
the world

12. Small is beautiful: 75 in a year group, 12 in a second
coaching group, 25 in a primary class
Impact: Students known, gaining in
confidence able to grow

13. Our foundation
and focus is the
power of the
English Language
Impact: progress in
reading and writing
at 4 and 12 is well
above national
averages

14. We have put
oracy (talk) at the
centre of our
school
Impact: the
eloquence and
self –confidence
of our students is
striking

15. Collaboration
between
primary and
secondary
including
shared CPD
Impact: quality of teaching
high with all teaching good
or outstanding

16. Outstanding
learning:
teachers
combining
experiential
and
cognitive
learning
Impact:
Strong teaching,
rapid progress from
students, engaged,
motivated children

17. Students are
motivated by
real audiences,
real products,
real purpose
Impact: The craftsmanship and reflection results
in work that is above their years as evidenced in
the products and books

18. Impact: Children developing e-portfolios
of best work, reflection blogs – all
helping to accelerate progress
Technology integrated
seamlessly into learning

19. Growth Mindset
Language of the
school
One to one
coaching
At our core –
we are about
developing
the well-being
and growth of
every child
Well-being
taught
through
rich texts
Impact:
High attendance
Few exclusions
Excellent behaviour
Structured
conversations
with parents

20. A 21st century teacher
is a:
 Project designer
 Coach
 Mentor
 Subject specialist
 Teacher of English
Language
 Well-being teacher
And…..a juggler of all
these roles!

21. Integrated
technology
Authentic
assessment
Real world
learning with
partners in the
community
Well-being of whole
child
A 4 to 18
personalised
journey
English Language
/oracy
Student
Leadership
Joining cognitive
and experiential in
Incredible learning
spaces
21st century,
collaborative
teacher

22. GROWTH
Each person
growing each
day
Immersion and
compelling
enquiry
Big ideas,
dilemmas,
controversies Learner
Collaboration
Learning pace
and scope in
hands of
students
Knowledge
Expertise
Acquisition of
knowledge,
concepts, ideasDeep Thinking
Analysis, critical
thinking,
prioritisation,
generalisation,
judgement
making a case
Rich use of
Language
Written and Oral,
precise and
expert
Beautiful work
for audience
Multiple drafts
and critique
Practise of skills
until automatic
Learning at
School 21

23. How we work together
Familiar set up in many schools
• Over monitoring and lack of trust
• Culture of complaint
• Often divisions or outright hostility
between SLT and rest
• Everything top down - very few people
make the decisions
• Often lots of cliques and political games
• Big divisions between teachers, TAs,
support staff
• Resistance to change
• School – a bubble, everything inward
looking
• People set in their ways – we’ve always
done it this way
• Teachers isolated individuals in their
own classroom
School 21 ambition
• Valuing of all staff and each person
contributing fully
• Flatter structure with everyone given
the chance to shape the school
• Peer accountability and trust as much
as top down accountability
• Kindness and supportiveness towards
colleagues
• On-going innovation shaped by staff
• School porous to new ideas, new
people, new partnerships
• Staff always learning, always striving for
better – can do
• Teachers genuinely collaborating across
subjects, ages, sectors

24. A 21st century curriculum
Experiences
Stories
Big ideas/concepts
Attributes
Skills
Bodies of Knowledge

25. How we deliver the curriculum
Toolkit lessons
Mastery lessons
Project based learning
Coaching Time
Foundation Courses

26. Teacher collaboration
• 2 hour CPD meetings each Wednesday
• Assemblies used as CPD
• Trios that report back
• Paired coaching groups
• Outsiders developing toolkit with us
• Primary and secondary together
• Cross departmental working
• Sharing resources on-line
• No hierarchy of ideas

27. Who/what is the enemy?
• The patronising of children with unchallenging
work
• The relentless boredom of most school
activities
• The overly large impersonal school
• The achievement gap between rich and poor
• Inertia, conservatism,

28. Students need to enjoy school today, not just be
planning for tomorrow

29. Questions
Who or what is your enemy?
Which piece of the jigsaw is most important/are
you working on?
What do you want to focus in on today?