The Years 7-11 Coherence (formerly known as the Challenging Topics at GCSE Work Group), is a project which focuses on participant teachers working together to analyse, deconstruct and trace through the curriculum a selected key topic area, developing insight into effective teaching approaches, and considering the implications for longer term curriculum design. 

 

Each Work Group will consist of at least four schools. Individuals or ideally pairs of teachers from a department participate, with an expectation that they will work with other members of their department at appropriate points. This approach helps cultivate a collaborative culture. Schools that have participated in previous years may do so again, as developments often take place over time.

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This project can offer an entry point into developing teaching for mastery approaches, or could support a particular focus for a department already involved in the teaching for mastery programme!

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What is involved?

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Feedback from teachers, along with GCSE exam analysis, indicates there are key areas of the curriculum that students find challenging. Work Groups in this project deconstruct and analyse these areas and devise effective approaches to them, to achieve a more coherent learning journey through the secondary years.

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Work Groups will follow a workshop – school-based work cycle. Teachers will identify and analyse a key topic area, work collaboratively to develop pedagogical approaches to it, and evaluate and discuss it after teaching.