Aim: To investigate the extent to which extracurricular provision increases uptake and retention at A Level, and encourages students to study English Literature beyond school.
Background: The number of students who were advanced bilingual learners or in the early stages of acquiring English as an additional language was high. One third of students had moderate learning difficulties. Pimlico School was placed in Special Measures in 2005. The last Ofsted inspection in 2010 highlighted the writing ability of sixth form students as an issue and it was noted that many students found the KS4-KS5 transition difficult. For these reasons, the AD project’s aims were structured to help this transition and improve writing ability.
Method:To provide extracurricular lectures, delivered by different teachers, with the aim of improving coursework grades and expose students to alternative interpretations of texts. It was hoped that greater success at AS Level would encourage more to continue the course to A2.
In year 1: Six different lectures were delivered generally on topics that were outside the curriculum.
In year 2: The profile of lectures was raised which resulted in increased attendance. It was discovered that only 52% of students felt they had enough information to make a decision about English A Level. However, after a Q&A session with Year 12s, 100% confirmed they had answers to their questions and could make an informed decision.
In year 3: The number of lectures increased to 13 and Year 11 pupils were also encouraged to attend. Six of the lectures incorporated a focus on coursework, e.g. essay writing skills and techniques or text specific topics.
For underachieving Year 12 students, ‘buddies’, were identified and supported by ‘tutors’ who were doing well. Tutors were required to help buddies with any essay difficulties or issues.
Evidence: Lecture list, attendance registers, lecturer feedback, student feedback.
Impact: 126 students and 65 teachers attended the lecture series. Students felt they were getting a privileged insight into undergraduate topics, so the challenge beyond the curriculum certainly had a place. Although there was no clear impact on recruitment into Year 12, retention to A2 improved and there was a slight increase in those studying Literature in higher education. As a result of the buddying system, all six students identified saw their coursework go up by one grade and their comments were positive.
This project was also a relevant and valuable resource for staff who were able to express and extend their knowledge through delivering lectures on their specialism and attending lectures by other teachers.
Reflections: Challenges included encouraging sixth formers to attend during examination periods and clashes with other subject days and events. We found that organising speakers to come in from outside of school was much harder than expected due to clashes between university dates and school dates.
Contact: Gemma Driver
Website: http://www.pimlicoacademy.org/