Leading Edge

Ercall Wood is one of the 250 schools across the country that was designated as “Leading Edge” in 2003 due to it achieving High Performing specialist status (HPSS). This means we take an active role in sharing good practice with other schools (both primary and secondary) and establishing projects to raise achievement in a variety of areas. In his address to Parliament in June 2003 Education Secretary Charles Clarke said “Ercall Wood technology college has KS3 results which put it in the top 1% of all secondary schools based on pupil progress…….. this is excellent”.

Our continued success as a leading Edge school is due to many factors, all centred around outstanding practice in the classroom. We have been invited by both the Leading Edge Partnership Programme and the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust to share our practice across the country. 

Historically Ercall Wood has run a large number of Leading Edge projects externally in partnership with other organisations and has adapted the approach each time to reflect the needs of the school and the partnership institution.  Ercall Wood has acted as lead school for large international collaboratives, such as with the Ministry of Education in the Cayman Isles and developed innovative practice within schools in Australia and America.  It has also developed collaborative links with local secondary and primary schools, through CPD based projects and subject specific projects.

In 2007/08 the school encouraged individual members of staff or departments to bid for Leading Edge funding.  The aim was to encourage staff to develop innovative approaches to teaching and learning in partnership with our feeder primary schools.  The following projects were run:

      • Development of the Science VLE
      • Maths – Raising attainment using KS2 to 3 statistical investigations
      • PE – ICT for attainment & cross-phase teaching
      • Science – Construction of a KS3 VLE
      • Art – National Arts Award
      • Development of Sedao plasma screens to celebrate student achievement

 

During the next few years the partnership will include Hadley Learning Community, The Lord Silkin school and The Sutherland school, with Ercall Wood as the Lead School.  This ensures that the collaborative is committed to developing innovative working practices and sharing them between these 4 local secondary schools.

 The main areas being developed for 2008-2010 are:

  • Development of the Learning to Learn programme
  • G & T provision though the AS in “Critical Thinking”
  • Practitioner Research and dissemination within all 4 secondary schools.