Who said January was grey, mundane and dry? There is nothing mundane or bland about the beginning of this year and this week has been another busy one and also a rewarding one too.

In response to the swiftly changing remote education landscape, Camden Learning and the STEAM team have provided all schools with remote learning guidance along with a self-evaluation matrix, a useful tool for schools to assess themselves on the emerging expectations for pitch and delivery of remote education. We have updated the guidance reflecting the DfE’s latest announcements which also includes a model remote learning safeguarding addendum along with a model remote learning acceptable use policy. The myDrive Remote Learning folder includes these guidance documents, as well as sample policies shared by Camden schools. On Thursday, Richard Donnelly launched the first of a series of six lunchtime remote learning sessions, which kicked off with the design and structure of a remote learning lesson. The bite size session was well attended and the feedback was excellent, if you missed it, we will make it available (at a small charge) it can then be used for staff training in a supportive, easy to digest approach. Next Tuesday is the second session focusing on formative assessment in the remote classroom. If you would like to sign up, use this link.

Last week I attended the Camden Employment and Skills workshop, which included representatives from Lendlease, the GLA and Chief Executives from further education. It was a fascinating and useful session, as I had one very keen eye on our Post 16 work and how this linked into training and qualifications, as employers talked about the need for skills in both retrofit and traditional craftsmanship. We covered a lot of ground, but some key points that were made by employers was their frustration with the rigid school curriculum and the academic cycle (calendar) which they felt restricted access to young people until each September and laboured the cycle of training. We also discussed diversity and the importance of encouraging representation from all under-represented groups to train in the retrofit sector, particularly girls. We discussed how the number of girls going into the construction sector was low, compared to their relatively high engagement and performance in engineering at GCSE, the numbers of girls then going onto A level and university to study STEAM subjects dropped significantly. Interestingly, the complexity and maze of information, advice and guidance came up a number of times, as well as the usefulness of GCSEs!

Talking of GCSEs and exams, the DfE announced that exams were going to be cancelled for 2021, with the onus on teacher assessment. This week, plans emerged for students to sit short, externally-set assessment this summer (sounds a little like the concept known as exams to me) to help teachers award grades, plans appear to have won Ofqual’s support, but as ever we wait for full details and the consultation to be shared. It is not clear how these mini-exams will be marked or moderated, when the content will be published, how multiple test dates can maintain the integrity of the process, or how the original problem (that not all students have covered the same content) can be mitigated. I will be discussing with heads the potential of setting up a working group to look at the changing landscape, how we respond and organise these arrangements locally, and usefully inform our heads how we constructively navigate this area, so that none of our students are disadvantaged.

A reminder that the Camden Learning’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) is on Wednesday, 20 January 2021, at 4.30pm. The AGM itself is unlikely to last longer than 15 minutes and will be followed immediately by a presentation from Professor Paul Miller, Professor of Educational Leadership and Social Justice.

Jon Abbey

Managing Director of Camden Learning

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