Personal learning planning in Scotstown Primary, Aberdeen City

Project summary

The main issue to be explored by all three schools (Kingswells Primary, Woodside Primary and Scotstown Primary) was the area of personal learning planning and the impact on pupil self-awareness, attitude to learning and attainment.  

In Scotstown they implemented an approach to PLPs throughout the whole school. It consisted of a booklet to be completed by children through discussion with staff, identifying areas of strength and developmental needs. Staff recorded targets to be met and attempted to source activities and resources to help each child meet their target. This approach was to be embedded as part of the AifL culture, which had been developed in classrooms over the previous two academic years.  

Success criteria

• Trial approach for personal learning plans to be discussed and agreed by all staff.
• Launch approach to be used by all pupils in school in an assembly.
• Personal learning approach to be carried out with every pupil in the school
• Approach monitored by Depute Head.
• Approach evaluated by all staff and children at the end of the trial period.
• Staff and pupils use knowledge gained from trial year to identify a manageable and worthwhile personal learning plan approach for the school.

Case study extract

The pupils

• all valued the opportunity to discuss with staff areas of strength and developmental needs
• felt that they became more aware of themselves as learners and could identify strategies with the help of staff to achieve targets set
• were given opportunity to discuss strengths, which led to a minimal increase in confidence in general. 

The staff

• valued the opportunity to have a personal discussion with pupils and felt that it enhanced their relationship.
• stated that it gave them a greater understanding of the whole child and an awareness of areas of concern they may have. 

Although these were benefits of the PLP approach, staff did report that these were already partly established due to changes in classroom practice resulting from the AifL implementation over the previous two years.  

Scotstown felt that all the success criteria had been met fully. After the trial year the school felt that they were much more informed and able to create a more meaningful and realistic approach to PLPs throughout the school, which would be sustainable and have a greater impact on pupil learning. A revised approach is to be trialled in session 2006–07, focusing more on a reflective diary, which is incorporated into the day-to-day classroom culture. With this approach staff /pupil discussion time would still be required.  

Scotstown felt that the approach used was a natural extension of the principles of AifL, which had already been embedded in classrooms. However, all staff reported that they found it very difficult to find quality time to discuss with children their notes in the PLP journals. They also reported that they had concerns of the time required for PLP and the limited impact it appeared to have. Identification of targets and subsequent action was also difficult to manage in an already overcrowded curriculum.  

As a result of these points, the staff decided to remove the journals and move towards a more reflective diary, with a less formal focus on identifying targets and the achievement of these. The advice they would give would be as follows:  

‘Don’t get frustrated by the limitations of any system trialled, but view it as an evolution which will lead eventually to an approach which will enhance the teaching and learning for all.’  

(See also Kingswells Primary and Woodside Primary case study extracts)

Contact details

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