Inverclyde Building Bridges case study
PDF file: Inverclyde Building Bridges case studyGreenock High School and Wemyss Bay Primary
Greenock High School, with a roll of 560, serves the south-west of Greenock and the villages of Inverkip and Wemyss Bay. Free school meals entitlement is above local and national averages.
Three aims drove the research; report writing across the curriculum, improving writing quality and the development of research skills. Implementation of Assessment is for Learning techniques would be employed. The focus would be a P6/7 class and a group of 10 randomly selected S1 pupils.
Key points were agreed and it was decided that their implementation in both sectors would follow a pattern – the gradual introduction of formal assessment strategies, careful monitoring, the use of writing frames and new approaches to accessing non-fiction texts. With resources in place, the project began.
Regular discussion, with opportunities to ‘reflect together’ on the effects of formative assessment techniques, was a feature of the primary experience. Over a 10-week period, evidence emerged of improvement in report-writing skills and an increased technical knowledge and vocabulary. The secondary school, though hampered by staffing difficulties, produced encouraging results, with eight pupils improving their report-writing skills.
This shared experience has enabled the emergence of even closer liaison between the schools and plans are already in place to build upon this foundation.