Moray Building Bridges case study
PDF file: Moray Building Bridges case studySpeyside High School
Speyside Associated Schools is a group of schools serving a large geographical area on the edge of the new Cairngorms National Park. The High School is located in Aberlour with associated primaries varying in size from single teacher school to two seven-teacher establishments. Participants in Building Bridges recognised that the diverse nature of the cluster made it all the more important to work cooperatively in preparing children to enter S1.
Concerns with continuity and progression were addressed by the production of a unit of work, which all P7 children undertook. The main elements of the unit were: sharing of ideas through small group work; peer learning; models and lesson plans; and resources to facilitate interactive teaching. Working together to produce the unit was a major outcome, as was the opportunity for high school staff to work with P7 pupils prior to entry into S1.
With new members having joined the planning group, the project entered a second phase, with new talking and listening elements added. Concerns over reading progression P6–S2 were also addressed through the purchase of the ‘Accelerated Reader’ programme.
Pupil evaluation of the project has been positive and the teacher working group has been expanded. Next steps will see similar development of a work by a contemporary Scottish writer, though at present the identity of the author has not been revealed!