If pupils genuinely cannot access the answer to a question or problem, then they can ask their teacher for support. Planner cards can be used to indicate to staff when a pupil needs support – turning them to red to indicate that they have tried all stages of the independence ladder but now really do need further support and guidance. We have monitored the effectiveness of the Etone independence ladders through pupil voice and lesson observations to ensure a consistency of approach across the school. Pupils are able to articulate confidently how they use them as support in lessons. When completing student interviews to inform a marking CPD, pupils talked about how they liked the ladders and found them helpful, particularly during fix it time.
Independent learning remains a focus for the year ahead with a particular emphasis on providing our learners with the skills needed to best tackle revision and examinations. Having equipped our pupils with a simple strategy to make them more independent, we will continue to drive forward with a focus on independence for teachers considering a variety of learning activities within lessons and homework activities. Whilst the 3 Before Me and Independence Ladder idea is a tried and tested one, it had not been used consistently across the school and therefore, its impact had been limited. Pushing it forward with this very focused approach has allow it to become embedded and begin to really impact upon the learning skills of our pupils.
