Southampton LEA had identified the need to improve pupils’ learning
skills. A small steering group comprising LEA staff and headteachers met
over a two-year period to develop strategies that would help schools and
colleges improve the learning skills of their pupils and students. The
steering group was keen to involve both pupils and teachers in helping to
identify what skills effective learners need and then to suggest what to do
to help them develop those skills.
Two areas were investigated in schools and colleges.
1 First, many teachers were asked to complete a questionnaire, about
what good learners look like at different ages. When the results were
collated, there was remarkable agreement. From these results, ‘end-of-
key-stage statements’ were developed to describe effective learners at
ages five, seven, eleven, fourteen and sixteen. The statements set out
milestones that indicated to teachers what to develop in each key
stage. Together, the statements set an agenda for which learning skills
to teach and when.
2 A detailed questionnaire was given out in one secondary school to
investigate the pupils’ perceptions of how they learned best. The
responses gave the school some valuable insights. This led to
discussions between staff about learning skills and the physical
environment as well as to the senior management team investigating
what could be done to improve classrooms.
The findings were shared between schools via conferences and the LEA
website.
The end-of-key-stage statements for Key Stages 2, 3 and 4 are set out in
grids on the next two pages.3 | Key Stage 3 National Strategy|Pedagogy and practice
Unit 17: Developing effective learners© Crown copyright 2004
DfES 0440-2004Case study 1