Session 1

What?

During a learning walk you will visit different classrooms to see the teaching and learning in action. You can make brief visits to classrooms to develop an understanding of the lessons delivered. You will be speaking to learners to gain a full picture of the leaning process as well as hearing their views about the work and their confidence in completing it. A learning walk can be conducted across the whole school, or it can focus on an age range or specific departments. In some cases, forewarning teachers of the area under review before conducting the learning walk is effective practice, so as to ensure the area in question is in action during the lesson. This would ensure you are able to observe more factors to contribute to your enquiry, and help you to come to a judgement on what you observe. 

Advantages?

• Opportunity to review and evaluate teaching and learning

• Plenty of opportunities to speak with learners

• Opportunity to see whether the level of challenge provides continuity across the age range in question.

• Opportunities to identify effective practice to share

• Opportunity to evaluate consistency

• Get a flavour of how the area looks across the age range / departments in question

What?

When undertaking work scrutiny, you will be looking at learners' work over a period of time. You can focus on a cross-section of pupils, or on a particular age range. In some cases, you will be doing this alongside the learners. This can be beneficial to enable you to gather more information about the tasks in question. 

You can look at work in books and digitally. It is important to remember that a full picture of learners' achievement is required, and this may mean you need access to a number of different services (for example Google Classroom, Flipgrid, Adobe CC Express etc.)

Advantages?

• Opportunity to check a number of aspects: consistency, standards, pedagogy, teaching.

• Opportunity to see learners' achievement over a more extended period of time

• Opportunity to compare standards and ensure continuity across the school 

• Opportunity to see the range of experiences 

What?

You will be interviewing a cross-section of learners. This can be across a range of ages.  You can interview everyone together, but it can also be effective to interview on a year group / class basis. When interviewing there will be an opportunity to discuss learners’ work with them, and the hope is that learners can explain what they have achieved, using subject terminology and technical language accurately. You will be able to see learners' confidence as they find various tasks, and see whether there is consistency in how their work is shared and stored. You can discuss the feedback they get, and how this helps them to learn and to improve the standard of their work.

Advantages?

• Direct opportunity to talk with learners about their work.

• Opportunity to hear learners' views about the work.

• Opportunity to discuss how the teaching has led to progression in standards

• Opportunities to discuss these skills in real life contexts, for example, in which situations can these skills be useful etc.

• Opportunity to discuss online safety issues with learners.

What?

When reviewing schemes of work, you will be looking through all schemes of work that contain aspects of digital learning. This will usually take place fairly early in the year in order to ensure the mapping of digital competence experiences. Mapping is the process of looking ahead over a period of time in order to ensure variety and balance throughout the area. It must be ensured planned experiences are of a high standard and develop all aspects of digital competence across the whole curriculum. 

Advantages?

• Opportunity to develop ideas further

• Ensure consistency and continuity in learning experiences

• Ensure an appropriate level of challenge, to challenge learners across the school.

• Opportunity to identify classes / departments that need further support 

• How does the lead work alongside stakeholders such as governors?

• How does the school use MER to inform SER / SIP and drive digital school improvement?

• How do you ensure coverage, progression, and standards?

• What opportunities have you had to work with other digital leads within the LA/region?

• Have you been part of any projects (CSC or otherwise) to support digital development?

• Is there an action plan for digital development? Does this involve any links to the cluster?

• How do you provide opportunities for pupils to inform the way digital develops in the school?

• How are you ensuring the building of capacity? How would the school make further progress should you move roles? 

How do you ensure pupils are provided with a platform to share and celebrate success?

Is there a vision for digital within the school? How is it shared?

How does teaching and learning reflect the vision?

To what extent are people willing to take risks and experiment with digital?

How has post-covid practice been influenced by improved staff skills?

How do you promote innovation?

Are there aspects of digital learning where staff feel a lack of confidence? 

• What is the standard of learners' work? Is this consistently high across the school?

• Do pupils achieve as expected?

• Do standards of work show continuity across the school? i.e. do learners develop their skills as they move through the school?

• Is pupils' digital work consistent across the AoLEs?

• To what extent are learners able to discuss their skills and achievements? for example, using subject terminology effectively, using technical vocabulary accurately when explaining

• Do learners demonstrate independent working skills? for example in line with expectations according to age / ability level

• Are learners able to make suitable decisions when selecting which technology or digital services to use to complete their work? 

• How do the systems and processes within the school support improvement?

• How is hardware provision planned and monitored?

• Do you know what you want the DCF to look like in the school and how is this monitored?

• Do the school make use of portfolios to track/evidence coverage and progression?

• Is there a clear point of contact for staff needing support? 

• Have colleagues developed a clear understanding of where digital learning fits into curriculum reform?

• Is the DCF documentation used for planning and well-known amongst all teachers?

• How do you cover the DCF in school? Are there particular strands which are strong or need development?

• How have colleagues been prepared to deliver each of these strands?

• Where do you find support and professional learning?

• Are staff members aware of the areas they would like to improve through professional learning? 

• To what extent do teachers know their role in developing DCF?

• How would you describe the strength of coverage across each strand within the classrooms? Which elements pose the biggest challenge to staff?

• Do you see progression and coverage in all classes? Do departments / year groups focus on common programmes and apps or a growing variety?

• How are teachers developing those areas which were impacted through the pandemic?

• In what ways could pedagogy be improved in digital learning?

• How confident are teachers in leading learning for data and computational thinking / collaboration etc?

• To what extent do teachers / staff model expectations to the learners? Does this lead to higher standards?

• To what extent do success criteria help learners to succeed?

• What is the role of the technology in supporting teaching? Do teachers use the technology effectively / efficiently?

• Is there consistency across the school in terms of digital learning? for example use of platforms, consistency of storage, use of screen, visualiser etc.

• Is there constructive feedback provided on digital work, and is this of the same standard as feedback in other areas/subjects, or non-digital work?

• To what extent do technology and digital services support assessment? Is this efficient, and is there practice that can be improved? 

• Do plans demonstrate ambition, and is this consistent across the school?

• How wide is the range of experiences that are planned / provided?

• Is there balance between digital competence skills?

• Are planned tasks of a high standard and likely to set an appropriate level of challenge for learners?

• Do planned tasks allow learners to lead the learning? i.e. learners selecting a device/software to complete work, opportunities for problem solving, opportunities to support peers.