Balfron Matters
Monday 7 May 2024
Weekly communication for staff
Dear colleagues,
Learning & Teaching Matters
The Pedagogy Festival on Friday was fantastic. Congratulations to everyone! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. It was great to see everyone contribute and shine. Massive thanks to Michelle and our Pedagogy Leads for their part in guiding our learning. Michelle will follow up shortly with an evaluation. Our plan is to run a Pedagogy festival on the May inservice day annually, so your feedback on what worked well and suggestions for improvement are most welcome.
Our learning & Teaching strategy is to clearly link our practice and improvement to the QI 2.3. This will influence and support improvement while building our familiarity and confidence with the Quality Indicator. QI 2.3 is a feature of both inspection models - full and short.
Our strategy began with the development of our Balfron L&T Toolkit. All of our work should link to our Toolkit. The Balfron L&T Toolkit breaks down the QI, provides examples, techniques and routines as well as links to resources. As this is PRD season, I would strongly encourage all staff to make use of the toolkit as a helpful reflection and planning document.
This year Michelle and I have developed key documentation to support our L&T strategy:
Balfron Self Evaluation Overview (used for discussion & planning at Open Doors)
Balfron Observation Sheet (formal lesson observations)
Team Observation Review and feedback/planning overview. PTs will feedback to Michelle and I so that we can plan our CLPL offer based on need.
There are two places that you can access our key documents - Balfron Staff Google Drive - Learning & Teaching and our new BHS L&T Website. It is great to see the L&T Website take shape - thank you Michelle! The fabulous Tom Sherrington Walkthru series can also be accessed through the L&T website. I would highly recommend these resources.
Here is the link to Danny's Inspirational Pedagogy Assistant. To access the AI tool, scroll down passed the interactive guide.
Behaviour Matters
Thanks to all of you who have stepped up at breaks and lunchtimes to supervise in the last week. Pupil behaviour has been positively managed and the school has regained its calm. I am delighted to share that 38 colleagues have volunteered to support supervision for the month of May - many to thanks to each of you.
Here is a link to the supervision rota. Where possible I have paired us up so that we have a chum! If your circumstances change and you cannot make it, please let the person you are on duty with know.
Literacy Matters
This week, our word of the week is optimistic. We are continuing to encourage pupils to use the word in their speech and writing, rewarding pupils with merits when they do so. I hope everyone continues to get on board - it was great to see 'resilience' being used in form time last week by Sarah. Photos below.
Given the great work going on across our school, I am feeling incredibly optimistic about the future at Balfron High ;-)
Have a great week.
Elaine
This week at Balfron High:
Mon: holiday
Tues: Open Doors - Social Subjects
N5 & AH English
AH Music Practical Exams
Parent Council AGM
Wed: N5 & H Spanish
Thurs: H English
N5 Practical Cookery
S3 Vaping Presentation, period 2
S2 Vaping Presentation, period 3
S1 Vaping Presentation, period 4
Fri: N5 & H RME
S2 Ardeche Trip leaves
Notice Boards
Thank you all for your input 👏
We are delighted and excited to bring to you another amazing Balfron High School Musical with pupils from S1 to S6. The show is a foot stamping and sing along performance which I guarantee you will enjoy. Perhaps for some of you a wee trip down memory lane!
The story is a crazy concoction of pop culture, flared trousers, halter-neck tops, gogo boots, glitter and lashes.
Jack (Fraser Spence) works at the Disco Inferno Club with dreams of being a professional singer. When Lady Marmalade Ruby Button and Rose Simons), a temptress from Hell (just go with it) offers him fame and fortune in return for his soul, chaos (and lots and lots of music) ensue.
Grace & The School Show Team
Last week at Balfron
Pics this week include:
Yorkshire Dales Geography Field Trip
Motorbike Maintenance course
Sports Leaders - tennis and rugby
Cycling round the village
Word of the week
Please take photos and share with me directly or through Twitter (with pupils' permission). Let's recognise and celebrate all the good stuff. We will also share in the Parent Noticeboard. #wearebalfron
Lunch N Learn: Weekly inhouse CLPL
Last week at Lunch n Learn
Nicola explained the role of vocabularly and the challenges across the curriculum when literacy levels are behind
We all designed a vocabulary cube using a word from our specialsed areas
Quizzing each other - it was tricky trying to work out what the word was
Lunch N Learn
A new series of CLPL inputs around the use of literacy and vocabulary in our classrooms to boost attainment.
Presented by Nicola,
Join us on
Wednesday lunchtimes, C8
CLPL opportunities
With exam leave started we tend to turn our attentions to development work and professional develoment of our own interest.
Have a look below at the CLPL opportunites available:
Lunch n Learn, Professional Reading Library, Education Scotland Learn , Walkthrus, BHS Digital CLPL, Professional Book Club
Professional Reading Library - Strathendrick Suite
Scan the QR codes in the library to borrow a book
Digital CLPL
always available through the links below:
Education Scotland: Professional Learning Modules
Digital Resource Library and Walkthurs
Find lots of links here to blogs, podcasts, research papers etc.
Walkthrus is a new digital resource we have subscribed to.
It is a rich resource full of structured routines for developing all aspects of Learning & Teaching - it can be used individually as well as full departments.
It's really excellent - click on the link to explore more.
Professional Book Club
We are reading:
Making every lesson count
There are lots of copies of this book in our school, come join us!
Powering up our seniors for successful studying
Quick links for form and class resourcing
National supported study, free offer to all learners.
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Teachers Guide to the BHS Study Planner - 3 min watch
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BHS senior study planner
e-sgoil weekly online supported study timetable
Our Priorities for improvement 2023-24
Increased consistency in Learning & Teaching
Improved Wellbeing & Inclusion of all young people
Increased offer in Curriculum
Increased Attainment & Achievement
Increased influence of Pupil Voice on Improvement
One portal to hold all information
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Useful Links