In early February, I had the pleasure of leading a Learning Review team at Edenhurst. The Learning Review is a peer to peer process, which allows Heads and other school leaders and teachers in the Bellevue Group to work closely in one of our sister schools each year on a focus of their choice around teaching and learning. We spend time in classrooms, talking to pupils, staff and parents and then share our findings, both to affirm strengths in current practice and to offer advice on areas for development. The process is collaborative and collegiate and one which schools find very supportive and useful.
One only has to be at Edenhurst for a short period of time to sense the warm and welcoming atmosphere that pervades the school and the evident happiness of the children.
In lessons, children of all ages approached their learning with commendable enthusiasm and an eagerness to achieve, somewhat beyond their years. There was a tangible sense of children supporting and encouraging one another in collaborative work alongside purpose and willing to improve and achieve one’s best, in independent work.
Learning Reviews are a two-way process and there was much notable practice to take away from the teaching and learning observed by the team. What I would particularly like to take back to Wandsworth Prep, was the level of challenge. Teachers at Edenhurst are particularly adept at preparing learning tasks for children which take in to account individual starting points which serve to ensure that each child takes their learning forward.
Bridget Saul, Headteacher, Wandsworth Prep School
To find out more about Wandsworth Prep, visit www.wandsworthprep.com
