14 July 2023
Dear Parents/Carers
EFA – Embedding Formative Assessment
On Friday 23rd June key staff at Erdington Academy participated in a SSAT formative assessment training day, facilitated by our mentor Ian Healey – it was a highly successful day, with everyone excited to begin this programme in September. The training day kickstarts the two-year professional development programme that we are delighted be participating in, which has been independently proven to increase student achievement.
What is it?
It is a programme that builds on over 20 years of research by Dylan Wiliam and Siobhan Leahy, this programme has shown to make a positive impact on student achievement and teacher behaviours. The Education Endowment Foundation found:
Learners made the equivalent of two months’ additional progress in their Attainment 8 GCSE score.
Learners in the lowest third for prior attainment made more progress than their classmates in the top third.
Why have we chosen to participate?
We have chosen to introduce the Embedding Formative Assessment programme into Erdington Academy to:
Improve teaching and learning across your school by empowering teachers to trial and refine formative assessment strategies.
Enable learners to take responsibility for their own learning through peer and self-review techniques.
Support your teachers in taking ownership over their learning by providing professional development and leadership opportunities.
Build a stronger sense of community in schools with teachers and learners collaborating with each other with common goals.
How does Embedding Formative Assessment work?
Through eight workshops across the academic year, known as Teacher Learner Communities (TLCs), groups of teachers focus on key formative assessment strategies that could be used in their classroom and feedback on the impact of techniques previously used. In between the workshop sessions, teachers are encouraged to conduct peer lesson observations and provide feedback to each other regularly.
Over a sustained period, this leads to whole-school impact as the TLC model provides support and accountability, and the regularity of the meetings supports a change in classroom habits which permeates throughout the school with conversations in staff rooms, classroom drop-ins and regular peer observation and reviews.
What’s next?
The TLC leaders have met this week and have received further support and training, they are busy preparing to facilitate their first teacher Learner Community sessions.
Staff will find out which TLC they will be working in, and will attend their first meeting in the new Autumn term.
We are really excited about this opportunity and will be keeping you updated – in the meantime, should you like to find out more about the programme please follow this hyperlink: Embedding Formative Assessment | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)
Yours sincerely
S.Mabbett
Assistant Principal
