 Trust Projects - University of Leeds Bretton Hall Campus
 What is distinctive about this project?
The unique focus of the Bretton Hall project is its focus on partnership
teaching in science. This is the process by which teachers
form professional relationships within the classroom for mutually
improving their ability to teach primary science. Partnership
teaching is based on trust, honesty, openness and confidentiality
where science co-ordinators and partner teachers plan, observe
and evaluate together the lessons they share.
Overview
Since November 1997, supported by funding
from the Trust, Bretton Hall has worked with
25 Barnsley schools, providing a total of
75 teachers with fully funded subject over
a sustained period.
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Aims
Training for primary science teachers in
the Bretton Hall project was targeted at:
-
preparing teachers for the process of
partnership teaching with specific focus
on teaching process skills and science
concepts
-
developing understanding and
confidence to teach science by using science
process skills more effectively
-
assisting teachers to acquire science
subject knowledge
-
developing the role of the co-ordinator,
including resource audit, assessment and
action planning
-
working with industry.
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Costs
Typical costs for one school in Year 1
(Costs are substantially lower in Year 2)
 |
1. Resources
2. Tutor Costs/Staff Training
3. Supply Cover
4. Consultancy |
£1,000
£3,315
£1,690
£ 195 |
|
Total |
£6,200 |
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Achievements
-
Co-ordinators and partner teachers reported
an increased confidence in SC1
-
Teachers are now more focused on targeting
process skills and ensuring better coverage
of the process skills in children's investigative
work
-
Science has been given a higher profile
in schools with an emphasis placed on medium
and long-term planning
-
Through in-service work conducted by
the co-ordinator and partner teachers in
their schools, the training has been extended
to other members of staff
-
With the new confidence gained, schools
are finding evidence of both teachers and
children enjoying their science lessons
more.
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Summary
The Bretton Hall project is proving to be
a highly effective and popular programme
of in-service training. Schools' reactions
are overwhelmingly positive. Partnership
teaching has proved to be a very successful
strategy for introducing change in teacher
practice. The project has received overwhelming
support from the teachers involved and is
perceived by headteachers as a model of professional
development for other curriculum areas. Schools
welcome the additional resources provided
by the Trust and they enjoyed having the
Bretton Hall team working alongside them.
Two cluster
projects are now basing their in-service
training on the Bretton Hall model. They
are the Wakefield cluster
and the York cluster.
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What others say
"The school has benefited from the science
project that released teachers from their
classrooms to help deliver the subject. The
project has also enhanced the resources available
to the school."
OFSTED inspection report 1999
"We enjoyed the science project with potato
chips. We put salt water in one set of chips
and left the other set in water. We found
that chips in normal water absorbed most
water. We think this is because the salt
clogs things up."
Rebecca and Ben, aged 10
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Partnership Teaching
Teachers believe partnership teaching is
a proper dialogue which develops trust and
openness. It is proving invaluable in building
confidence. As a way of working, partnership
teaching has spilled over into other subject
areas and opened up new possibilities for
professional development. Teachers working
together, ownership of goals, support from
school management and the involvement of
the whole staff are all providing good evidence
of change in teacher practice. Science co-ordinators
are now in the process of developing schemes
of work in conjunction with the recently
published QCA scheme. Science co-ordinators
in the schools are impressed with the quality
of the input and the expertise and commitment
of the Bretton Hall team. As a result they
feel they have developed professionally and
can now provide effective support to colleagues
in school. Science co-ordinator support to
teacher colleagues now not only takes the
form of advice about resources, but also
offers advice concerning teaching approaches
and evaluation.
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Contact
Roy Phipps e-mail : rphipps@bretton.ac.uk
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