Nick Pointer
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nickpointer.bsky.social
Nick Pointer
@nickpointer.bsky.social
Obsessed with education, teaching and learning, professional development and school improvement. Associate Dean at Ambition Institute. Words mine.

For blogs and more: https://nickpointer.com
A great session with tons of concrete tips and important principles 💯

@valentinadevid.bsky.social @rkneyber.bsky.social

#EducationFestival
July 3, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Link to curriculum design - we want to avoid an instrumentalist approach, and ensure that teachers are making high quality choices and when and how to enact formative action in their teaching.

Through: constructive alignment - linking goals to teaching activities to formative action approaches.
July 3, 2025 at 11:29 AM
The final step? Checking and monitoring to see whether the action has made a difference.

This is important not just for the teacher, but for pupils to self-monitor their progress, and to feel more successful following the formative action!

This might be done using a “mirror question”.
July 3, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Valentina:

- Considering our learning goals clearly in advance, and using these to anticipate misconceptions allows us to respond quickly and accurately at the action stage ☝🏽

- Less experienced teachers might benefit from collaborating w/ more experienced colleagues to draw on their knowledge too
July 3, 2025 at 11:18 AM
And, there are a range of actions we might take off the back of the information gathered, but, in any case, René says we have be able to respond quickly!

How to do this? A pre-requisite first step - predicting problems.
July 3, 2025 at 11:16 AM
And now back to @rkneyber.bsky.social on the active ingredients of formative action that makes a difference.
July 3, 2025 at 11:10 AM
@valentinadevid.bsky.social making it clear that these formative action processes need to be top-and-tailed with a) ensuring pupils have a really clear sense of what good looks like, and b) a focus on how meaningful and useful feedback is given.
July 3, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Other important differentiators:

- A focus on the difference between *learning* and *performance*.

- Increased discussion around the relevant points in lessons/curricula where teachers might best deploy these approaches.
July 3, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Why reframe to ‘Formative Action’?

- Increased emphasis on teachers acting - doing something - with the information elicited, as opposed to a misplaced focus on the idea of assessment.
July 3, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Phenomenal provision clearly happening at all levels of the school, with some incredible stories of the impact this has had on the young people Derby Moor work with ⭐️

#EducationFestival
July 3, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Thrive - ARP largely for SEMH needs

Nurture - Y7 transition provision for pupils identified as needing support

Innovate - ARP for pupils working significantly below age and with multiple and/or profound needs

- All supported by a key multi-disciplinary/agency team:
July 3, 2025 at 10:11 AM
- Discrete space in the school
- Highly experienced teachers, HLTAs, and a primary-phase teacher and SENCO.
- Ratio of 3:1 to support pupils with a range of profound needs
- Again families & pupils supported by multi-disciplinary team
- Working with local FE provider to support transition beyond
July 3, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Third element: age-not-stage provision for pupils with multiple needs/working at significantly below their age.

- Thematic learning - drew on local specialist school - but also with alignment to main school curriculum where possible
- Age not stage
July 3, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Other element of EP: Nurture transition for pupils with additional support needs coming in from Year 6.

- Again, re-aligning teaching with main school curriculum, to allow reintegration as a time appropriate to pupil.

- Run by assistant SENCO, decision making about gate keeping by wider SEND team.
July 3, 2025 at 9:58 AM
One key impact? 0% of pupils who have attended the ARP in the last 3 years have gone on to be NEET!
July 3, 2025 at 9:55 AM
- New and well resourced facilities.
- Bringing in specialist teachers from mainstream to teach subjects at both KS3 and KS4 - these teachers handpicked as the most effective and most skilled, not just those in time free on timetable.
- QA of T&L same as in mainstream part of school
July 3, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Moved from having a small internal AP, to an ARP provision with intentionality at every level:

- Careful decision making about who attends ARP and why, through an internal multi-disciplinary team and panel
- Intentional plans for reintegration with mainstream from the start, for all
July 3, 2025 at 9:48 AM
And finally @douglemov.bsky.social sharing a great starter kit for how we can use cold call in a way that’s warm, invitational and inclusive 🙌🏽
#EducationFest
July 3, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Back with @bradleybusch.bsky.social, explaining how incredibly warm and inclusive use of cold calling can increase pupil volunteering of answers over time and reduce “social loafing”!
July 3, 2025 at 9:03 AM