Free CPD for Primary Schools
We are reaching out to schools across Lancashire to offer two new CPD programmes of support, focusing on English, Maths, Executive functioning and Metacognition.
From HEAD to TOE CPD Short Programme: English and Maths recall and retention in the classroom.
Whole School INSET and 6 week delivery programme
Our From HEAD to TOE programme is designed to embed physical and creative strategies into the existing English and Maths curriculum and your chosen schemes to maximise knowledge retention and recall and make learning experiences as memorable as possible for young people.
Our provision includes Staff INSET to share the practice with the whole staff team and discuss opportunities for utilising the practice to achieve school improvement plan targets and key priorities. This is then followed by a 6 week delivery programme with two teachers/classes, co-led between our Artists and your Teachers, in the timetabled English and/or Maths lessons to share the strategies, tasks and games, tailor them to the needs of your setting and pupils and upskill Teachers in feeling confident in embedding these in their practice and being inspired to develop their own under the same approach. The programme will also include a bank of resource cards for your school to use for onward delivery.
INTERESTED?
- First come, first served, we currently have 2 FREE programmes left. The equivalent cost of the provision would be £1250 per programme.
- All programmes need to take place before the end of the 24/25 academic year.
- There are no eligibility requirements for this, other than working with 2 different year groups.
Let us know your interested by emailing Sarah at sarah@bluemoosedance.org.uk
Teacher Development Partnership Programme: investigation embodied learning to support executive functioning and metacognition
From HEAD to TOE, we are developing a Teacher Development Fund application as through Paul Hamlyn Foundation this Autumn and are looking for upto 10 schools from across Lancashire to partner with us. This phase will support Teachers to experience and embed embodied learning pedagogy to help developing executive functioning and metacognition within their classrooms.
As a partner school, we will collaborate with 2 staff (from any stage of school) and 1 senior leader to develop and deliver a CPD programme aimed at developing pedagogical approaches in school, achieving School Improvement Outcomes and fundamentally improving pupil’s metacognition and executive functioning. We will also be using the strategies developed through the first research phase that support English and Maths retention and recall.
The next phase of this project has a particular focus on Teachers – the curriculum content has been developed, tested and evaluated to be really effective; we are now looking to further support teachers to develop their practice, develop further awareness of their own needs as a facilitator in the classroom, support their mental health, and bring about strategies to support the implementation of movement and creative pedagogy. For information on the first phase, see below.
INTERESTED?
- We need to name our (upto) 10 partner schools by 11th October.
- Schools need to prove/articulate inequality exists for their pupils in some format to be eligible for the funders; this may be geographical, socio-economic, learning need, SEN, Free School meals etc. If a particular year group falls into this bracket, we can nominate that class for the project.
- Schools will need to commit to the journey with us from Sept 2025 – July 2027 (for 2 staff and 1 senior leader).
- The funding will provide supply costs to release staff from teaching commitments for CPD as and when required (to be agreed mutually at the outset of the project but anticipate it will be equivalent to 8 days across 2 years).
- If you are joining us, at this stage we just need your contact details and inequality demographic notes/information. If successful at Stage 2, we will have a follow up call in early Dec 24 to ask a few more questions around your specific schools needs and aims. If successful, we will hear in April 2025, with the project commencing Sept 2025.
Let us know your interested by emailing Sarah at sarah@bluemoosedance.org.uk
MORE ABOUT From HEAD to TOE
Research and testing the impact
This approach was developed through a collaborative research project between 2021-2023 in which Blue Moose Dance Company worked with five Primary Schools across Lancashire, co-producing strategies, resources and interventions. Curriculum topics included place value, narrative writing, report writing and word class and grammar.
We worked collaboratively with class teachers to challenge traditional learning methods and environments, inspiring more creativity within the classroom space and beyond. Our developed approach centres around the moving body and embodied learning, supporting physical exploration and regulation of the nervous system. Pupils have been encouraged to think independently, to develop further curiosity and imagination, giving them autonomy to find new ways to access learning.
INSET and PPA time allowed space for teachers to reflect on practice and expand their toolkit. We worked closely with headteachers and SLTs to shape this project and its success can be seen in the schools adopting this approach from Reception through to Year 6, including it as a key action in School Improvement Plans and with teachers passing on their experience with local school clusters.
The original phase of the project was generously funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation through the Arts Based Learning Fund.
Why is it free?!
The short CPD programme is free as at the end of the initial funded program with Paul Hamlyn Foundation (completed Feb 24) we were left with an underspend (we are thrifty people!) and so PHF have agreed to allow us to share this CPD offer with 7 schools free of charge as long as schools commit to engaging with the approach and implementing it within their school and it can occur with the 24/25 academic year.
The partnership programme is free as we will write you into the funding application from the outset and are asking Paul Hamlyn Foundation for the costs to cover the usual expenses incurred in releasing teachers from timetabling, travel and other staff training.
Examples of the project and press
See our documentary film on the project here:
Read our recent press about the work here:
‘Movement improves classroom learning’ Arts Professional article
‘Have we been missing a trick in our teaching?’ LEP article
