Archbishop Cranmer School in Aslockton, Nottingham Offers Better Quality Teaching Time

Archbishop Cranmer School in Aslockton, Nottingham is streamlining its reporting and assessment procedures for its staff, as a means to improve the planning of lessons and up the quality of teaching provision it can offer its pupils. The school is now using ‘Classroom Monitor’ (www.classroommonitor.co.uk), an award-winning interactive markbook, which allows teaching and governing staff to consistently assess each student’s development throughout Key Stages 1 and 2 and ensure that they are progressing at the correct pace.

Classroom Monitor allows Archbishop Cranmer teachers to easily monitor each pupil by continuously processing their reporting and assessment updates on an electronic system. Headteacher at Archbishop Cranmer School, Debbie Yates-Linnell, has selected this application specifically as a way to assist teachers in their planning, by tailoring their lessons in a manner that is really geared up to suit the needs of each pupil in relation to their progress. Proven to save teachers as much as 50% of the time on reporting, Classroom Monitor promises that Archbishop Cranmer staff will have significantly more time to devote to pupils in the classroom and further shape their lessons to suit the individual needs of each student.

An initiative introduced by the Government specifies that by 2012, all schools are required to meet real-time reporting targets. Archbishop Cranmer is one of over 1000 schools, which has shown the foresight in preparing for this initiative by incorporating this easy method of reporting into their everyday practices.

Headteacher at Archbishop Cranmer School, Debbie Yates-Linnell said: “Classroom Monitor allows our teachers to generate assessment data, which clearly highlights any gaps in our children’s learning and allows each teacher to plan effectively and bring each pupil up to speed. It also provides me with a very clear overview of how each student, class, year group and indeed the entire school is faring. From here I can spot any areas that need addressing and ensure that our pupils here at Archbishop Cranmer are getting the best education we can provide.”

A highly visual and simple ‘traffic light’ system is used to input assessment information. ‘Red’ represents an objective to target, ‘amber’ for almost met and ‘green’ when a pupil meets a target. Using information compiled from assessments over the year; teachers can tailor their teaching accordingly to suit the students’ needs, as well as provide detailed reports to senior staff, Governors and Ofsted for inspection purposes. This gives a clear overview of how well the school is performing as a whole and also allows each student to be pulled up individually when necessary.

Chris Scarth, Commercial Director at Prime Principle, commented: “Headteacher, Debbie Yates-Linnell appreciates that nowadays teachers are faced with a demanding level of paperwork to complete. These efforts to make reporting and assessment pain-free and more importantly useful to the teaching staff will ensure that students can guarantee access to the best level of education available, at a level that is suited to their actual attainment.”

For further information about Classroom Monitor, please contact Tel: (0) 844 5555 211 or visit the web site at: www.primeprinciple.co.uk