Students Lead on Their Learning at JSL & JSV

March 8th 2024

Monday 26 February marked a first for our Junior Schools as the inaugural Learner Led Conferences took place. They were a resounding success!

Students and parents were invited to school together so that they could Meet the Teacher and experience Learning Together.

Joanne Coe, Cross-Campus Assistant Headteacher (Curriculum, Assessment, Data & Reporting), shared her reflections on the first Learner Led Conferences:

"Last school year, we reviewed the Junior Schools' reporting cycle. Following consultation with parents and staff, we have made several changes to both our reporting cycle and our written reports. The introduction of the Learner Led Conference is one of the key changes we have made following this review, and it originated in its earliest form from parental request.

I gained further understanding about the approach to my children's academic reports each term, and really appreciated the time the staff took to listen to my questions. I love the idea of possibly involving students in the parent-teacher conferences in the future.

- Feedback from a Junior School Parent following a Parent Engagement session in 2023

'The final format of the Conference grew from a vision to combine two key ideas. The first was to involve children in parent-teacher meetings to promote student voice and give children ownership of and responsibility for their own learning. We hoped to 'close the triangle' so that all three stakeholders (child, parent, and teacher) could discuss learning together.

'The second idea was to showcase the range of specialist opportunities that we offer in the Junior Schools and to enable parents to see for themselves their child's progress in these areas.

'Children and staff worked hard in preparation for the day to ensure that children felt confident discussing their learning with their parents, and this hard work really paid off.

It was amazing to see the pride with which children showed their parents around their school and it has been great to hear about the maturity they displayed when explaining and discussing their learning.

Feedback From our Parent Community

Following the Conferences, a survey was sent out to parents to gather their invaluable feedback on the experience - which was overwhelmingly positive. At the publication date of this News Story, the survey results showed:

94% of parents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "The Learner Led Conference gave me a valuable opportunity to understand my child's learning."
93% agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "My child enjoyed sharing their learning."
90% said that they would like to attend a similar conference next year

Comments from parents reiterated the value of the Learner Lead Conference:

"I loved hearing my children describe their process and approach to learning. Both of them chose mistakes they made as things they were proud of 'because this shows my best learning!'. That was marvellous!"

and:

"My child was very proud of his school and work. It showed my child that they have a voice and helped boost his confidence."

Feedback from our BSN Staff

The majority of our Junior School staff were involved in the preparation and implementation of the Learner Lead Conference in some capacity. Their experiences were also positive and reflected the high level of engagement they have with our students. Many are already thinking ahead about the potential for future opportunities for parent-student-teacher learning discussions.

"This was the first time we have held Learner Led Conferences; I was not sure how the students I support with their wellbeing would respond in the moment. It was fantastic!

What a wonderful opportunity to come together to celebrate the successes of the children, their obvious pride and delight having their parent and I together to share their progress was such a special moment.

The Conferences were also a great opportunity for us to suggest the student's next steps as a group. This style of Conference was such a success that I hope we have these again in the future."

- Mel Allen, Additional Education Needs (AEN) Teacher