Secondary

Reservoirs of Hope as a metaphor for spiritual and moral leadership in headship, and why some headteachers leave headship early 'when reservoirs run dry'

Aim: The study aimed to: Describe the perceived spiritual and moral bases of headship in a range of heads; Explore the use of the metaphor of reservoirs of hope in describing the preservation of individual values and institutional self-belief against external pressures; Promote practitioner reflection on critical incidents when spiritual and moral leadership was tested; Codify heads individual strategies for sustainability, replenishment and development; and Analyse why some headteachers leave headship early due to the possible failure of their sustainability strategies when reservoirs of hope

Students As Researchers: How does being a student researcher affect learning?

Aim: From 1996 the school had tried to establish a Students as Researchers (SaRs) initiative to enable students to investigate, analyse and present student perspectives on aspects of school life and learning. This study records the attempts to evaluate the impact of participating in such research projects on the students learning. The aim of the research was to evaluate the impact of participating in such research projects on the students themselves in terms of: Their attitude to the SaRs initiative; Their social skills; and Their academic skills.

Promoting behaviour for learning

Aim: The aim of this project was to find a more effective approach to managing behaviour than the schools existing structured system of consequences. In particular, the research focused on how positive behaviour strategies could be used to improve students behaviour for learning. This stemmed from my personal concern that whilst the system of consequences was a helpful way of managing poor behaviour, there was little acknowledgement given to students who behaved well.

Effective questioning: stepping-stones to meta-cognition?'

Aim: There were two main, linked, aims of this project. The primary aim was to investigate the role of effective questioning by the teacher in a History class. The second aim explored the usefulness of this meta-cognitive strategy in enhancing higher-order thinking skills in the classroom. These are the skills that characterise higher achievement at Key Stages 3 and 4 (11-16 years of age).