A quiet revolution (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

A quiet revolution

2:01pm Friday 24th September 2004 in

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FROM the outside, George Mitchell School's Victorian building looks imposing. It has an aura more of correction than education.

But inside, a quiet revolution is beginning that has seen results at GCSE level improve by more than 100 per cent in just two years.

It is not a revolution that is imposed. It is being led by the pupils themselves.

The difference starts as soon as you enter the school in Farmer Road, Leyton, and are met by three pupils who present the visitors'book and entry sticker.

The revolution is called Making Learning Better (MLB), which head teacher Helen Jeffery describes as a daring investment' in the potential of the student voice to personalise learning and increase standards.

The seeds began in the English department with a pilot conceived by assistant head teacher and curriculum leader Matthew Savage.

"The student voice was given unprecedented and virtually unlimited access, audience and influence," Mrs Jeffery said.

"Students were able to observe lessons and deliver constructive feedback to teachers.

"They were to conduct audits of display, marking and assessment and they were to attend department meetings in order to advise on schemes of work and lesson delivery."

It resulted in concrete changes in the way English was taught, such as more music used in teaching, said Mr Savage.

The scheme proved a success and has now become the standard for the rest of the school.

There are 80 representative students, who are regarded as the most passionate for each subject area by teachers.

Two are chosen from each year group to represent a subject area. Selection is not just based on ability, Mrs Jeffery was keen to point out.

These students can take part in staff interviews and appointments, syllabus review and selection not just how they are taught but also what they are taught.

They will also visit other schools to see good practice, support students in the school and lead extra-curricular activities.

An example of the theory in action is the recent selection of a new English teacher.

The selection panel could not decide on which of the best two applicants should be selected.

The casting vote was left to four pupils, who had taken part in every part of the selection day.

Mr Savage admitted that on paper, David Hogg, the less experienced of the candidates, might not have been his first choice.

But he, like the children, was won over by his performance.

Mr Hogg, in his first job since teacher training, recalls it as a new experience.

He said: "I was quite excited by it. I thought I was going somewhere that was quite different. It was really interesting, I went away thinking I had been properly grilled."

The children on the selection panels felt excited and empowered by being part of the process too.

Saba Butt, 15, said: "I thought it was good. We got a teacher we wanted, not one that was given to us."

Sharif Ashant, 14, said their instincts had proved right.

He said: "Mr Hogg is the best teacher I have had for English. When he teaches were understand what he is saying."

The school does still have its problems, Mrs Jeffery admitted, but the number of fixed term exclusions has dramatically reduced.

She believes children misbehave because they are having domestic problems or they are not getting to grips with learning.

"We have a very sophisticated structure for students who misbehave.

"We have what we call pastoral support where we work with children. If the children are having fun they do not misbehave.

"Our ethos is based on mutual respect. We have to lay down ground rules and they have to be heard.

"Children want the boundaries. Some do not get boundaries at home. For some, school is the only place," she said.

Walking around the school it seems like the revolution is not just lip service to a new way of teaching.

There is one nod to the past: the students are all in uniform. I am surprised to find it was on the initiative of the children.

"It is a very simple black and white uniform. They decided they wanted to wear the badge on their uniforms and wanted to go further but we decided it would be too costly," said Mrs Jeffery.

The success of MLB can be measured with exam results over the last two years.

In 2002, 20 per cent of pupils achieved five GCSE A* to C; this rose to 34 per cent in 2003, at the introduction of the scheme.

This year an impressive 43 per cent achieved that level.

It puts George Mitchell in the top 100 schools in terms of percentage improvement in England this year.

But Mrs Jeffery is not resting on her laurels.

"We have only started, what we have done is just a scratch on the surface.

"The first year we had to create a new leadership team, changing staff raising expectations and being very clear about our vision.

"Now we will move on," she said."