The Green Book pilot scheme: evaluating a new approach for improving classroom learning

The Green Book pilot scheme was applied to the year 8 cohort of Preston School to target low level disruptive behaviour in the classroom. The concept of establishing a four-week ‘blitz’ on this element of behaviour was driven by the collaborative work of the tutor team and fitted neatly with the paper written by assistant principal, Rosie McGough, on deep support. It was agreed by the senior leadership team that the model of good practice at Heathfield School in Taunton, Somerset, could be adapted and enhanced to meet the needs of Preston students.

The model for improving the quality of learning in the classroom was informed by the feedback from teachers who recognised that their lessons were being undermined by a growing minority of students who were intent on placing barriers up to their learning, and the learning of others. As learning manager, Andrew Sweet recognised the need to get some baseline data to understand exactly where, and how, this negative behaviour was impeding learning.

Applying a new approach

The Edward Fureaux-designed approach reviewed student behaviour and learning through close-quarter tracking, on a daily basis. The use of a Blue Book system was coordinated by the headteacher, with heads of year levels and heads of faculty sharing information and quality assuring the tracking of students. They were able to help the heads of years to focus on those students who were finding their learning challenging and provide strategies to build capacity for improvement. Through meetings with staff and parents, and the interventions of the support staff, the key barriers to learning were identified and a whole-school approach was undertaken. This resulted in clear aspirations for learning, and consequences for those who fail to meet these aspirations.

The behaviour for learning initiative was undertaken with a transparent framework of conditions to be met by each student. The year 8 cohort was targeted, based upon the recognised national dip in performance in this age group and recognising that targeting behaviour would have a positive impact on future learning, SATs and General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) results.

‘Prestonising’ the Blue Book tracking system

After some discussion, the parents, students and staff were briefed on the proposed scheme, time frame and success criteria. A paper was distributed to all staff providing student guidance and staff rationale. The author of this paper coordinated the logistics of the green books, nominating lead students to be responsible for carrying the book to lessons, with opportunities to log their comments.

Rosie McGough and Andrew Sweet provided a context to the Green Book system at staff briefing, providing clear processes, outcomes and success criteria to make the tracking inclusive but also student-led, rather than teacher dependent. All year 8 students were presented with the same rationale and support was requested from all parents, to add weight to the tracking scheme.

Staff rationale

It was identified that teacher support at every stage was essential to improving the quality of learning and tracking the barriers to that learning. The endorsement of the senior leadership team provided further justification for embedding the tracking system into teaching and learning. As learning manager, Andrew Sweet was able to coordinate with staff, identify concerns and act upon them quickly, with parental support.

• The system is aimed at identifying those students who are regularly disrupting learning at a very low level.
• The type of low level disruption would not always be recorded on behaviour logs.
• The aim is to send a clear message to students and parents that such behaviour is cumulatively affecting the quality of learning taking place in the classroom and will not be tolerated.
• Normal referrals should be made for more serious incidences of poor behaviour.
• Positive entries on behaviour logs should be encouraged.

Quality assurance by learning manager

Implicit in the tracking process is the need to ensure consistency of practice. In my capacity as Learning Manger, Andrew Sweet was responsible for collating the comments and generating reports on a daily basis, which would be feedback to the academic mentors to review with individual students. This provided a fail-safe system that parents asked to be established, which ensured that only comments deemed to describe low level disruptive behaviour were logged.

Real outcomes

At the end of each day, the learning manager was responsible for logging the comments, proof reading and following any serious and persistent issues. This task was a heavy workload over four weeks (a task that would benefit from further distribution).

The involvement of parents was integral to student attitudes to the Green Book. The response was overwhelmingly positive, although eight parents refused to endorse the tracking system and their views were built into the collating process and evaluation.

All staff were prepared to provide detailed entries that prevented/ stopped the teaching and/or learning in their lessons. The content of the entries evolved over four weeks, specifically targeting behaviour, as well as commending classes and individuals worthy of special attention. Staff were given guidelines for what constituted low level disruptive behaviour, such as:

• calling out
• off-task
• no homework
• not paying attention
• persistently disobeying the teacher
• inadequate class work
• moving around the room
• lack of equipment
• excited
• defiance/arguing
• lateness to lesson
• refusal to comply with teacher’s request
• throwing objects
• not listening
• walking out
• chatting to other students
• lack of participation
• singing, mimicking.

Student rationale

Feedback from a visit to Heathfield School and a review of their pilot scheme was used to inform our tracking system and provide a student rationale that meets the needs of Preston students. We concluded that:

• the majority of students come to school to learn and to enjoy their schooling
• there are a minority of students who are regularly preventing the learning of others or not prepared to do their best in all their classes
• some staff are prevented from teaching and supporting learning due to their poor behaviour and negative attitude.

Student feedback

All year 8 students were fully informed of their progress through updates in tutor time and learning manager assemblies, explicitly on their progress and outcomes and attitudes to the Green Book. Students were asked to express their own views through a number of ways:

• completion of a student voice online survey designed by Andrew Sweet and James Reed (the data analyst who collated the evidence as part of CM Student Voice remit).
• meeting and speaking to students in one-to-one conversations and small group debates about the value of the Green Book system
• student ownership of their behaviour with lead learners in charge of the Green Book throughout the day and handed to the year office at the end of each day.
• progress reports sent to each form with top tips to avoid entries
• letters sent to parents of students with no entries (73 students)
• Rosie McGough arranged a prize draw to £10 for five students among this cohort, to recognise their achievements.
• Andrew Sweet visited each form group to recognise individuals who received three or less entries over four weeks, posting lead questions on message boards to encourage discussions
• Andrew Sweet carried out whole-form assessment of the Green Book system seven days after the end of the tracking.

Areas of development

• Greater distribution of responsibilities, as the workload for the learning managers to collate all the entries is very time consuming (one to two hours each day).
• Students need to be regularly briefed on the choices and consequences of the system.
• A parent’s evening prior to the Green Book system being implemented would defuse any complaints and help them understood the value of the scheme and why exclusions are necessary.
• Provide lead students with rewards for ‘moderating’ their logs.
• Give staff a forum to voice their opinions on how best to implement a Green Book system in the future.

Conclusions

• The tracking system indicated that low level disruptive behaviour was the key indicator for preventing quality learning and the one area in which teachers recognised that intervention was necessary.
• Teaching staff and students appreciated the value of the Green Book, understood the rationale and, through reinforcement and close monitoring, the students did take the scheme very seriously.
• Parent support was vital to making the process work and the conditions of internal and one-day exclusion were carried through with reintegration meetings and full parental consultation.
• The implementation of the year 8 intervention to manage the learning of excluded students has proved to be extremely successful for those students and sent a clear message to the rest of the cohort.
• The principal recognised a significant improvement in the quality of learning and the atmosphere of learning over the four weeks.
• It has made a difference to the attitudes of many year 8 to their learning and helped them to be more informed about the importance attached to that learning in key stage 3.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mr Andrew Sweet is the year 8 learning manager at Preston School, in Somerset, England, United Kingdom.

 

Go to top of page     Go to online discussion