Our Projects

This article reviews an action research pilot study into how to effectively show children’s learning progress during the course of lessons at a British Curriculum primary school in Dubai, awarded Outstanding status by the Dubai School Inspection Board (DSIB), 2024. Whilst the school showed outstanding progress through its summative data and external assessments, it was noted by the inspectorate that it was not always clear whether, during the course of a lesson, children were making clear progress against the learning goals of that session.

A period of instability in terms of engagement and readiness for learning has been noted in Year 3 students over the 5 years at Arcadia. PASS data also indicates student are struggling with curriculum demands in this period of transition between KS1 and KS2. Teacher perception often accredits this to demands of the long school day (07:50-16:00). What can be done to improve the students’ engagement within the parameters of our setting?

This ELL study delves into analyzing effective ELL strategies tailored to support secondary high-need students. This action research aims to identify and implement teaching & learning approaches that not only facilitate English language acquisition but also foster academic success across content classes.

Acquiring proficiency in a new language is a multifaceted journey that extends beyond the classroom. For English language learners (ELL), this journey is often marked by unique challenges and opportunities. A key factor affecting the learning paths of ELL pupils is the decision to withdraw them from certain classes to provide language support sessions, aiming to boost their language proficiency.

Engaging students in meaningful class discussions is crucial for fostering critical thinking, comprehension, and active learning in primary education. However, ensuring consistent student participation can be challenging. My research explores the impact of integrating ClassPoint in Year 6 classrooms to enhance discussion engagement and effectiveness.

One of the criticisms which is often levelled at school leaders and system leaders is that strategy and policy developments are perceived as being “too corporate “. Quite rightly, the education industry regards itself as being different to the corporate world. The ambition for business is to make profit whereas in education our ambition is much more holistic - to teach young people the values and skills that they will need to thrive for the rest of their lives.