What format do you use for meeting with the pupils to discuss progress?

Every Friday I have a timetabled slot for a check in with the children. I use a tracking sheet to monitor how they are progressing with each section of the award.

Some children have decided to work in small groups for sections like ‘Me and My World’ others work independently to develop their skills and interests in ‘My Interest’ and ‘Get Active Stay Active’ therefore I will either meet with groups or individuals.

The children bring to the check in their evidence from the week which includes their sign sheet (with the number of hours completed and signature) and evidence which can be photos, diary, poster, videos etc.

I have also used the TASC wheel (http://tascwheel.com ) as a tool to encourage children to plan, generate ideas and reflect on their progress. Children have made posters showcasing their different projects. As a school we also use learning postcards which the children fill out at the end of a section (along with their evaluation in their folder) to reflect on their successes, challenges and next steps. I think it is important for the children to think about next steps when they finish a section and think about how they can apply skills learnt further.

Are there any sections which you are doing as a year group / class?

For the section ‘Adventure’ the whole class are about to start curling lessons. This was chosen as it is a sport that the children have not experienced before and the sessions give them the opportunity to learn new skills perhaps outside of their comfort zone.

Have pupils enjoyed engaging with activities, and have there been opportunities for linking with other areas of curriculum or working with community partners?

The children have shown great enthusiasm within their activities which have had great scope for linking with other areas of the curriculum. Some examples of this are:

For ‘Me and My World’ a group of 4 girls had a personal attachment to CLAN and decided to run a bake sale to raise money. They worked with the school cook to plan recipes, work out costing's and seek out ingredients. They then baked with the cook, organised the promotion of the event with flyers and posters as well as contacting CLAN to present the money raised.

Another group of pupils decided they wanted to work with younger pupils to develop their reading skills this is highly relevant as raising attainment in reading is on our school improvement plan. The girls had to choose age appropriate texts and create comprehension questions and activities for the children. The discussions with the children after each session helped them reflect on and make improvements for the next. The children also had to develop skills in organisation and communication with class teachers.

A group of girls decided they wanted to focus on the helping the environment so planned a litter pick along Aberdeen beach. They were shocked at how much litter they collected in such a short amount of time and shared this information with their peers at assembly. The girls also submitted their findings to Blue Peter and were awarded the Eco Blue Peter badge.

Health and Wellbeing has played a big part in ‘Get Active Stay Active’ section and one boy challenged himself to run 26 miles across a series of weeks, he displayed his achievements in school and was extremely proud of his determination and efforts.

A pair of boys decided they would like to plan an afternoon tea event for a local care home. They organised the whole event themselves and I received a lovely letter detailing how successful the event was and impressive the boys had been.

What challenges have you found with delivering the programme?

The main challenge is ensuring that each child is making progress if there is not support at home.