Amesbury School

My focus when visiting Amesbury School was to have a look at their modern learning environments, connect with other teachers that may be doing something similar to Adventure Learning and to see what they were doing with independent learning plans. 

Amesbury is made up of two learning hubs - a junior hub (new entrants - yr 3) and a senior hub (yr 4 - yr 6). In both hubs the children have a lot of ownership of their learning. By the time they reach the senior hub they are self-managing their learning and organising their own timetable. As shown in the photo they have a list of must do activities and a list of can do activities. Whole class activities are already blocked into their timetable. Group workshops e.g. reading, maths are blocked in next. Then the children can decide when they do the rest of their activities. 

The juniors have timetables that look like the one below. I liked how visual they were and how easily different activities could be rearranged. The juniors also have itime where they are given a time slot to work on something that they choose. I think from memory that it was normally based around one of their learning goals, but am not 100% on that. 

Amesbury has large, open spaces filled with modern and flexible furniture. There are also large glass, sliding doors that can be closed off to create a separate space, when needed. Excuse the teddy bears. They're our class mascots. 

They weren't doing anything similar to Adventure Learning at the time. However; I was lucky enough to have a chat with Matt (@hunch_box) about how they run Google 20% Time in the senior hub. Very similar to what I've been doing. 

Smidgens that I will take away

• The idea of the must do and can do lists at the top of children's timetables. 
• Window chalk on windows - great idea! 
• Just because the learning spaces are flexible the furniture doesn't have to be rearranged for every activities. My class found this a novelty at the start. 
• Possibly organise a Twitter chat around Adventure Learning, with our two classes. 
• The concept of itime as a way to initially introduce the start of independent learning plans. Also like junior timetables as a stepping stone to encouraging children to become more self-managing.