This week’s Thoughtful Thursday gave Crew Brunel the opportunity to pause, reflect and think carefully about how we have started our Year 10 journey.

As we begin preparing for our GCSEs, developing good habits, taking ownership of our learning and understanding our strengths and areas for improvement are becoming increasingly important. Our session focused on exactly that – taking responsibility for where we are now and thinking about where we want to go next.

We began with our first round of HoWL reflections. Students self-assessed their progress across each of our three HoWLs: Work Hard, Get Smart and Be Kind. They used the HoWL rubric to RAG-rate themselves and awarded themselves a grade for each area. Once completed, students calculated their overall HoWL average, giving them a clear picture of their current strengths and areas for development as they settle into Key Stage 4.

The important part came next – setting SMART targets. With GCSE preparation now underway, students identified specific areas they wanted to improve and thought about practical steps they could take to develop their learning habits and make progress.

We then switched things around and moved on to peer assessment. Students assessed each other’s HoWLs based on what they have seen from their peers in sessions so far. They followed the same process of RAG-rating, grading and calculating an average, before finishing by setting a target for someone in their class. This encouraged students to consider how their actions and attitudes are seen by others, while also thinking about how they can support their peers to improve.

To finish the session, we looked back at our praises and conducts from the week and completed our SOS analysis. We celebrated the successes shown on our Crew leaderboard, recognised individual achievements and reflected on some of the conducts that had been recorded. Students were encouraged to think about what had gone well, what we wondered about and what we could do differently moving forward.

Finally, we selected two students to set pledges for next term, giving them a clear personal focus to work on and develop as we continue through Year 10.

Roan – ” I pledge to complete all of my extended study tasks to the best of my ability and make sure they are submitted on time to help improve my Get Smart HoWL from a 2.5 to a 3. “

Brooke – ” I pledge to arrive on time every day this term, helping me improve my Work Hard HoWL from a 3 to a 3.5. “

A really thoughtful and purposeful session from Crew Brunel. As we take our first steps into KS4 and GCSE preparation, it was great to see students reflecting honestly, taking ownership of their progress and thinking about the small changes they can make now to help them succeed in the future.

Miss Mitchell