Promoting Pupil Participation through Partnership Working
Chloe Taylor - ITE Network Lead for Dunvant Primary School
Since 2022, as the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Network Lead for Dunvant, I have been closely involved in the development of the Primary PGCE Programme within the Swansea University Schools' Partnership (SUSP). I was therefore delighted to accept the invitation from Russell Grigg and Helen Lewis to share my contributions at the British Educational Research Association (BERA) conference held in Manchester (8-12 September, 2024).
It is always a little daunting to step out of your comfort zone, which for me is delivering to a class of learners on a daily basis. Going from this to sharing ideas and practices with colleagues from a background in academia was less familiar. However, with the support of the university team I felt prepared and equipped to deliver our materials in this environment with confidence.
During my time at BERA I had the opportunity to learn from professionals representing other providers. It became clear that a significant focus in Initial Teacher Education nationally is how to encourage school partners to support the development of programmes. It became apparent that university providers were piloting new ways to gather ideas and expertise from school colleagues such as mentors and network leads to better their materials and opportunities for the students that they are educating.
When the time came to deliver our presentation on 'Promoting Pupil Participation through Partnership Working’, I had already spent the morning networking with professionals from a range of university providers from around the UK and beyond. It was reassuring and encouraging to discover how interested these professionals were in SUSP’s take on higher education and provision for schools and their learners. The presentation focused on four ways in which we promote pupil participation:
- As researchers participating in the Young Educational Researchers Network (YERN).
- As interviewers on a panel for prospective PGCE Primary students (see Figure 1).
- As leaders taking leadership roles on Practice and Theory days when student teachers visit their schools.
- As lifelong learners through engagement in university events such as the annual CRIP research conference.
Figure 1. Pupils write a commentary about each applicant which they discuss with the ITE lead and each other.
Our presentation was very well received. Our colleagues representing teacher education in different countries were keen to discuss our practices and how these could be adapted to their settings. The attendance of 21, I am reliably informed, was a good one given the busy BERA programme! I was the only school representative present within the seminar and the audience showed their appreciation for this, which is testimony to the genuine collaborative spirit we are developing in SUSP.
Chloe Taylor presenting at BERA
Chloe Taylor with co-presenters Helen Lewis and Russell Grigg