You Can’t Aspire To Be Something You’ve Never Heard Of, So Our Mission Is To Inspire Children To Aim High
“I Want To Truly Enrich Children And Families”
One thing immediately strikes you when walking into the office at Queen’s Park Primary in Westminster. The name plaque on the door doesn’t bear the headteacher’s name, but instead says, ‘Leadership team’. “It was important to me that it didn’t just say my name,” explains headteacher Ben Commins. The information board outside the school also lists deputy Lyndsy Killip’s name.
“We work as a team,” says Ben. “Obviously it’s my head on the chopping block if something goes wrong, but there is no hierarchical structure between Lyndsy and me – we have always been open and honest with each other.”
Ben is also keen to use the curriculum to explore themes of choice and consequence. “The children will be presented with choices that will have to make. What we’re trying to do is get them to understand that the choices they make will have an impact on their future lives.”
Meet the staff
Neil Almond, Y4 Teacher We give the children a wide variety of different things to try. We’ve had a dentist come in and do a lecture on dentistry. Those kinds of opportunities give pupils an idea of how to get into different roles. Obviously English and maths are important but they’re not the be-all and end-all. There are things out there for you if you don’t find yourself naturally strong in those areas.
Stella Wilson, Higher Level Assistant Self esteem and how you conduct yourself are very closely linked. The more you build self esteem by offering the children responsibility and opportunity, the better the outcome. We have ‘safe space’ provision every break and lunch time for children feeling left out or worried. Usually the situation will be resolved through conversation.
Lucy Kirkland, Y5 Teacher Our end-of-term learning celebrations are child-led. They decide what they want to present and what the focus is. We then invite parents in to see their presentations. The children will make their own display boards and games or do role play. We didn’t used to have a high turnout for that sort of thing in the past but since we introduced the exhibitions, nearly all the parents come.
Laura Hayes, Y6 Teacher Our Y6 question last term was, ‘Who are we and where did we come from?’. We looked at that from a PSHE view (who we are as a person), history (Anglo Saxons), science (evolution, Darwin, inheritance). When you ask the question again at the end of term, the children can think about it in lots of different ways. It broadens their minds which is what it’s all about.
Samia At the end of the year we have a street fair to raise money. There’s lots of activities. Last year we also had a summer fair. We also have book buddies and playground buddies for those who need help.
Future-proofed kids
Upon his appointment as head, Ben and his team undertook the challenge of overhauling the school’s curriculum. “You can pick up one off the shelf but we didn’t want to do that, so we wrote our own,” he explains. “We quickly identified that we wanted the children to feel inspired, challenged and empowered,” says Ben. “We wanted to develop their transferable and personal skills as well as their curiosity.”
The new curriculum is based around a termly question that all learning is liked to. “Y1’s current question is, ‘How did the Great Fire of London change the city for good?”, explains Ben. “Another example is, ‘If the world were a village, what would it look like?’. English, geography, history, maths – everything feeds into that question as much as possible to give them a depth of learning and understanding.”
Ben’s ambition for the curriculum is to teach the children 21st-century skills. “It’s about being able to communicate, research, persevere and understand that failure is OK: it’s what we learn from failure that brings us success. I want them to succeed in jobs that have possibly not been invented yet and be fully equipped when they leave here and enter an uncertain landscape.”
Ben is also keen to use the curriculum to explore themes of choice and consequence. “The children will be presented with choices that will have to make. What we’re trying to do is get them to understand that the choices they make will have an impact on their future lives.”
Meet the staff
Neil Almond, Y4 Teacher We give the children a wide variety of different things to try. We’ve had a dentist come in and do a lecture on dentistry. Those kinds of opportunities give pupils an idea of how to get into different roles. Obviously English and maths are important but they’re not the be-all and end-all. There are things out there for you if you don’t find yourself naturally strong in those areas.
Stella Wilson, Higher Level Assistant Self esteem and how you conduct yourself are very closely linked. The more you build self esteem by offering the children responsibility and opportunity, the better the outcome. We have ‘safe space’ provision every break and lunch time for children feeling left out or worried. Usually the situation will be resolved through conversation.
Lucy Kirkland, Y5 Teacher Our end-of-term learning celebrations are child-led. They decide what they want to present and what the focus is. We then invite parents in to see their presentations. The children will make their own display boards and games or do role play. We didn’t used to have a high turnout for that sort of thing in the past but since we introduced the exhibitions, nearly all the parents come.
Laura Hayes, Y6 Teacher Our Y6 question last term was, ‘Who are we and where did we come from?’. We looked at that from a PSHE view (who we are as a person), history (Anglo Saxons), science (evolution, Darwin, inheritance). When you ask the question again at the end of term, the children can think about it in lots of different ways. It broadens their minds which is what it’s all about.
What we offer here is above and beyond the national curriculum. As for all schools, it’s important for us to keep our results the best they can possibly be, but I also want to truly enrich children and families and have an impact in the community. You can leave an educational establishment with a fantastic education but it’s also about having transferable skills, the right mindset and a want to achieve. That’s what will breed success and help with a happy and successful life.”
Pupil Voice
Mario I am an eco monitor. Every day we go around with a clipboard and give marks. We check the recycling bin, room temperature, lights, computer and whiteboard. The teacher with the fewest marks wins a prize.
Sousou If you’re worried at playtime we’ve got a safe space upstairs. There is a monitor who can help you. If you have a problem with someone you can share it and find different activities and solutions to solve it.
Alemal At the start of the term or topic there’s one big question which all of our learning is linked to. At the end of term we come back to that question and ask, “Have we got the answer?”
Samia At the end of the year we have a street fair to raise money. There’s lots of activities. Last year we also had a summer fair. We also have book buddies and playground buddies for those who need help.
Future-proofed kids
Upon his appointment as head, Ben and his team undertook the challenge of overhauling the school’s curriculum. “You can pick up one off the shelf but we didn’t want to do that, so we wrote our own,” he explains. “We quickly identified that we wanted the children to feel inspired, challenged and empowered,” says Ben. “We wanted to develop their transferable and personal skills as well as their curiosity.”
The new curriculum is based around a termly question that all learning is liked to. “Y1’s current question is, ‘How did the Great Fire of London change the city for good?”, explains Ben. “Another example is, ‘If the world were a village, what would it look like?’. English, geography, history, maths – everything feeds into that question as much as possible to give them a depth of learning and understanding.”
Ben’s ambition for the curriculum is to teach the children 21st-century skills. “It’s about being able to communicate, research, persevere and understand that failure is OK: it’s what we learn from failure that brings us success. I want them to succeed in jobs that have possibly not been invented yet and be fully equipped when they leave here and enter an uncertain landscape.”
Ben is also keen to use the curriculum to explore themes of choice and consequence. “The children will be presented with choices that will have to make. What we’re trying to do is get them to understand that the choices they make will have an impact on their future lives.”
Meet the staff
Neil Almond, Y4 Teacher We give the children a wide variety of different things to try. We’ve had a dentist come in and do a lecture on dentistry. Those kinds of opportunities give pupils an idea of how to get into different roles. Obviously English and maths are important but they’re not the be-all and end-all. There are things out there for you if you don’t find yourself naturally strong in those areas.
Stella Wilson, Higher Level Assistant Self esteem and how you conduct yourself are very closely linked. The more you build self esteem by offering the children responsibility and opportunity, the better the outcome. We have ‘safe space’ provision every break and lunch time for children feeling left out or worried. Usually the situation will be resolved through conversation.
Lucy Kirkland, Y5 Teacher Our end-of-term learning celebrations are child-led. They decide what they want to present and what the focus is. We then invite parents in to see their presentations. The children will make their own display boards and games or do role play. We didn’t used to have a high turnout for that sort of thing in the past but since we introduced the exhibitions, nearly all the parents come.
Laura Hayes, Y6 Teacher Our Y6 question last term was, ‘Who are we and where did we come from?’. We looked at that from a PSHE view (who we are as a person), history (Anglo Saxons), science (evolution, Darwin, inheritance). When you ask the question again at the end of term, the children can think about it in lots of different ways. It broadens their minds which is what it’s all about.
Ben has been headteacher since September, joining the school as deputy four years previously. Lyndsy moved to Queen’s Park in September from an alliance school in the same area.
School profile
Name: Queen’s Park Primary Headteacher: Ben Commins Deputy head: Lyndsy Killip Location: Westminster, London Ofsted rating: Good Size: 300+ pupils Extra info: top 3% of schools in England for progress between KS1 and end of KS2 in reading, writing and maths
“People have commented that our working relationship is quite unique,” Ben says. “Lyndsy is often asked by other deputies, ‘Why are you doing that? Isn’t that the head’s job?’. Meanwhile, people ask me, ‘Shouldn’t Lyndsy be doing that?’.” Ben views this approach as a form of succession planning. “I want to make sure that when I leave, I’ve left the school in a good place where everybody is able to make decisions and knows what is going on.”
Lyndsy adds, “We have different strengths and have come across different things in our career. In another role I may not have been given as much of a voice. Here it’s a lot more collaborative. If I were to become a headteacher in the future I would have all the skills. It just feels normal – this is how we work. We’re in it together. The staff know we work like this and will come to either of us and know that they’ll get the same answer.” Ben adds, “Behind closed doors we’ve had disagreements, but we’ll talk about it. I would never say, ‘I’m doing this because I’m the head.’
1. Mini graduates
At the start of the year, Queen’s Park Primary was given the status of Westminster Children’s University and offers a programme of enriched extracurricular activities that children can take part in. Pupils achieving 30 hours of additional activities will have the chance to attend a ‘graduation’ ceremony hosted by the University of Westminster. “We hope that we will inspire our children to aim for something big in their lives, experience what it would be like to graduate and enrich their learning through new and exciting opportunities,” explains Lyndsy.
Six local schools, alongside many local enterprises, have also bought into the idea. “Local restaurants have given health and safety talks and parents have run first aid workshops,” says Lyndsy.
The local youth centre is also offering additional maths and English sessions. “They work extremely hard to tackle the same sort of issues as we do – gangs and violent crime,” adds Ben. The school has also made connections with the local old people’s centre. “We don’t just visit once a year,” he says. “We’re regularly there, exploring different projects and ways we can work. Yes, it still includes singing at Christmas, but last month we did an intergenerational day where the older people talked about what school was like for them. Seeing that human side to everybody fosters respect.”
Lyndsy adds, “All of our teachers have given up three hours of their time to run a course that they think the children will be inspired by, such as dinosaur hunting at the Natural History Museum. We’re also working with authors such as our chancellor Michael Rosen and our patron Avril McDonald.”
Children can also gain hours towards their ‘degree’ by attending certain London museums with their families outside of school time. “To complement that, we’re running classes for parents about how to use London as a resource,” Lyndsy says. “It’s about giving carers direction on what to do with their children after school,” adds Ben. “There’s so many opportunities available – we’re just highlighting them.”
In the initiative’s first week alone, children completed over 100 hours of extracurricular activities. “They were so eager to get involved,” says Lyndsy. “We’ve even had parents of children contacting us from other schools not yet involved,” adds Ben. “I was surprised at the rapid growth of it. I’ve always said that if something’s good enough for my own children it’s good enough for my students, and I would love my own kids to be involved in the Children’s University.”
Big organisations have also been keen to take part. “Queen’s Park Rangers football club was on board very quickly,” explains Lyndsy. As well as running football training sessions and player meet-and-greets, the club has mentored and supported the development of softer skills in individual students – an approach that has had a remarkable effect on some. “One of our children had anger management issues,” explains Ben. “If he got worked up at playtime, that would have a knock-on effect when he went back to class. He wouldn’t be able to concentrate and would isolate himself.”
After working with QPR, his parents and teachers have noticed a dramatic improvement. “If he is unhappy with a situation he can now verbalise it. I haven’t had to speak to him about his behaviour since. The football club’s involvement is worth a lot more to some students than us giving them a gold badge.”
2. Feeling valued
Mental health is a topic at the forefront of the nation’s mind at the moment, following the launch of the royals’ Heads Together campaign, and is also something that Ben and Lyndsy are keen to champion in their school. Both have attended training courses to become mental health first aiders. “It really made me aware of different issues and how to spot them,” says Ben. “That goes not just for the children, but parents and staff as well.”
Lyndsy has already put her training to good use – on Ben. “The Southern Rail strike meant I was doing a round trip of six or seven hours to get to school,” Ben explains. “I was getting extremely stressed but Lyndsy quickly identified it and helped me rationalise things.”
In light of their training, the leadership team has rewritten the school’s stress policy and has taken practical steps to improve staff wellbeing. “We’re a one and a half form entry school but we operate on a two form basis,” Ben says. “What that means is we only have 42 children in a year group. From September we reduced class sizes straight away to 21. That means there’s nine less books to mark in each subject area and also means there’s greater opportunity to work one-to-one with children.”
The school has also placed emphasis on training up support staff and higher level teaching assistants to provide additional cover. “If I need teachers to complete a task I can give them time to do it so they don’t have to do it in their free time,” explains Ben. “It’s about making sure the teachers know that they are valued. If they feel valued, they will go above and beyond.”
Selected staff members have been trained to provide counselling for both teachers and pupils. Children can be referred to the service by teachers or via a request from parents.
Alternatively, students can self-refer by filling in a slip. “The counsellor will make time to see that child, normally on the same day,” says Ben. “It’s about our children feeling that they are able to go somewhere where they are listened to and valued. It’s hard for me to tell you exactly what they talk about, because I’ve asked not to know – there has to be a level of trust and respect. I’m sure there are children who go there just because they want a chat, but I’ve got no problem with that. We’re providing a service where they feel comfortable and safe. If it works and the children are happy, that’s what’s important.” Lyndsy adds, “The children are able to go there and spend time with their peers, with someone supporting them to develop those relationships.”
Support is also on offer in the playground via a buddy system which involves training children to recognise when arguments may occur and how to resolve them. “We’re trying to empower pupils to support each other, rather than it always being adult-led” explains Ben. “These children will then train a new set of buddies, so we’re building a sustainable system.”
3. Budget creativity
As with schools across the country, budget cuts are starting to bite. “It has affected the way we operate,” Ben admits. “We have to be creative in what we do.” Queen’s Park has gone done the route of employing apprentices. “We have eight working in the school at the moment,” explains Ben. “An apprentice costs me the same amount as a dinner supervisor.
I haven’t made any redundancies, but when a dinner supervisor left I replaced them with an apprentice.” Whereas the former supervised children for 90 minutes a day, the latter spends eight hours working with them.
Ben has also avoided using agency staff by investing heavily in his higher level teaching assistants and offering them bespoke CPD packages led by different members of staff within his school alliance. “I can’t underestimate the value of investing in your support staff,” says Ben. “These are traditionally the people who will be here longer than everyone else – some for 20 or 30 years. Building up their skills will help us make savings in the future. We look at the skills we have within our schools and use each other.
Training from within means I don’t have to look externally for these expensive services. We have an intake of 77% EAL. If I can train a member of staff to become a speech and language therapist, I’m empowering that person, saving myself some money and giving children opportunities they might not have had because of budget constraints.”
Ben has also been creative when it comes to applying for grants. “Lyndsy has encouraged me to be a lot more outward facing and have an open mind.
In a landscape that’s forever changing you need to be willing to jump at any opportunity if it will benefit the children. I know it sounds corny, but if we put the child at the centre of anything we do, it can’t be wrong.”
4. Community impact
Looking forward, Ben and Lyndsy are excited about increasing the school’s presence in the local area.
“We both believe that a school is not outstanding just because of its results – the impact it has on its community is what makes a school outstanding,” says Ben. He would like to see Westminster Children’s University spread to other neighbouring schools, while continuing to grow the number of opportunities that the children have access to outside of school. “I’m constantly looking for varied and different experiences for them,” he says. “In two years time I would like to be in the position where no matter who’s absent from the school, it’s still firing on all cylinders.
What we offer here is above and beyond the national curriculum. As for all schools, it’s important for us to keep our results the best they can possibly be, but I also want to truly enrich children and families and have an impact in the community. You can leave an educational establishment with a fantastic education but it’s also about having transferable skills, the right mindset and a want to achieve. That’s what will breed success and help with a happy and successful life.”
Pupil Voice
Mario I am an eco monitor. Every day we go around with a clipboard and give marks. We check the recycling bin, room temperature, lights, computer and whiteboard. The teacher with the fewest marks wins a prize.
Sousou If you’re worried at playtime we’ve got a safe space upstairs. There is a monitor who can help you. If you have a problem with someone you can share it and find different activities and solutions to solve it.
Alemal At the start of the term or topic there’s one big question which all of our learning is linked to. At the end of term we come back to that question and ask, “Have we got the answer?”
Samia At the end of the year we have a street fair to raise money. There’s lots of activities. Last year we also had a summer fair. We also have book buddies and playground buddies for those who need help.
Future-proofed kids
Upon his appointment as head, Ben and his team undertook the challenge of overhauling the school’s curriculum. “You can pick up one off the shelf but we didn’t want to do that, so we wrote our own,” he explains. “We quickly identified that we wanted the children to feel inspired, challenged and empowered,” says Ben. “We wanted to develop their transferable and personal skills as well as their curiosity.”
The new curriculum is based around a termly question that all learning is liked to. “Y1’s current question is, ‘How did the Great Fire of London change the city for good?”, explains Ben. “Another example is, ‘If the world were a village, what would it look like?’. English, geography, history, maths – everything feeds into that question as much as possible to give them a depth of learning and understanding.”
Ben’s ambition for the curriculum is to teach the children 21st-century skills. “It’s about being able to communicate, research, persevere and understand that failure is OK: it’s what we learn from failure that brings us success. I want them to succeed in jobs that have possibly not been invented yet and be fully equipped when they leave here and enter an uncertain landscape.”
Ben is also keen to use the curriculum to explore themes of choice and consequence. “The children will be presented with choices that will have to make. What we’re trying to do is get them to understand that the choices they make will have an impact on their future lives.”
Meet the staff
Neil Almond, Y4 Teacher We give the children a wide variety of different things to try. We’ve had a dentist come in and do a lecture on dentistry. Those kinds of opportunities give pupils an idea of how to get into different roles. Obviously English and maths are important but they’re not the be-all and end-all. There are things out there for you if you don’t find yourself naturally strong in those areas.
Stella Wilson, Higher Level Assistant Self esteem and how you conduct yourself are very closely linked. The more you build self esteem by offering the children responsibility and opportunity, the better the outcome. We have ‘safe space’ provision every break and lunch time for children feeling left out or worried. Usually the situation will be resolved through conversation.
Lucy Kirkland, Y5 Teacher Our end-of-term learning celebrations are child-led. They decide what they want to present and what the focus is. We then invite parents in to see their presentations. The children will make their own display boards and games or do role play. We didn’t used to have a high turnout for that sort of thing in the past but since we introduced the exhibitions, nearly all the parents come.
Laura Hayes, Y6 Teacher Our Y6 question last term was, ‘Who are we and where did we come from?’. We looked at that from a PSHE view (who we are as a person), history (Anglo Saxons), science (evolution, Darwin, inheritance). When you ask the question again at the end of term, the children can think about it in lots of different ways. It broadens their minds which is what it’s all about.
