Moscow Schools – Small schools, small class sizes

This is the second report from the recent BSF Champions visit to Moscow.   I will be posting more as and when I get around to it.

Students talk about desert islands at School #1298, Moscow

Each class in the Moscow schools we visited were around the same size as ours – between 27 and 30 students.  However, for core subjects such as Maths, Russian Language, Sciences, and ICT, these groups were always split in half so that there were no more than 15 in each group.  The smallest teaching groups were reserved for the teaching of English (as a foreign language) where classes were divided into 3, so that each group had no more than 10 students.  English Language teachers are consequently much in demand in Russian schools.  As pay rates are set by individual head teachers, MFL teachers are often are paid better than other subject teachers!

Teaching groups are never divided by ability – we saw no evidence of setting in any school we visited (with the exception of PE – more on this in a future report!).  However, students need to reach a certain level of competency before moving on to the next year.  Students not making this grade are kept back and repeat the year in the same grade, much like in the USA.  There are also “advanced” courses that only more able students can follow.

The small classes mirrored Moscow’s small schools.  The schools we visited ranged between 300-600 students, with 550 students being the standard size.  This gave schools a homely feel, and it could also be felt in the positive relationships between staff and students, as the teachers knew and had taught most of the students.

Students at School #1920 Moscow perform "little red riding hood"

The teaching of English Language was a real strength in the schools we visited.  I saw some great lessons,  clearly demonstrating the confidence of the Russian students which was in evidence throughout our visit, and the positive relationships between students and with their teacher.  The level of proficiency in English is also very high.

Below are more photos from various lessons with small class sizes…

Beaumont Leys Scoop top BSF Prize

Beaumont Leys picked up two awards, including the top prize, at the Partnership for Schools annual national award ceremony earlier this month.

The Leicester City phase 1 school was awarded “BSF School of the Year” and also the special “Grand Prix” prize for the most transformational team.

Beaumont Leys wins top BSF prize

Head Teacher Liz Logie later commented:

“When we were working with the architect, I was clear that I wanted a building that was fabulous and gorgeous, inclusive and secure, open and flexible.

I think we succeeded. Building Schools for the Future has had a dramatic impact on everyone’s sense of well being and this is clear in students’ attitudes, behaviour and effort.

There is a real sense of pride, which is great to see”

Beaumont Leys - Interior view

An honourable mention for Soar Valley College, which  was nominated in the Most Inspirational Use of Outside Space category, and also to Leicester City Council – considered for the Innovation in PE and Sport prize.

Leicester Phase 1 Schools Slideshow

Thanks to Mike McPherson for sharing this slideshow of photos taken during recent tours of Beaumont Leys, Fullhurst, Judgemeadow and Soar Valley.

There are not many photos of Leicester’s newly built phase 1 BSF schools floating around the net yet, so its great to finally get the opportunity to peek inside!

Some very interesting and  different approaches to design in each of the four schools.

There was one common thread running through each new build…  you can have any colour you like – as long as it can be found in a packet of starbursts.

A Quick look at Leicester’s completed BSF Schools

Leicester City has completed its phase 1 new builds for four schools, namely

Beaumont Leys School
Fullhurst Community College
Soar Valley College
Judgemeadow College

Below are a few images of the new buildings, along with a few  snippets from their design brief  (courtesy of the Leicester City Council website).  They are a bit low quality – I’ll try and get some better ones soon.

Beaumont Leys School

Beaumont Leys - Exterior view

Beaumont Leys - Interior view

“The building itself is brick with colourful panels with transparent panels so that people can see the entrance and learning resource areas.  Set in two and three storey blocks, the offices, class rooms, toilets and other spaces will be laid out to make the building easy to navigate.  This also gives greater flexibility of teaching spaces.

The entrance foyers leads to areas including dining, the main hall and learning resource suites.  This part of the school makes up the community zone; the school has been designed to encourage the out of hours use of the school by local residents”.

Fullhurst Community College

Fullhurst Community College - External View

Fullhurst Community College - Interior View

“The new buildings have been built around the existing main hall and form part of the communal areas. A new entrance which includes a glass façade that allows for natural light and ventilation has also been constructed.  The design incorporates spacious corridors to help with the efficient movement of pupils and staircases are now located to maximise space and allow natural light into all areas. Flexible teaching spaces are a key component of the remodelling of the school and will be used for individual and group work.

Fullhurst retains its 1930’s red brick façade and clock tower at the rear of the new design. This iconic symbol of the school in the local community is the original entrance and will help to retain the character of the existing school. The school is a combination of high quality modern design and technology whilst preserving some of the architectural features of the old building. “

Judgemeadow Community College

Judgemeadow - exterior view

“A dynamic combination of teaching ‘wings’ projecting out from a hub with the social and dining spaces at the core.  The teaching wings are clusters of facilities arranged on different floors around faculty resource areas.  The dining and social areas are glazed to give plenty of light and views outside.

The auditorium, entrance, panoramic café, dining room and library are curved, glazed double height spaces.  Inside, the rooms have been carefully arranged to make it easy to get around.  Flexible resource areas are placed at the heart of each curriculum zone.  Plenty of natural lights will help make the school feel spacious.  Outside, the entrance has been designed as a safe, well lit space with routes The new school has spacious outdoor sports areas, hard and soft play areas and a garden of reflection with dining social space and a landscaped amphitheatre”.

Soar Valley College

Soar Valley College - arial view

Soar Valley College - Exterior View

“In keeping with the surroundings, most of the school is no more than two storeys high.  Inside, the rooms have been carefully arranged to make the school easy to get around.  The layout means that there is plenty of natural light and some views of the landscape.

The building has a welcoming frontage to highlight the school being there to service the whole community.  The flexible layout of the school means that it can accommodate large and small groups for uses such as adult education.  The design of the school maximises space for sports pitches including the prominent cricket pitch.”