Action Based Research
Action based research is the systematic enquiry that teachers undertake as researchers of their own practice. At Collingwood we are involved in a number of projects aimed at broadening the experiences of the pupils and students. The following projects are being used to determine what impact they have on the academic, emotional, social or mental health of the pupils and students in our school.
Erasmus+
Between 1 June 2020 and 31 May 2022 Collingwood is partnering with schools in Ireland, Poland, Spain, Denmark and Italy as part of the EU funded Erasmus+ project. Staff from Collingwood will job shadow other colleagues in the partner schools. The objective is to establish best practice, work collaboratively together on curriculum, learning and teaching and the teaching environment. The project will impact significantly on the educational provision at Collingwood. Our pupils will benefit from new ideas and methodologies, new curriculum developments and an enhanced learning environment.
Scrapbook
Collingwood are working collaboratively with a company called Scrapbook to create a soft skills tracking system. This will enable staff to document pupil progress in non academic skills such as communication, engagement, social interaction and emotional intelligence.
AV1
When a young person cannot attend school long-term for any reason, an AV1 robot can take their place. Collingwood has purchased two AV1 robots, Collin and Connie, to be the eyes and ears of children that cannot physically attend school.
These robots can be used to reintegrate learners back into school and also to prevent students feeling isolated from their peers whilst they are at home. This project aims to investigate whether the robots can assist to improve the mental health of those studying from home and whether they can be a tool to enable school phobic pupils to re-engage.
BBC Young Reporter
Collingwood has always been extremely proud of our contribution to BBC Young Reporter. Plans for this year’s videos are well under way with a number of investigative video reports already in the first stages of production.
Northumberland Zoo
Collingwood’s Primary department are working collaborative with Northumberland Zoo to track the emotional intelligence of our pupils over the course of the school year to determine the impact animal therapy can have on the social and emotional wellbeing of pupils.
Clark's Bog
Collingwood are working collaboratively with Clark’s Bog, a 12 acre nature reserve based in Morpeth. The aim is to track the improvement of mental health and social skills of identified pupils.
Belsay Awakes
Collingwood are working collaboratively with Belsay Hall and Gardens. Belsay has been awarded £1.88m from the National Lottery and as part of their rejuvenation works they are creating a woodland play and learn area with an outdoor classroom. Pupils will be able to access the outdoor classroom and learn about Belsay. The project will monitor the social and emotional wellbeing of pupils involved.
Nurture Curriculum
The concept of nurture highlights the importance of social environments and its significant influence on social emotional skills, wellbeing and behaviour.
The nurturing approach offers a range of opportunities for children and young people to engage with missing early nurturing experiences, giving them the social and emotional skills to do well at school and with peers, develop their resilience and their capacity to deal more confidently with the trials and tribulations of life, for life.