St Philip's began their competence based curriculum by identifing three priorities in helping students to develop.
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Priority 1 - To improve self-motivation and independent learning skills
We want our students to enjoy their learning and develop their ability to • Explore issues, situations and dilemmas to understand the contributing factors through creative work and discussion • Apply critical thinking to their enquiry • Develop and understand their conclusions • Relate to learning as a holistic process Priority 2 - To Improve Team Working We want our learners to develop their skills in team working through • Increased experience of group work • Knowing how to take on different roles within a group • Developing their ability to assess, feedback and set targets for their peers Priority 3 - To develop social and emotional literacy We want our learners to develop their • Self awareness skills • Management of feelings • Motivation • Empathy • Social skills |
Assessment
The way that St Philip Howard has measured the impact of their competence based curriculum is evident in the video displayed below.
Self and peer assessment are tools which are used to engage the pupils in realising themselves the skills that they are developing throughout the course. First in the film is teacher Steven Williams using photos to show children working in groups, and how body language and physical organisation can either help or hinder a group trying to work together. The photos are shown to the pupils during the lessons in order to provoke discussion and consideration
Self assessment forms are also seen to be used, with pupils being asked to consider the way they believe they have developed through out the course; this self assessment is then discussed with other pupils in the group. This growth or change is then mapped on to an Apgar graph which visibly charts the growth or change which has occurred. These graphs are deemed useful as they convey this information at a glance and also allow for assessment which does not involved numerical formalization.
The Skills Charts used by St Philip Howard's can be downloaded here.
Download skills chart and apgar graphs used by St Philip Howard Catholic School (PDF 265kb)
Timetable
The school structures its timetable so that the year is split into groups each allocated one day of competence based curriculum per week. By dedicating each group an entire day to focus on competence based learning timings of the day can be flexible, learning can then occur outside of the classroom without any disruption on other lessons. Increased opportunity to book external providers is also given, leading to a varied enriching experience. One example of this is asking the fire, police and St John's Ambulance to work together with the school to set up interactive scenarios for the students to address. The use of a whole day allows students to go deeper into the issues and allows reflection and plenary to interlink throughout the day.
Staffing and Delivery
The delivery of the curriculum involves four staff from different areas of the school, St Philip Howard initially asked for teachers interested in the framework to participate in year one. Included in this is an Assistant Head who is leading the development of the curriculum. Teaching assistants are allocation is as pupil statements allow. To ensure that there a strategy should cover be required supervisors have shadowed the first few lessons so that they are aware of the new delivery style should they have to step in to cover the lesson (which would be for a whole day if the teacher was ill).
Collaboration 
In developing this pedagogy St Philip Howard's has collaborated with ‘Working with Others’ (WWO) from Brighton University to gain skills in delivering group work. After sending teachers to visit the feeder primaries of the school, St Philip Howard's subsequently consulted with the schools about how to best to begin delivering the curriculum.
Collaboration is also done with other groups in helping with particular topics. A Local education charity called Peace Works work with children on peer mediation. The Personal Finance Education Group has helped to give advice and materials on personal finance as have RBS Scotland through their link advisor. Plans are also underway to work with the West Sussex advisory service Personal Learning and Thinking Skills team. The school has also joined an informal group of schools in the area delivering new KS3 programmes.
Clas
sroom Organisation
The learning takes place primarily in normal classroom, the smallest of which has been converted into a ‘room of the future’ with flexible triangle tables that allow open space to be created quickly in the middle as required. Various other spaces are used for example the school chapel and drama studio have been used depending on the activity.
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