Success for All: Can Metacognition and Self-Management Improve Student Progress?

By Russell Peagram

The Context

If we want success for all, we cannot rely on students “picking up” good learning habits by chance. The students who already know how to plan, monitor and adjust their learning tend to keep getting better. The students who don’t often work harder, not smarter, and fall behind. Even as adults, as professionals, we hit the wall in our “capacity”<  and to overcome this and reach the level, we sometimes need a coach to move across “the edge”. Our students are no different! 

The evidence & research

That is why explicitly teaching metacognition and self-management matters: it helps more students access challenging curriculum and make sustained progress. The strongest school-facing summary of the evidence comes from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). Their guidance on metacognition and self-regulated learning highlights consistent positive impacts when these strategies are taught and embedded, with the EEF toolkit often summarising this as around +7 to +8 months of progress, on average, when implemented well. This is also promising for equity: the EEF notes the potential for metacognition and self-regulation to support disadvantaged pupils when teaching is explicit and carefully scaffolded.

So what does this look like in practice? Metacognition is not simply “thinking about thinking.” In classrooms, it becomes three teachable behaviours:

1. Planning (What’s the goal? What strategy will I use?)

2. Monitoring (Is this working? What am I missing?)

3. Evaluating (What would I do differently next time?)

This aligns with established research on self-regulated learning, where successful learners use forethought, performance monitoring, and reflection to improve outcomes over time.

Self-management strengthens this further. When students learn to manage attention, time, and effort, they can actually use the strategies we teach. That’s why the most effective classrooms combine cognitive strategies with routines that support focus and follow-through: clear success criteria, structured independent practice, and reflection that leads to a specific next step.

Practical classroom tips you can use this week

• Model the thinking, not just the method. Use “I’m going to…” statements: “I’ll skim the question first, pick the key data, then decide which formula fits.”

• Teach a simple planning routine. Before tasks: Goal → Strategy → Time. (30 seconds, every lesson.)

• Build in monitoring prompts. Mid-task checkpoints: “What have you assumed?” “What evidence supports this?” “What’s your next step?”

• Use retrieval as metacognition. Low-stakes quizzes plus a quick reflection: “Which question surprised you, and what will you do about it?”

• Make reflection actionable. Replace “What went well?” with: “What will you repeat next time?” and “What will you change?”
  
  

Building Foundations: The Power of Knowledge Organisers

By Amanda Mair

There are moments in teaching when we sense the gaps; a concept not quite grasped, a key fact misremembered, a topic that was missed. For some of our students, especially those with SEND, EAL backgrounds, or disrupted schooling, those gaps can feel like walls. 

That’s where knowledge organisers quietly change the game. When we strip learning back to its essentials; the key ideas, vocabulary, or the big picture. We’re not diluting the challenge, we’re clarifying the path. 

For our EAL learners, visuals and concise definitions help unlock language and meaning. For our SEND students, clear structure and repeated knowledge retrieval reduce cognitive load. And for those who’ve missed chunks of education, it’s a lifeline; a way to re-enter learning without shame or confusion. Everyone knows what the core information is and everyone has access to it.

It supports teachers, too. With the core content set out, we plan more purposefully. We can focus on how to teach; because the what is already clear. It creates coherence across lessons, our units and our curriculums.

What does this look like in practice? 

- In RS, we create our organisers or ‘coresheets’ whenever we create a new unit. 

1. We identify the 30 most important pieces of information for the next six weeks by reviewing our unit plans, assessment criteria, and analysing common misconceptions and high-frequency errors.

2. Every Do Now and homework task is designed as a retrieval practice activity based on the coresheet. This reflects Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction, particularly ‘reviewing prior learning’ and ‘providing opportunities for practice and recall’, to strengthen long-term retention.

3. The coresheet is introduced at the start of the term, and students are explicitly taught how and when to use it (for example, when they are stuck, have missed a lesson, or need to check SPaG). This builds metacognitive awareness, helping students plan, monitor, and correct their own work.

4. Through regular retrieval tasks and formative assessment (AfL), we gradually encourage students to become less dependent on the coresheet, supporting greater independence and self-management over time.

- In English, Rania Nasihi has created visual knowledge organisers for all the characters in the class readings for that term. 

- In MFL, Adriaan de Waal showed how MFL use a colour coded ‘chatty matt’ to support oracy discussions with key vocabulary and phrases.

Supporting Pupils Through ELSA: A Teacher’s Guide

By Celia Lazaro and Nsia Sealey-Griffiths

We’re all aware that for pupils to thrive academically, their emotional needs must also be supported. This is where ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) intervention comes in.

What is ELSA?

ELSA is a school-based programme designed to help children and young people better understand and manage their emotions. Through short-term, targeted interventions, pupils gain coping strategies that they can carry forward into their daily lives. The focus is simple but powerful: when emotional needs are met, children are more ready to learn.

The Key Aims of ELSA

• Boost emotional literacy – helping pupils recognise, label, and talk about their feelings.
  
  

• Develop self-esteem and confidence – encouraging them to see their strengths.
  
  

• Improve social and friendship skills – strengthening peer relationships.
  
  

• Support emotional regulation – managing difficult emotions such as anger, anxiety, or frustration.
  
  

• Guide pupils through change – providing tools to cope with loss, transition, or upheaval.

Why it works

The success of ELSA is best seen in the stories of our pupils:

• Bob – disengaged from learning, but after six weeks of ELSA sessions, he was actively participating in lessons.
  
  

• Kola – once in daily altercations, now able to manage her anger and avoid fights.
  
  

Teachers who have trained as ELSAs describe how the programme shifts perspectives:

“ELSA changed the way I view behaviour… together we found ways for a pupil to signal when he was overwhelmed, rather than storming out of class.” – Nsia

“The training reminded me that small steps matter… a withdrawn girl gradually found her voice and ended up sharing ideas in class.” – Celia

How Pupils Get Referred

Children may be referred for ELSA support when they experience ongoing emotional, social, or behavioural challenges that create a barrier to learning or wellbeing. Examples include:

• Persistent low self-esteem or lack of confidence

• Difficulty regulating emotions (anger, anxiety, sadness)

• Struggles with friendships, relationships, or social skills

• Experiences of loss, change, or trauma

• Worries affecting attendance, focus, or behaviour

• Repeated conflict with peers or adults

The process itself is simple:

1. Initial concern raised – Class teacher, parent/carer, or other staff member identifies a need.

2. Discussion with SENDCo – Concerns are shared and suitability for ELSA is considered.

3. Completion of SEND Referral Form – Detailing the child’s needs, strengths, and desired outcomes.

4. Review and allocation – The SENDCo prioritises referrals and matches the child with an ELSA.

5. Parental consent – Parents/carers are informed and permission is obtained.

Why You Should Care

By tackling emotional barriers to learning, ELSA helps pupils become more resilient, more confident, and more engaged in the classroom.

Because when children feel supported, they learn better.

Come and chat to the SEND team if you’d like to know more!

ADHD- Supporting Learners In Inclusive Classrooms

By Lucy Taylor

In recent weeks, I have been thinking about how I can better support my pupils with ADHD and ensure my classroom is an inclusive space where all learners can make progress. This led me to undertake a bit of research and I have summarised my findings and hope they will be useful for other WA colleagues who are teaching pupils with ADHD!

What is ADHD?

ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. ADHD is a cognitive condition that affects people’s behaviour. One of the most important things I learnt when researching more about the condition itself is that it is common for people with ADHD to also have sleep and anxiety disorders which, as you can imagine, provides additional barriers to learning and exacerbates the effects of their condition. If you are interested in learning more about the medical condition itself, the NHS website is very informative and I will attach the relevant links below! 

Once I had learnt a little bit more about the condition I started to think about how this may present itself in the classroom and what I can do as a classroom practitioner to help students continue to make progress and ensure my classroom is inclusive.

Here, you can see the three common presentations of ADHD. There are some pointers which lead medical and educational professionals to suspect a student has ADHD:

Inattention

Difficulty following instructions or completing tasks.

Short attention span and difficulty ‘sticking to’ an activity.

Difficulty organising tasks and activities.

Easily distracted and forgetful.

Often struggles to listen when spoken to.

Hyperactivity 

Fidgets, is restless and can’t sit still in class.

Can’t stop talking.

Runs about when it is inappropriate.

Impulsiveness

Interrupts others.

Blurts out answers without waiting for the question to be finished.

Difficulty in waiting or taking turns.

However, it is incredibly important to note that not all students who have ADHD show all or any of the symptoms and therefore, we may have trouble recognising it in the classroom. The most powerful takeaway I took was that ADHD isn’t simply just the hyperactive behaviours I had heard of prior to this research. Students with ADHD may be inattentive or impulsive instead of, or, in addition to being hyperactive. 

Another powerful takeaway from this research was how common ADHD is and how often it goes undetected due to stereotypes or assumptions we may have about the condition. ADHD is more common in boys than girls (by 6:1).In some cases the condition can seem to affect genders in different ways. Though both can have attentional problems, boys are often reported as exhibiting overactive behaviours and as a result can be perceived as more difficult to manage. Though girls with ADHD can exhibit hyperactive and impulsive symptoms, a number of girls with inattentive symptoms are harder to detect in busy classrooms. As a result, their needs are often overlooked. This solidified to me, how important it is we have inclusive classrooms that allow all students to progress. As such, this led me to think about strategies I could implement in the classroom.

Reframing ADHD

From my research, I believe the first step to providing effective support is to ‘reframe’ ADHD and challenge any of our own misconceptions around the condition. 

It is vital to remember that ADHD is a genuine medical condition that requires specific support. Understanding and acceptance of ADHD, together with the desire to adapt teaching and learning strategies, can enable many students with ADHD to learn more effectively.  Here are some suggestions below (this is similar to the reframing of language we did with Paul Mulvihill and our trauma-informed approach to teaching!): 

• Think of the student who is easily distracted as having high levels of awareness and observation

• Think of the restless student as being energetic and lively

• When the student with ADHD goes off on a tangent, see it as a sign of individualism and independence

• If the student starts interrupting, think of it it as enthusiasm to contribute

• When work is sloppy, look for signs of effort despite difficulties 

• Reward their positive behaviour and focus on this when addressing their behaviours that may be unexpected

Strategies to use in our classrooms:

My research led me to three ways to incorporate more support for students with ADHD in our classrooms. 

1. Accommodations - Refers to making learning easier for students with ADHD

Make adjustments in the classroom. In order to keep students with ADHD from distracting and disrupting the class, you can change the layout of your classroom and make adjustments for your students with ADHD.

Seating

• Students with ADHD should be positioned away from windows and doors

• Seat the student right in front of your desk unless it would distract them

• Seat them in rows as students with ADHD tend to work better this way compared to around tables or facing one another

Importantly - have discussion with the pupil in a private space away from other pupils. They can usually give powerful insight into what helps them focus and learn better.

2. Instructions - Methods and techniques used for teaching

Delivery of Information – Students with ADHD Learn Differently

• Give instructions one at a time. If possible, repeat.

• Work on the most difficult task early in the day. If it is a P5 lesson - think about how to deliver tasks!

• Use visual aids such as charts, pictures, and colour coding

• Create outlines to make note-taking easy for them. This can also work with tables, grids, sentence starters etc

Student work

• Create worksheets and tests with fewer items. Frequent short quizzes are better than long tests, if possible!

• Formatively test students with ADHD focusing on their strengths, such as orally or filling in blanks

• Divide long term projects such a coursework into clear segments, and set a deadline for completion for each segment, rather than an overall deadline

Organisation

• Vary your pace depending on the kinds of activities. Students with ADHD are known for excelling in competitive games or in rapid and intense activities

• Devise an unobtrusive set of cues for reminding the student with ADHD to remain focused on the task. Such as placing a sticky note on their desk or hand signal. Chat to them about what works well!

3. Intervention - How to handle any disruptive/distracting/unexpected behaviour

Prevent disruptive behaviour

• Allow students with ADHD to have frequent breaks and let them squeeze a stress ball, fidget toy or something that will not disturb the class as physical outlet.

Deal with disruptive behaviour

• Devise some kind of warning signals for students with ADHD. It could range from hand signals or a sticky note on the student’s desk.

• Refer to zones of regulation. Have one that they can see and identify with.

• If you need to discuss their behaviour, talk to them in private.

• Ignore unexpected behaviour if it is not disrupting the lesson. 

I hope this is helpful and informative! Please do get in touch if you would like to talk further about this - I’d love to hear from you!

References and Further Reading

https://www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Teaching-and-Managing-Students-with-ADHD.pdf

http://www.curee.co.uk/files/publication/%5bsite-timestamp%5d/engaging%20adhd%20students%20in%20tasks%20with%20hand%20gestures%20%20%20a%20pedagogical%20possibility%20for%20teachers.pdf 

https://www.ldrfa.org/tips-and-strategies-to-help-students-with-adhd-succeed/ 

George J. DuPaul , Lisa L. Weyandt & Grace M. Janusis (2011) ADHD in the Classroom: Effective Intervention Strategies, Theory Into Practice, 50:1, 35-42, 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/

How Can Subtitles On Videos Support Your Students' Learning?

By Nichola Vo

Having spent the last year supporting various subject lessons, I have seen teachers across all departments use videos in the classroom to aid student understanding. Whilst the visuals often help the students engage with the content, I have been thinking more recently about the benefits of captions on videos. However, I’ve noticed that not all teachers consciously think about turning on the subtitles for students. I hope this blog post makes you think twice before pressing play on a video without the captions on. I’ve found this excellent article by Gernsbacher (2015) that has summarised some key takeaways from having captions turned on that I’m going to share here:

1. Those who are hard of hearing

Starting with the most obvious, captions on videos in the classroom help those who are hard of hearing. It is worth noting that not all students who may struggle with hearing wear an aid and so the act of turning on captions can make the classroom a more inclusive space in terms of allowing students to access the activity. 2. Captions aid in developing literacy skills Whether students choose to listen or read along with the captions, having the subtitles there also provides students with the opportunity to improve their fluency in their spoken vocabulary. Whilst there will be students who outside of the classroom will rarely pick up a book, they are likely to watch something and the use of captions as a means to develop their literacy skills without realising. The act of reading involves multiple skills in terms of mapping sounds into text, and if you are not familiar with how a word sounds, this can be a barrier. But what captions on videos do is illustrate how specific sounds are mapped onto words as well as their contextual meaning too. It is all well to teach vocabulary but if a student does not understand how to use it in context, have they really learnt it? 3. Captions support memorising key information Studies amongst even highly literate adults have shown that captions aid memory recall and retention. Nugent (1983) found in her research that both hearing and deaf students performed better with both visuals and captions than they did on presentations with either component alone. Additionally, Nugent states that neither the deaf nor the hearing groups showed unique abilities to learn from the presentations, implying that both groups have similar cognitive processes. 4. Captions support EAL students Whilst captions on videos were co-opted from foreign-language subtitles, it is worth noting the significance of English captions on videos to support those acquiring it as a second language. Captions have been shown to improve listening comprehension. By having the opportunity to engage with the vocabulary used in context audibly alongside captioning, studies have revealed that captioning serves to have a positive effect on students’ working memory. 5. Encouraging open-mindedness! Lastly, I am a big cinephile who loves world cinema and the idea of subtitles being a barrier to people watching them saddens me! As Academy Award winner Bong Joon Ho put it, “Once you overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” Therefore, if the use of captioning is normalised in the classroom, I am sure this will encourage more open-mindedness within the students we work with. Further reading:

• Why children should be watching TV with the subtitles on (theconversation.com)
• Microsoft Word - 182902 (ed.gov)
• The Benefit to the Deaf of Real-Time Captions in a Mainstream Classroom Environment (cmu.edu)

Bitesize Research: Evaluating The Prevelance of 'Neuromyths' In The Population

By Jaya Carrier

I hope everyone’s had a great week! This week, I was really interested in a study released by UCL about the prevalence of ‘neuromyths’ in both the general population and in the educator population. ‘Neuromyths’ are misconceptions about the brain and neurodivergence including conditions such as ADHD, autism and dyslexia. Objectives:

To evaluate the prevalence of ‘neuromyths’ in the general population Summary:

The five prevailing neuromyths explored are:

• Dyslexia is caused by visual problems
• Dyslexia can be helped by using coloured lenses/colour overlays
• Reducing dietary intake of sugar or additives reduces the symptoms of ADHD
• Prolonged use of medication for ADHD leads to alcohol and drug addiction in adulthood
• Autistic children do not like to be touched

1 in 4 believed in neuromyths related to particular neurodevelopmental disorders The authors of the study believe that these neuromyths have been long-lasting due to an increased fascination with the brain, as well as a drive for ‘evidence-based’ practice leading to very oversimplified statements about neurodivergence. How does this impact me and my practice?:

Some reflection questions arising from this that might be helpful to consider are:

• Do any of these ‘neuromyths’ need to be challenged in my own thinking?
• How can I ensure that I don’t oversimplify these things in my own thinking about working with students with these neurodivergence needs?

If you would like to discuss this further with me - please let me know! I’d be delighted to open up these discussions and conversations.