Coaching ties deeply with our growing emphasis on cognitive science and metacognition. Metacognition, in simple terms, is understanding how we think and learn, or thinking about thinking. Through targeted questioning framed around our AATL criteria the coaching program presents students with an opportunity to reflect on how they are thinking and what changes they can make to enhance progress.
The program helps students develop the skills of perseverance, resilience, creativity, and problem solving in a supported and structured environment.
The impact of the program has been clear. As the graph below shows, the impact of the pandemic and forced physical school closures had a significant impact on the percentage of A* grades our students
were achieving (e.g., Term 3 bar in red). While overall attainment of A*-C grades stayed stable, fewer students were pushing the boundaries and achieving at the higher end of the grade spectrum.
Beginning in 2020-21 we introduced the AATL and coaching program and immediately saw growth between Term 1 and Term 2 (green bar) in relation to the percentage of A* grades. Moving into 2021-22 the percentage of A* grades has increased even further, and we are returning to (and predicted to exceed) pre-pandemic A* grades across the secondary school in Term 3 of 2021-22.