Furzeham Primary and Nursery School joined the Thinking Schools Academy Trust in November 2022 and soon after began its journey towards a Thinking School status. In May 2024, the school hosted a ‘Celebration of Learning’ event, which highlighted its commitment to embedding thinking tools such as Habits of Mind, Thinking Hats, Thinking Maps, and Thinkers Keys. One of the highlights of the event was the introduction of their "Mini Thinkers Drive Team," a group of pupils from Year 2 to Year 6, dedicated to promoting the 16 Habits of Mind and enhancing their critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
As part of the Trust, Furzeham Primary and Nursery School has a unique and effective approach to learning and education. The academy provides pupils with the skillset and tools needed to think in a variety of ways and become lifelong learners. These transferrable ‘Thinking Tools’ prepare pupils for a range of situations that they may face as part of modern society.
Thinking Schools at Exeter leads the way in research in Metacognition, Thinking Skills, Creativity and Dialogue in Education, providing a structure for schools to become recognised Thinking Schools. Furzeham Primary and Nursery School has worked hard to weave this framework into everyday life at the school, and this was recognised throughout the school’s assessment and subsequent accreditation.
The University of Exeter said in their report:
“It is clear that Thinking Skills are embedded within the culture of Furzeham Primary School. Curriculum policy documents and plans clearly map out a thinking strategy that subsequently feed into teaching strategies, and so moves thinking approaches from policy to practice. Pivotal to this is the high premium placed on sharing of best practice across the school to include all staff.”
“Thinking Skills are embedded within the culture of Furzeham Primary School. Thinking serves as a ‘golden thread’ throughout the school. The school’s Learning and Teaching approach is built on evidence-based cognitive principles from the Science of Learning, embracing elements such as cognitive load and memory / schema development.”
“The school’s Thinking School journey started in earnest in 2022 as a response to developing a more metacognitive approach to learning and teaching, and progress has been rapid and impactful. Since then, Furzeham Primary School has gone from strength to strength with its work surrounding metacognitive development. A number of foci have been skilfully introduced and embedded including Habits of Mind, Thinking Hats, Thinking Maps, and Thinkers Keys.”
It is understood that learning does not stop at the school gates but continues into our everyday life. With this in mind, Furzeham Primary and Nursery School provides parents with helpful information to support their children’s learning at home.
The report praised this, stating:
“Furzeham Primary School is relentless in pursuing high standards of achievement. However, it is lifelong holistic learning that is placed at the core of the educational provision at the school and not just the end result. Subject specific learning sits alongside wider dimensions such as the development of psychological wellbeing and dispositional growth. There is a clear belief in wider educational development as the core aim and the value of every contribution that services this. Underpinning this provision is a fully inclusive pastoral care provision embracing children, parents, staff and the community. This has the school’s values firmly at its core.”
Claire Thompson, Deputy Head at the school, who led the school’s application to achieve the Thinking Schools Accreditation, said:
"It’s been such a rewarding journey leading this accreditation process. The dedication from our team and the enthusiasm from the pupils has been incredible. This achievement really shows how committed we are to embedding deep thinking into everything we do at Furzeham. I'm excited to see how we can build on this success and aim for the advanced accreditation in the future."
Paul Adams, Headteacher of Furzeham Primary and Nursery School said:
“I'm so proud of the amazing effort from both our staff and pupils over the last two years, which has led to us being the first school in the South West within the Trust to achieve this fantastic accreditation. We've worked really hard to make thinking an everyday part of life here at Furzeham Primary, and I'm excited to see us continue on this path as we work towards the advanced accreditation in the future."
Jay Davenport, Director of Education in the South West at Thinking Schools Academy Trust, said:
“I want to congratulate the staff for all of the efforts they have put into helping Furzeham Primary and Nursery School become a Thinking School, learning about these tools and imparting that knowledge to the pupils within their classes.
"I had the privilege of seeing this in action with the children from across all year groups talking to me about their learning. The staff have embraced these tools and passed that knowledge on to their pupils, creating an environment where active learning thrives.find
“This school has been on quite a journey over the years, but now when you look around the school, you can clearly see the signs of the Thinking School approach, as many of the pupils are engaged in active learning, and that’s the difference a Thinking School makes.”