Guide to the Library and its services: Library news

Signature Work - authentically, proudly and uniquely yours

Heroic inquiry is woven into the fabric of a Blanchelande education.

Inquiry is "a stance of wonder and puzzlement that gives rise to a dynamic learning process of coming to know and understand the world and ourselves in it as the basis for responsible participation in community" (Stripling & Toerien, 2021). Inquiry skills that support the process of learning to find out for (but not by) yourself should be taught in a systematic and progressive way all the way up the school, and we use the internationally recognised FOSIL cycle and framework of skills, developed by our own Head of Inquiry-Based Learning and Libraries, Darryl Toerien, to support this development appropriately and thoughtfully.

In Reception, for example, children might be beginning to recognise that some picture books contain facts about the world, while others contain stories, and be learning to ask meaningful questions about a variety of texts. By the time they get to Y13 they should be learning to seek information from a wide range of sources in order to draw clear and appropriate conclusions supported by evidence, examples, and evaluation of different points of view and perspectives.

While an inquisitive inquiry stance is valuable in all subjects, and inquiries may happen in many subjects and year groups, a distinctive feature of a Blanchelande education is at least one Signature Work inquiry in each phase of the school with a particular focus on the transition years between phases. A Signature Work is an inquiry-based exploration of a significant problem, issue or question that is defined by the children (at a level appropriate to their age) and that involves substantial reflection. It is called a Signature Work because it is authentically, proudly and uniquely theirs. Our current Signature Work inquiries are:

• Infants: There has been some super work going on in Infants with the Who would want to visit Guernsey? (Y1) and Why do people live on Herm? (Y2) inquiries.
• Juniors: Y6 have just completed their five-month Signature Work, Cool Water, which spans five subjects (English, Art/DT, Science, Maths and ICT), is rooted in the UN Sustainable Development Goals and results in a British Science Association CREST Bronze Award.
• Seniors: Y9 are about to complete their year-long Signature Work, The Future Needs You: Living Well in a World Worth Living in, based in English but with curricular links to ICT and Geography and also rooted in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which leads to the GCSE English Language Speaking and Listening NEA.
  • For some, this leads to a GCSE Higher Project Qualification in Y10.
• Sixth Form: Y12 do the six-week Interrobang!? inquiry course, Windows on the World, in their first half-term.
  • For some, this leads into an A-level Extended Project Qualification that runs until the November of Y13.

These Signature Works are an opportunity to teach key inquiry skills in a systematic and consistent way across whole year groups, which can then be developed in different ways across a variety of academic subjects. More importantly, however, they are an opportunity for children to connect with their learning on a personal level, pursuing questions of genuine interest to them and making deep connections between themselves, their learning and the wider world. For those who really embrace the spirit of this, these inquiries can be a transformational experience and for all students they develop the key skills and attitudes that are vital for life-wide and life-long learning in a rapidly changing world.