Graeme McCafferty, Head of Rosemead Preparatory School and Nursery, speaks to us about his new role at the School, the School’s merger with St Dunstan’s College, and his thoughts on the use of AI in the classroom…
Thank you for reading and, first of all, welcome to Rosemead! I have been fortunate enough to have been recently appointed the new Head of Rosemead having previously been the Deputy Head Academic for the past three and a half years. This means I know the school community very well and I feel as though I am in a fantastic position to move the school forward quickly, understanding the parents, children and needs for the school. In previous roles I have worked all over the world in state, independent, co-ed and single sex schools in Scotland, England, Kenya, China and Dubai.
A classic question that I get asked a lot. There is no ‘true’ answer to what makes a Rosemead child. Every Rosemead child is an individual and we try our best to cater for their needs, their interests and their passions while exposing them to a wide range of opportunities to ensure they can make the best, educated decisions for themselves throughout their journey in life. We instil our values, The Roots of Rosemead, in our children to make sure they are grounded, balanced children with a vast array of interests. Our Roots of Rosemead are split into two sections that we use weekly in lessons, assemblies and as certificates at the end of each week. We have our Pastoral values of Kindness, Honesty, Confidence, Respect and Responsibility. And our Academic Values of being effective Communicators, Creators, Risk Takers, Thinkers and being Curious about the world.
A day at Rosemead is a busy, fun filled, exciting day. We have before school clubs starting from 7:30 in the morning with our Breakfast Club then our before school clubs programme begins at 8am with a whole variety of activities taking place. The school day consists of Maths and English daily and then a myriad of other lessons happening throughout the week. We are committed to a well-rounded, balanced curriculum where we do not compromise the creative subjects. The children all have weekly Spanish, Music, Art, PE and Games taught by specialist teachers who are all experts in their field.
St Dunstan’s College and Rosemead Preparatory School merged in early 2023 to create one community of schools, consisting of St Dunstan’s Junior School, St Dunstan’s Senior School, and Rosemead Preparatory School. This is such an incredible opportunity for sharing best practice, working collaboratively and sharing experience to make all schools in the community unique, excellent educational establishments. We have a shared vision to provide an ambitious, forward-thinking education to the young people under our care and to ensure that, in so doing, we both inspire and support each child to thrive as an individual.
There are numerous advantages presented by the merger. For children, we can share facilities, resources and learning opportunities. For staff, we can share best practice and work collaboratively through staff training and development. It is probably the most exciting and significant development for Rosemead in its 80 year history.
Admissions for Rosemead is quite a unique experience. We do not solely accept children on their academic achievement in an assessment, we try to tease out of them who they are, what they are interested in and find out how we can support them to thrive at Rosemead. Our usual entry points are at 3+, 4+ and 7+. 3 and 4+ are play based, stay and play sessions where we observe how they interact with the adults in the room and the other children. 7+ is a different approach to most schools where we bring the children into Rosemead in small groups and allow them to experience what a Rosemead day looks like. Our specialist teachers teach them Art, Music and PE during the morning so they are inspired and have a brilliant day. We also have short, fun, writing sessions and a short maths assessment on a computer. The senior leadership team observes the children and we make offers based on their participation and effort throughout the day.
There are also ad hoc places available for children, particularly in Year 4 from September where we have a smaller than usual year group. If you are interested in an immediate start, get in touch and we will hold a bespoke assessment day for your child similar to the 7+ morning where they can experience what life at Rosemead is like and we can start to understand your child better.
At Rosemead we like to take risks in our learning, we instil this into the children but also encourage our staff to do the same. At the early stages of our journey into using AI in the classroom the fundamental question to ask was whether it genuinely enhanced the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom.
Upon exploring Century Tech and AI in the classroom, we determined that the answer was a resounding yes. A year ago, we introduced a comprehensive digital strategy at our school, which outlined the transition to a modern and dynamic curriculum. Moving towards 1:1 Chromebooks in Years 4, 5 and 6 with iPads being used in Nursery to Year 3.
To provide you with a glimpse of our classroom practices, let me illustrate what we do with an example from a typical Year 5 class. At the beginning of a lesson, the teacher assigns a ‘nugget’ or diagnostic task from Century Tech for the students to complete. As they work on the task, the teacher receives live data on their laptop, providing insights into the areas where the students demonstrate understanding and those that require additional support. This process takes less than 10 minutes. Following this assessment point, the teacher can adapt their approach accordingly. Some students can continue their learning journey on a recommended pathway generated by the AI software, tailored to their individual needs. Meanwhile, the teacher can work with a smaller group of students, without the use of Chromebooks, to reinforce the areas they struggled with on Century Tech. This dynamic model facilitates real-time assessment, feedback, and intervention, ensuring that every student progresses and achieves success in the lesson.
At Rosemead, we value balance and moderation in all aspects of our curriculum, including the use of AI. We recognise the immense potential of personalised learning programs for our students, and the progress they have made throughout the year stands as a testament to our model of embracing technology.
Find out more information about Rosemead Preparatory School at an upcoming open event. Book at www.rosemeadprep.org.uk