On Tuesday 10^th October, Fulston Manor held an A Level Mindset Day.  This included a key note speech to the whole of Year 12 as well as a Conference for staff from Fulston Manor and other School’s in Kent.  The event was to raise awareness of the Mindset programme, which Fulston Manor has championed, to support progress of A Level students.  This event was in collaboration with King Ethelbert’s, St Anselm’s and The Abbey School’s.   

Martin Griffin, author of ‘The A Level Mindset’ delivered the key note speech at both events.  He provided an overview of the intervention and coaching strategies that can be used to aid student progress.  Martin explained that those students who make real and sustained progress at A level aren’t necessarily the ones with superb GCSEs.  Some students leap from average results in Year 11 to outstanding results in Year 13.  Others seem to hit a ceiling and Martin explored the reasons why.  The system Martin and his co-author Steve Oakes created, is called the VESPA model.  VESPA stands for the five key behaviours and characteristics that all students need in order to be successful.

Vision – Effort – Systems – Practice – Attitude

These characteristic supersede cognition and we are working with our Sixth Form students to develop these characteristics, helping to adapt their behaviours and mindsets in order to realise their potential.

The A level Mindset events were a resounding success.  All Year 12 students attended the afternoon session and more that eighty teachers attended the evening conference from a wide range of schools in Kent.  We introduced the VESPA model At Fulston Manor last year in our tutor time, and the Social Sciences Department also championed the VESPA model, with incredibly positive results.  Following such success, this training means that we can continue to develop the programme and encourage our students to engage further to build on their success.