Mrs Nash gently comforted her, reminding her of something I often say: “if we don’t make mistakes, we can’t ever learn from them”. Unsurprisingly, this reframing helped the student enormously. What had seemed like a major setback became, instead, one of life’s learning moments, not something to dwell on or let ruin her day. She left the conversation with renewed determination, ready to try harder and embrace the next challenge. Bring on the next assessment!
I was genuinely moved by how naturally Mrs Nash conveyed our learning without limits ethos, and with such conviction and care. It reminded me why it is so important to create an environment where our students are encouraged to embrace complexity and, crucially, to see failure not as a weakness, but as a necessary and valuable part of learning. In doing so, we teach them to approach problems creatively and critically.
Indeed, I often say “every day is a school day”, and I firmly believe that nothing we learn is ever wasted. Learning is a continuous process, and sometimes our best lessons come from setbacks. We are able to look back and reflect, realise what knowledge we gleaned from the experience and we decide how to move forward, for example, how to apply our skills and traits in the future to either avoid the same pitfall or to pursue a more effective path.
So what is the difference between an error and a mistake? One might say that a mistake is something we already know how to correct, a misstep made by accident, for which we can apologise and put right. However, an error reveals a gap in our understanding, something we have yet to learn. In fact what makes an error meaningful is precisely that: it offers the opportunity to learn something new. Arguably, there would be no progress without error.
In many ways, trial and error is one of the most powerful forms of learning. When we make an error, or stumble at something, we give ourselves an opportunity to analyse that failure (reflect on what went wrong), make a change (how can I adapt), and then try again. This process repeated over time is the only real, effective way we have to learn more about our world and solve problems in our life. It is the engine of self-improvement.
The Greek philosopher Socrates believed knowing what you do not know was one of the most important steps towards true wisdom. As powerful as our minds can be, they are limited. As such, because our knowledge is incomplete, we sometimes need to endure the pain of trial and error before we can better understand something and accept that error is an essential companion on the journey to deeper understanding.
This week, I have encouraged our Year 7 to Year 9 students to take this perspective into their internal summer assessments. We cannot always predict every factor that influences our performance in assessments, or in life. Sometimes we must go through the discomfort of trial and error before we find the best approach to a problem or the most effective way to apply our knowledge to specific types of questions. It is rare to get everything right on the first try.
This is why as a school we work very hard to nurture a learning without limits culture, one that champions continual improvement and self-discovery, embraces a broad view of success, while avoiding a narrow focus on artificial barriers. At the heart of it all, is a love of learning and the joy that comes with it.
Written and verbal feedback about learning rather than grades is central to our learning ethos. This strategy builds intrinsic motivation to approach new learning in a very powerful way. As such, the alternative to grading of course is to give students informative feedback. For example, ‘medal and mission’ feedback and clarity about goals can be effective to maximise the rate of learning. This means students need to know what they have done well (a medal) and what they need to improve (a mission).
Fundamentally, what are assessments actually for? They help teachers gauge how much their class has learned and fine-tune future lessons to address issues the students found challenging. Similarly, students are able to get feedback on their progress and guidance on how to focus their revision efforts.
But the most crucial aspect of assessments, in my opinion, is its ability to reveal the unknowns or, as students sometimes describe them, a ‘mind-blank’. In truth, a mind-blank does not actually exist. Rather, what we are seeing is the moment a student realises that, whilst they believed they knew something, they were not as secure in their knowledge as they thought. Without the assessment, this gap in understanding might never have been identified. With it, the student has the opportunity to strengthen their grasp and that is where new learning begins.
Dr Lee
Headteacher
The week ahead
Monday 2 June
Cricket: U13A vs Quinton House School
Tennis: U14A vs Northampton School
Tuesday 3 June
Cricket: U15A vs Quinton House School
Year 7 Humanities Residential Information Evening
Thursday 5 June
Year 12 Biology Trip to Rushden Lakes
Year 12 Park Visit
Book Review: Little Bang by Kelly McCaughrain
Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal – recommended for Year 9+
Beneath the New Year’s Eve fireworks, shy science-nerd Mel and slacker songwriter Sid get pregnant on their first date. Any sixteen-year-olds would expect trouble – but this is Northern Ireland 2018, where abortion is still illegal. Mel’s religious parents insist she must keep the baby, whilst Sid’s feminist mum pushes for a termination.
Mel and Sid are determined to do this together, but they soon discover that pregnancy is totally different for boys and girls. When their relationship starts to fall apart under all the pressure, Mel finds herself feeling alone with the impossible dilemma of the Little Bang growing inside her.
Find out more about the shortlist The Carnegies
Head's Commendations
On Friday 23 May, Dr Lee was delighted to present the latest round of Head’s Commendation awards to students for their outstanding achievements over the course of this term. Nominated by staff members, we are excited to congratulate this term’s well-deserving recipients:
Grace, Lucy, Giovanna, Abi, Tasneem, Tilly, Veronica, Tara and Annabel
Well done everyone!
Northampton Hockey Club Award Sponsorship 2025
We were proud to sponsor the Northampton Hockey Club Awards last weekend!
Well done to Ruby, Natalie, and Anna for winning the Captain’s Pick award for the ladies team.
A huge congratulations to all the nominees and winners!
Does listening to music help or hinder revision?
In a recent paper, Spencer Coles CEO at Mander Portman Woodward has investigated the impact of listening to music on students’ revision effectiveness, examining various psychological factors and research findings which offer an insight into the impact of music on revision.
This is certainly a question I am asked on a regular basis in the lead up to both internal assessments and the public exams, both by students and parents. Of course, listening to music while studying is a common practice among teenagers, but its effects on revision quality are complex and vary by individual.
Research indicates that whether music aids or hinders learning is influenced by factors including boredom threshold, anxiety proneness, introversion/extroversion, as well as working memory capacity. In addition, it seems that the impact of music during revision is influenced by students’ personality traits and their current mental state. Understanding these traits can help tailor study environments for better outcomes.
Students with low boredom thresholds may find music distracting, while those with high thresholds may benefit from it. Where students demonstrate higher anxiety levels, this can lead to less efficient learning and calming music may help. However, introverted students often perform better in silence, while extroverts may tolerate music better.
Working memory capacity plays a crucial role in how music affects revision. Students with lower working memory may struggle to concentrate with music playing, while those with higher capacity may find it a matter of personal preference. However, what is clear is that working memory is limited and music can overload cognitive processing capacity in any student.
The presence of lyrics in music can lead to added distractions during revision, known as the ‘seductive details effect’. If music is preferred, choosing the right type is therefore essential for maintaining focus, since music with lyrics, especially in a familiar language, can negatively impact comprehension. Unsurprisingly then, instrumental music is generally considered more beneficial for studying than music with lyrics. Additionally, nature sounds and ambient music can enhance cognitive performance and reduce anxiety.
To maximise revision effectiveness, students should consider their individual needs and preferences regarding music. Students should avoid music that is fast, loud, or has abrupt changes. Instead they should opt for slow, instrumental tracks. Recommended tracks include ambient pieces by Brian Eno and classical compositions by Debussy and Satie. Nature sounds and soft electronic music are also beneficial for creating a relaxing study atmosphere.
For students who insist music helps, parents could suggest they listen between study sessions rather than during them. This preserves the mood-enhancing benefits without compromising cognitive resources. A carefully curated playlist before studying can improve motivation and silence during the actual revision session leads to optimal focus.
In a final piece of advice, Coles reinforces the point that silence is ideal for revision, especially as assessments approach, since this offers the best parallel to conditions in the exam room.
https://www.mpw.ac.uk/tune-out-or-tune-in/
Mr Rickman
Deputy Head
The Arts Festival
We are very much looking forward to welcoming our guests to The Arts Festival on Tuesday 24 June from 6pm – 8pm. This year, we are delighted that Junior School will be taking over the space in the Senior School Foyer with their Art Exhibition. Their work is always delightful and highly creative. The Art and Textiles exhibitions across all year groups are being prepared by staff. GCSE and A Level students, through their original and sophisticated pieces, have yet again reached exceptionally high standards, so please do come and see for yourself.
Additionally, we are running two informal and fun opportunities for our students to draw or paint live!
‘Draw Your Pet’ – Open to all age groups from Nursery-Year 13. Come and grab some pencils and sit in our beautiful gardens to draw your pet using your chosen photograph.
‘At The Easel’ – Landscape Painting – Open to Year 6-Year 13. – Come and paint your landscape in the grounds or classrooms – there will be easels set up with brushes and paints ready for you to select from. Students can come and discuss their composition and chosen photograph with the Art Department.
There will be prizes awarded to works that particularly impress the judges but the most important point is to enjoy the experience. A warm welcome awaits you with delicious refreshments from our amazing catering team and summer bakes and pastries will be served in the Food Department.
Mrs Beacroft
Head of Creative Arts
This Week's Sports
Throughout this week there have been multiple sports fixtures, ranging from netball to gymnastics. Read below to find out how the matches went, and more about this week’s fixtures.
