Good Idea: Pupils write one-page profiles for teachers

Provider Personalising Education
Name One-page profiles

When her daughter came home crying from school after a misunderstanding with her teacher, Helen Sanderson realised that teachers do not always have time to get to know their pupils. As a Department of Health adviser on person-centred planning, she thought the practice could be adapted for school children.

Since then, four schools have taken up the idea and are using it with every pupil on roll. In these schools, children create a one-page profile about themselves, which is updated every year and handed to teachers as they progress through school. Other schools use the system for children that need extra support.

The profile has three sections. “Appreciation” includes what is unique about the pupil and their talents. “What is important to” states what matters to the pupil in terms of school and their broader life. Finally, the “How to support” section asks the child, family and teachers to summarise how to get the best out of the pupil.

Teachers using the profiles report improvements in transition between year groups and schools. Some suggest they improve attendance and say the system slots into the curriculum without adding to their workload.

Sanderson set up Personalising Education following the success with her daughter’s profile. The idea was presented to ministers at a House of Commons event in October and Sanderson hopes it will catch on.

“My dream is that every child has a one-page profile that grows with them through their education and helps them in their career, whether part of their CV or Ucas statement, enabling them to move on in life,” she says.

Pupils at Norris Bank Primary School in Stockport find the profiles helpful. “It makes you feel a lot closer to your teacher and it’s nice to feel you are part of a family and you feel more special,” says a girl in year 6.