Whilst personalised education is a relatively new concept in large school settings, in smaller schools the techniques of pupil independence, autonomy and self-assessment have been used for many years almost as a matter of course. Pupils from Treales Primary School in Lancashire engage in a series of classroom and outside activities to see whether any of the practices could be useful in larger settings. The village school has just 44 pupils, split into two classes. The mixed age and ability range means that personalised learning is an essential, not an add-on, and the techniques which the school has developed over the years have proved successful. Pupils take on a variety of outdoor projects where they are granted almost complete autonomy. They run a variety of environmental and school maintenance projects with virtually no intervention from adults, and the independence gained is put to use in the classroom.

Video Series: Personalised Learning at Primary
Release Date 2007