We change the way people think about leading, learning and research
From curriculum to coaching,
leadership to learning.
Every school is unique and should have a bespoke curriculum. It is not enough for schools to say that they teach the National Curriculum... that is the minimum.
We enable schools to discover what makes them special and support them; from our Specialist Curriculum Architects reviewing content and progression through to constructing a curriculum localised and bespoke to their school, learners and families. Many primary schools, KS3 settings and Specialist SEND provisions engage with a Curious-city approach to enquiry based learning: an enhanced progressive framework to integrating the National Curriculum with new and big ideas of the 21st century.
As a guide to how we might support, please see the 'curriculum continuum' below
'Described as catalysts, we seek to support leaders and teachers to make the changes they want and need to ensure the young people of today become the adults of tomorrow: the articulate, confident, free-thinking global leaders they need to become.'
'The time to rethink education is now. We need to move away from today's revolution against policy and ...
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Nicholas Garrick
Founder and Managing Director...seek to evolve education through cultural change over time. As an organisation, we do this through being knowledge-engaged, using a combination of experience, research and theory. We are particularly committed to representing our broad and rich society to enhance curriculum and leadership.
As a group of practising teachers and leaders, we work with people on the ground in classrooms and staff rooms to affect practice and policy both in the UK and in countries such as Colombia, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Zambia. We do not make the change, we are not a SWOT team.
We help affect change from the inside and work with people in schools, trusts and charities for the long haul. We mark our success when we are no longer needed.
Evolution takes time.'
Curriculum Surveys and Reviews
Is what is on the tin, inside the tin?
A one day light touch look at curriculum content and coverage and compliance.
Shining a light in every corner
A two-day deeper evaluation from two Specialist Curriculum Architects including coverage, progression, environment, social media, website, planning and learning looks.
What do people honestly think of the curriculum?
Facilitated conversations with young people, families, governors, teachers and leaders through a blend of face-to-face sessions, online and case studies over a period of time.
"Lighting up Learning has been supporting us with the development of our curriculum this year and it's been invaluable. They have a real eye for detail; helping to make sure that we don't miss anything. They provided a genuine challenge for us which has helped us clarify our thinking and ensure that what we've ended up with does match our initial intent. We've loved working with them; their passion and enthusiasm for curriculum development is wonderful but has equally asked the hard questions too!"
Jo Rice, Headteacher, Endeavor Academy Trust
CPD: whole school, leaders and teachers
Enquiry-led Pedagogy
Enquiry-led pedagogy to enhance current content. Through series of INSETs or twilights, we can help embed enquiry-led theory into your setting to enhance current curriculum maps, turning topics into a curriculum of enquiry and curiosity.
Click here to read more.
Subject Leader Toolkit
An online CPD suite of provocations, films and how to guides accessed at a time that suits your CPD timeline.
The sessions get Subject Leaders thinking about how to lead as well as what they might do, by exploring intent, implementation and tools to judge impact.
Get in touch to discover how this could be used with your setting.
EYFS PD Toolkit
CPD for the whole EYFS Team. A suite of live and recorded seminars that can be used as professional development for the whole team, however large.
Seminars include SLT briefings and a bespoke seminar designed for an individual school.
Curriculum Architects
Curriculum theory, evidence and practice with optional MEd.
The most cost-effective way for Curriculum Leaders to obtain a Masters enhancing everyday practice with theory over an 18 months of online seminars, tasks and reading.
Curriculum Theory Seminars
Live seminars are recorded with access to made available post session to those that book.
A timetable of seminars is being finalised and is due to be published the end November 2020.
Leadership Circles
Short, sharp, focused online discussions with leaders from all over the country.
As an official TED Circles Facilitator, our Managing Director can set up a circle based on any current issue, connecting to international discourse.
Get in touch to find out more.
Curious Approaches
Designed for NQTs and experienced computing specialists alike, the enquiry-led approach uses open sources, common or inexpensive resources to explore computing in its broadest sense, not just programming. It can be used as a discrete subject or alongside Curious-city 2.0 enquiries and exceeds the expectations of the National Curriculum.
Engaging families in the States of Being approaches used in school through participatory activities. Purposefully designed to avoid putting additional economic, social or cultural pressure on families, the aim is to provide straightforward activities for everyone in the family to engage in together, including those with siblings in different year groups.
Created for non-specialist teachers, Curious Linguists is a whole school approach. It looks at languages and cultures, not just a language and engages learners through immersive experiences. The KS2 enquiries specifically build confidence and curiosity of languages and through careful mentoring from fluent speakers, they become linguists.
Click here to see examples and watch a briefing
The best way to find out what we do and how it might help you is to get in touch.
Community and Heritage
Diversity and Identity
Sustainability and Climate Change
Enquiry pedagogy and States of Being
Maybe your curriculum content is good, but you want to enhance how teachers teach and learners learn?
Want to enable teachers to create Historians, Mathematicians and Artists? 'States of Being' is more than just a change of terminology. It is a key tenet, alongside three others that form an enquiry led approach and we provide the theory, characters and process to help teachers plan in an enquiry-led way.
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Catalyst Frameworks
We've mapped the entire National Curriculum turning it into a whole school, progressive, localised enquiry approach.
With four different foci (community, climate, global and people), local people, places and stories help build enquiry-led pedagogy. 'Catalyst' because schools make a framework their own, and with 49 skeleton lines of enquiry, connecting the past and present to the future, learners are challenged to answer carefully constructed questions under broad and balanced themes.
Design a bespoke curriculum
Local solutions to the climate change crisis, using similar pedagogical principles as the Curious-city Catalyst approach, but 'green' content.
Young people at school currently, Generation Alpha, will grow up in a world different to any any generation. They will have find solutions to reverse the climate emergency. 'Curious about Climate Change' does just that by focusing enquiry questions and challenges on five big concerns: energy, transport, food, materials and nature.
And we don't just work with UK schools, but also charities, voluntary groups, international settings, social enterprises...
Born out of leading the Natural Connections Demonstration Hub project for Bristol (2016), our partnership with Project Wild Thing led to building a new digital platform addressing the one thing teachers say they don't have: time.
Using enquiry-led approaches, we wrote and designed a suite of activities enabling young people and teachers to delve behind the scenes of this historic building and legacy. Activities were made available in January 2020
We wrote and illustrated all pre and post visit materials to enhance on-site sessions nationwide. The aim was to maximise visits for teachers through engaging and simple to use activities and resources, published June 2019.
Researching, designing, writing, editing and testing every part of the new child-centered microsite for the League Against Cruel Sports. The site was launched in October 2020 .
In brief: the team
Teachers, leaders and specialists: every single member of the team has passion for change and works in and with schools and charities, on the ground. Every team member is part-time as they have leadership roles in schools, organisations or charities.
You can read detailed biographies of each team member here.
Dr. Nicholas Garrick
Founder & CEONicholas is a Curriculum Specialist, locally and internationally. He is currently writing chapters for different book post-doctorate as well as their own book in enquiry-led learning.
and Fellow of Global Spirit Ed CIC, and, Lead Researcher, Star Scheme.
Ali Camp
Managing DirectorPassionate about everything history and heritage, Ali knows (almost) everyone.
and Year Six Teacher and Trustee, Knead to Connect
Amy Garroch
Curriculum Architect and English Specialist
and Deputy Head, Old Sodbury Primary.
