Academic, BKK Prep, News, Secondary October 12, 2023

Sixth Form: Introduction to the VESPA Model Parent Workshop

On the 4th October we were incredibly lucky to host almost 40 parents of our Sixth Form students who wanted to learn more about the VESPA Model. VESPA stands for VISION, EFFORT, SYSTEMS, PRACTICE and ATTITUDE. It focuses on developing students’ non-cognitive skills to help transform commitment, motivation and productivity.

The workshop provided valuable insights into our application of the model made famous by the book The A Level Mindset by Steve Oakes and Martin Griffin and how we are applying it to our Sixth Form. The workshop also helped explain the rationale behind our choice of this particular model and highlighted our previous success which saw a Value Added attainment of 0.85 meaning that students, on average, performed almost one full grade better than their indicators. In fact, it was so successful that Bangkok Prep actually appears as a case study in The A Level Mindset Revised Edition (see previous news article).

In our Sixth Form we use a range of data to design an evidence informed tutor time curriculum which uses relevant VESPA activities. These activities are also supported with academic mentoring from our tutors who work closely with students to determine what are their lesser strengths from a non-cognitive perspective and what can be done to support their development. Finally, based on previous experience we introduced a learning journal to allow students to reflect on their progress with the VESPA strategies, how they are applying them to their academic studies and what impact this is having on their wellbeing and progress. Our 2024 learning journal will be launched in Term 2, just in time for the Mock Examinations.

If you would like to learn more about the workshop you can access the slides on Firefly here.

I would also like to thank those parents who attended and fully involved themselves in heads down, hands up and the discussions. Your active participation meant it was a really valuable workshop for all who attended including myself.