Wootton, Matthew - Bournemouth School

Matthew Wootton

Dates at Bournemouth School: 2007 - 2016
House: Turner

Head of Department


Matthew at school	Matthew today

Matthew taught: English and Drama
Matthew's duties whilst at school:

Rollout of Drama as a discrete subject
Form tutor

Matthew's biography:

In line with what I thought were the trends back then, I shifted the focus over to English but realized that my inspiration came chiefly from Drama, and so went where the work was. As a consequence, I spent a few curious but fulfilling years as Head of Drama at the Ursuline School for Girls in Wimbledon. On the plus side, the cultural backdrop that London provided was instantly enriching. On the negative side, I was still based in Dorset for family reasons and the weekly commute and sense of dislocation took its toll. The ultimate aim was to find a better work/life balance closer to home. As a result, I now find myself doing something rather similar to my initial role at Bournemouth School, as teacher of Drama and English at King’s College, Taunton.

What was best about Matthew's time at Bournemouth School?

There was a phase of great ambition around the arts that I was privileged to be a part of. This included converting defunct Maths classrooms into a Drama Studio, suitably distant from other parts of the school to facilitate a wealth of dramatic expression without fear of becoming too noisy.
Collaboration with Forest Forge Theatre also proved an exciting venture.

Who does Matthew remember most fondly?

The diligence, vision and insight of John Hubbard as line manager were life changing. His determination to raise the intellectual bar and support each bold experiment transformed me from someone who had become quietly disenchanted with teaching into a complete devotee. As lead in drama, I was delighted by the unstoppable enthusiasm of Mark Houston, now a professional actor.

What is Matthew's favourite anecdote/most vivid memory?

One of the then-Director of Music’s inspirations was a school production of “Oh What a Lovely War!” on Bournemouth Pier. A brilliant concept if you know the play! The practicalities of transporting set, costume, cast and audience from school to there was something else! Parking fines were accumulated whilst I directed, aware throughout that our next baby was due!

Matthew's final thoughts

There was a certain level of eccentricity in the air at Bournemouth School that I found both charming and stimulating. Long may that spirit live on!

Meeting	Exceeding
You will be able to describe and explain the increased tension over Berlin between Khrushchev and Kennedy. You will be able to have a good understanding of why there were summit meetings called, 1960 and 1961. You will be able to describe and explain why the Berlin Wall was built in 1961. You will be able to explain the impact the building of the wall had on East-West relations and the importance of Kennedy’s visit to Berlin in 1963. You will be able to show a good understanding of the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the importance of the Bay of Pigs failed invasion of 1961 and the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962.	You will be able to evaluate the impact on international relations of increased tension over Berlin between Khrushchev and Kennedy. You understanding of the summit meetings is precise and you can evaluate their importance. You will be able to precisely recall details of how why the Berlin Wall was built in 1961. You will be able to evaluate the importance of the building of the wall on East-West relations and the importance of Kennedy’s visit to Berlin in 1963. You will be able to show a precise knowledge and understanding of the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the importance of the Bay of Pigs failed invasion of 1961 the events and significance of the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 in the short term and long term.
Assessment Methods
Do-now tasks Retrieval Quiz in class End of Unit Assessment

Meeting	Exceeding
You will demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the origins of the Weimar Republic from its creation in 1918. You will be able to describe and explain why the Republic faced political and economic challenges in the years 1919 – 1923. You will be able to understand some controversy over Germany’s recovery from 1924 – 28. You will be able to describe and explain how society and culture changed during the ‘Golden Years’ of Weimar. You will mostly be able to demonstrate accurate recall of key people, key dates, terminologies and acronyms to describe aspects Weimar Germany, 1918 – 1928.	You will be able to recall, with more precision and accuracy, the origins of the Weimar Republic from 1918. You will accurately explain the early challenges including the Spartacist Uprising, Kapp Putsch and the causes and impact of the German Hyperinflation of 1923. You will be able to recall, with precision and accuracy, how Weimar recovered including Stresemann’s economic and foreign policy successes whilst able to evaluate the limitations of recovery. You will have a secure knowledge of how Weimar society and culture changed. You will be able to convincingly demonstrate accurate and precise recall of key people, key dates, terminologies and acronyms describing aspects of Weimar Germany 1924 – 1929.
Assessment Methods
Do-now tasks Retrieval Quiz in class End of Unit Assessment

Meeting	Exceeding
You show a good knowledge and understanding of key terms associated with the changes happening from 1750 – 1900. You are able to describe and explain some aspects of continuity of society and economy during this period. You demonstrate a good understanding of how agriculture changed, why the factory system developed, how transport improvements impacted the economy with particular reference to the steam train. You are able to explain why living conditions in the new towns and cities changed, the impact on public health and calls for reform. You show secure evaluation of sources for utility, taking into account some aspects of provenance and / or own knowledge.	You are able to show an excellent knowledge and understanding of key terms associated with the changes happening from 1750 – 1900. You are able to precisely describe and explain aspects of continuity of society and economy during this period. You are able to show an excellent and precise understanding of how agriculture changed, why the factory system developed, how transport improvements impacted the economy with particular reference to the steam train. You are able to evaluate how and why living conditions in the new towns and cities changed and the impact these changes had on public health and calls for reform. You show a convincing evaluation of sources for utility, taking into account provenance and precise own knowledge.
Assessment Methods
Do Now Questioning in class Peer assessments (Skills based written response)

Meeting	Exceeding
You will be able to describe and explain the early tension between the members of the Grand Alliance at the three wartime conferences and events in Europe up to 1945. You will be able to have a good understanding of the ideological differences between Capitalism and Communism. You will be able to describe and explain the development of the Cold 1947 – 1949 including the flashpoint of Berlin, 1948 – 49 and the setting up of East and West Germany. You will understand why the Cold War intensified, 1949 – 58 including the arms race and the USSR’s response to the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 and international reaction to this.	You will be able to evaluate the consequences of the wartime alliances for East-West relations. You will understand the attitudes of the wartime leaders and how this further impacted East-West relations. You will select accurate evidence to show the creation of the satellite states to further explain how soviet influence spread, 1945-48. You will be able to demonstrate an excellent understanding of short term and long term reasons why Stalin blockaded Berlin and how this further escalated the Cold War. You will be able to evaluate the significance of the arms race, Khrushchev’s response to the Hungarian Uprising and international reaction.
Assessment Methods
Do Now Retrieval quizzes in class Topic 1 End of Unit Assessment (factual recall)

Meeting	Exceeding
You will be able to have a good knowledge of Nazi policies towards women and why this was so. You will be able to describe and explain Nazi policies towards young people including education and youth groups with some evaluation. You will be able to understand the ways the Nazis reduced unemployment and how they made changes to peoples’ standard of living. You will be able to describe and explain why persecution of minority groups, especially the Jews, increased after 1933.	You will be able to evaluate Nazi policies towards women and young people. You will be able to confidently evaluate policies designed to reduce unemployment whilst also having an in-depth knowledge of policies impacting the standard of living of German workers. You will be able to evaluate the impact Nazi racial policies had upon groups such as Slavs, Roma, Sinti, homosexuals and those with disabilities. You will be able to evaluate the escalation of persecution towards Jewish people with precise reference to events such as the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht.
Assessment Methods
Do Now Retrieval quizzes in class Key Topic 4: End of Unit assessment (factual recall)

Meeting	Exceeding
You will be able to write a response that includes three causes of the outbreak of The Great War (this is the keystone point: no answer can be graded as ‘meeting’ if it does not contain three causes from: military, alliances, imperialism and nationalism). You will demonstrate the skill of analytical writing by demonstrating the Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link technique (PEEL) on each paragraph. For each cause, you will be including sufficient factual detail/proof to justify judgements rather than unsupported statements. You will be able to show secure explanation on each cause and link to why it was a reason for World War I breaking out.	You will apply precisely selected evidence, giving more weight to the judgements drawn. The quality of your evaluation will be in greater depth (e.g. linking in more depth to the question, considering limitations of each factor as a cause, making a clear judgement for each cause, maybe comparing their importance). You will be able to write a response that can also contain evidence of more independent research gathered from outside of the content studied in class.
Assessment Methods
Do Now tasks Retrieval quiz (factual recall) in class End of Unit 2 assessment (Skill: causation writing)

Meeting	Exceeding
You will be able to produce a written response that includes three distinct causes of the Break with Rome (this is the keystone point: no answer can be graded as ‘meeting’ if it does not contain three factors) Each of your causes contain sufficient factual detail/proof to justify judgments rather than assertions. Each cause is analysed/explained and linked to why it was a cause of the break with Rome	Your selected evidence is precise and detailed giving more weight to the judgments drawn. The quality of your evaluation is in greater depth (e.g. linking in more depth to the question, considering limitations of each factor as a cause, making a clear judgement for each cause, maybe comparing their importance). Your answers may contain evidence of independent research outside of the work covered in class.
Assessment Methods
Do Now Questioning in class End of Unit Assessment: Causation writing (PEEL Paragraphs)

Meeting	Exceeding
You need to know and explain a main reason why William won at Hastings and give your view as to why it was important. You should write a paragraph that demonstrates a clear causation approach, including the reason, evidence for it, and an explanation of why it helped William win. You must give a brief judgement explaining why this cause was the most important.	You need to explain the reason why William won at Hastings and evaluate why it is the important reason. You should demonstrate clear evidence of writing in a causation structure by making a point and supporting it with precisely selected relevant evidence. You must show evaluation by explaining the relative importance of the cause you are discussing.
Assessment Methods
Do Now scores Comprehension quiz Skills based end of unit assessment

Meeting	Exceeding
Your written response includes three distinct causes. Each cause contains enough ‘accurate’ (factually correct) and ‘relevant’ (fitted to this question and taken from the correct time period) information to justify judgments rather than assertions. You have analysed or explained each cause and linked it to why it was a cause.	The deployment of your evidence (e.g. precise details, dates, statistics) is in greater depth, giving more weight to the judgements drawn. Your supporting evidence is precisely selected to address the question directly, showing skill in selecting the most convincing evidence. The quality of your evaluation links in more depth to the question ‘directed consistently at conceptual focus’, maybe considering limitations of each factor as a cause. You make a clear judgement for each cause, maybe comparing their importance. All of your three points demonstrate a line of reasoning that is coherent, sustained and logically structured. You demonstrate an excellent, precise and accurate knowledge and understanding of the origins of the Weimar Republic and the challenges it faced, 1919 – 1923.
Assessment Methods
Do Now scores Retrieval quizzes in class Skills based end of Unit assessment: writing a causation examination answer

Matthew Wootton

Matthew's biography:

What was best about Matthew's time at Bournemouth School?

Who does Matthew remember most fondly?

What is Matthew's favourite anecdote/most vivid memory?

Matthew's final thoughts

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