Two Case Studies: Fairgreen and Gordonstoun

  • Printed and Online
  • Free shipping available
  • Free teacher resources
  • Video call support
  • Created by a teacher

    Fairgreen's story

    Many thanks to the Lead Teacher at Fairgreen School in Dubai, Laetitia Samuels, for taking the time to answer some of our questions.

    The first question was:

    Why did your school first choose to offer the Award to the pupils in your school?

    Our school was newly opened and our former director wanted to implement the Junior Duke Award for these reasons: 

    Communication Between Families and School

    Mentors and Role Models: The program involves mentors or role models in schools to guide students, who do not necessarily have to be teachers.

    Executive Functioning Skills: The program helps students develop important skills such as planning, organizing, and reflecting on their tasks, it fits very well with the IB.

    Engagement Through Passion: Students are encouraged to engage in activities they are passionate about, which helps them stay motivated.

    Long-term Projects: Students work on projects over extended periods, such as months, which involve setting goals, planning, and reducing resource usage.

    Reflection and Documentation: Part of the process includes recording progress and reflecting on their experiences and outcomes.

    Inclusivity: The program caters to all students, including those who are less active or strong, providing meaningful activities to enhance their skills.

    Community Building: The overarching goal is to create a strong school community focused on developing students' executive functioning abilities.

    How, and where, are the challenges completed?

    The challenges are primarily completed at home with the involvement of parents. I am currently exploring the possibility of scheduling regular lunchtime sessions to monitor their progress more closely.

    Describe your end of year celebration.

    Our end-of-year celebration during the awards assembly is a vibrant event attended by students, teachers and staff + special guest on video (Dawn). The assembly features highlights from the year, performances, and the presentation of awards such as Maths Rockstars, PE Champions, and Junior Dukers.

    This year, it was particularly exciting as students from every school year group participated, inspiring others to join next year. The children responded with enthusiasm and pride, celebrating their achievements and fostering a strong sense of community and motivation for future endeavours.

    How involved are your parents?

    Some parents are very involved and encouraging, ensuring that their children continue to improve on the skills learned for the award at home.

    What do you think about the paper workbooks?

    The workbooks are a great guide for the students. The structured questions within them significantly help the children in writing their reflections, making it easier for them to document and process their learning experiences.

    Do you think you would like to move towards using our online portal instead of the workbooks?

    Our school is moving towards a less iPad-focused approach next year, and considering the insights from "The Anxious Generation" by Jonathan Haidt, we believe it's beneficial to keep using the workbooks. While the new online portal is an exciting option, we recognize that many children still love the experience of the workbooks. 

    Do you think you would like to move towards using our online portal instead of the workbooks?

    Our school is moving towards a less iPad-focused approach next year, and considering the insights from "The Anxious Generation" by Jonathan Haidt, we believe it's beneficial to keep using the workbooks. While the new online portal is an exciting option, we recognize that many children still love the experience of the workbooks. 

    The Junior Duke program definitely helps children to become more independent, confident, and resilient. It has a significant impact on their executive function skills, builds relationships, and widens their community. Additionally, it strengthens connections between family and school. The program aligns well with the IB framework, making it easy to integrate and refer to in our curriculum.

    Laetitia Samuels
    Lead Teacher at Fairgreen School, Dubai

    Gordonstoun's story

    Many thanks to the Head Teacher at Gordonstoun in Scotland, Cath Lyall, for taking the time to answer some of our questions.

    The first question was:

    Why did your school first choose to offer the Award to the pupils in your school?

    We wanted to introduce the award to encourage independence and, because we are a boarding school, to give the children a chance to work on something at home with their families.

    At the end of our school year, we have an afternoon tea to which all children in Reception to Year 6 are invited whether they have taken part in the award or not. Some may have taken part but not completed it, they also attend. We invite Will, our ambassador to come to Gordonstoun for the afternoon tea, address the children and present certificates to each child. It is a lovely occasion.

    Cath Lyall
    Head Teacher at Gordonstoun, Scotland.

    Tell us more about your Ambassador.

    Will is a former pupil of Gordonstoun from when he was 8 in what was then Aberlour House Prep School. At school he took part in everything from sports to expeditions and was a basically nice guy!

    In his final year at school he was persuaded to try out for the senior musical of We will Rock you and ended up playing the lead role, very apprehensively. That lit a spark and he fell in love with the music industry.

    He completed a degree at Newcastle University and then formed a band initially called 'Hunter and the Bear' then 'Daytime TV'. They are having some success and certainly all following their dreams! He currently lives in Edinburgh but spends a fair bit of time travelling and in London.

    He speaks inspirationally and motivates the children to push themselves and become more independent. He spoke to them this year about taking chances and how, if you don't, there might be something you miss out on.

    How many members of staff are required to run the Award?

    We have one teacher who is responsible for coordinating the award which includes creating the wall display, ordering log books etc. We then ask each class teacher to support their own classes and look at log books as they come in form their class to be signed off after each challenge. In June teachers send their log books to me and I look through them, write certificates and organise the afternoon tea and liaise with our Ambassador, Will, to come and present.

    What do you think of the workbooks?

    I love having a physical workbook, it keeps it current for the children and they are very proud of them.

    Would you consider moving to use our online portal?

    I honestly would not offer ours the choice of using the portal. The work book is great. My worry is that too much is online and we are trying to regulate digital use so if we put more online we are not helping ourselves.

    Getting started with the Junior Duke Award

    Throughout the nine levels, there are nearly 130 different, progressive challenges ranging from First Aid, eco, exercise, domestic challenges, budgeting, fixing punctures, building fires, baking, cooking, washing sheets, making presentations, knitting, litter-picking….all manner of things!
    Fun for all the family!

    Get started