Random Ramblings of a Deputy Head

We're on the TELE!!!!!

2011-12-10T12:19:00.001-08:00

It was a very exciting week at school - even more so than normal! On Thursday we were visited by Kevin Davies (captain of Bolton Wanderers) and the Match of the Day cameras - well, camera.

"How come?" I hear you cry in jealousy! Well - our school has been involved in a new project started by Bolton Wanderers Community Trust to up the profile of a healthy lifestyle - exercise, healthy choices in diet and drug awareness. They worked with our Y5 and Y6 classes and decided on Thursday to launch it officially in our school!

So they invited Kevin Davies to come along to take part in a quiz with our Y6 children to show off all they had learned. The quiz involved questions about diet, drugs and exercise challenges. But really it was an opportunity to take a few good photos and publicise their work. The Match of the Day camera came along, with reporter Damian Johnson, to interview all involved for a slot on MOTD in a few weeks time.

The children were very excited and had a great time, as you'd imagine! They scored top marks in the quiz, parents were invited and smiled proudly throughout, Kevin Davies shook lots of hands, staff tried to find a way to leave their classes to sneak into the hall and get on TV, we all tried not to wave at the cameras, lots of photos were taken and then it was all over.

I know we were very fortunate to have this kind of experience but what a memory for our children. And it was simply due to getting involved in a community project. I just wonder with all the cutbacks in education whether these sorts of projects will become fewer and fewer? Educating our children is hopefully far more than teaching them to read and write (although, of course, this is vital) and many thanks go out from us to Bolton Wanderers for their involvement in this project. Football and footballers often get a bad press and this kind of work often goes unpublicised. Kevin Davies gave up his time to do this - and didn't even get a yellow card.

Long may these projects be around, and look out for St Matthew's, Little Lever on MOTD sometime in January!

(follow St Matthew's on Twitter @stmattsll, and follow Bolton Healthy Schools @BoltonHS)

A teacher's view of parent's views...

2011-10-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

This week Ofsted launched a new website called 'Parent View'. A place where parents can go and give their views about their child's school. Ofsted claimed these responses wouldn't trigger an inspection but it has caused a few worries for the teacher community nevertheless.

My concerns grew when I read this in the comments section of the BBC report on this website:

"Parents have the right to know whether a school is good or bad in terms of discipline and respect as well as learning the basics. Standards and methods in some schools are abysmal, judging from what my grandchildren are being taught."

Now I have no doubt that there are some poor schools around the country but if parents do not like what their school is doing they have plenty of avenues to go down. They can speak to the headteacher or governors of the school, they can already get in touch with Ofsted and ultimately if they have concerns then surely they'll remove their children from the school. What good would it do to complain on a site like 'Parent View' except out of anger or bitterness?

As a teacher of 15 years I've encountered my fair share of parents - most are supportive and understand education works best when it's a partnership between school and home, but there are always some that are more troublesome. From expecting you to change their child's reading book every day, or expecting you to turn their special little child into a genius within a few weeks, or informing them of every aspect of their child's progress, to thinking that really they could do a better job and what are they paying their taxes for anyway!

And I think we all know what kind of parent is most likely to write about the school on this kind of website...

So I worry that the website will give a skewed view of most schools with the minority of parents writing the majority of entries.

I hope I'm wrong, and to combat it for my school I'll certainly be giving the web address to a certain select group of nice, supportive parents who like me!

Ofsted make me cross

2011-10-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying I'm not against schools being accountable - I absolutely think schools should be held to account for what they do. I mean the future of our children is at stake! Teachers do a massively important job and they need help and support to get it right; and of course, bad ones need help finding a different job!

Help and support. Help and support. Help and support. Not criticism and public condemnation. Teachers know that children respond best to praise and good teachers consistently use praise to get the best out of children and make them shine. When was the last time you heard anyone in government consistently praising schools and teachers? Just saying...

Anyway - that's not why I'm cross. I'm cross this week because I'm fed up of hearing senior leaders in schools saying 'that'll tick that Ofsted box' or 'and Ofsted would like that'. I've even caught myself thinking it and saying it recently.

Now I guess that's not Ofsted's fault - they are only doing their job but something's gone wrong when we do things because we know Ofsted would approve rather than for the benefit of our children. It doesn't help that by and large Ofsted have made their mind up before they get into school, begging the question why come in in the first place? Judge us on our results and let us get on with trying to make well-rounded, well-educated children who are more than their SAT results. And maybe we'd then only do things which help our children, not to tick Ofsted boxes.

I honestly think teachers would do a better job if there was no Ofsted.

The Y1 reading test - proof the government don't give a monkey's.

2011-09-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

I was forwarded an email today from the DFE regarding the Y1 reading test due to be introduced in June 2012. It linked to a website containing everything you need to know about this test - why it's necessary, how the pilot went, what it entails and the response to it. I read it with interest....

Three things stand out to me:

1) I doubt this test will actual raise standards. Apparently this test is necessary because, and I quote from Nick Gibb: "At the end of Key Stage 2, 16% of pupils were below level 4 in reading, and 8% of pupils were below level 3".

Shocking! How awful. What have teachers been doing?

Now this point has been made before but does Nick Gibb realise about 20% of pupils have some sort of SEN, which means that actually ALL pupils without a SEN and 4% of pupils who do actual reach the required standard! Isn't that good?

And anyone who actually works in a Primary School knows that a L3 reader is hardly a failing reader. They have a decent reading ability - enough to get by at least. So actually 92% of pupils can read to a decent level. Isn't that good?

However, this doesn't fit the Tory agenda of trying to claim Labour made a mess of schools so they'll keep mentioning how awful it is that 1 in 5 pupils leave school without a L4 in reading, but they won't mention what percentage would be acceptable - presumably somewhere between 80% and 100%. 80% is bad, 100% is impossible - so what percentage are we aiming for please?

I don't expect an answer to this question.

So will this test raise standards? How much more can we expect them to be able to be raised? Haven't most schools being teaching phonics for ages anyway? The prior research suggests over 80% of schools already do. And as the results of these tests are going to be published to parents, included in RAISEonline and OFSTED will judge us on them then surely this will lead to, like in Y6, a teaching to the test, a narrower curriculum, more emphasis on phonics and less on comprehension etc...which may in turn lower standards or, even worse, turn the children off reading. "Not MORE phonics, Miss!"

"Shut up and sound out this alien word: G...O...V...E..."

2) The test itself won't be a chore for most schools or pupils. I say this because our school at least regularly checks the pupil's knowledge of phonics. So we are used to doing it, and the pupils are used to being tested in this way.

The difference is, of course, we don't use these checks as a basis for judging our children's reading ability. Anyone who actually works in a Primary School knows that to read we need a phonic knowledge, context cues, sight recognition, picture cues and more besides. And reading is more about comprehension than barking at print anyway. But then what more can we expect from a government who is asking Carol Vorderman to tell us how to teach our children Numeracy...?

3) It doesn't matter what teachers or parents think, the government will do it anyway. Call me a naive but I assumed a democratic government would listen to what the people want and act upon what the majority want. This is after all how they came to be in power.

But if you need the response to these tests it appears the government are going against what the majority actually want.

For example, the results of these tests are going to be included in the school's RAISEonline data. But 67% of people who responded thought they shouldn't be.

Half of the words in the reading test will be non-words. But 64% of respondents said the test shouldn't include non-words.

I could go on - if you read Annex A of the response to the test then most answers fall against what the government was proposing.

But they're doing it anyway. Thus saying, "We'll ask you what you want, but sod your answers! We're going to do what we want anyway."

And my response....well, I'll let them know what I think in the next election.

RE: RE

2011-06-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

One of the many hats I wear in school is RE Subject Leader. As we are a church school this is a significant subject area and we have our own separate Diocesan inspection on this subject.

I was reading recently that RE is in danger of being squeezed out of the curriculum and there has been a lot of talk recently by high profile 'celebrity' atheists that faith schools 'force religious beliefs on their children' (and atheists don't I suppose?? I doubt Richard Dawkins would allow his children to develop a religious belief...but that's a whole separate argument and not one I want to go into).

My worry is that RE is being mis-sold and mis-understood. In this society and culture RE is a massively important subject. RE is not about forcing a religious belief on their children, neither is it another type of history lesson. RE, when taught properly, is about understanding, acceptance, community cohesion, breaking down barriers and removing ignorance.

RE is not another history lesson - learning stories from the past. It is about understanding why people do the things they do - and that includes people of no faith (is there such a thing?)

My aim in my school is that the children leave with a knowledge of all the different belief systems in the world - so when they encounter Sikhs, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists or Christians they won't be ignorant or scared or confused by the things these religious groups do or the things they say. I hope our Y6 children are also challenged to reflect on what they believe - about life, the universe and anything - and how this influences their actions.

One of the most interesting Y6 pupils I have taught was an ardent atheist in a church school. He was confident enough to express his views with respect and authority within our school, and also confident enough to join us for church services and join in where he felt comfortable. I was proud of him as the RE teaching that brought him to this point.

RE should be at the heart of any good curriculum - not pushed out - or misunderstood as a way to recruit more Christians etc. This shows a lack of understanding and ignorance about this vital subject - and people who believe this need more RE lessons.

Where are all the men?

2011-05-31T12:11:00.000-07:00

When I trained to be a teacher there were 30 excited prospective teachers on the PGCE course - with 4 of us being men.

My first school had a male head, a male caretaker and me; my current school has me, the caretaker and the Y6 teacher as the only males.

Recently we appointed 2 NQT's and during the course of ploughing through the application forms we encountered very few male NQTs...

Why is this? Why is Primary education not seen as a worthwhile career for men? The money's good, the holidays are good, the job's fabulously satisfying (most of the time) and the promotion prospects are excellent - particularly it seems for the men.

So where are the male applicants? I understand the proportion of male teachers in secondary education is more equally balanced so it's not 'being a teacher' which is the problem - but maybe 'being a PRIMARY teacher' is the real issue.

Is Primary education still seen as nothing more than babysitting little ones? Dealing with minor minors before the 'real' job of educating these children kicks in in Y7?

I hope you aren't expecting me to provide the answers by the way, as I genuinely don't know why more men aren't getting into Primary education. Especially as it's becoming more important to have male role models earlier on in children's lives.

Would love to know your theories on why men avoid Primary schools...

Fortunately, SATS, as we know them, are, however, over!

2011-05-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

So it's over for another year. Y6 SAT tests of course, but this year has been a new experience for me. I've been involved in teaching and delivering SATs for the last 10 years or so but this year my daughter went through the process.

Seeing it from a parent's perspective as well as a teachers has been an eye-opener. Fortunately, my daughter is relatively bright and so was aiming for level 5s not 4s and wasn't too stressed throughout the week - although we did have a few tears and worries on Monday morning, but by Maths Test B she was quite relaxed about the whole thing. "They're just boring, dad," was all that seemed to concern her...

But it's not test week that has made me see things differently, it's the run up to it.

All the practice tests, the endless literacy and numeracy lessons, the narrowing of the curriculum, the missed music and PE lessons and most of all the fact my daughter now thinks that a good piece of writing "is in paragraphs, contains at least two embedded clauses, a noun phrase, a sentence starting with an adverb, three WOW words, one 'however', a 'therefore' and a 'furthermore' - oh and 5 different pieces of punctuation.

Nothing to do with the purpose of writing. Nothing about simply getting the point across. It's all a checklist now.

Consider the writing you do weekly - I guess most of it is nothing more than a solid level 4 because that's all it needs to be.

For example:
"Dear Mr Harding, my daughter will not be in school today as she has the flu. I am hoping she will be in on Wednesday. Yours sincerely, Mrs Bloggs."

This would not be good enough for SATs though...it would need to read like this:

"Dear Mr Harding, my beautiful daughter, aged 10, will, unfortunately, not be in school today because she has a debilitating case of flu (no doubt caught off little Johnny)! However, I am hoping, if all goes according to plan, she will in on Wednesday. Yours sincerely, Mrs Bloggs."

We are developing a set of children who read and write by numbers. And my daughter is one of them. And I'm not happy about it.

#govemustgo

Now it's getting silly...

2011-05-07T13:44:00.000-07:00

Education based folk have been going a bit crazy on Twitter today after the announcement that Michael 'have-you-heard-this-one' Gove is thinking of telling Primary teachers what books they should read with their children. It's true. I haven't dreamed it...although if I had it'd be a nightmare. I'm not even going to waste my time explaining why it is a bad idea - it so obviously is.

And this after the Conservative's pre-election and post-election pledge that this new curriculum would be drawn up in consultation with teachers. Well now is the chance to prove it. If this 'idea' is enforced then it is clear that the government do not care a jot what teachers think. If they fulfil their promise to listen to teachers then this idea will go where it belongs - on the scrapheap.

Along with most of Gove's other ideas...

If you want to hear what other teachers think of this idea then go on Twitter and search for #govemustgo.

Says it all really....

Is striking ever right?

2011-04-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

When I joined a teaching union I deliberately didn't join the NUT because I didn't think I'd ever think it right to go on strike - and I always wanted that option. However, recent events have started to challenge my long held view...

I always thought, and do still, that teaching is more than a job - it's a vocation. If someone goes into teaching for the money or holidays they'd soon leave! It takes over your life and dominates your thinking during term time - leaving you exhausted for holidays. And to strike means damaging the children - it's not like we're hurting a company or affecting profits for the CEO, we're stopping children learn - which is more important than anything money related.

But now we have a Government in charge who in the last 12 months have pulled the plug on Building Schools for the Future, seem intent on shutting Sure Start nurseries, are introducing reading testing for 6 years olds, contemplating testing our 5 year old, have thrown out the National Curriculum as recommended by Jim Rose in favour of one in which Carol Vorderman will consult, have put up University tuition fees, made it harder for young people in difficult situations to continue going to school, and now they're changing teacher pensions and seemingly want us to teach til we're 67 or older....

And I'm beginning to think they must be stopped! Or at least I'm not sure I want to lie down and just take it without making a bit of a fuss.

Do I think striking achieves anything? Possibly not, but I want the general public to listen to the people that matter and not Cameron and Gove and their worrying philosophy on teaching.

Before the General Election, David Cameron came to Bolton on one of his 'Meet Dave' evenings and I went along to hear what he had to say and hopefully ask him a question about his education policy. And I got the chance! He pointed at me and asked for a question - I had so many things I'd like to ask but asked him what the Tory National Curriculum would look like. He assured me, in his typical vague roundabout way, that he would listen to teachers.

Time for him to do this...before I write my placard.

Outstanding? No thanks!

2011-04-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

I read last week an article saying that since becoming Education Secretary, Michael Gove has only visited schools that had been judged to be Outstanding by OFSTED. So under my Twitter name of @educationchat I made a joke that that was reason enough to avoid becoming an Outstanding school! However, I am starting to believe there are other reasons to avoid being judged Outstanding...

I know of a school that was judged to be Outstanding three years ago yet after their recent inspection they had fallen to Satisfactory. How had this happened? If a school is truly Outstanding then surely a few staff changes or cohort changes shouldn't knock it off course - if all systems are in place and are truly 'Outstanding'?

Talking to some of the staff who had ridden this rollercoaster they were remarkably honest and reflective. They said that, very simply, once the school had achieved its goal of being judged Outstanding they simply stopped. After all, where else is there to go? Where is the drive to improve if you are told you are fabulous? It would be human nature to stop and smell the roses, enjoy your moment in the sun after all the hard work to get you there. Plod on...coast...until other schools catch you up, overtake you and you slide backwards into the dreaded Satisfactory (is there a worse way to be described?!)

I also know of schools who are so desperate to become Outstanding they do virtually twice as many Literacy and Numeracy lessons in the never ending requirement to drive up standards. How does this make a school Outstanding if the sporty, creative, musical children never get a chance to shine in such a squeezed and narrow curriculum? I certainly wouldn't want to work in a school like this, or send my children to such a school.

I would rather work in a Good school which gives EVERY child the chance to shine - whatever their skills and talents. I want to give children a broad and rich, exciting curriculum, offering them experiences to make them go WOW and thrill at the diverse nature of the world. Not instil in them the immense importance of ensuring every piece of writing has two connectives, five adjectives, an embedded clause and four different punctuation marks.

I'm not saying Literacy and Numeracy skills are not vitally important, of course they are. But are they everything? To make it so would be to ensure SEN children always fail, and can never win.

If that's Outstanding then I shall strive and work my hardest to be judged as Good.

Sitting down drinking tea isn't as easy as you think...

2011-04-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

I was on a course this week with two of my colleagues from our Senior leadership team. It was a course run by the excellent Clive Taylor and the third of a 3-day series of sessions across the year designed to "Build The Confidence To Succeed". A rather grand title but was really a chance to meet up with other leadership teams and share issues, concerns and successes.

And it was exhausting.

On one level it doesn't make sense. During a normal day I usually run around like an idiot teaching, leading Worship, supervising the hall or outside on the yard, meeting with parents, staff or miscreants (often one and the same...), planning, marking, shoving up a display, photocopying, whilst drinking half a cup of tea (if I'm lucky) and throwing down a sandwich whist discussing something of vital importance in the staffroom - like whether the next staff night out should be a curry or Nando's...

So why was sitting around talking to colleagues, drinking as much tea as we wanted, whilst having a proper meal for lunch without distractions so knackering?!

And, of course, the reason is when you actually stop and reflect on where you are, where you want to be and how to get there the brain goes into overdrive. You rarely get the chance to stop and smell the roses in a normal school day (is there such a thing...?) and it is always worthwhile.

As a result of yesterday's course, we shared successes with each other, shared problems and discussed possible next steps, discussed our school and where we want to go next and ways to get there - plus 101 other minor details of school life! I certainly left feeling challenged and uplifted, with a renewed vision about my own position and our school's. So not only do I whole heartedly recommend anything Clive Taylor does, but I urge all schools, especially senior leadership teams, to build in time to stop, shut the door, turn off the phone, ban children and simple reflect. With lots of tea.

And a beer or two when you get home...

The future is now.

2011-03-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

One of the many hats I wear as Deputy Head is that of curriculum lead. I have, supposedly, an overview of our curriculum and need to ensure it suits our children, is engaging and relevant whilst covering all the legal requirements of the National Curriculum. Not always easy...

This time last year I was very excited about the proposed new National Curriculum based on Jim Rose's work. However, David Cameron and Michael Gove didn't share my excitement and stopped it before it got started. (I'd love to vent my frustrations about that particular decision but now is not the time!)

So now I, and many teachers like me, await with particular interest what the New Coalition Curriculum will look like. These are some of the rumours I've heard:

1. It will be knowledge based - children will be expected to recite Kings and Queens of Britain in order.
2. Traditional subjects will be the most important (English, Maths, Science, History...)
3. No necessity to learn a foreign language
4. Carol Vorderman, David Starkey and other celebrities will tell us how to teach certain subjects. (Have you seen Jamie's Dream School by the way...?)
5. PSHE & C will be no more.

No idea if these rumours will end up being true - but if even one of them is I shall bury my head in my hands and sob a little sob.

I hope Michael Gove, and whoever he is choosing to consult on this, actually talks to teachers and even children about what the new National Curriculum should contain. I also hope he tells us why we need one...but that too is another story.

I don't know if the new curriculum will hark back to the one Michael Gove and his cronies experienced at school but if he's reading this then can I ask him to make sure it is at least one thing, and one thing only...RELEVANT!

If it's a relevant curriculum then creative teachers can do the rest. We can make it exciting and engaging and inspiring. If it will equip children for the future then it can work for them and us. My worry is that it will not focus on the new technologies which our children love and will become increasingly important for them, and it will hark back to the 'good old days' of the British Empire and Latin (not that these aren't important for some children at some stage in their education...)

We need all our children to grow up comfortable in new ideas and technology and, I'd argue, able to communicate in an increasingly small and multicultural/multilingual world. Will that happen if we don't attempt to learn a foreign language? Will that happen if RE is sidelined? Will children be able to get on with each other if PSHE lessons are scrapped? Where will the politicians come from if we don't start them off learning what being a good citizenship is?

And don't get me started on Carol Vorderman...

So if we need a new curriculum Mr Gove, please make it one children can enjoy, get excited by, can see the relevance of and can equip them for a world different from the one you and me grew up in. Otherwise, we're failing them.

To be (a head) or not to be (a head)

2011-03-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

I've been a Deputy Headteacher for just over four years now and I thoroughly enjoy my role. No...I do. It can be quite frustrating at times though. For example, I feel rather stretched out too thinly at times - sometimes I wish I could concentrate on my class solely as my lesson are often hastily planned and could be better thought through. At the same time, I feel bad that I'm not supporting the head as much as I'd like - easing her burden.

But I can't do everything and I've come to terms with that. I love being involved in whole school decision making, the chance to work alongside teachers to support and improve their practice, the chance to start projects and get involved with other deputies in our cluster to try out ideas and fresh approaches, whilst at the same time teaching!

However, there is one really big annoyance of being a deputy head. Huge. And it happens with alarming regularity now that I've been in role for 4 years. And it is when the conversation with colleagues or friends turns to headship. When I say I have no desire to ever become a headteacher the usual reaction is one of shock. "Really?" they say incredulously, "Why not?" Some even add, rather nicely, "But you'd make a great head!"

Is it because I'm a male and under 40 that people assume I want to be a head? Is it because I'm a Deputy and it's the 'natural next step'? Or what?

I love teaching - that's why I went into the job. However, the more you progress up the career ladder, and the better teacher you become, the less you actually teach! Bonkers!

If I become a head I'll hardly ever teach, I'll have to worry about finances and budgets, get involved in building projects, learn about legionella, deal with SIPs, know about human resources, deal with governing bodies and attend goodness knows how many meetings about new government strategies. I'll have to know the answer to everything, be first to arrive and last to leave, cope with Ofsted, pushy parents, annoying parents, other headteachers with their own agendas, attend PTA meetings...and somewhere along the line know the names of every child in the school, who's progressing well and who's not...performance manage staff...

And that's without all the things I don't know what the head does whilst I'm teaching.

Oh and pass my NPQH.

And to cap it all (and possibly least importantly) the pay rise isn't that much greater.

So can anyone please tell me why I'd want to be a head?

Academies...

2011-03-08T15:03:00.000-08:00

Academy schools. It seems that the Tories are keen for all schools to become academies. They may have their own agenda but if that's the road down which we are ultimately heading then I decided this week I better find out what the benefits are for children - as surely this can be the reason the government are keen to push them through...?
So I posted on my Twitter site (@educationchat) a request for testimonials from schools who have seen the benefit. I even tweeted the DFE themselves.

The first few replies basically laughed at the idea that they benefitted children or that I wouldn't be able to find any, but the DFE sent me a link; to their own website (so not necessarily a rounded view).

Disappointingly all these were from secondary schools and as I'm primary based I was looking for primary school views. I continued my trawl of the Internet, for the elusive primary school who could tell me it was a good thing for children.

As of yet I've found nothing.

So if anyone who reads this can help me I'd appreciate it.

So as Gove dismantles the support structures around schools and seemingly forces us towards becoming academies whether we want to or not, I shall try to avoid cynicism and await someone telling me how they benefit children.

I'm not hopeful...

For all teachers everywhere!

2011-03-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

You may have heard this story - not sure if it's true but one for all teachers out there:

Dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a wealthy braggard, decided to explain the problem with kids aspirations. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make a year?"

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make?

(She thought about it for a moment...)

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like a knighthood.

I make children sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an iPod, in car dvd or endless cartoons .

You want to know what I make?

I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologise and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them to write and then I make them write...keyboarding isn't everything.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in numeracy lessons, they use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator!

I make children from other countries learn everything they need to know about English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my children feel safe.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life. (Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant. You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

What do you make Mr. CEO?

His jaw dropped, he went silent.

Health and Safety is bad for your health...

2011-02-28T14:49:00.000-08:00

Just been reading that a school in Merseyside, responsible for creating footballers like Steven Gerrard and Joey Barton, has banned leather footballs on 'Health and Safety grounds'.

I'm speechless. Well nearly...

When I went to school I kicked leather footballs, had conker fights, climbed trees, threw snowballs and many other activities now banned by the Health and Safety police. And I never saw one injury as a result.

Yes we had a few scraped knees, bruises and scratches but we learned that we can take risks, make mistakes but survive - whilst enjoying ourselves!

My worry is that whoever makes these rulings, because they are presumably scared of being sued by parents who have been watching too many 'injury lawyers for you' adverts, are creating a generation of children who will not be risk takers. I suspect this, rather than our curriculum, as Mr Gove claims, will stop this generation producing the next Bill Gates and Richard Bransons.

Already children are spending far more time indoors than outdoors, watching sport not taking part, playing computer games online with virtual 'friends' rather than actual games with actual friends!

As a child, if I wasn't playing football with my brother or friends I was playing Monopoly or Risk! Now I don't to be accused of harking back to the 'good old days'! I know there was less to watch on the television in those days and fewer computers around! It was also safer then....

Or was it?

Is it really more risky to let children play outside these days, or has the media led us to believe that every stranger is dangerous and if we turn our back for one minute our child will be pinched? I don't know the answer to this, but I expect it's probably safer than the media claim...not that I'll let my daughter out alone!

But as for stopping children kicking a leather football around...they'll be stopping us using pencils soon as they're too sharp.

My daughter loves school but doesn't want to go back on Monday.

2011-02-26T12:25:00.001-08:00

A recent report showed the government has had to back down to public criticism of their idea to publish league tables based on the performance of 5 year olds.
Yes - 5 year olds!

I mean which genius thought that would be a good idea? Last year many schools boycotted SATS at Y6 as these tests were causing a narrowing of the curriculum and putting undue pressure on 10/11 year olds - not to mention the Y6 teachers. My daughter is in Y6 and loves school. She loves learning, loves her friends and teachers and bounces out of bed to go to school. So I was surprised that when I asked her yesterday if she was looking forward to going back to school after half-term she said a resounding 'No'!

When I asked her "Why?" over tea at the Trafford Centre, the conversation went something like this:

"Dad - do you know what we'll be doing this term?"
"No".
"Well let me tell you - I'll be doing Literacy then Maths in the morning, then Literacy again then Maths again in the afternoon."
"Oh"
"And this is the same every day, although Miss has said we'll do one more PE lesson".
"Oh - well that's good..."
"No it's not Dad! What about History? I love History..."

At which point the carbonara arrived and conversation stopped.

Sadly, it wouldn't surprise me if this timetable is not repeated in Y6 classes around the country. In my school, we try to ensure a broad and balanced curriculum in Y6 all year round, but like all schools we are under pressure to achieve targets and I for one will be trusting our Y6 teacher to do what he can to reach these targets for the sake of the children who have worked hard and our school....because of the ******** league tables!

I hate the fact that I'm forced to think like this. It's NOT what education should be about. Children should leave Primary School with lots of happy memories about trips, events, visitors, fun lessons etc....yet last year our Y6s overriding memory of Y6 was SATs. Wrong wrong and thrice wrong.

So for the government to want to put this pressure on our Reception class children and staff is bonkers.

At a time when teachers are pushing for Y6 SATs to go why look to put more in! I mean the Tories have already put a reading test in to Y1. Why bother? Our Y1 teacher has an excellent idea of which children are progressing well in their reading and which aren't - so this test will tell her absolutely nothing we don't already know. Just as the Y6 tests are less reliable than our Y6 teacher's Teacher Assessments.

The positive thing is that public criticism has made the government rethink its ideas about Early Years league tables - and they should be applauded for getting rid of a bad idea - but if we can do it for our littlest children in Primary School let's force the government's hand and get rid of testing and league tables based on these tests for our Y6 children.

Please Mr Gove, let our children enjoy their last year of Primary School. It might be too late for my eldest daughter but not my unborn...

Teachers and Facebook

2011-02-24T10:49:00.000-08:00

Not long ago I was attending a course on child protection, with other school leaders, and we were all told by our course leader in no uncertain terms that in his opinion no teachers should ever have a Facebook account. I kept quiet at that point and could feel myself going ever-so-slightly red as, I'm afraid, I'm a bit of a Facebook fan.

I've had a Facebook account for 5 or 6 years and I love it. Through this incredible social media site I've reconnected with a friend who I went to Primary school with who now lives in Sweden. He is a Man City fan but it's been great catching up again. I've also chatted to a friend in Sydney - and I discovered it's odd starting that conversation...I start with 'good morning' he replies 'good evening'. Facebook also allows me to share photos of my daughter with family members across the country whilst also seeing my various nieces and nephews. As a teacher my time is precious and it's so hard to keep in contact with friends and get their news whilst informing them of mine - Facebook is fantastic at this. Not to mention the various games and polls and quizzes you can mess around on when you should be planning or marking.

So to be told I shouldn't have a Facebook account and that I was (quote) "stupid" to have one came as a bit of a blow.

As I was driving home I briefly (very briefly) considered deleting my account when I got home, but then when I thought about it a bit longer I decided not to.

The fact is, Facebook has no doubt contributed to certain teachers being reprimanded and indeed losing their jobs - if not worse. But, and let's be frank about it, these are obviously stupid teachers.

Any teacher who becomes Facebook friends with their pupils and then posts pictures of themselves drunk or in compromising positions can probably justifiably be described as 'stupid'. Teachers who also make friends with people on Facebook they don't know who then turn out to be pupils could also be described as naive at best, stupid at worst. Teachers who complain about work on their status updates shouldn't then complain when they are disciplined at school by the boss they were complaining about!

AND WHY SHOULD THESE PEOPLE SPOIL IT FOR THE REST OF US!

We all know the Internet can be dangerous but that doesn't mean we shouldn't use it. Driving a car on a motorway can be dangerous but that doesn't mean we should stay at home.

So yes Facebook can cause problems for teachers who don't ensure their security settings are high enough or who become friends with their pupils, but Facebook can also be a wonderful tool for keeping in touch with friends and family across the world.

Which is why I for one will be keeping my Facebook account, and why, sadly, unless I know and trust you, you will never be my Facebook friend.

(But thank you for reading my blog!)

Schools are easy targets it seems....

2011-02-22T10:29:00.000-08:00

Last week David Cameron blamed our education system for failing a generation of children and leading to the record levels of youth unemployment we have at the moment. To be fair, it wasn't just schools that he pointed the finger at, but we were up there to be shot at.

Again.

Ever since the Tories have taken charge the education system has taken hot after hit; from the debacle of the BSF to school sports to the curriculum schools have been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons - and now the whole system is apparently failing.

What all of it? Last week Michael Gove said Labour had let down every child. Quite a claim...considering the high amount of Good and Outstanding schools we have.

I'm fed up of schools being seen as a political football - constantly being criticised in order to score cheap points against the present Government or the past Government. Very little credit is given to teachers who every 4 or 5 years have to change what they are doing simply because someone in government has a 'new idea' - which usually means an idea which was considered old-fashioned but having not been used for 15-20 years is now a 'new idea' and a 'good idea' and a 'new approach'. Teachers who have been teaching for over 20 years just smile at this point... ;-)

The way our electoral system works doesn't help - every 4/5 years and a change of government means education is due an overhaul each time, whether it's working or not it seems. And the blame goes on the past regime. Which in turn falls on hard working teachers who, if left to get on with it, would be fine thank you very much.

I'm not particularly political. I'm not red, blue or yellow - except when it comes to football when I'm definitely red (Manchester red of course...) - but I'd vote for any party who promises to leave education to teachers and schools. By all means support and advise, but please recognise who the experts are, we do this day in, day out and have to be trained for 4 years before we're let loose...

We do know what we're doing, Mr Gove, and don't really need Carol Vorderman to help us.

Why teachers need their holidays

2011-02-21T06:02:00.000-08:00

As a teacher, it's hard to argue when people have a go at us for our long holidays and short working days. If you're a teacher like me I'm sure your blood boils when you hear uninformed people on the radio or TV or even friends and family talking about our '9.00-3.30pm job' with 13+ weeks a year off work...

If only this was the truth.

If indeed I stopped work at 3.30pm and could enjoy all my 13+ weeks holiday a year I'd nod my head and agree with these people who, because they went to school from age 4-16, seem to know everything about school life and the teaching profession. But as we teachers know the truth is far from this simple.

For example, this week is half term. A week off. Well.....not quite. I'll be spending a good couple of days catching up with some paperwork and planning next half-term's work. I've got some marking and levelling to do too. But what I need most is SLEEP!

The children may come into school at 8.45am but most teachers arrive between 7.30-8.00am.
The children may leave school at 3.30pm but if I leave before 5.00pm I'm quite excited.

Just last week I had a Parents' Evening on Monday so I left at 7.45pm, on Tuesday and Wednesday I had Governing body committee meetings so left at 6.00pm and 5.30pm respectively and our staff meeting was on Thursday which went on til 5.15pm.

And when I've got home and had tea the real work begins.

Because the marking has to be done at some time and often the day's teaching has thrown up issues which will mean the plans for the next day be need to be adapted, altered or altogether rewritten.

I am often working until 10:30pm and have been known to go on til after 11.30pm.

And I know I'm not the hardest working teaching in my school let alone this country.

So when it comes to holidays, for which we are not paid (yes we get our salary but some professions get PAID holidays - we don't), we need them. We are worn out, grumpy, on our last legs and in need of a lie in and an early night. And so do the children. I've had far more grumpy, tetchy children this last week as they've been pushed hard and work hard all week and they need some refreshing too.

During the 6 weeks' of summer I will spend between 1-2 weeks in school or working preparing for the year ahead.

So all in all we deserve our holidays and we need our holidays. Just because you've been to school doesn't mean you know what a teacher's life is like, just like because you've been ill doesn't mean you know what a doctor's life is like.

So please, give us a break and let us enjoy our well-deserved break!

Oh - and I haven't even mentioned weekend work!

Hello!

2011-02-19T10:32:00.000-08:00

Hello!
Thought I'd try out this blogging thing as I enjoy writing and have lots to say, but my wife seems to drift off when I rant at her - which I have done a lot since Michael Gove became my ultimate boss. 'Ultimate' only in terms of being the highest person in charge, as opposed to 'Ultimate' meaning 'can't get any better'. As I think most people would do a better job than Mr Gove - including some children in my class.

Yes I am a teacher. And it's the best job in the world, but also the worst job...

Let me explain:

BEST JOB EVER
The job is never boring, you're working with little sponges who hang on your every word and soak up knowledge like a green fruitbat, the holidays are great (and needed), the pay is ok (not that any teacher goes into this profession for the money - if they do they soon leave) and it's fun!

WORST JOB EVER
OFSTED inspections, endless paperwork, constant Government interference, education used as a political football (just look at how the Tories are claiming education is rubbish and it's all Labour's fault!)...I could go on, and I will...but later.

I'd be interested in hearing what other teachers think about our profession. the highs and lows and what gets you up on a wet Wednesday morning in February.

Back soon.
Matt