e-Echo - week beginning Oct 14th 2013

Message from the Headteacher

 

Much has been in the news recently about the performance of young people in England.  It was reported in a recent study by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation) that within Europe, the young adults in England have come 22^nd out of 24 for literacy and 21^st out of 24 for numeracy.  The study went on to say that young people in England did no better in these tests than older people in the 55 to 65 age range.  Being in the latter age bracket myself, I was proud of my fellow colleagues who did the tests but it also had me reflecting on why, if so much change, hard work, money, time and monitoring has gone into the education system, had it not improved?

 

Those of us in the ‘older’ range will remember our schooling with mixed thoughts.   Amongst many of my memories, is sitting and listening to teachers talking for lengthy periods of time; chalk dusters flying through the air towards a misbehaving student; constant handwriting (I can’t remember one piece of group work ever taking place) and interestingly, just having to get on with it.  There were no revision classes or study support, intervention just hadn’t been thought of and sometimes pastoral care didn’t even exist in the home let alone school. 

 

It is extremely difficult therefore to find a single reason as to why all the new initiatives that have taken place over many decades have apparently not had the impact one would expect.  What I would say is that literacy and numeracy are without a doubt the key to opening many doors; they are basic skills that everyone should possess.  We are working extremely hard in this area doing ‘catch-up’ (Fresh Start) in English for years 7 and 8 which has been a huge success and we will be introducing ‘catch-up’ in year 7 for maths this year.

 

Underpinning any learning however is pastoral care and valuing people, we are unable to learn effectively if we are worried or scared.  Schools are, to my mind, considerably better at addressing this than they were and are continually improving.  Amongst all the constant changes, increasing pressures, political announcements and denouncements, we must remember that schools are about young people who are incredibly special and it is our job to look after them and prepare them for their future. It is a great privilege.    

Enjoy your weekend!

 

Jim Nixon