“I haven’t ever had a migraine or a period. How do I know about the pain a child is experiencing?” @Thinkingschool2
Parents & experts hit back at “unrealistic” 100 per cent attendance policies & schools trying to force unwell pupils to come in. https://t.co/5AwkIMoq8C
@ucuedinburgh@ucu So all that fuss last year, an MBA & still nothing resolved! Apart from thousands of students getting their degree months late - can’t even complain to @EdinburghUni (reply was useless!) or the ombudsman as they’re months delayed!! @SPSO_Ombudsman - pitiful
Super busy few days down at the brand new Pannal Workshop over half term. Andy & Paul starting the fit out. Lots to do but extremely exciting to get this place up and running! Lucky kids! 👊 #workshop#construction#education
@vincent_lucy Interesting report but not something you or I find new I’m sure - my son’s take on English is “how can I be so bad at my own language?!” When doing English lang papers with him I completely get where he’s coming from…..!!!
Here's one easy hack which could improve teenage mental health.
Stop telling teenagers that their GCSEs are the most important thing they'll ever do and that if they don't do well, their future life will be blighted.
People say this to motivate teenagers but for many it has the opposite effect. One third of teenagers are not going to do well in their GCSEs no matter how hard they work. This is how the system is designed. It's not one in which everyone can succeed.
Those teenagers believe you, but many of them also know that they are not going to do well. They think, not only is my life miserable now, it's going to be like this forever. They sink into despair. They lose motivation, they become stressed and anxious - because what is the point?
What can we tell them instead?
That there will be second chances. That not everyone passes exams. That we will help them find their way to a rewarding future, no matter what happens in their exams. That their worth as a person is not contained in their exam results.
Essentially, that there is hope for their future, no matter what.
I am going to keep this lovely video and look at it next time I interview a head who cries on the phone because they are trying to fix too much with too little, while feeling no one has their back. That happens quite a lot in interviews now incidentally. It’s all so wrong.
Beacon High in Islington used to be violent, with “more children in corridors than in classrooms”. 300 kids were suspended a year as staff fought for control. Now “everyone is included” & as well as pushing up results pupils say they’re no longer scared. https://t.co/UBknp81Dwg
@vincent_lucy Thanks for sharing - I got goosebumps reading that - the more we can treat each student with the time/effort they need, the more trust and relationships can be forged - what a fab headteacher as that’s quite a challenge to overcome but respect!! It’s NOT all about grades 🙏