My Book on Education – A Passion for Education – The Story of a Headteacher
As an exHeadteacher I have a bit of an insight. This is the inside story of what it is like. A very readable expose combined with sound educational sense. Packed full of anecdotes.
In the UK:
In the USA:
It was Fifty Years Ago Today
It was fifty years ago today
Revolution took to the streets
In Grosvenor Square and Paris
Students sang to different beats.
In Prague too they were coming alive
Digging the jive as establishments swayed,
Responding with an iron fist
As those rebellious songs played.
They used tanks against the Czechs
And armed guards in Ohio
Tear gas in London
And swung clubs in Chicago
Give Peace a Chance
For the Street Fighting Man
As the Unknown Soldier
Asked what was the plan in Vietnam?
Fifty years on from that protest and change
Now the psychedelic colours are muted.
What is the legacy of the great revolution
In simple terms that can’t be refuted?
Environmental movements and Women’s Lib?
Or just fashion, music and wind?
The establishment’s firmly back in control
And revolution’s been binned.
Opher 2.1.2018
Yes it’s like the sixties never happened.
All across the world there was a new vibe. The young were up in arms protesting. They turned their backs on the greediness and warmongering of their establishment thugs. They reached across oceans to unite in the building of a new world. Nations did not matter. Race and colour did not matter. Money was not the be all and end all. We wanted something more meaningful, more tolerant, more compassionate, more real and less hypocritical.
All you needed was love.
When we met up we found we could all get along. Differences melted like summer snow.
There was a vibe of peace and love. There was no need for violence and conflict. We were all people. We all felt the same. We shared, laughed, grew, talked and learnt.
We cared about the planet. We demanded equality. We demanded rights and freedoms. We demanded that we be allowed to enjoy life.
There was a sexual revolution. A drug revolution. A political revolution. A music revolution. A social revolution.
But they bought it off. They took over. They sold us out. They undermined. They misrepresented. They made their profits. They took back control. And our idealistic dream was bought and sold, betrayed and soiled.
Now the fascists are in control and it’s like the sixties never happened.
Restorative Practice
Restorative practices is a social science that integrates developments from a variety of disciplines and fields — including education, psychology, social work, criminology, sociology, organizational development and leadership — in order to build healthy communities, increase social capital, decrease crime and antisocial behaviour, repair harm and restore relationships.
The thing about it is that it works.
After years of work in Pastoral care in schools I found that a lot of our practice simply failed. A child did something wrong. We punished them. They continued doing things wrong. It became a game.
Often the punishment would cause resentment and result in displacement behaviour. A bully would wait his opportunity to get back at the victim for telling on him and getting him into trouble.
Then I moved over to using restorative practice.
When there was a problem I would call in all concerned. Hear their stories. Ask them to explain. I would call in evidence if necessary. I would then apportion blame and see if we could reach agreement. Rarely was any incident black and white. There was usually fault on both sides. I got them to appreciate how their actions had impacted on others and how that had made each other feel. We would agree what all parties had done wrong and what they should have done to avoid the incident. I would then ask them what punishment they thought was appropriate for what they had done. They would usually volunteer a punishment. We ended with all parties reconciled, no built-up resentment and a way forward. The number of further repeat incidents diminished greatly. The aggression in the school diminished. The school became happier.
Some observations:
The students were usually very honest about what they had done and explained why they had done it.
They were open to accepting blame for their actions.
The fact of being listened to was appreciated.
The fact of apportioning blame to all sides was appreciated.
It reduced tension.
They would often come up with harsher penalties for their crimes than I would have given. I usually reduced the punishment rather than increasing it.
There was usually a genuine resolve of the situation with all parties leaving amicably on good terms.
Many situations were resolved without the need for further punishment through a mutual apology and understanding.
A way forward was always provided.
There were lessons to be learnt and taken on board and they usually were.
Students appreciated being treated as adults and not shouted at. They responded in a mature way.
Even the most violent situations or awkward of students responded to the process.
Confronting students with the people they had wronged, enabling them to see the effects of their actions, made them more aware of the wrongs they had caused and the effects. It stopped them reoffending.
It was not unusual to have even the toughest lads in tears out of remorse.
It reduced anger and resentment.
Behaviour greatly improved.
It was more time-consuming in the short-term but reduced incidents and thus saved time over-all.
I believe that restorative practice (or restorative justice) can work just as well in courts as it does in schools. Bring offenders together with victims to talk it through and appreciate each others perspectives is beneficial to all.
It is more effective than punishment and satisfies both victims and offenders.
It would cut down on recidivism and would be a lot cheaper.
Grammar Schools and Selection.
How damaging is this process of selection on the aspirations of so many children? I can only cite from personal experience.
I took this divisive test and failed.
The scientific evidence of grammar schools is that they make no difference to the achievement of the high flyers but do have an impact on those who fail. It lowers their horizons. I can confirm that.
Separating out the top 10%-15% into one school and leaving the rest floundering in their wake as failures firstly creates a self-prophesizing attitude in all, secondly a divisive attitude of failures and winners and thirdly a series of schools that now lack a top end to lead and aspire.
At the age of ten years old I sat a test that altered the trajectory of my life and still has an impact on me 59 years later.
Back in 1960 I sat my eleven plus. My family were thrown into a spin of anxiety. They were horrified by the thought that I might fail. The local Secondary Modern had a reputation of being a battlefield. The tales of disruption, bad behaviour and bullying were notorious. The tales of people having their heads stuffed down toilets and their genitals painted with shoe polish were rife. Nobody achieved from that place yet 85% of students were condemned to go to such places.
I went to a small school. There were only four of us taking the eleven plus. My school did not have a regime of testing. I had never seen an exam paper or practiced any questions. I was told to take my time, read the question thoroughly and think about it.
On the day of the exam I had to go to a neighbouring school to sit the exam. It added to the tension. It was a foggy day. Everything felt strange and terrifying.
I was told to write in pencil because the ink might fade. I had a mental image of all my answers disappearing.
I started the exam and methodically began answering the questions. All too soon it was over and I hadn’t nearly finished the paper.
On results day our Headmistress came in to announce the results. Ann had passed, Billy and I had interviews and Liz had failed. Ann was told to go home and tell the good news to her mother. The three of us were ignored. Somehow we picked up the message that we had let the school down.
The interview came. It took place in the Headmistress’s front living room. That was normally completely off limits and a terrifying place to start with. I was ushered in. There was a wooden chair in the middle of the room and a panel of three solemn adults with notepads. They sat apart so that you could only look at one at a time while the other two studied you from the side. It was extremely intimidating.
Billy passed and I failed.
Through a series of flukes I managed to get a place at a bilateral school. It had two Grammar streams, two non-Grammar streams and a middle stream that followed a Grammar education. Because of my high IQ score I was placed in that intermediary. It provided me with a Grammar curriculum but it was an extremely difficult class with much bad behaviour from the students. In hindsight I can see that a number of the students in the class were clever but came from disturbed backgrounds.
Somehow I managed to get seven O Levels without doing much in the way of work. The only two subjects I failed were French and Latin.
But that experience coloured the whole of my life. It was not the start that anybody would have chosen.
The 11+ and selection are a terrible ordeal to put children through. It shadows their psychological development, career prospects and educational achievement. It is a terrible to label someone at eleven years old as a failure. The 11+ does that to over 80% of our children.
Defenders of the Grammar system say that it enables the brightest to extend themselves. This is not seen to be the case. They achieve no more than they would have done in a comprehensive system. The others produce less well.
What happens with a Grammar system is that the Grammar schools siphon up the best teachers. They have fewer behaviour problems or special educational needs than the secondary moderns and so an easier teaching experience. The Secondary Moderns become a nightmare. They cannot attract in quality staff. There are far fewer high flying students to act as role models. The behaviour problems are not diluted down. Aspirations of students are low. The fallacy of less academic kids being good with their hands is exposed as a lie (some bright kids and some less bright kids are good with their hands – some aren’t good at anything).
Comprehensive education can provide a range of subjects, experiences and skills. People learn to get along with all types of people. There is high aspiration and many of the brighter kids help the others. The academic achievement of the top end is the same but they have the benefit of interacting with a wider range of people. The achievement of the middle and lower groups is higher. Behaviour is far better than in Secondary Moderns.
I taught in and was Headteacher of a Comprehensive school. No child left our school without basic qualifications and every year we had a batch go through to Oxbridge. The aim was to ensure that every student reached their potential.
Education shouldn’t be about winners and losers. Every child is equally important. They all deserve a future.
This is my anecdote packed story of my life in education. It pulls no punches.
6 November 2017
10 April 2016
19 October 2014
1 January 2018
24 October 2015
Money is required if you want excellence. You can’t have that on the cheap. All our kids deserve excellence.
I was Headteacher of a highly successful secondary school in the North of England. I have a pretty good idea of how to set up a good school and it does require properly financing.
Ideally class sizes should be between fifteen and twenty. Once you get above thirty standards drop. A class of fifteen to twenty is ideal. That provides sufficient numbers to promote good teamwork and discussions. Once you get below fifteen you are restricting the dynamic of the group.
I would say that teachers require to be multi-skilled and have charisma, knowledge, empathy and be versatile. That requires special people with the correct qualities and special training.
I have seen many people come into teaching or come in to talk to a class who fall flat on their face. It is not an easy job.
For that reason you need to pay good money to attract highly educated and skilled individuals with the right qualities. Education succeeds or falls on that alone. There are far too many ordinary, uninspiring teachers. Our children deserve better.
Ordinary or average teachers need kicking out. They are in the wrong job. Kids should not be sold short.
Then you need quality support staff who will work with students to help them surmount their obstacles, access the lessons and achieve their potential.
You need a curriculum that is broad and syllabi that focus on discussion, teamwork, experimentation, investigation, exploration and discovery. That is a more expensive approach.
You need a child centred approach that develops skills, abilities and provides motivation and self-esteem.
Then you need good diagnostic testing to identify where support is needed.
You need a reward system that encourages effort.
You need good positive developmental inspections and teacher support to enable the development of skills and practice. That leads to training.
You need a quality senior team to maintain a good clear line of progress and keep things moving forward.
You need a great ethos that the students buy into.
You need a constant training programme and innovation or things get stale.
Having got your quality staff you need quality buildings and equipment.
Education is the future of the country. It provides the skills, knowledge and enthusiasm that the country and industry needs. Poor teaching produces deadwood.
My school was successful so it attracted in quality staff. Those staff were instrumental in achieving a dynamic environment, great ethos and brilliant results. It propelled us to become one of the best schools in Britain. These things do not come cheap. The present cuts to teachers’ pay and school budgets is jeopardising education. The narrowing of the curriculum and move to knowledge based subjects is a detrimental move. It is undermining good practice.
If you want good education you have to pay for it. If you want excellent teachers you have to pay them as professionals.
Doing things on the cheap does not work.
Education should be inspiring.
Public Services need proper funding!! End the cuts!!
There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of unregulated schools operating around the country hiding behind the mantle of home education. This are being run by religious fundamentalists. Their aim is to indoctrinate children.
They are being run by Islamic, Jewish, Christian, Hindu and other faiths.
They are reinforcing separation and intolerance.
Some of them are teaching that homosexuality is an abomination, that slavery and rape can be condoned, that English culture is decadent, that evolution is wrong and that only they are the purveyors of truth, the only religion that is correct, the chosen people.
The curriculum of many is firmly fixed on a narrow religious content. Nothing else is important.
Is this want we want for Britain’s children?
It certainly is not the vision I would like to see.
I want to see our children integrated in a multicultural environment based on tolerance and British values.
I want religion either totally out of school or taught as a comparative study of the major faiths.
I do not want children separated and indoctrinated.
These ‘schools’ need to be carefully monitored, subjected to the same rules and regulations as mainstream schools and inspected. If they are found to be indoctrinating, teaching inaccurate information, promoting unBritish values or not having good educational standards, they should be shut down.
a. The Setting
Education should take place in a setting that is friendly, warm, secure, safe and beautiful. The building and rooms should be cheerful, artistically interesting and full of stimulation. The grounds should be a haven of nature.
b. Education should be fun
c. The Teachers should be warm and caring and devoted to their students.
d. The curriculum should be broad and all encompassing. It should also be fluid.
e. There should be no facts – just opportunities to explore and discover and concepts to understand.
f. There should be all manner of equipment to enable that exploration.
g. Teachers should be facilitators to assist and guide.
h. Lessons should be discussions, investigations, experiments.
I. Creativity should be at the core of everything that happens.
j. The curriculum and syllabi should be flexible to enable children to explore
k. Testing should be diagnostic.
l. Basic skills and knowledge should be assessed and focused on so that no child is left behind.
m. Education should be exciting, mind expanding and full of wonder.
n. Praise and encouragement should be the currency of the classroom.
o. Relationship is the basis of good education.
p. Rewards should be based on effort and never attainment.
q. There should be a ‘can do’ attitude.
r. Teamwork and peer assistance should be encouraged and facilitated.
s. There should be plenty of assistance for all who need help.
t. There should be no such thing as failure.
u. The basis of the ethos should be tolerance, respect, responsibility, friendliness, empathy, caring, equality, fairness and love.
v. All should be encouraged to respect nature and care for the environment, and all creatures who live in it with us, for we are part of the wonder of life.
w. The basis of education is delight in the wonders of an incredible universe.
Of course, we live in a world of examinations, success and failure, careers and the hard reality of life. But I believe that if you focus on doing things right then the examinations, careers and a happy life are a product of the process. And I proved that through my 36 years in education. My school’s results were outstanding.
Yesterday we were sorting out some of the old paperwork and came across my old school reports. It was fascinating to read those words from fifty plus years ago. I had pictures of some of those teachers as middle aged men and women. It was salutary to think that they were all most probably dead now, even the younger ones. But their words came down to me through the years.
In my first year in secondary school I ended up thirteenth in class. My RE report was just Fair. In other subjects it was noted that I had a fair effort score, that I had not given my best, that I was erratic and tended to be a dreamer at times. Only in Science, Maths and History did I do well.
By the time I reached the Sixth Form it was noted that I doing great in Zoology but not much else. Seemingly I wasn’t taking my work seriously. I was cutting a lot of lessons and my conduct was generally good but deemed immature. My Punctuality was very poor. The general comment from my Form Tutor was that I chose what I liked and disregarded what I didn’t. Mr Morrell noted that unfortunately life doesn’t work like that and we have to work at what we don’t enjoy.
That got me thinking back. It was a fair assessment. Indeed, I hadn’t realised that Mr Morrell was so perceptive. I hated the guy with a vengeance. He was a prat.
In my younger years I was scruffy, untidy and my work was the same; it was scrawled out as quickly as I could do it and was very messy. I wanted to get it out of the way. I never did any homework. All I wanted to do was get off back to my many pet animals, out into the fields, woods and streams to hunt wild creatures and off with my friends making dens, climbing trees or playing games in the street. School was largely a nuisance.
In my later teens I had discovered Jack Kerouac, was obsessed with Rock Music and its lyrics, was concerned about my hair and image and was busy chatting up the girls and sorting out who it was that I was taking out this week. School got in the way. I was always being shouted at and sent home for rebellious dress code violations. My hair was too long, my sideburns too long, I grew beards, my trousers were too low cut and too tight. My socks too bright and then my trousers were too wide. The Deputy Head took a personal interest in berating me. I spent nearly as much time at home as I did at school. I didn’t care. I was too full of hormones.
The fact that I achieved a reasonable set of exam results was almost a miracle. I hardly did any work and missed such a lot of lessons. I had other priorities.
Now I look back and realise that a little more effort might well have had big effects on my life but I was living in the present. That was all that mattered. I have learnt that lesson that Mr Morrell was so frustrated about. I now know that there are no short-cuts and you have to work at the things you don’t enjoy if you want to achieve. You cannot just do the things you want to do.
It’s a bit late, I know, but it is an important lesson.
Who would have believed it – that that old fool Mr Morrell might have known something after all.
Shouldn’t the prime purpose of a school, college or university, be the education of its students?
Not anymore!
Increasingly he prime purpose of Academies and Universities is to make a profit. They are being run as businesses for the benefit of a bunch of extremely well-paid managers and the businessmen who run them.
It’s all about bums on seats, cheap staff, cheap equipment and making a profit.
In the state school that I ran every penny was ploughed into the students. We wanted quality staff, the best equipment and what was best for all the students. That attitude is becoming secondary.
Universities are falling over themselves to get students. There does not seem to be as much consideration as to which courses might be best suitable for those young people. Each student brings in £9000 per year. All that matters is that the courses are filled and the cash goes in the coffers.
We, in the secondary school system, always had to watch our budgets and never had enough to do all that we wanted, but we were never concerned with using our students as fodder for profit!