No pressure?
As May half term approaches at speed, the last few days have seen a variety of letters shared on social media: letters written by headteachers to Y6 children who, by the time you read this, will have completed their SATS.
These letters differ in content but there are key themes. The underpinning message which permeates them all is that children are more – more than their SATS results, more than can be measured by assessments, more than a pupil. They are valued family members with a wide range of skills and strengths who contribute to many relationships.
This DfE blog points out that pupils ‘…shouldn’t be made to feel any unnecessary pressure when it comes to the KS2 assessments…’ before going on to explain the scores, saying that children who score below 100 may need additional help to reach the expected standard.
Though there is an explanation that headteachers can decide not to enter children and that it may be appropriate for some children to be assessed in a different way, this explanation of results felt starkly binary.
No labels?
The Difference’s blog this week covers an interview with a headteacher discussing the role of young carer.
I love the assertion that being assigned a label or identity should not be seen as a deficit, but that it’s right to acknowledge the contribution which children who fill this role make to their families and communities.
I know that many of us already seek to support these children and to celebrate as well as support them as they contribute practically and emotionally.
No sweat?
The sun has been shining in earnest, and that means that there have been more hats in school, on children’s heads – and in lost property!
This blog asks us to think about the hats we wear in addition to, or sequentially with, our teacher role. For example, the author prompts us to think about times when a parent-teacher might need to wear their teacher hat over their parent hat.
In combination with The Difference’s blog above, this led me to think about our children and the metaphorical hats they might find difficult to remove during the school day. For young carers specifically, are we alert to unusual levels of distraction and ready to reflect on what might be causing that, rather than assuming lack of effort?
Another takeaway for me is to adapt the author’s suggestion of using post-its to map movement. I will be using that strategy to consider how equitably I visit different year groups in the schools I’m working in over the coming weeks.
No prayer?
Cuppa with a Change Maker regularly discusses social justice and equity, principles by which I am driven. After reading about Sean Harris’ couch in this blog, I expected to connect most with the part about rearranging furniture (this could be described as one of my areas for development).
Instead, I kept returning to the question, which change maker would I like to have a cuppa with? I definitely approved of the choice of Yorkshire Tea (though I typically have my tea black with rose water) and identified with Craig Parkinson’s love of learning and discomfort with feeling that I’ve plateaued.
Despite these points of connection, I held onto a sense that all of us could benefit from an aspiration to have a cuppa and a chat with someone who inspires us personally. I have been very lucky to meet many people who have inspired me, within and outside of our profession, and there are people who would have been top of this list that I’ve been lucky (or cheeky) enough to meet.
I think that this week, Pope Leo XIV might be my person of choice. I’d love to hear about his aspirations for children and for education. I’m doing some days of consultancy with Xavier Catholic Education Trust this term, so if His Holiness is reading…
Your thoughts