A morning with 8C1 - edited version

8C1 have a reputation in my B placement school for being a particularly disruptive class. There are 18 pupils, all of which are on the SEN register. They have been placed in the ‘C band’ on entry to secondary school because they failed to achieve a level 3 in the core subjects whilst in primary school. I observed these three subjects over the course of a morning with the following foci: behaviour management, provision for inclusion (one pupil is by far and away much abler than the rest – I have given him differentiated resources and I want to see if other teachers do the same) and communication. As I had suspected, whilst the class can be poorly behaved in history, it is much worse in other subjects. They are said to get a ‘good deal’ in history. They like the content, as well as its ‘narrative’ nature – the scrutiny of rigorous historical concepts is difficult with these pupils.

First stop - maths. The teacher lays their books on the desk at the front before the lesson so pupils can pick them up on their way to sit down – simple, but something that I can incorporate into my own practice. From the start it is clear that this class really needs a teaching assistant. The teacher is moving disruptive pupils from the very beginning. Four pupils arrive 15 minutes in with no excuse. The starter is still being completed and this is further disrupted. One pupil at the back claims to have finished the starter (addition - with a competitive element. Pupils win a polo if they are the first to get the right answer) and he is angry that the teacher has not acknowledged him. However he cannot do this because of the loud chatter which is taking place. There is clearly no respect for the teacher – one pupil who is asked to leave the room tells him to ‘shut up’. Overall, this was an unsuccessful lesson but I’m not sure that the teacher was completely at fault. Classes like this need a teaching assistant. Also, maths is of course a massively important subject. Not being a specialist I am not sure how this can be made more engaging. In History we can of course settle the class by telling them a good story or making the learning active. Something like this needs to be done in maths or pupils will fall further behind.

The bad behaviour spills over into science when three girls refuse to even enter the room. They are escorted away by the year head who takes them to the ‘seclusion room’. I cannot help thinking that the teacher has contributed to his the behaviour problems this time around. Of the seven benches in the science lab, all the pupils are clustered around two. One of the many things teachers can do when there is an issue with behaviour is create their own seating plan. At the very least pupils need to be well spread out. As regards communication it’s much more difficult in a science lab given the room’s sheer size. In these instances it is much more effective to use a wide range of visuals. “Pupils in this class learn by osmosis” says the teacher. “There is no way I would stand up in front of them all and try to present a normal lesson because they would have none of it”. Also, pupils are eating sweets and chocolates constantly – this sugar rich diet, as well as the fact that very few have breakfast or dinner means that the pupils are very hyperactive and pale. Steps need to be taken (for a start in PSHE lessons) in order to ensure that pupils receive a proper diet.

The final lesson of the morning is English. This is by far and away the best I have seen them behave. This has partly to do with the fact that the class has been split – some pupils (incidentally the worst behaved) have gone elsewhere for intensive literacy work). Their behaviour is also much better (I believe) because the teacher maintains a consistently calm approach. Very little seems to faze him and on the one occasion he does raise his voice pupils take note! For the first time today they actually all work silently as a class and when they talk it is actually about the work in hand. One boy is sent out. He is given five minutes outside ‘to reflect’ and then let back in but only if he can give the teacher two good reasons why this should be so. Again this is good practice which I shall take forward from today. Overall, I think the main reason why behaviour was better here was because the teacher was unflinching in his use of praise. This is the teacher’s number one weapon against bad behaviour. If used appropriately and often I believe that praise can make even the most poorly behaved pupils improve.

In none of the classes I saw today was special provision made for MM. When a pupil is so clearly ahead of the rest s/he needs to be pushed. I have done this by modifying his resources so he is not actually doing more work (he would resent this!) - it is the same amount, just different (i.e, more challenging). Please see my examples of this.

Additional comments scribbled by me (but not included on the report):

1. …managing zoo animals rather than teaching.
2. After today I will go home and drink a pint of scotch.
3. Most pupils seem to be oblivious to the fact that anything resembling a lesson is taking place.
4. He bribes pupils with money!
5. If managing pupils was an Olympic event…
6. The whole class is working silently! I go into shock at the back of the room.
7. The pupils are STILL working silently. I fall off my chair and try to pick myself up.

Various...

Today was Monday!

Unnaccustomed as I am to blogging the following may not make a lot of sense. However, I've decided to join blogger for a number of reasons:

1. I take quite a keen interst in current affairs and occassionally I feel the need to comment on them.
2. Over the last few months I have written a note on facebook whenever something has 'rattled' me. Essentially this was a blog in itself so I decided to sign up for the real thing.
3. I like taking up new hobbies!

I see it as part diary, part me ranting about current affairs (see previous entry). Today, it will probably be the former - suffice it to say that there have been a few news items this week which deserve a mention. The Labour party has jettisoned the last pretence of being the party of the working man by opting to abolish the 10p starting rate of tax. This will benefit those earning over £19-20,000 a year (i.e., the middle class) whilst penalising the poorer sections of society. Keir Hardie will be spinning in his grave...

So, I rolled into St. Aidans this morning ready for another week of fun and frolicks. The school is shutting in July to make way for the new Richard Rose Academy (the name of the dead son of the new principal, or to use the correct language - 'Director of Learning') and plans are afoot to make the transition as smooth as possible. However last week teachers were dropped with the bombshell that they're going to have to apply for their OWN jobs for September. At roughly the same time student teachers at the University of Cumbria received an email advertising jobs going at the new Academy. Put two and two together and yes - it appears that the powers that be are using the transition as an opportunity to 'remove' some teachers quietly. This isn't a simply case of incompetance - ALL teachers at St. Aidans need to apply in writing before the end of this week. There's even talk of some having formal interviews where they 'judtify their position in the new school' to a panel.

It's not easy for me as a student teacher working in this environment. Teachers don't know whether they're coming or going - at present it isn't confirmed who will have a job in September OR whether pensions will be secured. It's a shitty situation to say the least and one the school could do without. Behaviour and attainment are a serious cause for concern - if Ofsted came in tomorrow, the headmaster believes that 'we would be in special measures'. I teach a range of classes from Years 7 to 11. In one of my year 7 classes pupils have a reading age of 7-8 and no one in my Year 11 set will achieve above a grade C. Pupils go to prison on a regular basis, teachers are often verbally and physically assaulted an I've seen them break down in tears in the staffroom on no less than three occasions.

And yet for all this I can't help liking St. Aidans. This is the third school I've spent any considerable length of time in and I can honestly say that I have never worked with a friendlier staff. It often happens that the more challenging the school, the nicer the staff and that's certainly the case here. They will always give their time up for you and for me as a trainee that's very reassuring and helpful. What's more, look very carefully and you will find some nice pupils. It's not easy but they are there!

The May Elections in Carlisle

I have in front of me a copy of ‘Voice of Freedom – The Newspaper of the British National Party’. Normally 60p – this FREE copy found itself through my letterbox because of the imminent May 1st local elections. Now, given what you could call my ‘morbid fascination’ with extremist politics I decided to give this paper a read just so I could see what these crackpots believed. It is easy to call them these names I know, but you don’t need to read for long until you realise how downright misguided their principles appear to be. Take the following quote for example – taken from the front page and designed, I suspect, to be read by the majority of people before the paper goes flying into the waste paper bin (I hope).

“Visits to local mosques are now on most school curriculums because Labour, Conservative and Lib-Dem run councils are forever pushing for the promotion of foreign religions and cultures on young British school children. They do so because the 'Old Gang' of political parties see the future of Britain as a melting pot of different nationalities with a 'cohesion' of foreign cultures.”

‘A melting pot of different nationalities’ – traditionally we have seen the USA as a ‘nation of immigrants’, however, much of the same can be said about the UK. We have been colonised by Nordic Vikings, Germans, Franks and Romans (who didn’t bother going home when the Empire ended) since the beginnings of history. Jews and Eastern Europeans were coming to this country well over a century ago, fleeing persecution. So, if anyone believes that immigration began in the Windrush years they are sorely mistaken. We perceive it to be a modern phenomenon because it was only recently that this country began to welcome ethnic minorities (i.e., visibly different). Well I say recently – we now have up to four generations living in this country, three of which were born here. Ask many young Muslims today where they were originally from and they will probably say Manchester or Glasgow. Many have only a minor appreciation of what it means to be Pakistani or Palestinian - a reflection perhaps of their visits to relatives. So, to regard Islam as a foreign religion is preposterous. Countries evolve and Islam has established itself fully as one of the country’s many faiths. The same can be said of Sikhism, Hinduism and Judaism – I think one of the reasons I haven’t really enjoyed living in Carlisle is because I miss the vibrant, interesting mix of multicultural societies. “Everyone in Carlisle is [to quote a colleague at school] the same” – they share similar hopes and fears which the BNP aims to work towards its advantage.

Carlisle is in many respects perfect hunting ground for the BNP. Predominantly white, reasonably low achievement in school and high levels of immigration create a situation which the party can easily exploit. Essentially this is what the party and its predecessor, the National Front, have done for decades – play on people’s fears and anxieties for electoral gain. I see a lot of disaffected young people on a daily basis – rich pickings for the BNP. They believe that they can do this because New Labour has supposedly abandoned the working man for the centre ground (and in doing so has supposedly left him exposed to the nasty immigrant). In reality, the party is incredibly elitist. It despises unionism and regards the rich as racially superior.

I recently had a look at the Youth BNP website which looked at the study of History in schools. The message board questioned the failure of the subject to address our country’s ‘glorious past’. Which county had the world’s biggest ever Empire? Which country supplied the world with the fruits of the first Industrial Revolution? – it asked. Feeling bellicose, I decided to ask ‘Which country founded a substantial percentage of its modern wealth on the exploitation of Africans?’ Of course, I’m dismissed as nothing more than a Marxist nut. In fact, I’m happy to say that I am mildly nationalistic and I despise the fact that the party has hijacked the Union Jack for its own ends. Like all ideologues, the most credible recognise the strengths and weaknesses of their beliefs. That is why pupils should be taught a balanced view of history.

I do agree that there is a large constituency of people in this country who have been disenfranchised by the mainstream parties – the ‘Old Gang’ as the BNP call them. The challenge is to find a workable solution to this problem before the party builds on its recent success.