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Behaviour
Solutions and reality checks in the exclusion/inclusion debate. #pinballkids
The RSA Pinball Kids Initiative. There has been a lot of discussion in recent weeks about exclusions from schools with a string of newspaper articles exploring the theme: The news of rising fixed-term and permanent exclusions is covered by The Guardian here. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jul/19/sharp-rise-in-pupil-exclusions-from-english-state-schools This report describes some responses – the ‘Wild West system of exclusion … Continue reading
Know my name! A basic entitlement.
When I was in Jakarta at the British International School, the EAL department supported a group of Korean students to stage a protest. They made some placards and, during lesson time, they walked around one of the central areas chanting ‘Know My Name! Know My Name!’ It was a powerful moment for them -and for … Continue reading
Behaviour Balance: Assertive teachers; supportive system.
On my travels around schools over the years I’ve seen hundreds of lessons in various different contexts. Whilst a firm believer that school and college systems are necessary to support excellent behaviour, I have to say that, where behaviour is an issue in a lesson, a lot of the time I take the view that … Continue reading
Six principled practices for intelligent schools:
On my travels I’ve encountered schools that are doing brilliant things without resorting to short-cuts, without saying that they’ve sacrificed their principles to satisfy external pressures and without making life miserable for their staff with ugly brute-force whip-cracking performance cultures. Some schools are lovely to work in because leaders increasingly recognise the power of building … Continue reading
No Excuses and the Pinball Kids
Several recent blogs and twitter discussions have explored the idea of a ‘No Excuses’ behaviour policy. As ever, I have huge problems with discourse that forces people to adopt a position from a binary choice; for or against; with us or against us. I find myself agreeing with people on both sides of this debate. … Continue reading
More carrot and more stick; more love, more warmth, more discipline.
Ahead of the start of this term, I was reflecting on where we need to go next to raise standards at Highbury Grove. Everywhere I look to find schools that are doing better than we are by some measure I see that they appear to be more disciplined; they secure stronger engagement with their expectations; … Continue reading
SEND IS Mainstream. But it’s complicated.
Lately I’ve been thinking a great deal about SEND provision in my school – for several reasons. a) It is at the forefront of our thinking as we plan our staffing and curriculum within the real-world context of declining financial resources – how best to deploy finite resources to meet the needs of every student? … Continue reading
Culture + Systems: The Spirit and The Letter
This is a slide I’ve used multiple times in various CPD sessions. It’s a theme I return to over and over. In numerous aspects of school leadership, I feel it’s important to consider the need to develop both the systems and the culture within which they operate, explicitly, deliberately and simultaneously. Systems don’t work … Continue reading
Towards Impeccable Behaviour: Phase 2.
It’s now exactly a year since we launched our original Behaviour for Learning System. I described the principles and the details of the system in these posts: Towards Impeccable Behaviour. Together and Towards Impeccable Behaviour. Ready for Launch. A year on, after another round of reviews and consultations, we’re about to re-launch the system with … Continue reading
Inclusion and Exclusion in a Community School.
I’ve just read Nancy Gedge’s excellent, powerful blog ‘Battle Weary’ about her son’s experience of school and the challenges of parenting a child with Down’s Syndrome. It encapsulates a range of issues around inclusion and the extent to which schools truly embrace the concept. Since arriving at Highbury Grove, inclusion is something I’ve thought … Continue reading
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