News

Ofsted proposals

It’s hard to miss all the talk of Ofsted and its proposals: almost on a weekly basis, we hear of Sir Michael Wilshaw, the Chief Inspector, and his ambitions to raise standards in schools.  There’s currently a consultation process which sets out seven proposals for changes to the way schools are inspected. From September 2012, it is proposed that:

1. Schools cannot be judged ‘outstanding’ unless their teaching is ‘outstanding’.
2. Schools will only be deemed to be providing an acceptable standard of education where they are judged to be ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.
3. A single judgement of ‘requires improvement’ will replace the current ‘satisfactory’ judgement and ‘notice to improve’ category.
4. Schools judged as ‘requires improvement’ will be subject to a full re-inspection earlier than is currently the case.
5. A school can only be judged as ‘requires improvement’ on two consecutive inspections before it is deemed to require special measures.
6. Inspections will be undertaken without notice.
7. Inspectors should undertake an analysis of an anonymised summary, provided by the school, of the outcomes of the most recent performance management of all teachers within the school, as part of the evidence for a judgement on leadership and management.

I don’t often comment on affairs beyond the great things happening at Moortown Primary.  However, in this case, please allow me to present my own response to two of the proposals:

Point one

When we were inspected in November, teaching at Moortown Primary was judged to be ‘good’.  Some lessons were deemed to be ‘satisfactory’, some lessons ‘outstanding’.  This proposal means that Moortown Primary may be inspected again sooner than anticipated.  A re-inspection might lead to a ‘good’ judgement for the school as a whole, assuming the quality of teaching was the same as in November.  There are two issues with this:

Changes in Free School Meal Entitlement

Changes in Free School Meal Entitlement

As of April 2012 there are changes to the qualifying criteria for Working Tax Credit and in turn how families will be entitled to Free School Meals.

There will be new benefit rules applied to Working Tax Credit claimants that could mean that some people will lose their Free School Meals entitlement, but, could possibly then be entitled through their receipt of Child Tax Credit.

At the moment, couples responsible for at least one child and working at least 16 hours a week between them can get Working Tax Credit. From 6 April 2012, in most cases, to qualify for Working Tax Credit their joint working hours will need to be at least 24 hours a week. This will mean if both parents work their joint weekly hours must be at least 24, with one of them working at least 16 hours a week, or if only one parent works, that person must be working at least 24 hours a week. If neither of these applies, Working Tax Credit will stop from 6 April 2012. Some of those coming out of entitlement may well qualify for Free School Meals if they still receive Child Tax Credit and their Annual Taxable Income, as assessed by HMRC, is below £16,190. 

The key thing to note is that if any parents lose their Working Tax Credit entitlement from April, it may be worth them contacting the Benefits Helpline (tel 0113 2224404) and asking for their eligibility to Education Benefits, Free School Meals and School Clothing Allowance to be reconsidered.

Good behaviour doesn't happen by accident...

In the last three years, some children at Moortown Primary have responded to some simple questions about school and their feelings and behaviour.  This has been part of the ‘Me and My School project’.  The results for our school, from the provision we have in place to the outcomes for our children, were excellent.  Below is the press release following the publication of the project.  Don’t be put off by the reference to mental health – this can be as simple as weekly SEAL sessions and the occasional chat with Mrs Wilson, our Learning Support Mentor.

School-based mental health support results in positive outcomes for children

A study of more than 18,000 children across England has found that embedding expert mental health work in schools as part of the Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS)   programme, led to greater improvements in primary school pupils’ reported behavioural problems  than for pupils in schools without TaMHS support. The benefit from a focus on mental health in schools was even more pronounced where schools also provided pupils with self- help leaflets designed to give tips of how children could help themselves if they were feeling stressed or troubled. Random allocation of schools to intervention groups meant these results can be treated as robust.

This three year longitudinal study following children in 25 local authorities across England also found that tools designed to improve communication between health and education professionals (such as the Common Assessment Framework), good links between schools and specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and the provision of mental health information to pupils were all associated with reductions in pupil’s difficulties in controlling aggression and anger in secondary school.

These findings come from an independent evaluation of TaMHS, led by UCL (University College London) and involving eight academic institutions and other organisations across the UK (Universities of Manchester, Leicester, Durham, York and Glasgow, The Anna Freud Centre, the Institute of Psychiatry and the National Institute for Economic and Social Research).

Over the course of the project, researchers tracked and analysed the progress of 18,235 children in 526 schools.

The TaMHS programme aimed to help schools deliver targeted support to those with, or at risk of, mental health problems.  Between 2008 and March 2011, £60 million was allocated across all local authorities inEnglandin order for them to develop additional provision of mental health support in selected schools, including individual, group and whole-school interventions.

One in ten children in theUK has a clinically diagnosable mental health problem and the authors of the report recommend intervening early as a key to managing behavioural problems. “It may make sense to prioritise mental health work with primary school pupils in relation to behavioural problems to have maximum impact before problems become too entrenched,” says the report. 

The report also suggests that inter-agency working and improved relationships between secondary schools and specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, as well as provision of materials to help young people find and access support, should be prioritised. 

Dr Miranda Wolpert of the UCL CAMHS Evidence Based Practice Unit led the research. “This report indicates that targeted help in primary schools has helped reduce behavioural problems and should continue,” she says. “It also indicates the need to build on the good work already happening across schools and the health services to ensure joined up services and support for mental health needs, especially for secondary school pupils.”

The full report and briefing note is available at https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-RR177

Mrs Burke recently visited our South African link school

Mrs Burke is responsible for ‘Positive Contribution’ in school.  This role all about creating links with community, from a local level to an international level.  We’re setting up an international link with Shallcross Primary School, Durban, South Africa.  Here, she recounts a recent visit to the school:

After a seventeen hour flight, I arrived in Durban, tired but excited about visiting our partner school, Shallcross Primary.

The school day begins at 7.30am and, because the school is located on the outskirts of the city, I was collected by a teacher at 6.20am to make the long and hazardous drive – a child was knocked down near the school one morning.

On arrival at the school, the first thing that struck me was the number of pupils.  There were children everywhere!  I soon discovered there are around 1500 pupils at the school and the number is growing.  No one is ever turned away.  The buildings are very run down and space very limited.  Despite promises of a new school, this has not yet happened and the school has had to make do.  There is no hall for assembly or PE, no library and the teachers have given up their staffroom to accommodate more pupils.  The school takes children from Reception to Year 7 and each year group has three or four classes.  Each class has on average 45 pupils with one teacher!

Lessons are delivered with little or no differentiation because of the high number of pupils in each class.  The children arrive in Reception having had no nursery and, for most, having never seen or used a pencil, paint or books.  On arrival, they speak only their home language of Zulu and the curriculum is delivered in English.  The government has just introduced a new curriculum with emphasis on the teaching of phonics from Reception.  I was delighted to be asked to demonstrate a phonics lesson!

Despite all the problems the school faces, including unqualified teachers, large pupil numbers, lack of space, limited resources and no computers, the children and staff at the school are highly motivated with children keen to learn and the staff doing their best to provide the best education they can.  I was impressed with the children’s behaviour and the low level of disruption in the classes despite the high numbers of pupils.  All the children were respectful and polite to me and very interested in our partnership and the projects we have been doing.  They asked relevant and thoughtful questions such as:

• What subjects do you teach?
• Do you play sports?
• How much are the school fees?
• Are there any black people in England?
• What do you eat?
• Have you met the Queen?
• Can you sing the National Anthem?

I could have stayed in each class for a week to answer all their questions!

The children enjoyed looking at the different things I’d brought with me.  These included photos of Moortown Primary, including in the recent snow!  I also brought a collection of children’s work, including lots from the Y3 and Y4 Mini-Topic called ‘View from our Window’, which helped compare Shallcross and Moortown areas.

I have brought back many memories of my short time in Durban to share with our pupils. I am certain that through the project and the enrichment it can bring to the curriculum, the children in both schools can learn from each other and develop greater empathy and understanding of the world we live in.

Hobby Half Day

On the last day of the half-term, children enjoyed another successful Hobby Half Day with all sorts of activities going on!  From i-jamming on iPads to fitness circuits, all of the children had a very busy afternoon.  All ages of children were working together and learning from each other and every classroom was a hive of activity.  Here are just a few photos to show you what was going on.

Last half-term's SEAL theme...

…was very successful!

At Moortown Primary, we’re dedicated to the value of SEAL (which stands for stands for Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) in promoting a happy and healthy place to learn.  However, last half-term we chose to meet our children’s needs and interests in a different way.  We broke away from the national SEAL themes to think about our rights and responsibilities.  Here are some examples of our Y3 – Y6 children’s thoughts:

Staying safe

• I have the right to make an emergency call and the responsibility not to make prank calls.
• I have the right to walk to school by myself and the responsibility to make good decisions about the route I take.
• I have the right to be protected by the police and the responsibility not to lie to them.
• I have the right to go on social networking sites and the responsibility not to give personal information away.

Being healthy

• I have the right to do PE and the responsibility to remember my PE kit.
• I have the right to exercise and the responsibility to use equipment safely and properly.
• I have the right to a balanced diet and the responsibility to make healthy choices.
• I have the right to a healthy lunch box and the responsibility to eat what’s in it.

Enjoying and achieving

• I have the right to achieve and the responsibility not to boast about it.
• I have the right to enter contests and the responsibility not to cheat.
• I have the right to have stars and steps (Moortown Primary’s teacher marking / feedback system) and the responsibility to follow them.
• I have the right to be successful and the responsibility to earn the success.

Making a positive contribution

• I have the right to live in this world and the responsibility to keep it clean.
• I have the right to suggest ideas and the responsibility to make sure they’re sensible.
• I have the right to put my hand up with an answer and the responsibility to let others have a go.
• I have the right to be in the School Council (from a newly-elected Councillor) and the responsibility to listen and represent others.

Jobs and money

• I have the right to a job and the responsibility to work hard and keep my job.
• I have the right to earn money and the responsibility to use the money wisely.
• I have the right to work and the responsibility to arrive on time.
• I have the right to be an Office Monitor (from a Year 6 pupil who takes care of the office at lunchtime) and the responsibility to have good manners.

During all SEAL topics, children develop skills to work with others and awareness of positive choices and attitudes.  I’m sure you’ll agree the awareness and attitudes our children have demonstrated here are extremely impressive!

Our new SEAL theme is...

Good To Be Me.

SEAL stands for Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning.  This is a national scheme that promotes self-awareness, managing feelings, empathy, social skills and motivation.  At Moortown Primary, we’re dedicated to the value of SEAL in promoting a happy and healthy place to learn.  Good To Be Me is one of the national SEAL themes that we think about in the year.

The Good To Be Me theme explores feelings in the context of the child as an individual, developing self-awareness and helping the child to realise that it really is ‘good to be me’.  The theme is about understanding our feelings as well as considering our strengths and weaknesses as learners. It aims to develop knowledge, understanding and skills in three key social and emotional aspects of learning: self-awareness, managing feelings and empathy. The theme focuses on:

• understanding feelings, and why and how they lead us to behave the way we do – particularly the feelings excited, proud, surprised, hopeful, disappointed, worried and anxious;
• self-awareness – feeling good about yourself, taking risks;
• managing feelings – relaxing, coping with anxiety;
• standing up for yourself – assertiveness, standing up for your views.

As you can see, some important messages are promoted.  Starting next week and continuing each week this half-term, we’ll concentrate on a different area:

• Week beginning 27 February: I can respond to difficult situations in a positive way.
• Week beginning 05 March: I can help someone with a worry.
• Week beginning 12 March: I can receive a compliment in a sensible way.
• Week beginning 19 March: I can recognise my talents.
• Week beginning 26 March: I can do something that makes me feel proud.

Each Friday, SEAL certificates are awarded to children who have demonstrated particularly well their ability to act upon the statements.  More importantly, the themes, and others around Good To Be Me that are especially relevant to your child’s class, are discussed and promoted.  Perhaps you can support your child’s learning by discussing these statements at home, too.

...before a new School Council is elected!

Next week, on Thursday 09 February 2012, we’ll be holding elections in school for new School Councillors.

This follows a recent assembly led by local MP Fabian Hamilton, in which he talked about similarities between the School Council and Government, and today’s assembly about democracy and what characteristics are need to be an effective School Councillor.

Two children are elected from each class, including Reception. In the past, the school councillors have played an important role in major decision-making such as choosing our school charities, selecting playground equipment and even choosing our logo and the colour of our uniform (we changed from dark green to our current red in 2008).

Please talk to your child about the elections and encourage them to stand. They will need to be confident in speaking with older children and adults. If your child would like to stand, they need to tell the class teacher by Friday.  Then, next week, they should be ready with a presentation – they could talk about what they would like to do for the school and its pupils if they were elected. They will deliver this speech early next week and the elections will be held on Thursday.

The final School Council meeting...

Our current School Council met for the last time on Tuesday.

The group has been excellent, from Yutaro and Rosie (both of whom have now moved on to new schools) to Dominic and Grace (who became Councillors in Reception and are now in Year 1).  A special well done and thank you to Vikram and Lauren who have minuted every meeting most efficiently.

The last decision of this School Council was to amend the school rules.  They have chosen to replace We use positive language with We respect everyone and everything.  The main reason to do this is that the new rule includes the previous one, but covers more – respecting property, equipment and and animals, for example.  Another key decision taken by the group was to select our two new charities, Water Aid and Dogs’ Trust.

Achieving Level 3 of the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard...

Most of you will know by now that we have achieved Level 3 (the highest level) of the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard.  The assessment visit took place earlier on this term, led by members of Leeds City Council’s Equalities and Entitlement Team.  Here are some extracts from the final report:

• The inclusive curriculum is a major strength of the portfolio and shows that the school is working hard to provide a curriculum which positively reflects the religious, linguistic and cultural diversity of society, promotes race equality, prepares pupils to become responsible citizens and increases empathy for global equality and fair trade.  Teachers identify opportunities for developing multiculturalism in medium and short term plans and these are monitored and evaluated for overall coverage.
• The school makes very good efforts to engage all parents in the life of the school e.g. newsletters, Relax and Read in Reception, PTA, School Council, parents’ evenings, curriculum workshops etc.  It also makes good efforts to engage the wider community and to develop the pupils’ sense of community through, for example, “Who do we think we are?” Themed Week, disaster appeals and links with other schools.
• Since achieving Level 2 of the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard in 2006, the school has been very active in promoting diversity, inclusion and multiculturalism and has received various chartermarks including: Inclusion, International Schools Award, Basic Skills and Healthy Schools.
• The school’s self-evaluation, development plans and action plans actively promote the process of embedding race equality throughout the school.
• The school ethos and learning environment makes a good contribution to harmonious learning communities.
• It has an excellent policy to promote positive behaviour with roles and responsibilities clearly outlined as well as positive and negative consequences.

Of course, we always want to keep getting better and better.  We welcome the action points which are noted in the report.  These were:

1. to incorporate some role-play scenarios for older pupils around racism, so they are prepared for the possibility of such incidents after Moortown Primary where they may encounter no real incidents at all
2. to continue efforts to recruit staff and governors who fully represent the school community, although there was an understanding that we must always recruit the best people for our children
3. to prepare to publish equality objectives which will become statutory for all public bodies later this year
4. to support other schools in achieving the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard