To think this head teacher is off her rocker

[Atlantisen]

This was the newsletter. Inspiring? Or utter bollocks??

*"...All too often schools accept a gap between some students and other students. We can fall into a trap that comes to accept or simply gets used to some children dressing differently, missing more days of school, speaking to adults or one another incorrectly, being a few minutes late to everything, carelessly presenting their work, not completing homework, not giving 100% in their lessons, not reading any books for pleasure, not joining clubs at school, never seeking to play for a school team, never appearing in a school performance or never attending a revision booster.

Labelling such behaviours or choices is pointless or indeed stigmatising those students who display some or all of these characteristics. At CNS we have to regard these as symptoms of an underlying lack of ambition, expectation or aspiration. Whilst we have to be unrelenting in our demand for all students to be their best self, we also need to get to the very heart of why some students are more engaged than others – seeking to rekindle the fire within and not beneath.

Creating a school that expects and demands high expectations in all things of all students is a continuous quest and one that we shall be emphasising at all times. ..."*

She sounds full on! Maybe little Daisy's best self involves chillaxing and not busting a gut to get into the netball squad.

It’s rather wordy. Most people will stop reading before they understand her point. (What is her point?)

What a load of wank!

Of course some kids may be less engaged. They could have all kinds of shit to deal with at home.

I like it!

Labelling such behaviours or choices is pointless or indeed stigmatising those students who display some or all of these characteristics.

Sounds like someone is trying to whitewash disability out of existence (considering many of those characteristics are displayed by people with ASD/dyspraxia/chronic illness/etc), not a good impression!

ask a youngster perhaps how they would feel presented with this letter?
inspiring?

Hang on “labelling such behaviours or choices”. Is this denying SEN?

The gap between SEND and pupil premium students and non-SEND/PP is a big focus in my school and my last school and was mentioned in both recent OFSTED reports, presumably this is nationwide so I understand the Head’s drive. Her style, unfortunately, is far from succinct. She rambles! Is she hoping to push parents of students with the issues she mentions to take action?

I was going to come and say I hope she has no children with SN at her school

Total cross post with Andro

Disablist.

It is a bit wordy: I think she’s done that deliberately because she’s afraid of how the underlying message will land. Which is that we aren’t going to put up with slackers.
I see her point, tbh, in terms of having high expectations, but her language is not the most accessible I’ve ever seen.

As a parent of a child with autism who displays some, not all of those behaviours this makes me very cross.

He is very involved with school productions as music is his thing but some times it takes so much energy and stress to just get through the school day without a meltdown expecting more is untenable.

I didn't read it as about SEN, but more about not labelling children as low achievers, or the naughty one, lazy one and so on. It's a bit 'we'll fight them on the beaches' but at least she's passionate about creating ambition in all students.

I think it’s ghastly. What the hell must the parents of kids with extra needs think???

It's very headteacher-y. They all talk like this. Bless!

i doubt that SN children would be included in her ramble

I wouldn’t bet on it.

CNS- City Norwich School?

No not Norwich

Is she not talking about expecting every child to do the best they can? In which case it's what we all want?

Littlebookofcalm that’s one of the many reasons that it’s awful. It doesn’t include anyone except the oblong super kid.

im so glad i home ed

attitudes like this and many other schools/heads these days is why so many are either turning to home education or not even sending the kids to school at all especialy parents with SN childrens

its all about conforming and jumping to attention these days and kids being robots with no opinions

Why wouldn't children with SEN be able to join teams or join revision sessions or be in a play? Sounds like the headteacher, however inarticulate she sounds, is trying to address the massive lack of ambition in some families and communities. Schools should never write off children as "that family never comes"'or "well what do you expect from that child".

I work in an inner city primary and we have a number of families where the kids never have a costume, are never signed up to a club, are never at school event and they do miss out. And it's not because their families do lots of activities out of school. There are a number of reasons why kids are excluded from the wider life of the school and we will never stop looking for ways to help parents engage.

I like it. Having high expectations of every child is so important. It doesn't mean that those high expectations have to equal top academic attainment but why shouldn't we want the absolute best for all children and for all children to try their very best (in the best way they can).

My favourite bit is that classic idiocy about ‘emphasising all of this, all of the time’. As if making everything your ‘top priority’ ever results in success.

As usual, it’s just some tiny baseless opinion dressed up with twatty corporate speak. No actual plan, no way to implement and ultimately no accountability. Do what everyone else does and bin it.