Mr Richards' Words Lent 3

“Teachers should trust their gut more” was an intriguing headline to an article I read whilst I was idling pre-match in Parma last weekend. What did it mean? I then began to consider how do adults use their personal professional opinions (formative assessments) to guide planning and ensure progress? Has an era of league tables, anxiety and data collection (summative assessments) reduced the relevance or impact of this important element which is evidence based instinct? We certainly need to be accountable and have a mark book. We also need to use encouraging comments, both verbally and written, upon completed or drafted work as well as give pupils time to think about and understand these prompts.

Towards the end of my musings, I concluded that we use an appropriate amount of data sources and I am pleasingly reassured that all the staff within Junior Boys get to know the boys very quickly and very well. Our educators are not limited to the classroom, they are multi-talented and quick to try new ventures so that the boys can have a wealth of opportunities and grow their self-esteem in a safe and nurturing environment where getting it wrong is celebrated as that’s how we learn. These experiences allow relationships to develop between pupils and adults so that they are confident enough to take risks with their learning. Mrs Henry certainly followed her instinct and allowed 4G to create their own superb assembly this morning. Well done boys.

Miss Morris and Mrs Holder write that Year 1 were excited to return to school this term to find out they would be learning all about Dinosaurs! This week the boys have studied ‘How our Earth First Looked’ and linking it to the amazing work of Astronauts! They have explored how Astronauts go about eating their dinner, brushing their teeth and what they do during their time at the International Space Station. They were amazed to experience Space for themselves this week too! They crawled through a dark and mysterious tunnel to find themselves inside a planetarium! The boys were shown star constellations, spotted planets and asked Mr Hume some questions concerning the wonder of Space. We look forward to moving onto the evolution of Dinosaurs throughout the term. Keep your eyes peeled - we hope no Dinosaurs find themselves on the Junior Boys site! I was also slightly amused at the lunch table to be asked did I remember the Jurassic Age...

Photos from this week are here in the gallery.

Enjoy your weekend.

Dean Richards