When parents of prospective pupils come to see me one of the most regularly asked questions is how does the School ‘teach’ boys to become confident? Generally speaking this arises from the tour that a sixth former has conducted with the parents and their son. Our boys show themselves to be confident but not arrogant. In the words of the Good Schools' Guide boys "are genuinely grounded, rounded individuals with bags of personality and myriads of interests, not a swot in sight - we doubt arrogance, even a mild dose, would be tolerated by anyone." They go on that boys "present as great lads, able to hold their own in conversation and debate but with a wicked sense of humour and lovely ability to poke fun at themselves – what more could you ask?"
So how do we achieve this? This is not an easy question to answer. Certainly there are no ‘Confidence lessons’. So how do our boys acquire this important life skill?
At the heart of this is our vertical tutor system. When boys join the School they are assigned to a tutor set with approximately three boys from each year of the School. Thus, from their very first day at the School boys get used to mixing with older pupils. These natural relationships develop over time to make them comfortable in each other’s company. As boys move up through the School they mix freely with boys both older and younger than them and this certainly assists in their developing confidence. The tutor system is tied in with our House structure. Senior boys take responsibility for a vast range of activities and in running things like House choirs they learn how to manage their peers and this too helps in the development of confidence.
Another key factor is our wide range of school activities. It is very much the case that boys who do not do very many activities do find it more difficult to become confident. The activities again often put boys of different ages together, perhaps in a play or a musical group, and again this helps to develop confidence. The more relaxed relationships with staff in these different settings also help boys to develop a wide range of communication skills so important to the development of confidence.
Confidence is also developed in the classroom. There is an atmosphere in the vast majority of lessons which nurtures boys in both giving and listening to opinions. Tolerance of each other’s views is very much encouraged and this gives boys the confidence to express their views. Regular involvement in form assemblies and in presenting to their peers in class also helps to ensure that boys are comfortable in speaking in public.
Another reason that boys develop in confidence is that we place trust in them. At Open Day, for example, we use volunteer boys of all ages to conduct tours. Even from Year 7 this helps to equip boys with the skills to communicate with our visitors. We do not hand-pick our tour guides – we hope that any boy would be able to do this. Equally our major sporting programme gives boys opportunities to develop in confidence; they are given positions of responsibility in teams but equally important have to take decisions on the field of play.
There may well be many other ways in which schools develop confidence and I hope that this blog post will encourage others to reflect both on what else we do at the High School but also perhaps to anyone reading this from outside of the School to reflect on what they do to develop confidence. Please leave a comment below.
Sunday, 21 March 2010
Saturday, 6 March 2010
A community
Over the past week I have experienced many examples of the School as a community. Last weekend I went to the Old Boys dinner in Oxford. This was a really good evening bringing together a good number of ex-pupils of the School and their partners. I started the evening sitting with a group of our recent leavers and it was fantastic to hear their enthusiasm for both their current university but also the way that they were reflecting back on their time at the School so warmly. Indeed, the passing of only a relatively short time since they left us had given them a sense of perspective to their experiences at the School. The key to many of them had been the teachers who had worked with them and inspired them. Later in the evening I spoke to some of the ‘older’ contingent and it was amazing just how much they had in common with the younger ones. They too still felt a strong bond to their school but also had their own memories of the staff who had done so much to inspire them. It was great to see just how interested they were in the School today and the sense of community was very evident.
Later in the week I met with the mother of a young old boy who very sadly lost a battle with cancer just prior to his twenty-first birthday. She has been a long-term supporter of the School so I was delighted to be able to help with her fundraising campaign for the Teenage Cancer Trust – more on this in a future post. Again this was a really positive example of the wider school community at work. We are currently developing the concept of a ‘community for life’ to link the School back to our ex-pupils, ex-staff, the parents of boys who have left, together with the current pupils and parents. I hope that these sorts of links can be developed so that over generations people will stay connected with the School.
On Friday we were visited by the new Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham who was undertaking a ‘Pilgrimage by Tram’ to link into his new community. He came into school to have lunch with a number of boys involved in our own community action programme as well as with boys of all faiths. It was good to meet him and be able to explain to him how we link into our own community. Soon we have a field day when a large number of boys will go into local schools and help at various locations to give something back to the Nottingham community.
I think that the key point in all this is that together we are so much stronger than we are individually. The term ‘Old Boys Network’ is often used in derogative terms but the purpose of any community surely has to be to support each other, to remain good neighbours and friends and to help out the less fortunate members of that community. We all belong to many communities, at school, at home and in the wider world. Perhaps we should all reflect on the contribution we make to the communities we are connected to. And if there are any Old Boys of Nottingham High School out there reading this who have not been in touch for a while do contact us, we’d love to hear from you.
Later in the week I met with the mother of a young old boy who very sadly lost a battle with cancer just prior to his twenty-first birthday. She has been a long-term supporter of the School so I was delighted to be able to help with her fundraising campaign for the Teenage Cancer Trust – more on this in a future post. Again this was a really positive example of the wider school community at work. We are currently developing the concept of a ‘community for life’ to link the School back to our ex-pupils, ex-staff, the parents of boys who have left, together with the current pupils and parents. I hope that these sorts of links can be developed so that over generations people will stay connected with the School.
On Friday we were visited by the new Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham who was undertaking a ‘Pilgrimage by Tram’ to link into his new community. He came into school to have lunch with a number of boys involved in our own community action programme as well as with boys of all faiths. It was good to meet him and be able to explain to him how we link into our own community. Soon we have a field day when a large number of boys will go into local schools and help at various locations to give something back to the Nottingham community.
I think that the key point in all this is that together we are so much stronger than we are individually. The term ‘Old Boys Network’ is often used in derogative terms but the purpose of any community surely has to be to support each other, to remain good neighbours and friends and to help out the less fortunate members of that community. We all belong to many communities, at school, at home and in the wider world. Perhaps we should all reflect on the contribution we make to the communities we are connected to. And if there are any Old Boys of Nottingham High School out there reading this who have not been in touch for a while do contact us, we’d love to hear from you.
Sunday, 21 February 2010
The purpose of school inspection?
What is the purpose of school inspection? This has loomed large in my thoughts in recent weeks as we have been busy preparing all of the paperwork for an Independent Schools’ Inspectorate inspection in the weeks or months ahead. We will get five days notice of when this will be.
Inevitably we have had a huge amount of paperwork to check through. This is a useful exercise from time-to-time but it does appear that increasingly school inspection is becoming a check of whether the paperwork ticks all the right boxes rather than looking at what is really going on in schools.
Thus, every document will be checked by the inspectors and the handbook to inspection gives plenty of detail as to what it should include. This takes time to check but in the end I suspect most schools will satisfy these requirements. However, I suspect that many parents will be surprised to hear that during the inspection itself only a relatively small sample of lessons will be watched. It is no longer the case that every teacher will be observed. I suspect many staff will be left short-changed by the inspection process after all their hard-work in preparation. Not every Head of Department will be spoken to by the inspectors and there is only limited time to look at the School’s wider provision.
Surely this is wrong? In my view it is in the classroom that inspection should be concentrated. It would soon become clear if a school did not have adequate procedures but this would emerge from observation rather than hours pouring over paperwork with a tick list. More importantly, more time spent in the classrooms or on looking through the pupils’ work would enable inspectors to write at length about the teaching and learning. This is the most important aspect of any school and surely much more important than if a policy contains a particular word or not! A recent inspection report I saw had just half a page on the teaching in the School yet over two pages reporting back on the various ticklists!
To me the purpose of school inspection is for fellow professionals to come into a school to observe the pupils’ experiences, to check that they are making appropriate progress and to ensure that they are having a suitable range of opportunities made available to them. It is clearly important that schools are compliant with the regulations but this will often be evident from time spent in the classroom. Schools should be trusted more to stay within the regulations – occasional spot-checks outside of the inspection regime would ensure that this is the case. Paperwork checks do not need fellow professionals to visit the school to undertake. Inspectors then could concentrate on using their professional judgement to add value to the whole process.
A useful analogy to use would be a comparison with a retail outlet like John Lewis. How do I know that they are an excellent store? It is not by looking through their company paperwork or their policies for each eventuality but it is because when I visit their store I am met by people keen to help, keen to provide service and this ethos is clearly evident each time I visit. An inspection of a school should concentrate more on whether there is a clear ethos in the school, on whether the pupils’ needs are being well-served and on whether the whole experience for both pupils and their parents is a positive one. The key to John Lewis’ success is not whether an inspector has counted the requisite number of till points, toilets, first-aiders etc. It is that when you are in the store you meet fantastic service from their employees. Why should schools be any different?
Inevitably we have had a huge amount of paperwork to check through. This is a useful exercise from time-to-time but it does appear that increasingly school inspection is becoming a check of whether the paperwork ticks all the right boxes rather than looking at what is really going on in schools.
Thus, every document will be checked by the inspectors and the handbook to inspection gives plenty of detail as to what it should include. This takes time to check but in the end I suspect most schools will satisfy these requirements. However, I suspect that many parents will be surprised to hear that during the inspection itself only a relatively small sample of lessons will be watched. It is no longer the case that every teacher will be observed. I suspect many staff will be left short-changed by the inspection process after all their hard-work in preparation. Not every Head of Department will be spoken to by the inspectors and there is only limited time to look at the School’s wider provision.
Surely this is wrong? In my view it is in the classroom that inspection should be concentrated. It would soon become clear if a school did not have adequate procedures but this would emerge from observation rather than hours pouring over paperwork with a tick list. More importantly, more time spent in the classrooms or on looking through the pupils’ work would enable inspectors to write at length about the teaching and learning. This is the most important aspect of any school and surely much more important than if a policy contains a particular word or not! A recent inspection report I saw had just half a page on the teaching in the School yet over two pages reporting back on the various ticklists!
To me the purpose of school inspection is for fellow professionals to come into a school to observe the pupils’ experiences, to check that they are making appropriate progress and to ensure that they are having a suitable range of opportunities made available to them. It is clearly important that schools are compliant with the regulations but this will often be evident from time spent in the classroom. Schools should be trusted more to stay within the regulations – occasional spot-checks outside of the inspection regime would ensure that this is the case. Paperwork checks do not need fellow professionals to visit the school to undertake. Inspectors then could concentrate on using their professional judgement to add value to the whole process.
A useful analogy to use would be a comparison with a retail outlet like John Lewis. How do I know that they are an excellent store? It is not by looking through their company paperwork or their policies for each eventuality but it is because when I visit their store I am met by people keen to help, keen to provide service and this ethos is clearly evident each time I visit. An inspection of a school should concentrate more on whether there is a clear ethos in the school, on whether the pupils’ needs are being well-served and on whether the whole experience for both pupils and their parents is a positive one. The key to John Lewis’ success is not whether an inspector has counted the requisite number of till points, toilets, first-aiders etc. It is that when you are in the store you meet fantastic service from their employees. Why should schools be any different?
Monday, 15 February 2010
Why do so many independent school pupils make the Olympic team?
There has been a good deal of discussion in the press in recent days about the number of athletes in the British Winter Olympics team who have attended independent schools. An example is this article in the Times from Matthew Syed(http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article7020963.ece )
These articles suggest that success in achieving this level in sport is down to parental income or class.
This is far from true in my opinion. Currently I am reading the book ‘Outliers’ by Malcolm Gladwell. He looks at successful athletes in a wide range of sports and he finds that there are two crucial factors in sporting success. The first of these is one’s date of birth! His thesis is that those players who are born just after an age-group date cut-off are much more likely to be the most successful athletes of the future. So, in football the eligibility date is September 1st and in the year he looked at in the Premier League there were 288 players born between September and November and only 136 born between June and August. This he claims is because the older athletes get more opportunities, hence more chance of success and we write off too many athletes too soon.
His other theory is that it takes 10,000 hours to become world class in any sphere. Thus, the more opportunity one has to get involved the greater the chance there is to be successful.
This brings me back to the fact that so many competing at Olympic level come from independent schools. This is no great surprise given the amount of time and effort independent schools devote to school sport. Most independent schools recognise the value of sport and spend many hours on it. Thus, it is no surprise that the increase in opportunity provided by the sector means that so many world-class athletes emerge. Indeed my own school has two ex-pupils competing at the winter games as well as one who competed in the last summer games.
The way to rectify this situation is to increase the support for sport in all schools. In independent schools fixtures are played every Saturday and for us we ensure depth by putting out up to four sides in each age group. Thus, there is every opportunity for the most able to thrive as well as for all to enjoy their sport. Sadly, there are few maintained schools still offering regular fixtures every single weekend of the school year. Some pupils will go to local sports clubs but others will be lost for good to the X-box and Playstation.
Of course, many independent schools do try to open up their facilities to such clubs. In my school our cricket coaches are involved in a number of inner-city primary schools trying to ensure that there is greater opportunity for all. In this way we hopefully start some more pupils on their way to the 10,000 hours we are told that they will need to be successful. There are maintained schools, I know, where sport is still important but successive governments have sold off playing fields and cut curriculum time for sport and this as much as anything is why so many athletes at the Olympics hail from independent schools.
These articles suggest that success in achieving this level in sport is down to parental income or class.
This is far from true in my opinion. Currently I am reading the book ‘Outliers’ by Malcolm Gladwell. He looks at successful athletes in a wide range of sports and he finds that there are two crucial factors in sporting success. The first of these is one’s date of birth! His thesis is that those players who are born just after an age-group date cut-off are much more likely to be the most successful athletes of the future. So, in football the eligibility date is September 1st and in the year he looked at in the Premier League there were 288 players born between September and November and only 136 born between June and August. This he claims is because the older athletes get more opportunities, hence more chance of success and we write off too many athletes too soon.
His other theory is that it takes 10,000 hours to become world class in any sphere. Thus, the more opportunity one has to get involved the greater the chance there is to be successful.
This brings me back to the fact that so many competing at Olympic level come from independent schools. This is no great surprise given the amount of time and effort independent schools devote to school sport. Most independent schools recognise the value of sport and spend many hours on it. Thus, it is no surprise that the increase in opportunity provided by the sector means that so many world-class athletes emerge. Indeed my own school has two ex-pupils competing at the winter games as well as one who competed in the last summer games.
The way to rectify this situation is to increase the support for sport in all schools. In independent schools fixtures are played every Saturday and for us we ensure depth by putting out up to four sides in each age group. Thus, there is every opportunity for the most able to thrive as well as for all to enjoy their sport. Sadly, there are few maintained schools still offering regular fixtures every single weekend of the school year. Some pupils will go to local sports clubs but others will be lost for good to the X-box and Playstation.
Of course, many independent schools do try to open up their facilities to such clubs. In my school our cricket coaches are involved in a number of inner-city primary schools trying to ensure that there is greater opportunity for all. In this way we hopefully start some more pupils on their way to the 10,000 hours we are told that they will need to be successful. There are maintained schools, I know, where sport is still important but successive governments have sold off playing fields and cut curriculum time for sport and this as much as anything is why so many athletes at the Olympics hail from independent schools.
Thursday, 4 February 2010
What is the harm in selection?
For the past week we have been interviewing boys for places at the School. As part of this process, I meet with their parents whilst two colleagues meet each boy. The key decision we have to make is whether the boy is suitable or not to join the School in September. Inevitably some talk of ‘pass’ and ‘fail’ but we do not see it in that way at all. What we are trying to do is to give our professional opinion as to whether boys will be able to thrive in our school and will be able to cope with the pace of work. Thus, in the end those who we say no to have not ‘failed’ – it is just that we cannot meet their needs in our environment.
Selection is very much a ‘taboo’ word in education. No political party is prepared to consider it for our national education system. Yet, British independent schools, which international surveys see as the best in the world, routinely select their pupils. Lord Adonis spoke of wanting state academies to take on the DNA of independent schools yet rejected any notion of selection for maintained schools.
Why is this? The government allows universities to recruit on the basis of talent and indeed recruits into the civil service in a similar way. Every workplace in the country interviews applicants to ensure that they are suitable for their organisation. Yet, maintained schools cannot select those pupils who will fit with their ethos or with the pace of work or indeed for any meaningful reason. The upshot – those parents who can afford to, move near to schools which match their aspirations or their own ethos. Those that cannot do so are left marooned by the system. Private day schools like our own have many boys receiving bursaries and so whilst we select on academic ability there remains a genuine social mix often unseen in maintained schools in leafy suburbs.
Society as a whole has no problem with selection. Indeed, the manager of my favourite football team Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, is lauded for his ability to spot talent and then to develop it. Our philosophy as a school is no different. Our entrance interviews are designed to spot talent and then we work hard to ensure that we develop it over the years. There is no suggestion that Premier League clubs must work with all who want to play football, they just select those they want. Like independent schools they do a great deal of outreach work to ensure that they link with the outside world and help spread their values and the benefits of their coaching. As a school we help in local primary schools with cricket coaching in a very similar way.
In football, with leagues though at all levels, everyone who wants to play football can be accommodated. The experience of the committed amateur with little skill is no less enjoyable, no less worthwhile. Indeed the quality of coaching at many junior football clubs is truly outstanding. Funding is rightly channelled into this important area. Yet would any coach be able to work daily with both the very best and the weakest – would either group prosper if this were the case? If the authorities then set targets to measure performance which meant that the key focus was on getting the weakest up to a certain standard, would the best still thrive?
Last week the Government announced that it is to close the national Gifted and Talented programme. There will always be a place for such children in the independent sector. I hope that the end of this funding does not mean that these children are neglected elsewhere. Yet with the continuing focus on gaining 5 A-C grades for all, it is inevitable that the focus will be on this rather than stretching the brightest in our schools. We intend to raise further funds so that we can take in even more who would reap the benefits of selection. Not all independent schools select – this is the point, our education system needs to cater for pupils of all abilities just as the structure for sport in our country does.
It seems that it is only in education where one size fits all. However, if football ever goes for a comprehensive approach with no selection on the grounds of ability please put me down for a place at the Arsenal academy!
Selection is very much a ‘taboo’ word in education. No political party is prepared to consider it for our national education system. Yet, British independent schools, which international surveys see as the best in the world, routinely select their pupils. Lord Adonis spoke of wanting state academies to take on the DNA of independent schools yet rejected any notion of selection for maintained schools.
Why is this? The government allows universities to recruit on the basis of talent and indeed recruits into the civil service in a similar way. Every workplace in the country interviews applicants to ensure that they are suitable for their organisation. Yet, maintained schools cannot select those pupils who will fit with their ethos or with the pace of work or indeed for any meaningful reason. The upshot – those parents who can afford to, move near to schools which match their aspirations or their own ethos. Those that cannot do so are left marooned by the system. Private day schools like our own have many boys receiving bursaries and so whilst we select on academic ability there remains a genuine social mix often unseen in maintained schools in leafy suburbs.
Society as a whole has no problem with selection. Indeed, the manager of my favourite football team Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, is lauded for his ability to spot talent and then to develop it. Our philosophy as a school is no different. Our entrance interviews are designed to spot talent and then we work hard to ensure that we develop it over the years. There is no suggestion that Premier League clubs must work with all who want to play football, they just select those they want. Like independent schools they do a great deal of outreach work to ensure that they link with the outside world and help spread their values and the benefits of their coaching. As a school we help in local primary schools with cricket coaching in a very similar way.
In football, with leagues though at all levels, everyone who wants to play football can be accommodated. The experience of the committed amateur with little skill is no less enjoyable, no less worthwhile. Indeed the quality of coaching at many junior football clubs is truly outstanding. Funding is rightly channelled into this important area. Yet would any coach be able to work daily with both the very best and the weakest – would either group prosper if this were the case? If the authorities then set targets to measure performance which meant that the key focus was on getting the weakest up to a certain standard, would the best still thrive?
Last week the Government announced that it is to close the national Gifted and Talented programme. There will always be a place for such children in the independent sector. I hope that the end of this funding does not mean that these children are neglected elsewhere. Yet with the continuing focus on gaining 5 A-C grades for all, it is inevitable that the focus will be on this rather than stretching the brightest in our schools. We intend to raise further funds so that we can take in even more who would reap the benefits of selection. Not all independent schools select – this is the point, our education system needs to cater for pupils of all abilities just as the structure for sport in our country does.
It seems that it is only in education where one size fits all. However, if football ever goes for a comprehensive approach with no selection on the grounds of ability please put me down for a place at the Arsenal academy!
Thursday, 28 January 2010
To blog or not to blog?
For some time now I have been thinking about whether I should embark on writing a regular blog. I have finally taken the plunge. Why?
I was hesitant about doing so because I was concerned that no-one would be particularly interested in reading my thoughts on a variety of topics. Blogs always seemed quite self-indulgent to me and I guess this thought remains now, why else would I display my favourite books alongside my posts?
However, I recently dipped my toes in the water by joining Twitter. I have been amazed by the response to this, over 120 people have chosen to receive my random ramblings and I have had a number of interesting conversations with boys and parents about the contents of many of these. In addition, I have had extended conversations with a number of colleagues in different schools about topics of mutual interest. This is a powerful network of professionals keen to help in so many different ways. Their generosity of advice and support to a complete stranger and novice to Twitter has been amazing.
Through this network I have been exposed to many more blogs and I have been inspired by these to make a start myself. Twitter is great but the 140 character limit does restrict your ability to develop your thoughts and refer to other sources.
So to the future? What will I blog about? My aim is to use it to reflect on a variety of issues relating to education and the world in general. I aim to write on a regular basis and welcome feedback with ideas for future posts or comments on what I have posted.
One of the greatest challenges for any school and for any Headmaster is communication. We all realise its importance but in an organisation of over 1000 pupils and over 200 staff it can be hard to make sure that this is perfect all of the time. I hope that by setting a lead here and by being prepared to listen to the feedback I can play my part in ensuring that our communications are both timely and appropriate.
I am sure that people will tell me if the process becomes too self-indulgent but in our Year of Reading I hope that you will take a look at the book-shelf alongside this post. I will write more on my choices in the future.
So first post written and now to think about the next…
I was hesitant about doing so because I was concerned that no-one would be particularly interested in reading my thoughts on a variety of topics. Blogs always seemed quite self-indulgent to me and I guess this thought remains now, why else would I display my favourite books alongside my posts?
However, I recently dipped my toes in the water by joining Twitter. I have been amazed by the response to this, over 120 people have chosen to receive my random ramblings and I have had a number of interesting conversations with boys and parents about the contents of many of these. In addition, I have had extended conversations with a number of colleagues in different schools about topics of mutual interest. This is a powerful network of professionals keen to help in so many different ways. Their generosity of advice and support to a complete stranger and novice to Twitter has been amazing.
Through this network I have been exposed to many more blogs and I have been inspired by these to make a start myself. Twitter is great but the 140 character limit does restrict your ability to develop your thoughts and refer to other sources.
So to the future? What will I blog about? My aim is to use it to reflect on a variety of issues relating to education and the world in general. I aim to write on a regular basis and welcome feedback with ideas for future posts or comments on what I have posted.
One of the greatest challenges for any school and for any Headmaster is communication. We all realise its importance but in an organisation of over 1000 pupils and over 200 staff it can be hard to make sure that this is perfect all of the time. I hope that by setting a lead here and by being prepared to listen to the feedback I can play my part in ensuring that our communications are both timely and appropriate.
I am sure that people will tell me if the process becomes too self-indulgent but in our Year of Reading I hope that you will take a look at the book-shelf alongside this post. I will write more on my choices in the future.
So first post written and now to think about the next…
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