I read this article with great fondness as it almost exactly outlined the process I went through when working with a brand new headteacher in oh so similar circumstances. Children on the roof, storming out of classes, tipping all the library books out of the shelves, running up and down the corridoors, endlessly outdoors instead of in class and the list goes on.
The current solution seems to be to use power and exclusions to force compliance without apparently any care for the long term health of the individuals or the effect this approach has on the community,
The current solution seems to be to use power and exclusions to force compliance without apparently any care for the long term health of the individuals or the effect this approach has on the community,
Sure, it can seem to make sense to turn a school round quickly and in that process there may be casualties but for me the real challenge is to turn the school round with as many of the children as possible. That way you have treated the school as an entity, not just a name because a school is so much more than just the name.
If only there were more examples of this approach, the Supportive approach in the press, particularly in the secondary sector where exclusions during a turnaround can be really alarming. This also highlights some of the issues that schools will face when the 16 year olds have another two years to endure, I do hope they have updated their behaviour policies for 16-18 year olds otherwise their unauthorised absence rates will go through the roof.
I shall follow the latte