Unruly pupils hidden from inspectors

A former member of the General Teaching Council for England has reportedly told MPs that some headteachers are employing a range of tactics to try and keep the most disruptive pupils out of the sight of Ofsted Inspectors.

The story, covered in the Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/nov/18/unruly-pupils-hidden-ofsted-inspectors), reports how Tom Trust outlined a range of tactics, including temporarily suspending certain children before the inspectors arrive and bringing in supply teachers to cover the worst behaved classes, as these are unlikely to be observed.

Move house for a good school?

Many parents find the school admissions procedure stressful, unfair and confusing according to an article in the Daily Telegraph. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/8101439/Most-parents-find-school-admissions-stressful.html)

Reporting on findings of a poll by Netmums, the paper reveals that nearly one in four parents feel the whole application procedure is confusing and overwhelming and 60% of parents found, or are finding it, stressful not knowing if their youngster will get a place at their preferred school.

When asked what length they would go to in order to obtain a place at a good school, nearly 57 per cent said they would be willing to move house and nearly half simply said they would do ”whatever it takes”.

Ofsted snoop on lunchboxes

School inspectors have been lifting the lid on pupil lunchboxes and grading schools on the quality of snacks that they find, according to the Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1329309/Ofsted-snooping-childrens-snacks-rating-schools-badly-unhealthy.html#ixzz15LGijbjn

They report that Ofsted inspectors are snooping in children’s lunchboxes and marking schools down if they find unhealthy snacks such as crisps and chocolate. Those schools where lunchboxes have been deemed too unhealthy, have subsequently lost marks under the ‘healthy lifestyles’ section of the inspection.

Parents have reportedly expressed amazement at the practice, while critics urge Ofsted to concentrate on teaching quality and discipline instead.

Unhappy pupils

Teenagers who do not like school are more likely to become involved in under-age sex and drinking, according to research by Liverpool John Moores University’s Centre for Public Health.

As reported by the Press Association http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5h-nOBHSLakdFOY_r_vJutoBs82mw?docId=N0243991289297354776A, the study says that happiness at school and home can be key indicators of whether a child is likely to indulge in “risky” behaviour.

The study questioned 3,641 children aged 11 to 14 living in north-west England about sex and alcohol use, as well as asking about their general well-being.

And finally…

‘Batman’ teacher wins award

A creative teacher from West Yorkshire who employs a range of unusual techniques in her classroom has received top honours at a national award ceremony.

From transforming her classroom into an alien landscape, to dressing up as characters such as Batman and using Tai Chi techniques in her lessons to focus pupils, Kelly Steeples has been praised for her unique teaching style and voted ‘New Teacher of the Year’ at the national teaching awards, reports BBC News (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bradford-west-yorkshire-11661224

Are you Tweeting? Is Facebook on your favourites list? Internet use and the popularity of social networking sites continues to grow as more and more people go online. However, with any new communication platform there comes new ways for it to be abused. With Anti-Bullying Week taking place this month we take a look at social networking and cyberbullying aimed at teachers and ask the question: is the social networking playground any place for a teacher?

The social networking phenomenon continues to pick up steam. It seems you can’t go anywhere these days without hearing who’s Tweeting.

Facebook, the UK’s most popular social networking site is now thought to have over 400 million users worldwide and this month a film about its young creators, ‘The Social Network’, topped the US film chart, raking in over $23m (£14m) and causing a huge stir in the UK.

So, who is online? An Ofcom report released in August this year showed 61 per cent of 15-34s in the UK are now using social networking sites, along with 40 per cent of all adults aged 16+. Nearly half of 35-54s claim to use social networking sites, as do 20 per cent of 55-64s. According to the report, social networking accounts for nearly a quarter of all time spent on the internet.

Getting familiar with Facebook

With social networking such a huge part of the lives of so many – young and old – it seems there can be little escape.

For teachers, it may well be worth spending time getting to know social networking sites – whether it’s Facebook, MySpace, Bebo or the ‘next big thing’; not only can the experience help teachers relate to their pupils, but it can be invaluable when working with them to counteract cyberbullying, which is all too prevalent.

‘Virtual Violence: Protecting Children from Cyberbullying’, a 2009 report released by leading bullying prevention charity Beatbullying, revealed that 61.2% of secondary school pupils aged 11-18 have witnessed some form of cyberbullying. It also highlighted the number of extreme cases where a young person is persistently and systematically cyberbullied – some even receiving death threats online.

41% in contact with pupils via Facebook

Could this quest for better understanding leave teachers open to the potential risk of personal attacks themselves?

The Association of Teachers & Lecturers (ATL) has found it’s not just pupils who can become the victims of online bullies. Earlier this year, The Times newspaper reported on a survey conducted by the ATL which found that of the 600 members surveyed, 41 per cent were in contact with pupils via social networking site Facebook.

A further 15 per cent reported having had abusive messages from students and parents and some even had special groups set up specifically to target them, according to the report.

Doctored photos

Worst experiences included staff who had been ridiculed through the use of doctored photographs and videos that were published on the internet.

As a result, at its annual conference the ATL passed a motion calling for teachers to be better advised on ways to handle and protect themselves from cyberbullying.

One thing remains clear: that the social networking phenomenon is here to stay and for younger generations it looks set to continue to form a major part of their lives.

For teachers, an understanding of the platform will certainly be beneficial, especially when trying to relate to pupils and issues they may be facing, including cyberbullying. The downside is that careless participation may also leave them open to personal attack.

 15-19 November is Anti-Bullying Week in the UK. For more information go to the Anti-Bullying Week website.

You know the situation, the same child in the class is being disruptive yet again, so what do you do? Well, you have a couple of options, you can send him out the class, but you’ve already done that twice. You would give him a detention, but detentions don’t exist in Primary schools. This child is rude, he swears, hits other children and is stopping everyone else from having a productive day, so, you expel him.

Harsh? The above scenario is all the more common, with Ofsted reporting 13,460 fixed term exclusions in 2006-07. But how can this be avoided? The root cause of the problem could range from anything from problems at home, bullying, wanting attention to name a few. Ofsted Inspectors say the whole situation can be avoided with better classroom management.

What are your views – Have you had a similar situation in your class or school? Do you think exclusions should be avoided, or do you think they are the only effective method? Do you have any tips for better classroom management? Share your thoughts with us!

Hi, I am Mel Crabb, I work for Eteach but I am also a mum of four teenagers / twenty-somethings. Having been through the school system as a parent and as a Governor I found the story reported by the BBC ‘Home Educators are angry at review’ (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7838783.stm) somewhat frustrating. The story is in regard to the proposed review by the Government of how local authorities can make sure all children educated outside school receive the education they need and are secure and healthy.

Whilst I can understand the implied terms of this statement, i.e. they are not being educated and are not being well looked after, I find the anger expressed by Education Otherwise, the charity representing home educators as somewhat small-minded. The charity’s own website (http://www.education-otherwise.org.uk/ ) states two of their aims as:

• ‘reaffirm that parents have primary responsibility for their children’s education and that they have the right to exercise this responsibility by educating them out of school;

• establish the primary right of children to have full consideration given to their wishes and feelings about their education’

Perhaps it’s me but these indicate that the charity also want the same things the Government and indeed, society does – well-educated, happy and nurtured children. Whether they obtain this through schools or home education is irrelevant, the needs and future prospects of the child should come first. Future prospects include health and well-being but are, in no small part, related to the career which stretches ahead of them in whatever they choose to do. It therefore puzzles me when their ‘About HE’ page states ‘it is possible for exams to be taken if you wish’!

Whilst all the targeting and Ofsted focus on GCSE results and the pressures it puts on fully qualified teachers who are trained to educate others is cumbersome and sometimes over the top, what other measure is there to determine the success of the Home Education system compared to that of mainstream schooling. Happiness, parental responsibility and feelings all have a very big place in life but so does providing for yourself and any future family. How else do prospective employers ascertain the suitability of a candidate? Exams and qualifications should not be the be all and end all but they certainly give an indication not only of ability but also of effort and reliability. Many children struggle with exams but those who attend school regularly and try their very best tend to attain some qualifications – or am I being a dinosaur, let me know if you think I am!