There’s late, and then there’s halfway through the year…

Having been at my Year 6 post for more than half the year now, it’s probably fair to say this post is unconscionably late. What can I offer by way of excuses? Well, September was lost in a terrifying whirl, while I realised everything I didn’t know, October was camp, and I’ve just been running to catch up with myself ever since. I don’t have any good excuses.

To start with, I was a fish completely out of water. I have always thought that teachers develop a classroom ‘persona’, which is, to varying levels, themselves. It became clear very fast, that my classroom persona, enjoyed at secondary level (by most!) was entirely inappropriate for 10 year-olds. The banter, the gentle jokes, the dry humour – all unsuitable for an audience more interested in hugs and extra golden time from their teacher. I found it incredibly hard to change who I am in class.

The intensity of the routine was difficult for me at first, too. All day, no lesson changeover to speak of – and never have I dreaded rain so much! Wet play: words to strike fear into the heart of a parched teacher. No non-contact lessons during a day, except once a week – I suddenly appreciated all the snatches of ‘down’ time that I had taken for granted at my last school.

I’ve learnt a lot about myself, too. Largely useless facts, really. For example, I’ve learnt that I don’t like mess very much. Any casual visitor to my home will be hooting with laughter at this point, but what can I say? The classroom is obviously different. Make that wet mess (paint, vomit) and I’m positively phobic. I also have, apparently, a very low tolerance for animal noises. One member of my class, almost exclusively, has helped me along that particular voyage of discovery. No prizes, BPA people.

But having adjusted, I’m developing all sorts of theories about the transition process, and the reasons behind some students’ lack of progress at KS3. At the moment, I think it’s about the following things, very broadly:

1. Environment
2. Assessment
3. Knowledge of curriculum coverage.

My last post touched on environment, in one of the ways that I think it’s an issue – the learning environment. A primary school classroom supports learning in every one of its displays – the VCOP wall or board, the learning walls, the displays of synonyms, sentence reminders, story maps, maths calculation processes, times tables, question stems – and that’s besides the reminders of how work will be marked, and so on. There is no wallpaper, everything is used, referred to and functional. Every secondary classroom could have a VCOP board, supporting students with the vocabulary and sentencing required in that particular subject, as I said in my last post. Or subject-specific VCOP pyramids; the template is overwriteable. If that’s a word.

There’s more to this environment business, though, I realise. Their wider physical environment, the whole school, is one that is so safe and familiar to them – they’ve been here for years, my Year 6. They know every pupil in the school, and every teacher. Every teacher and pupil knows them. They are entirely safe and secure in their own classroom, or anywhere else in the school. They don’t have to move anywhere. If anything the slightest bit unpleasant happens to them (a playtime argument, for example), they come rushing in to their teacher, who will sort it out. Their teacher is part of the safe, familiar furniture too. They are the big fish in the small pond. I know I’ve already mentioned fish.

Of course I had considered this big fish idea before, but previously underestimated its importance. Now that I’m here, I realise that they are very at home. Not that that’s a bad thing – it’s just a sharp contrast. In seven months, my class will be in a place where they have no classroom which they can truly call home in the same way. They’ll have about 10 classrooms, 10 teachers, and have to find their way around a comparatively big site. They won’t have any one teacher they’re as attached to, either. Things can go wrong – being late to a lesson, not bringing the right book, forgetting homework on the right day – these can all lead to being told off, or worse. Not a secure feeling.

My daughter started this process in September. A quiet student, academically OK, she has found the whole thing hard in some respects. Silly things, like dealing with a locker, finding her way to lessons and not being late, managing her homework timetable – and even whether she’ll be allowed to the toilet. These were her anxieties.

I don’t know how much we can do to help this bigger school issue. Transition days are great, but a longer time would at least help students to learn their way around. At KOA last year, with Year 11 and 13 gone, we had some students in for a three day extra transition. At the end of that time, they felt they knew their way around a little more, had met their tutor groups, made some friends – and were definitely less nervous about September.

Like many other secondaries, we had summer school too – though I think having the other students in school is probably more helpful in acclimatising the primary pupils, at least it’s a further opportunity for them to familiarise themselves with their new environment.

I know some secondary schools have limited movement around the site for Year 7. Even for just an introductory period, of a month perhaps, this would surely be helpful, encouraging them to find their way around more gradually.

Perhaps at primary, we could make them move around more in Year 6? Practically difficult – space is always at a premium. We try to get them used to routines and homework, certainly – and they do this very well. It’s all so much simpler when you have one teacher, though!

I suppose all these things are homeostasis issues, along the bottom row of Maslow’s hierarchy. I know that many people view his findings as outdated now, but it is surely a given that we can’t learn unless we feel safe and secure to do so? Panic about where you’re going next, whether you’ve got time for the loo, whether your locker (in my daughter’s case) will open so you can get your PE kit – all this fires the limbic brain, which virtually stops us learning, if I’m not misinformed?

There’s a school in Wales, featured in the TES a while ago, which takes all its Year 6 for a week after Year 11 have gone. They go to Year 7 type lessons (released time), go to their tutor groups and get to know each other, as well as the other students. They meet all their teachers, are taught by them if possible – it sounds idyllic. This was a rural school, with fewer partner primaries than some of us work with, but even so – this would be wonderful for Year 6, if we could manage anything close to it.

Thanks for getting to the end (if you have!) and for bearing with my theories and questions (at primary level, wonderings). Please share your thoughts with me. I’ll be back much sooner, next time!

First week :-/

Well, I’ve survived my first week. Just about! To say I was tired at the end of the week, would be failing even to hint at the utter disintegration of my bodily economy and personality (To misquote James Herriot, a childhood favourite). My own mother didn’t recognise my voice on the phone.

Information overload is another phrase which fails to convey the sheer amount there was for me to process last week. I realise now that I can’t hope to remember and process everything in one week. Lots of lists being written.

One of the things which has most made me reflect on the differences between primary and secondary classrooms, was the part of the inset day relating to display. We were given a list of ‘non-negotiables’,  to appear in all classrooms, including a VCOP display, Literacy and Maths walls to reflect current learning, and elements regarding behaviour for learning to be agreed with the class. There were other things.

The part of the discussion I found most interesting, was the discussion about ‘wallpaper’. Every aspect of display in the classroom needs to focus on current learning, needs to support learning, and must be referred to by class and teacher. One of the SLT suggested that in a fortnight, we ask the class if there’s anything on display we haven’t used/aren’t using. Then, ‘either teach it or get rid of it.’ There is no room for wallpaper. Display is a shifting thing.

It made me think about our secondary classrooms. My classroom was mainly functional in its display, helpful, and increasingly referred to by students. I can think of at least one display, though, that’s been up a long time – some nice writing, and decorative. Wallpaper.

It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate success – as one primary colleague said, that’s what corridors are for. Classrooms for learning, corridors for celebrating (thanks Gemma). Which makes complete sense.

Lots of secondary tweachers this summer were tweeting their amazing display ideas and newly redecorated classrooms, some of which is even available on TES (amazing APP bunting by Laura), but I don’t know if, generally, we are as good at keeping our displays current, functional and interactive as our primary colleagues.

The other thing which occurs to me, is that display could be a very quick way to address some aspects of cross-curricular literacy. Sorry if lots of you are doing this, and I’m just catching up, but a secondary ‘non-negotiables’ list, for display in every classroom, could be just the thing. My neighbour’s classroom (and lots of the other classrooms too), has a large laminated sheet of paper each for V, C, O and P. Every secondary classroom could do that – put up specific vocab/openers/connectives, keywords – anything! Just for that lesson, then wipe off. Instant and flexible.

Students arrive in Year 7 so used to being supported by their environment. Lots of things they find difficult are hard for us to respond to, but this one’s easy.

So this is a short one  – no work to post up this week, nothing levelled yet. There will be next week. A huge thank you to my teacher partner, Chloe, who’s working very hard with me at the moment. I promise I’ll improve very soon!

CLF people, come and see me – let me know any requests.  Thanks for reading!

Clearing the cupboards!

It’s my last opportunity to clear cupboards, drawers and email inboxes. In September, I’ll be at Begbrook Primary Academy in Bristol, teaching Year 6 – after 11 years at King’s Oak Academy, a secondary.

My intention is to blog weekly, or bi-weekly, posting work and details of our activities and approaches to learning. I hope that secondary colleagues will find it useful. I’ll be posting up a selection of content, hopefully covering all the curriculum areas regularly. 

The work will be anonymous, and I’ll post levels if I’m feeling brave!

I’m under no illusions – I know that I’ll be the one learning the most this year, both in terms of curriculum content, and in the different approaches to learning and assessment. I’m hopeful that there are secrets to be gleaned, about how children transfer learning, and what we can do at secondary level to make that happen more effectively.

My first actions have been to start increasing staff knowledge of KS2, by getting into classes and seeing Key Stage 2 at work. Once I’m at Begbrook, I will be in a better position to raise awareness of curriculum coverage, among my colleagues at secondary level.

I’m also really interested in the transition to secondary level, and ‘the dip’: is it real? How much of it can be avoided? At KOA, we’ve increased the amount of transition time our Year 6 students get before coming here, which has been really successful, and hopefully starts to alleviate some of the mechanical worries about new routines, and finding places. But that’s just one aspect of it.

So, anyway, that’s it for now – see you in September!

Lucy