Executive 2000-2001It was a gut feeling … and there are times when such emotions may not be scholarly but they are worth listening to. We seemed to be using all our time and energy on the problems in school rather than all the good things about it. The negative aspects of our work were becoming more of a focus than the positive and consequently the school felt like it was falling in that direction.
So …… Change the focus.
Easily said, but how?
Opportunity grabbing is something I don't feel will be on the NPQH syllabus, yet up it popped it the form Bristol headteacher, who came to notoriety in this area by teaching children to juggle. As a great believer in juggling I was keen to find out what it was really all about and so with four of my Wiltshire middle schools heads spent a two day course with him on what Independent Learning was all about.
Five on one on a course is a good ratio but he had done it on 80 to one; the strength lies in the listener and the message. It was superb, just what I had been looking for and just right for a school full of such great people. I took it on board and was ready to pounce.
Independent thinking skills is based on creating positive self-esteem in the listener knowing full well that the message would pass on to those with who s/he worked. It uses knowledge learned over the past 15 years from the work of the many Nobel Prize for science winners; exploration of the brain. The concept uses recently learnt understanding on its receptiveness and how attitudes are framed and by whom. It hands back to the brain's owner the use and control of emotions and attitudes allowing the listener to be able to take charge of her/his own responses. Thus it empowers children to be free from the shackles of those who try to disempower them.
I was extremely nervous about bringing such a course to fruition. I knew it was good but what gave me the right to say to my staff that they needed such an input? I met up with my course director, Lucia Thompson, to try to see if I thought she fitted with the staff, showed her around the school and went for it.
The first two days of the spring term were put aside for this school improvement and we embarked on the course. It was a huge success. I cannot say just how much the school range and is ringing still, with positives, very few put downs and a lot of honking from behind. (You need to do the course to know that that is not what you first thought!)
The team at Duchy are like those in your school, a great bunch of professional people who focus much more on helping each other, teaching the children not to put themselves down, telling the children how their brain works, how they are learning and self talk. The quality of our work has shot up to a level I would have only described in interview … achieved at last! But then we all know that the way to improve something is often to do a linked activity not to do more of what we couldn't do.
Positive children are the focus group in the school and the less positive are wondering what they have to do to get some attention. Staff still joke, English style, at each other, but have a problem and you've got both the space to come out with it and the people who will help.
I was delighted to see so much of our conference in May focused on what we had done both for ourselves and for the children. It links closely with Accelerated Learning, Brain Gym and to Gardner's 8 Intelligences work.
The course isn't cheap - but then it is really - for the investment is focused on the key people in any school, the staff, passing lifelong attitudes on to the children - the future, the course comes through Metamorphosis, based at the Old Vicarage in Litchett Matravers, Wiltshire. It's real middle school philosophy.
Please phone me if you'd like to know more about this.
Tom Sleigh 01747 860305
Duchy Manor Middle
Mere, Wilts
Executive 2000-2001We meet as an executive three times a year. Following Vince's retirement from Roysia Middle School we are now meeting at the National Society's headquarters in Causton Street, London. We have been fairly small numerically in the last twelve months and would really welcome support from regions who (from the list below) are not currently represented. Please contact Vince directly on this important issue. Meetings last from 11.00 am to around 2.00 pm.
Issues we've covered in the last twelve months include:
The executive membership for the current year is as follows:
Steering Committee
2000/01| Tel | Fax | |||
| Mr D Birch | Burgoyne Middle School, Mill Lane, Potton, Sandy, Beds. | 01767 260034 | - | |
| Mr D Clark | Gamlingay VC College, Station Road, Gamlingay, Sandy, Beds, SG19 3HA | 01767 650360 | 01767 650605 | |
| Mr S Davies (Secretary) |
Midhurst Intermediate Middle School, Wheelbarrow Castle, Eastbourne, Midhurst, West Sussex, GU29 9AG | 01730 812371 | 01730 815090 | |
| Mr V Davies | 19 Horseshoe Close, Dunton, Biggleswade, Beds, SG18 8RY | 01767 315487 | - | |
| Mr D Evans | Kirkley Middle School, Southwell Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk | 01502 574164 | 01502 538499 | |
| Mr C Gorski | Lake County Middle School, Newport Road, Lake, Sandown, Isle of Wight, PO36 9PE | 01983 404153 | 01983 405312 | |
| Mr J Gough | Education Offices, County Hall, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 2DL | 01603 222572 | 01603 222119 | |
| Mr T Holland (Vice-Chair) |
Blackminster Middle School, Station Road, South Littleton, Evesham, Worcs, WR11 5TG | 01386 830311 | 01386 832024 | |
| Mr P Hunt | Bacton Middle School, Wyverstone Road, Bacton, Stowmarket, Suffolk, UP14 4LH | 01449 781389 | 01449 781389 | |
| Mr P Illsley | Uplands Middle School, York Road, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 6NG | 01787 372731 | 01787 313909 | |
| Mr I Kerr | County Middle School Adviser, Taunton, TA1 4DY | - | - | |
| Mr G Langtree (Chair) |
SES, County Hall, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1XJ | 01305 224663 | 01305 224348 | |
| Mr M Lavelle | Lincroft Middle School, Station Road, Oakley, Bedford, MK43 7RE | 01234 822147 | 01234 825923 | |
| Mr M Meredith | Danley Middle School, Halfway, Sheerness, Kent, ME12 3AU | 01795 663163 | 01795 580338 | |
| Tom Sleigh | Duchy Manor Middle School, Springfield Road, Mere, Warminster, Wilts, BA12 6EW | 01747 860305 | - | |
| Mrs W Speck (Treasurer) |
Chevyside Middle School, Yetholm Place, Weterhope, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE5 4EB | 01912 860077 | - | |
| Mrs E Thomas | All Saints CE Middle School, Boughton Green Road, Kingthorope, Northampton, NN2 7AJ | 01604 715658 | 01604 711461 | |
| Mr M Thomas | Temple Cowley Middle School, Temple Road, Oxford, OX4 2HD | 01865 774668 | 01865 718251 | |
| Mr J Wilkinson | Heartsease Middle School, Rider Haggard Road, Norwich, NR7 9UE | 01603 34576 | 01603 700328 | |
website
www.nmsforum.co.uk |
The executive is very grateful for the original work on the website undertaken by Phil Illsley and colleagues at Uplands Middle School in Suffolk. the site has now been revamped and developed. We are particularly grateful for the vital support we have been given by Mike Meredith (executive member and Headteacher at Danley Middle School) and Barbara McLeod, ICT Officer at the school.
You can use the website for a whole range of issues. These include:
| The website has a few 'public' pages but
the key information can only be accessed by use of a password.
The password will only be sent to middle schools who have subscribed
to the , so
it definiely pays to be a member. |
Again we would welcome your ideas/suggestions for other website features.
We very much hope you have found this newsletter helpful and informative. As an executive we are committed to supporting all middle schools, particularly at a difficult time, when a number of LEAs have been/are looking at reorganisation. We very much hope that you will join and continue to support NMSF which seeks to represent you in our key discussion with QCA, Ofsted, TTA and the DfEE. As stated in the "Forum" we are dependant upon you for future editions. We want to celebrate and encourage the quality of teaching and learning in this special phase of learning. We would like to see regional groups in all parts of the country where middle schools exist and build closer links between the NMSF executive and the regional groups. Please support us in what we genuinely believe to be key work in the lives of middle schools.
For the next edition of Forum we already have the following planned articles:
We look forward to having lots more!