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Head Teacher's Address 2005
Good morning ladies and gentlemen. It gives me great pleasure to deliver to you my annual address to the school. I talk to you at a time when there is much to be proud of in Scottish education. I do not in anyway underplay or diminish the challenges which all schools including this one face and while I will share some of these with you this morning I do so in an air of optimism for the future. Why such cause for optimism? We have an Executive who since the publication of the Standards in Scotland’s Schools Act in 2000 have clearly placed education at the centre of the political agenda in Scotland. Pupil attainment in terms of the number, quality and relevance of awards gained increases steadily across the country. Our national examination system is copied across the world. The quality of new recruits to the teaching profession has improved significantly. The health and status of education is improving and there is much of which to be proud and self congratulatory. However in Scotland Year on year around 9% of those who leave school do so with no formal qualifications Approximately 10% of Scotland’s adult population are functionally illiterate. Between 10,000 and 12,000 youngsters will leave Scotland’s schools this year into third generation unemployment. Despite exhortations and targets and significant financial input from Scottish Executive and Local Authorities the gap between the highest and lowest achievers is growing. Society and schools contain a significant and growing underclass who not only do not value learning but have no conscience in disrupting the learning and lifestyle of others. This is not a problem created by schools but it is a fundamental responsibility of schools to make a significant contribution to finding a solution. The challenge for us is to close this gap, not by lowering our standards or by diverting our attention away from supporting and encouraging those who value learning to achieve to the highest level but by redoubling our efforts to reengage with the others. It is not just a matter of getting them to attend school and to behave in class (desirable as that is) but to fire them with an ambition and a belief that learning is the way to an achievable, desirable and better future. A small nation such as Scotland can ill afford this waste of potential talent. This school is committed to encouraging the development of the personality, talents and abilities of every young person to their fullest potential. Earlier this year the Executive produced its plan for the future of education in Scotland called Ambitious Excellent Schools in which it outlines its agenda for action under five key headings. While I have no intention this morning, you will be glad to hear of going through each of these, please be assured that this school is well placed to deliver on each area. Ambitious Excellent Schools sets out the criteria for future improvement in opportunity for youngsters in Scottish schools. Impact on the life choices of young people is dependent upon the relationships between pupils and their teachers in schools and in classrooms. I would like to take the opportunity this morning of laying before you the commitment which youngsters in this school can expect of my staff. The growing gap between the highest and lowest achievers is not a phenomenon created by schools however we fully accept our professional responsibility and moral obligation to help find a solution to the problem. Accepting that some youngsters will inevitably fail and then blaming it on society is not an option in this school. So how do we attempt to close the attainment gap? Learning in Harris is based on a number of fundamental tenets We believe that schools can and do make a difference to young people regardless of their social status and background I do however believe that although high quality education is necessary to promote high attainment it is on its own not sufficient to guarantee it There is no doubt in my mind that poverty inhibits the motivation to learn and to achieve – not just financial poverty but perhaps even more so emotional cultural and intellectual poverty, and most significant of all poverty of ambition however There is even less doubt in my mind that poor performance and lack of achievement are not the inevitable outcomes of social disadvantage. Schools are in many ways great paradoxes. Significant changes have taken place since many of the adults here today attended school – new subjects in the curriculum, the use of computers and other ICT equipment in classes and a totally difference atmosphere in the classroom to mention but a few. The essential teaching and learning process however remains the same and would be immediately familiar to any one of you – one large person in the classroom in control of the learning of between 20 to 30 small people. I fully support the Executive’s drive towards Ambitious Excellent schools and given the nature of the teaching and learning process the essential element in achieving this is to have ambitious excellent teachers. The crucial factor in learning is not the quality or quantity of resources available but the effectiveness of the teacher in forming relationships with young people at the point of delivery of learning. In Harris we give the highest priority to the professional development of our teachers. Good teachers improve and enhance children’s life changes – poor teachers can cause irreparable damage to a young person’s career opportunities. The world changes so quickly it is essential that teachers equip themselves to be able to deliver learning consistent with the demands of preparing young people to prosper in life after school – whatever that might be as we progress into the 21st century. Consider this if you will You are on a hospital trolley having undergone pre op and are being wheeled into the operating theatre. In discussion with the surgeon who is about to perform the operation on you he reveals that he qualified in 1970 and since then he proudly boasts he has never read a book on medicine, avoids training courses, never discusses his professional practice with his colleagues and sees no need to seek advice or guidance from anyone. He prefers to rely on the experience which he has built up to help him through any difficulties believing that the techniques which he learned at medical school in 1970 have served him well and therefore sees no point in indulging in any new fangled ideas. We obviously expect better of such professionals and teaching is no different. Staff in this school are encouraged to evaluate their professional performance, be self critical and strive to be the ambitious excellent teachers necessary to close the attainment gap. To ensure that we are able to deliver an education consistent with the demands of all young people in the 21st Century the teachers in this school have spend over 3000 hours on professional development activities and the school has spent over £24,000 in supporting them in this throughout the year gone past. The staff are prepared to meet the challenges presented to the teaching profession in the 21st century – what do we expect of our young people? In this school we attempt to develop young people who Are motivated to learn and to achieve Are motivated to go on learning and achieving Have the ability to think in innovate and creative ways Have the ability to collaborate and work together Are able to question themselves and the world around them. The two key words in these ambitions for our young people are motivation and ability and in Harris we have worked hard to dismiss two commonly held misconceptions involving the application of these words to young people. Firstly We do not believe in the idea that some young people have no or only limited ability. Ability in all people is not a finite quality. To see it so would be an easy option which would stifle creativity and learning and collide with the notion of a ceiling on what people are capable of achieving. In this school we are committed to the belief that ability is incremental and able to be developed and that it is our moral duty to view all young people in this light and our professional duty to create conditions for learning which empower them to develop to the fullest of their potential. Secondly We do not believe that some young people cannot be motivated. I firmly believe that everyone is capable of being motivated and I am not convinced that there is such a phenomenon as demotivation. I do however accept entirely the existence of misdirected or maladjusted motivation and would suggest that there are three strains of this particularly Scottish phenomenon all of which have a seriously debilitating impact on a young person’s ability to achieve the fullest of his or her potential. To put this very plainly: if we are parents and teachers are unable to motivate children to value learning and to motivate them to seek success in learning then they will motivate themselves in less productive and often harmful ways. The first type of maladapted motivation could be described as self work preservation or get your excuses in first. In this the young person’s motivation is concerned with not losing face by being seen to try but to come up short or to fail. The pupil who before entering the exam hall says “I didn’t bother to study for this exam” or “I don’t really care whether I pass or fail”. The player in the football team who says “The result’s not important – it’s only a game”. There are many more such examples of this thought process in which aiming to be the best is discarded and replaced by ensuring self worth is preserved. The second type of maladjusted motivation can be described as learned helplessness – giving a logic to failure and lack of achievement by claiming the task is too difficult or the targets are too high and therefore lowering your ambitions and expectations accordingly rather than to be seen to put in the effort and to fail. This is typified by statements such as “Why do five highers in fifth year and try for a high tariff course at University when three will get you into a lower tariff course”. Maladjusted motivation breeds low self confidence, low self worth, is debilitating for the individual and most importantly devalues learning and fees on itself. In a small country such as Scotland on the fringes of the Continent distant from our markets if we are to prosper then it must be through the value we are able to add to produce through skill. Education must therefore produce confident leading edge thinkers not individuals who are motivated to find excuses not to be aiming for the highest. My final version of misdirected motivation and perhaps the one most frustrating for teachers could be described as motivation through alternative activity. In this pupils who fail to see the value in learning are motivated to seek the kudos and attention which they fail to get through being successful learners through behaviour which is disruptive and at times downright antisocial. This variety of misdirected motivation is the greatest single challenge facing us in creating the ambitious excellent schools outlined in the executive’s vision. It is easy to repeat the sound bit “Let’s make it cool to learn”. In my opinion this is patronising to young people. We are privileged this morning to be in the company of a significant number of young people who value learning have ambition and have strived for a trained excellence. We are most aware in this school of the growing gap between the high and low achievers. Rather than using patronising sound bites we are trying to address this in an open and honest way. In Harris we accept that learning can often be hard and that the approach to this should not be merely to lower the hurdle but to assist young people to get over it and to be able to deal with the failure of not being able to do so at the first attempt. A school staff who model ambition and excellence will provide the motivation necessary to empower pupils to deal with the challenge of being successful learners and not seek ways of avoiding what is difficult by progressively reducing our expectations of them. We try to boost confidence and self worth by Acknowledging, valuing and praising success and achievement in whatever form it is presented Encouraging young people to be curious in every aspect of life Encourage risk taking and teaching young people how to deal with failure Viewing failure as a learning opportunity Seeking learning and achievement in every aspect of life and Concentrating on self improvement not just on competition. In doing so we try to give young people a sense of being in control of their own destiny. Can I congratulate all of my pupils for your efforts throughout the year and wish those of you who leave us today the very best of fortune in whatever future you choose. I leave you with a quote from my own personal hero, the American President Franklin D. Roosevelt who said in his Inaugural Address in 1933 “Let me assert that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. To the parents my thanks for the support and encouragement which you have given your children and the school. Effective learning is dependent upon effective parenting. Excellence and ambition are habits learned from effective role models. To my staff, both teaching and non-teaching can I express my thanks and appreciation for your hard work, patience and professionalism throughout the year. To find 12 members of staff prepared to attend a three year in-service session at the close of the school day on Wednesday 22 June is at the same time astonishing and typical of Harris teachers. Can I wish those of you who leave us today to take up appointments in other schools the very best of fortune in your future and thank you for your efforts on behalf of our young people. To Mr Brown, Mr Smith, Dr Brindle and Mrs Scotland who retire today can I offer to you my thanks on behalf of generations of Harris pupils for your contribution to their learning over a combined period of 95 years in this school. We wish you prosperity and longevity in retiral – you have earned it. For those of us who will be returning. School starts at 9.00 am on Monday 15th August for staff and also at 9.00 am on Tuesday 16th August for pupils. I wish you all a restful holiday. I am proud to be Headteacher in Harris Academy.
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